# When inexpensive gear, equal or beat expensive gear.



## AJ6stringsting (Mar 12, 2006)

When my Carvin X-100 B amp, had better sound than my Marshall JCM 800.
My Arion Hot Watt 2, blended much better than my Rockman in my amps.
When my Behringer AM 100 had a more realistic acoustic guitar sound than my Boss AC 2 Acoustic simulator.
When some Artec, GFS or Dragonfire pickups created better tones than than some of the big brand pickups.

Anyone else have similar stories ?


----------



## Brian Johnston (Feb 24, 2019)

I've been impressed with some of the latest NUX pedals... the DuoTime delay (as clear vibrant as my Eventide H9, although not as diverse... but I tend to only use a few basic settings anyway) and the Fireman Distortion (more clarity and punch than my Suhr Eclipse).


----------



## zztomato (Nov 19, 2010)

I find that, generally, you get what you pay for.
That said, I don't spend much time comparing what I have with cheaper alternatives.


----------



## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

It sucks when you get an expensive piece of gear and it has some design flaw that makes it suck.


----------



## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

Most times I don't find cheaper versions or clones any better, could be as good but not better specially with pedals. With guitars, not really. YMMV


----------



## Okay Player (May 24, 2020)

I have a 52 reissue Telecaster. I intended to add a FCS Nocaster along side it. I brought the Nocaster home and a week later it was gone. It was a really, really nice guitar it had all the features I love about my 52ri that runs half the price.


----------



## ezcomes (Jul 28, 2008)

What is defined as cheap though?
Ive seen numerous Rig Rundowns on Premier Guitar where these famous musicians are using run of mill Boss pedals...


----------



## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

Comparing my much less expensive Brad Paisley tele to my Custom shop 52 they feel equal to me. I love the tone and feel of both. There are things I love equally about both.


----------



## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

When I was looking for an acoustic that I would be comfortable bringing to a civilized campfire jam, I tried everything under $1000. Went home with a Yamaha FG830 for $400. I could have spent $1000 and didn't need to.


----------



## BlueRocker (Jan 5, 2020)

Boss acoustic simulator doesn't sound as good because nobody reads the manual. The Acc sims in multi effects assume you're trying to make an electric sound like an acoustic, the Boss assumes a piezo pickup - trying to make it sound like a different acoustic.


----------



## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

zztomato said:


> I find that, generally, you get what you pay for.
> ...


Pretty much this. While there are brands where you will pay extra for the name on the headstock/faceplate, generally those brands have earned that premium.

There are also lesser known brands that represent good value, like any of the Godin brands. There have also been instances where early adopters of newly introduced products have gotten very good value - Takamine in the early eighties and the Classic Vibe series when it first came out come to mind. And yes, there is that one-in-million Jay Turser that plays like a $400 guitar. Sometimes you get lucky but most of the time a bargain ends up resulting in a second purchase down the road.


----------



## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

bw66 said:


> Pretty much this. While there are brands where you will pay extra for the name on the headstock/faceplate, generally those brands have earned that premium.


IMO, a lot of the "value" in those brands is in the resale value, not so much actual quality or sound.
And for that reason I rarely go off-brand, partscasters etc although Im sure the quality/playability etc is likely as good.
its just easier to know the value of the big brand stuff, when buying and selling.
My Lado guitars are among the best ive ever played, were made labor intensively and closely scrutinized, and cost a lot of $$$ when new and yet I know theyre nearly worthless today compared to a Fender CS stamped out on a CNC machine using average woods. Life isnt fair.


----------



## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

Recently did a challenge on another forum to pick one guitar that doesn't get a lot of play and play only that guitar for a week. I have an Epiphone Les Paul Junior P90 that I picked up used a few years ago. I have it setup for slide. I'm a terrible slide player so it doesn't get played much. I put it back to standard tuning and only played that guitar for a week. I was amazed at what this guitar that cost me $150 could do. I could easily live with this guitar as my only guitar. I can play almost any genre with it. The neck is not quite 50's thick. It's a very nice neck to play. The guitar holds tune. The only time I had to tune it in a week was from a big temperature/humidity change. The plethora of tones available from one P90 pickup was amazing. I won't be selling my other guitars but this cheap bolt neck Epiphone is the equal of any of them.


----------



## Frenchy99 (Oct 15, 2016)

Lots of the expensive gear is hype and brand name recognition. Not saying its 100% but lots of different branded instruments out there will give you the same quality range for a fraction of the price.

