In a lot of guitar forums,they say a lot of bad things about today's cheap guitars. I can tell that most of them are gear snobs and a lot younger than me.For those that have had nightmares about their first guitars 40 some years ago,you all have to admit that playing a $100 Epiphone today is like playing a Gibson Les Paul than yesterday's K-Mart special! A $100 acoustic special(name the brand) is a lot better than a Sear's Silvertone! How do I know? I owned them! I did buy a Silvertone in a thrift store as a reminder.The action is horible,could be from not having a trussrod and a bolt on pinless bridge.The neck reminds me of a Les Paul,chunky but not wide.Although I have to admit,it does play better than a Esteban! My dad bought a lot of the department store type guitar back in the day,and I started playing on them at a young age. They got me started,I have no complaints about that.But I will compare my $200 MIM Fender Stratocaster to a K-Mart Kay brand.In fact,I like it better than most MIA models I've played as well. Call me crazy,but today's cheap guitars are a gem compared to the cheapies of yesterday.
You're absolutely right. When I started teaching I would tell people you could get a playable instrument for $200, a good one for $400, and a great one for $700. Now it's more like $100, 250, and 6000. And $200 in 1980 would be $500+ in today's dollars.
The difference is in technology - computers, robots, lasers, etc. What used to be done by hand, using fixtures to get things right, is now done on CNC machines that do the cuts exactly the same way every time. That's meant a huge increase in quality - and a reduction in labor cost at the same time. Laser measurements are incredibly precise, and a lot faster to do than using a micrometer.
At the other end of things, there's still mostly human input required. Luthier made instruments require skill - they tap the top plate and make tiny adjustments to the plate thickness and/or the bracing, and repeat until it's right. No two pieces of wood sound exactly the same, so tailoring them the same way won't guarantee great results. Getting great results is still done the same way - by hand - and the luthier still needs to feed his family.
In the early 70s I could buy a loaf of bread and a gallon of milk for less than $1. (a dollar could also buy a six pack of beer or three packs of cigarettes back then). So the high end has roughly kept pace with inflation, while the low end is now really affordable.
Guitar teacher offering lessons in Plainfield IL
Back in 1977 I had a Sears $100 gutar that was fit for leveling a table. I'll put my $100 SX Strat from Rondo up against a real one any day. (I do have $100 of mods in it but still) OK, 1978 ..... Bently Les Paul copy. Ply wood ...... covered piece if crap tuners. Thin frets, buzz buzz buzz, bolt on neck. $200! Agile AL2000 I paid $169 for is as 75% as good as my Gibson Les Paul. No buzz, mahogony body, quality build with set neck!
"Work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard,
grow big, wear glasses if you need 'em."
-- The Webb Wilder Credo --
'll put my $100 SX Strat from Rondo up against a real one any day. (I do have $100 of mods in it but still) OK, 1978 ..... Bently Les Paul copy. Ply wood ...... covered piece if crap tuners. Thin frets, buzz buzz buzz, bolt on neck. $200! Agile AL2000 I paid $169 for is as 75% as good as my Gibson Les Paul. No buzz, mahogony body, quality build with set neck!
Yep, I'm a customer for life!!
Just sort of an FYI, I ended up selling an SX Strat to Sam Ash with the Case...the whole thing cost me $120 brand new....they are selling it used for $230 :lol: :lol:
In Space, no one can hear me sing!
I remeber buying a cheapo SG copy - can't remember what make - back in the 70's for £5 from a pawn shop. I was a lousy guitarist at the time, but it put me on till I got a new job and could afford a decent guitar in a slightly higher price range. I also remember buying an Epiphone LP that cost about £150 and didn't sound any better than the cheap guitar.....
:D :D :D
Vic
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
I learned to play on a plywood acoustic with barbed-wire action. My parents got it for me with trading stamps when I was in grade school, and I kept it (and played it) right into college. Really didn't know there was anything better out there... and then when I tried to play good guitars with slinky action, it was difficult to adapt. Today I still string everything relatively heavy & keep action kinda high.
Over 30-plus years I've carried around a little red Kalamazoo electric I got at a Kansas City thrift store for $35, in pieces, modifying it over time -- shaved the neck pocket to get playable action, replaced the bridge, rewired it (several times), added shielding (a bad job -- I need to redo that) -- as time & resources allowed. The time & effort were worth it. But I do wonder sometimes where I'd be today if SX/Agile had been around when I was a kid.
"You can't write a chord ugly enough to say what you want to say sometimes, so you have to rely on a giraffe filled with whipped cream." - Frank Zappa
