# guitar for 200-400$



## imbackagain2 (Feb 6, 2006)

Hey there im looking for a cheap good electric guitar. I have been looking at jay tursers and agiles. I was just wondering if you guys knew any good companies that have cheap electrics. IM fed up paying brand name prices and want something that is good quality but without the brand name price. Style of guitar doesn't matter cause ill check em out myself. thanks


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

There are hordes of cheap guitars out there, but the questions is would you be happy with them? Anything in that price range would need to have new guts. You will have the lowest quality chinese made pick-ups and hardware. The old saying is true when it comes to guitars. "You get what you pay for". The best option is to go used. You will get a decent if not great guitar for much less than original price. I refuse to buy new anymore. I will buy off eBay sight unseen before paying these thiefs over here the prices they are asking.

Having said all that. You would be looking at Fender Squire, some Yamaha models, Samick, Jay Turser... but you have seen the thread on the Tursers. The best low priced guitars I have seen lately would be the Epi models or the Tokai


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## Accept2 (Jan 1, 2006)

You get what you pay for. When you buy a brand name or a custom shop guitar from a small builder you are paying for quality. If youre going to go the budget route there are some playable guitars out there for few bucks. Alot of people like the Agiles. I found Squires to be good for the little cashola you actually pay. In that range, I think you'd be better off getting something used.................


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## walden (Feb 5, 2006)

definately go used. just search around in some guitar stores that carry used stuff. keep looking, one day you'll find something decent. i got a fender strat for $300, great condition. i dont know where youre from or anything but Belones in London has some good used guitars sometimes. The only other idea i could see would be buying a cheap asian copy of something and just putting new p-ups in it... those things are everywhere these days.


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## marshallman (Feb 3, 2006)

Agiles are definitly worth their price. Pickups and hardware are not cheap (wax potted pickups, grover tuners). I think they're just as good, if not better than some epiphone models. 

The only thing is, you've got to bring them in from the US, so be prepared to pay broker / customs fees (to the likes of about 100 cad$)

Good luck on your search.


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## imbackagain2 (Feb 6, 2006)

WEll thats what I thought about the agiles. I read they had good pickups and tuners. THey're real cheap to. Otherwise I will start checkin out the used area in the shops. IM from cambridge and aurora during the school year. Would you guys reccomend putting new pickups in my epi les paul instead of searchin for a new cheap guitar? If so which kind? I was thinkin maybe gibson pickups.


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## SCREEM (Feb 2, 2006)

you can gat a nice Tokai love rock here, for a little more than you budget...

http://www.jsdguitarshack.com/


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

Agile LP $149.00

The New, Low Cost, High Value Spectacular !
Single cutaway solid Mahogany arch top body 
High quality wax potted ceramic humbucker pickups for improved sound 
Full body and neck binding 
Set-in Maple neck with Rosewood fretboard and trapezodial inlays 
22 Jumbo 2.7mm frets and a 13.7" (350mm) radius neck for fast play 
Grover Die Cast tuners 
Two volume & two tone controls and a 3-way pickup selector switch help you find your sound 
Stop-Bar tailpiece transfers string vibration to the body of the guitar and produces superior sustain 
Popular Black finish with Gold hardware 
Made in Korea 
Width of the neck at the nut: 1 5/8"; at the 22st fret: 2 3/16" 
Neck Taper is 21.5 mm at the 1st fret and 23.5 mm at the 12th fret 
Thickness of neck at the first fret approx 11/16" 
Overall length, including the strap button: 40"; Scale length: 24.7" 
Bridge pole spacing is 3", and the Tail piece pole spacing is 3 1/4" 
Width at the widest point: 13" 
Body thickness 2" at edge 
Actual Weight is only 10 lbs


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

Thats a nice looking guitar SCREEM

TOKAI LOVE ROCK ECLIPSE GUITAR
DLX 2004 SUNBURST


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## james on bass (Feb 4, 2006)

walden said:


> i dont know where youre from or anything but Belones in London has some good used guitars sometimes.


They also have a really nice Vantage 5 string bass for sale on consignment. I think you should buy that one.