If the name on the headstock is more important to you, good for you.


----------



## bzrkrage (Mar 20, 2011)

player99 said:


> It sucks when you get an expensive piece of gear and it has some design flaw that makes it suck.


Like my Gibson DC Les w/ P-90’s (Evil Ex-GF) makes horrible static noises on the neck and my waaaay cheaper Squier Custom P-90 doesn’t? Yeah....


----------



## mnfrancis (May 24, 2010)

I am a huge fan of the stuff that was coming out of Japan in the late 70's and early 80's. The Japanese were doing "custom shop" reproductions of classic Gibson and Fender guitars before that was even a thing. Handmade instruments that were done with meticulous attention to detail and were certainly better than anything that was coming out of Gibson and Fender factories at the time. 

Tokai, Greco, Burny and JV fender guitars from that era are still relative bargains. The only limitation to these instruments are that the electronics are not on-par with their American counterparts (with the exception of JV fenders which had American pickups) These can be easily swapped with high end aftermarket. Bang for buck they are unbelievable!!!!

Just my 2 cents


----------



## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

Godin. And Traynor. If actual playing is your main thing.

If you gotta have some exact thing, for whatever reason, get yer wallet out...


----------



## RJP110 (Sep 15, 2020)

I think it's the point of diminishing returns as well as the preference of the player. For instance, I've had a few Wizard amps. New they are $6000 plus but I paid $3300 or so! We're they $2500 better than the Modded JVM I bought for $800? Absolutely not. In fact, that all had a harshness I couldn't dial out and I just used the JVM. But, many LOVE Wizard amps. Preference!


----------



## Sketchy Jeff (Jan 12, 2019)

A Godin or Yamaha guitar through a Blues Driver and a kit-built tremolo into a Traynor amp is a beautiful sound with no gee whiz custom boutique factor at all
Some gear I'm a lot more willing to go econo on. I have a Behringer 12 channel board that I schlepp around for live event PA when I need to. I have never once wished I had a nicer name brand one for that job. And after trying some other options for D/A conversion and mic'ing acoustic instruments with simple setup I stumbled on an audio-technica AT2020USB mic at a thrift store for $30 and that thing sounds far better than some of the 'nicer' options I checked out so that's what I use. But I do avoid Behringer gear for guitar amps and pedals so I guess I'm not above a certain level of gear snootiness for other things. 
j


----------



## nbs2005 (Mar 21, 2018)

In my experience the more expensive stuff is, no surprise, nicer and generally sounds better(from a bit to a lot better). We all have to make the choice of where we want to fall on the expense spectrum. I'm happiest in the $500-1500 range for guitars and amps; that's the best compromise for me.


----------



## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

RJP110 said:


> I think it's the point of diminishing returns as well as the preference of the player. For instance, I've had a few Wizard amps. New they are $6000 plus but I paid $3300 or so! We're they $2500 better than the Modded JVM I bought for $800? Absolutely not. In fact, that all had a harshness I couldn't dial out and I just used the JVM. But, many LOVE Wizard amps. Preference!


I have the same "meh" feeling about Friedman amps.


----------



## RJP110 (Sep 15, 2020)

Diablo said:


> I have the same "meh" feeling about Friedman amps.


Me too! And I think I've tried/owned them all!


----------



## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

I was wondering where steadly ended up. LOL

I still wonder why other people have so much invested in what we spend our money on. Why the need to justify their own choices (which I am fine with), thereby making our choices bad? Do they do this with good food, good wine, good cars, etc? And do they really know more about all of these things than the rest of us: do they have better hearing, better touch, better sense of taste, better sense of style? Are any of these in fact absolutes and not personal choices? Things that make me go: hmmmmm .........

Play what you love and love what you play. The rest is just bullshit.


----------



## Frenchy99 (Oct 15, 2016)

nbs2005 said:


> I'm happiest in the $500-1500 range for guitars and amps; that's the best compromise for me.


Wow.. I never go over $20 !


----------



## doblander (Dec 8, 2019)

player99 said:


> It sucks when you get an expensive piece of gear and it has some design flaw that makes it suck.


Yeah! Like my beauty Epiphone Wildcat semi hollow. $720 plus taxes at L&M. Includes built in defect with every model. Namely Bigsby B70 tremolo. I choose to go $106 more for the bricksbiggsfix mod, order online which apparently transforms the guitar to what I was hoping for in the 1st place. I still like the Wildkat despite this surprise.


----------



## AJ6stringsting (Mar 12, 2006)

I've gotten hostile reactions from gear snobs, when they heard my less expensive gear had better tone that their expensive gear ..... Next night, I would bring out my Gibson's, Jackson's, Kramer's and other top brand gear , to rub it in.


----------



## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

AJ6stringsting said:


> I've gotten hostile reactions from gear snobs, when they heard my less expensive gear had better tone that their expensive gear ..... Next night, I would bring out my Gibson's, Jackson's, Kramer's and other top brand gear , to rub it in.


Yes, there is something to be said for being able to actually play the gear you have. There are a lot of folks out there who have nice guitars but can't make them sound nice. I suspect that your "better" tone comes as much from practice as gear.

I also derive great pleasure from passing people with the latest fashionable gear on my 15+ year-old mountain bike.


----------



## TimH (Feb 4, 2006)

I recently did this in a small way...after looking at a bunch of multi fx pedals to fill the utility slot on my board I decided to get a line 6 M5. I'm not saying it beats other pedals, but the number of big studio guys that are still using the M5/M9 in 2020 is staggering - especially considering the HX Effects has been available for a while now. 

If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me!


----------



## tdotrob (Feb 24, 2019)

High/Deaf said:


> I was wondering where steadly ended up. LOL
> 
> I still wonder why other people have so much invested in what we spend our money on. Why the need to justify their own choices (which I am fine with), thereby making our choices bad? Do they do this with good food, good wine, good cars, etc? And do they really know more about all of these things than the rest of us: do they have better hearing, better touch, better sense of taste, better sense of style? Are any of these in fact absolutes and not personal choices? Things that make me go: hmmmmm .........
> 
> Play what you love and love what you play. The rest is just bullshit.


What a strange rant on an otherwise harmless thread. Weird.

Im a huge fan of budget gear. Most of my excitement when it comes to gear isn’t about new and shiny, it’s about finding those old used gems that punch above their weight.


----------



## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

tdotrob said:


> What a strange rant on an otherwise harmless thread. Weird.
> 
> Im a huge fan of budget gear. Most of my excitement when it comes to gear isn’t about new and shiny, it’s about finding those old used gems that punch above their weight.


I'm fine with budget gear. I have some. I don't criticize people who use it. I also don't feel the need to criticize people for buying expensive gear, but obviously your mileage varies.

What is the constant need for the same ol' same ol' posters bitching about other people's taste or choices or budgets? Are they/you trying to edumacate us dum'uns? Maybe it's the other way around, maybe we know something they/you don't?

And nothing too weird about having an opposing opinion on a _public forum_. You know what they say about opinions and assholes ------- even you have them.


----------



## Frenchy99 (Oct 15, 2016)

Lots of artist started off and recorded with mail away and put together yourself instruments that I am certain was of lesser quality of my worst wall hangers...


----------



## Budda (May 29, 2007)

AJ6stringsting said:


> I've gotten hostile reactions from gear snobs, when they heard my less expensive gear had better tone that their expensive gear ..... Next night, I would bring out my Gibson's, Jackson's, Kramer's and other top brand gear , to rub it in.


To clarify, they heard your setup in person and felt it sounded better than their costlier setup?

Did they also try their guitars through your rig and vice versa?

Tbh all im reading is being a douche, regardless of gear.

Poster's note: gibson, jackson and kramer all make cheap guitars too.


----------



## Okay Player (May 24, 2020)

ezcomes said:


> What is defined as cheap though?
> Ive seen numerous Rig Rundowns on Premier Guitar where these famous musicians are using run of mill Boss pedals...


Gary Clark Jr immediately springs to mind. Not Boss pedals, but nothing terribly high end or exceedingly rare with the exception of a Zendrive, however that is known to be swapped out for a regular old Tube Screamer.


----------



## jdto (Sep 30, 2015)

I can make any price level of gear sound like ass and have fun doing it 

I can afford to have some nice pieces of equipment and I do. I enjoy every minute of my very mediocre guitar playing.


----------



## Okay Player (May 24, 2020)

jdto said:


> I can make any price level of gear sound like ass and have fun doing it
> 
> I can afford to have some nice pieces of equipment and I do. I enjoy every minute of my very mediocre guitar playing.


You are speaking my language, sir. My talent is a little better than it was when I was in high school, but now I can afford to buy the stuff I wanted when I was in high school.


----------



## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

I've played very few telecasters that compare to the cheap parts-o-caster I have. My vox AC10 punches way above its weight.