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## imbackagain2 (Feb 6, 2006)

I think you're sellin that one. How much


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## james on bass (Feb 4, 2006)

Well, I'm not a guitarist, but if they're anything like the basses, you could check out SX guitars from Rondo. http://www.rondomusic.net/electricguitar.html

I'm looking at getting an SX jazz fretless. 
For around $130 US ($250CAN shipped to your door in a week), and a $20 wiring/pot kit from Stew-Mac, http://www.stewmac.com/ , you would end up with a guitar as good or better than a MIM strat or Tele. With a set of pickups and a bridge, you have a guitar much nicer than a MIM Fender for about the same price.

Lots of bassists on another forum I visit have these basses and swear they are the real deal with at least the pots changed.


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## hoser (Feb 2, 2006)

tokai or agile.
I have both and the electronics in them are fine.
never again will I pay over 1500 for a guitar.


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## SCREEM (Feb 2, 2006)

GuitarsCanada said:


> Thats a nice looking guitar SCREEM
> 
> TOKAI LOVE ROCK ECLIPSE GUITAR
> DLX 2004 SUNBURST


only thing I dont like on the imports is the 1-5/8th nut...i prefer the wider 1-11/16th, asians have smaller hands you know


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## Accept2 (Jan 1, 2006)

Check out some of these deals. Type in WASH1006 in the promo code and get 10% off..........

http://www.music123.com/search/?src=washburn


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## SCREEM (Feb 2, 2006)

couple nice ones on ebay in canada:

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Tokai-ROSIE-like...387255354QQcategoryZ33045QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Jackson-Guitar-M...386477348QQcategoryZ33044QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.ca/BRAND-NEW-Epipho...388662950QQcategoryZ33037QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Parker-Fly-Guita...7387865625QQcategoryZ2384QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

the Parker fly is going cheap ATM.


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## Tarl (Feb 4, 2006)

If you like the feel of your epi LP new pickups would definatly improve the sound. I used to have a goldtop epi LP and put a set of SDs in (Jazz and JB in bridge). I also changed out the 3 way. It sounded great. Right now I have a SD 59 and Custom 5 in my Ibanez SZ wich gives more of a classic rock tone. You can always look at Yamaha, Ibanez and Godin for some good guitars in the $400 range.

Tarl


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## SCREEM (Feb 2, 2006)

I'll second the godin's right around your price range and bang for your buck.


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## james on bass (Feb 4, 2006)

imbackagain2 said:


> I think you're sellin that one. How much


I believe they have it stickered at $329.99.


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## imbackagain2 (Feb 6, 2006)

id check it out if i play bass. I think im gonna look at putting new pickups in my epiphone les pual. Any suggestions on pickups? What are the normal rates for having them installed. The shop by my place charges 50$


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I would consider looking for something used.


I bought an Ibanez RG1570 Prestige for $400. USD. I suspect it's considerably better than most the the guitars you'll get for $200 ~ $400 new.


Having said that, the quality of guitars available in the lower price ranges is MUCH better than it was ten or twenty years ago.


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

If you are willing to add another hundred bucks, try out the PRS Soapbar SE II. That was the guitar that Gibson sued PRS for looking like the Les Pauls. Eventually PRS won this case but you wonder why Gibson would sue them for a design that almost every guitar manufacturer has copied. I think that is because this guitar is so much better than their crappy SG's or anything that they have with P90s on them.


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## Crazy Horse (Feb 20, 2006)

i got a Gretsch Electromatic ProJet last year. it cost $500 and is a fantastic guitar. TV Jones pick-ups sounds great. it is made in China, but pretty good job. chambered mohogony body... real good tone and feel.

i know it's a more than $400, but this is a great value, it could easily sell for 2 or 3 times that amount.


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## imbackagain2 (Feb 6, 2006)

whered you get it?


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## cohenj (Feb 7, 2006)

*Epi Les Paul and Cheap Guitars*



imbackagain2 said:


> WEll thats what I thought about the agiles. I read they had good pickups and tuners. THey're real cheap to. Otherwise I will start checkin out the used area in the shops. IM from cambridge and aurora during the school year. Would you guys reccomend putting new pickups in my epi les paul instead of searchin for a new cheap guitar? If so which kind? I was thinkin maybe gibson pickups.