----------



## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

A Peavey Bandit from the '80's is surprising good at a gig with full band.


----------



## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Well, I do try to live within my means, meagre as they may be.

I'm often reminded of the gear expense issue when fishing. I rarely fish where there are crowds...or anyone for that matter...but when I do there's usually some guy who looks like they just stepped out of a BassPro or LLBean catalogue, spends more time fucking around with their gear than actually fishing, hasn't a clue about stream side etiquette, and brags way too much. I realize I look like some backward old-timer and I'm cool with that.


----------



## zztomato (Nov 19, 2010)

I'm having a hard time believing that people actually get judged on their gear choices- to the point of getting "hostile reactions from gear snobs" in some cases. If any of that is true, I'd suggest hanging with some different people.


----------



## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

zztomato said:


> I'm having a hard time believing that people actually get judged on their gear choices- to the point of getting "hostile reactions from gear snobs" in some cases. If any of that is true, I'd suggest hanging with some different people.


Lots of people judging, apparently. And there's judgement going both ways.

People judging others for using inexpensive gear but also people judging others for buying and using expensive gear. In either case, I don't know why people have to be so concerned. I'm more concerned about how they sound and how they play, i.e. how they use their gear - and I've seen both, guys who sound great on lower end stuff and guys who sound atrocious with really good gear. Their expendable cash is irrelevant to me - that is just incidental details.


----------



## Frenchy99 (Oct 15, 2016)




----------



## BGood (Feb 20, 2015)

zztomato said:


> I find that, generally, you get what you pay for.


That is less and less true. A lot of such remarks are based on products from 20 years ago. Look how much the difference has narrowed between Fender and let's say Classic Vibe or Vintage Modified Squiers, or between Gibson and the new 2020 Epiphone line.

Factors not brought in the equation up to now are guitar setup and the tone chain.

How many times have I seen players hating their new guitar and wanting to replace pots and caps and pickups and name it. Once convinced to have their guitar set up and find the sweet spot for the pickups it holds, they fall off their chair. The cheapest the guitar, the more it will profit from a good setup.

Tone chain ... a $1,000 guitar in a $100 SS Crate amp will sound like crap. A $100 guitar in a $1000 amp can sound great.

I have a 2006 Epiphone 57 RE Junior that is the same as its Gibson counterpart. To find an old inexpensive guitar like this, that rival more expensive ones, you have to first do your homework. 

I also have a 2020 Epiphone LP special P90 that, except for the last upper inch of its headstock, is basically a Gibson. Getting that kind of quality with today's means of gear production, is getting easier and easier. Here again, you have to know what to look for.


----------



## Frenchy99 (Oct 15, 2016)

I agree that newer model have improved.

The main reason I say late 70`s and 80`s Matsumoku guitars are a great value is that Matsumoku was the first Co to implement CNC machines for guitar production and concentrated all efforts on guitar finish and set up. Hardware was all Gotoh and Dimarzio pups...

Not a bad way to go...


----------



## zztomato (Nov 19, 2010)

BGood said:


> That is less and less true. A lot of such remarks are based on products from 20 years ago. Look how much the difference has narrowed between Fender and let's say Classic Vibe or Vintage Modified Squiers, or between Gibson and the new 2020 Epiphone line.
> 
> Factors not brought in the equation up to now are guitar setup and the tone chain.
> 
> ...


Aren't we talking about pedals in this thread? 
But yes, there's a much bigger divide in price than quality when it comes to the big brands high end vs their lower end lines. 

There is a huge divide however, between a Collings City Limits and an Epi LP. 
You can argue this stuff to death but there are large differences between a perfectly adequate Epiphone or Squire and a Custom Shop Fender or Gibson CS. After that you can take a giant leap up towards a Collings or many of the smaller builders that are doing incredibly meticulous building on a whole other level.


----------



## BGood (Feb 20, 2015)

zztomato said:


> Aren't we talking about pedals in this thread?


Sorry, didn't know the word gear was only related to pedals. OP seemd to mention amps, and pickups. He probably doesn't know either.


----------



## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

In an attempt to slag my guitars, some music store loiterer said my Godins are just cheap foreign knock-offs. Yup, they didn't know Godin from Gargamel, or that Quebec was in Canada.


----------



## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

I just love these threads LOL


----------



## Cups (Jan 5, 2010)

I used to - and still do- shop for formerly great gear. There’s deals if you’re not needing the latest flavour. 
anyway
Recently I bit the bullet and bought Boss MD-500 and RV-500- their top of the line. I’m floored by how much better these pedals are. 
In a lot of instances you get what you pay for, but other times, in my opinion, there’s just overhyped, overpriced versions of regular gear.


----------



## colchar (May 22, 2010)

ezcomes said:


> What is defined as cheap though?
> Ive seen numerous Rig Rundowns on Premier Guitar where these famous musicians are using run of mill Boss pedals...


Yeah because if something goes wrong on tour, they are easily replaced as they are available everywhere. Makes you wonder why people bother paying ridiculous prices for boutique stuff if the actual pros are just fine using run of the mill stuff.


----------



## colchar (May 22, 2010)

bw66 said:


> Yes, there is something to be said for being able to actually play the gear you have.



Rik Emmett played Yamaha guitars for years, still does in fact.

His amps include a Roland Cube 60, Fender Hot Rod Deluxe III, Yamaha THR10, and Vox AC15.

And his pedals? A Vox Tonelab SE and a Zoom G3, both multi-effects units that gear snobs would sneer at.

Gear snobs would look at his rig and laugh, then he'd start playing and absolutely destroy them.


----------



## AJ6stringsting (Mar 12, 2006)

High/Deaf said:


> I was wondering where steadly ended up. LOL
> 
> I still wonder why other people have so much invested in what we spend our money on. Why the need to justify their own choices (which I am fine with), thereby making our choices bad? Do they do this with good food, good wine, good cars, etc? And do they really know more about all of these things than the rest of us: do they have better hearing, better touch, better sense of taste, better sense of style? Are any of these in fact absolutes and not personal choices? Things that make me go: hmmmmm .........
> 
> Play what you love and love what you play. The rest is just bullshit.


Holy Moley .... This is spot on.

On an American Forum, I posted my pedal board and rack gear .... This guy seemed to get hostile.

Some of my gear include older BBE, Hush, DigiTech and some Behringer gear ....

It got to the point that I posted a video and played my rig .... And it sounded very good.

All he left in his comment .... " Well, it's old gear ! " .

I guess, Haters gotta hate .


----------



## colchar (May 22, 2010)

AJ6stringsting said:


> Holy Moley .... This is spot on.
> 
> On an American Forum, I posted my pedal board and rack gear .... This guy seemed to get hostile.
> 
> ...



I've started down the pedal rabbit hole and decided to get classic pedals that just work and just sound good (Maxon OD808, Rat, Big Muff, etc.). One of the pedals I am looking at is a Boss DS1, the orange one that so many people sneer at with gear snobs being especially derisive. In looking into that pedal I have learned that it was the only dirt pedal Prince ever used, and that both Vai and Satriani have used it since it came out. Any one of those three could play circles around all the gear snobs on your average forum put together, and with that cheap little $40 (used) pedal they would sond better while doing it.


----------



## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

One regularly sees declarations that "tone is in the fingers". And sometimes, some of it definitely is. And, by extension, tone is also in how one uses and sets the technology. The same individual plain-vanilla budget pedals, tried out in the music store, may not inspire or sound striking. But, plugged into the right guitar and right amp, and maybe even into another pedal or two before going into the amp, can be set to sound inspiring, and complement a particular player's phrasing and touch.

When I was young, the indicators of one's musical tastes, be they lapel buttons, t-shirts, or simply albums tucked under your arm, were an undeclared aspect of your identity. The more obscure (hence, "hip") your tastes in bands, the cooler you were, or at least thought you were. To some extent, I think there is a comparable thing going on with music gear. People want to own, and display, arcane gear that "they don't carry or sell around here". A DS1 or $20 Danelectro FAB distortion may make you sound exactly the way you're aiming for, but you can't show it off because it's not obscure enough.

It's a cynical declaration, but a big part of what energizes and supports the "boutique" industry is the desire to have a "more exotic pedalboard than thou". That's not to take away any of the creativity of boutique-makers or label their customers as poseurs. And it's also not to deny that budget pedals can rely on components that produce more noise, or have shorter lifespans. But it's a question of what leads someone to *want* their goods.