Most of the korean/chinese made clones in the $200-$500 range have more in common with your Epiphone than they differ. Once you have a slab of mahogany with a maple cap, a mahogany neck stop tailpiece, tunamatic bridge and plastic nut, you've basically got a Les Paul by any other name. The rest is in the electronics.

For the purists -- Yes, I realize that I'm generalizing and that there are other significant differences. But for most of us, those difference are irrelevant.

I don't think you would be gaining anything by trading in your Epi for an Agile or Jay Turser LP clone. If I were you, I'd just replace the stock pickups for ones that suite your sonic needs. If you want it to really sound like a stock Les Paul, consider buing Gibson PAF's. Or if you want to go with a more updated, browner sound, look into Semour Duncuns or Dimarzio's. You will have to also change out the pots and caps (or at least, you should), so you might want a tech to do it. There's no reason that your Epi can't sound just as good as the real deal, for about half the price.

Jeff


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## imbackagain2 (Feb 6, 2006)

actually i did just taht yesterday and it now sounds amazing.


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## aaron lowen (Feb 3, 2006)

One thing to consider, most of your "over seas" guitars, oscar schmit, JT, etc come from the same factory. So if the guitar is built in china, korea, indonesia then the name is pretty irrelivent, different companies may specify certain things but I assure you China doesn't have dozens and dozens of plants, just different names on different days of the week from the same factory. Over the years I have found huge problems with the construction on these guitars because the wood is not cured properly, so depending on the climate you live in it may or may not have problems. My vote would be to look used for something more name brand, epiphone, fender, etc or look at undervalued guitars used like godin or maybe even G+L, good axes and the owners often give them away because they don't say Fender or Gibson. May stretch the budget a little but you get a far better axe.


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## imbackagain2 (Feb 6, 2006)

You should have read the other posts before you took forever to wright that.


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## keefsdad (Feb 7, 2006)

THAT'S WRIGHT! 
I think he was just trying to help:sport-smiley-002:


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## david henman (Feb 3, 2006)

...odd that no one has mentioned godin. professional quality for a very reasonable price, especially if you find a one second hand.


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## YardApe (Mar 5, 2006)

try out the peavy line i had a peavy predator but sold it (needed cash) but now i have a peavy raptor good guitar for the price i did have to make a few adjustments but now it's all goodevilGuitar:


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## drift_boat (Feb 2, 2006)

+1 on Godins. The ones I tried at the local L&M were fantastic guitars and some in that $300-400 price range.


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## cumberlandguitar (Mar 9, 2006)

*guitar for $400*

Mod Edit: Keep your ads in the classifieds please...........


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## imbackagain2 (Feb 6, 2006)

this was one of the first posts on the site. Are you a mod? WIth your almighty 2 posts?


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

imbackagain2 said:


> this was one of the first posts on the site. Are you a mod? WIth your almighty 2 posts?


I think the message was for the post above, not this thread


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## imbackagain2 (Feb 6, 2006)

ooops my bad. Disregard then


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

cohenj said:


> I don't think you would be gaining anything by trading in your Epi for an Agile or Jay Turser LP clone. If I were you, I'd just replace the stock pickups for ones that suite your sonic needs. If you want it to really sound like a stock Les Paul, consider buing Gibson PAF's. Or if you want to go with a more updated, browner sound, look into Semour Duncuns or Dimarzio's. You will have to also change out the pots and caps (or at least, you should), so you might want a tech to do it. There's no reason that your Epi can't sound just as good as the real deal, for about half the price.
> 
> Jeff


I generally agree. Sometimes you might get Agnathis(sp?) or a mix for the body, and maybe a maple neck. This would have some effect on the sound. Electronics and hardware is the rest, like Jeff says. You just should certain what everything is made of.

Tokais (MIK) have a maple neck - which may add a bit of brightness to to the sound. It all adds up in the end I guess


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