----------



## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

mhammer said:


> One regularly sees declarations that "tone is in the fingers". And sometimes, some of it definitely is. And, by extension, tone is also in how one uses and sets the technology. The same individual plain-vanilla budget pedals, tried out in the music store, may not inspire or sound striking. But, plugged into the right guitar and right amp, and maybe even into another pedal or two before going into the amp, can be set to sound inspiring, and complement a particular player's phrasing and touch.
> 
> When I was young, the indicators of one's musical tastes, be they lapel buttons, t-shirts, or simply albums tucked under your arm, were an undeclared aspect of your identity. The more obscure (hence, "hip") your tastes in bands, the cooler you were, or at least thought you were. To some extent, I think there is a comparable thing going on with music gear. People want to own, and display, arcane gear that "they don't carry or sell around here". A DS1 or $20 Danelectro FAB distortion may make you sound exactly the way you're aiming for, but you can't show it off because it's not obscure enough.
> 
> It's a cynical declaration, but a big part of what energizes and supports the "boutique" industry is the desire to have a "more exotic pedalboard than thou". That's not to take away any of the creativity of boutique-makers or label their customers as poseurs. And it's also not to deny that budget pedals can rely on components that produce more noise, or have shorter lifespans. But it's a question of what leads someone to *want* their goods.


That so weird. I personally would be totally happy if my pedal board just had buttons that said Delay, Lead, Dirt and did exactly that.


----------



## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Guncho said:


> That so weird. I personally would be totally happy if my pedal board just had buttons that said Delay, Lead, Dirt and did exactly that.


Which is why there is still a thriving market for 2 and 3-knobbers, of both the "plebian" type (e.g., DS-1) and the more exotic types. If it's simple and inexpensive to get what you want, why not, eh?


----------



## Paul Running (Apr 12, 2020)




----------



## AJ6stringsting (Mar 12, 2006)

I still have my foot pedals and some of the flangers on my multi effects pedalboard and rack gear don't get the love that I give my old EHX Electric Mistress Flanger Deluxe my Mom got me on my 15th birthday.


----------



## MetalTele79 (Jul 20, 2020)

I'm a fan of clone and kit amps. You get something that's similar/equal to/better than what it's based on for less $$$.


----------



## pipestone62 (Nov 14, 2013)

Boss pedals, Traynor amps. Cheap and good. Guitars, not so much, I’ll stick with Gibson.


----------



## AJ6stringsting (Mar 12, 2006)

I acquired a couple of Crate Power Block, to run in stereo at 150 watts each side. I don't use the overdrive on those CPB's, I use my distortions from my DigiTech RP-12, RP-1 or my DigiTech 2112 SGS ....I run my CPB's loud and clean like those old great Hiwatt amps from the late 1960's or early 1970's.


----------



## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

The "you get what you pay for" paradigm makes some assumptions IMO.

For many instruments it only really holds true if you think the value of mostly aesthetic features / qualities are worth ten times more than functional elements.

When you pay $5000 for a PRS or a Gibson, to a large extent you're paying much of that cost for appearance.

Now, that may be worth it to you and if so, yes, you get what you pay for. But if you're seeking good tone, playability et cetera, there's very little separating a $1000 from a $5000 one in many cases.

Just my opinion of course.


----------



## TimH (Feb 4, 2006)

Milkman said:


> The "you get what you pay for" paradigm makes some assumptions IMO.
> 
> For many instruments it only really holds true if you think the value of mostly aesthetic features / qualities are worth ten times more than functional elements.
> 
> ...


To some extent this is true. Relic finishes, flame tops, etc don't make guitars sound better and that's what demand the big bucks these days. However, you lost me when you lumped PRS and Gibson together. On the whole, I find PRS to be one of the more value oriented companies when you consider what they offer and the size of company they really are in spit of the costs of their instruments. Gibson on the other hand just keeps overcharging and delivering spotty quality at best. In one case you totally get what you pay for...and in the other case, you dont. Just my .02 of course.


----------



## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

TimH said:


> To some extent this is true. Relic finishes, flame tops, etc don't make guitars sound better and that's what demand the big bucks these days. However, you lost me when you lumped PRS and Gibson together. On the whole, I find PRS to be one of the more value oriented companies when you consider what they offer and the size of company they really are in spit of the costs of their instruments. Gibson on the other hand just keeps overcharging and delivering spotty quality at best. In one case you totally get what you pay for...and in the other case, you dont. Just my .02 of course.



When you're paying $5000 ~$7000 and beyond, for a more or less conventional guitar, much of what you're paying for is an enhanced apperance / aesthetics. That's no less true with PRS than it is with Gibson or any other brand.

Just my opinion.

I'm not saying it's not worth it. That's a matter of personal tastes and values.


----------

