The "C note " guitar appreciation society

So what guitars do you own/love/play that cost $100 or less??

I have/had a few..
Affinity Tele ( new on closeout:razz:)
Epi G-400 (store branded & had a dent...)
Hohner ST Pro (decent Strat Copy)

the Ovation Viper in the middle cost me about $45
it's been changed a bit since then but it's really a great guitar...

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b282/beerts/guitarfamily.jpg

30405

30406

30407

Never had luck with guitars around that price range.

Beerts, wow! What a score. My GAS is in remission right now, but a good deal on a Viper would drag some money out of my pocket. Those go for $5-700 on eBay.

This Johnson tele for $14.99

http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk163/pchilson/Johnson_Tele/restrung.jpg

This Johnson tele for $77

http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk163/pchilson/Johnson_Blonde_tele/body_full.jpg

This Godin G1000 for $60

http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk163/pchilson/Godin_G1000/fixed_body_close_stand.jpg

Beerts, wow! What a score. My GAS is in remission right now, but a good deal on a Viper would drag some money out of my pocket. Those go for $5-700 on eBay.

In 1967, a friend got a gold top LP standard for $75. I'll never come close.

In 1977 my best friends girl friend said her dad had a guitar upstairs under the bed that hadn't been paid any attention to for many years. I went to take a look, turns out it was a 1965 Dakota Red Fender Mustang (L serial #) in mint condition. He wanted $100 for it, I talked him down to $75. I still have it.

In 1977 my best friends girl friend said her dad had a guitar upstairs under the bed that hadn't been paid any attention to for many years. I went to take a look, turns out it was a 1965 Dakota Red Fender Mustang (L serial #) in mint condition. He wanted $100 for it, I talked him down to $75. I still have it.

Then you must have pictures of it. Otherwise we can't believe that whopper...:wink:

More than my fair share.
Some that really stood out over the years were:
'82 Ibanez Roadstar
'82 Squier Bullet
Peavey Nitro
Ampeg Little Stud bass
Kay/Harmony archtops
Goya classical

http://www.savingadvice.com/images/blog/hello-kitty-guitar-fender-4.jpg

$100 from Craigslist, with a loose trussrod nut that allowed an amazing bend in the neck and a missing jack nut that allowed the jack to disappear into the guitar.

The neck straightened right up after 3 turns or so :roll: and it plays great.

I didn't have to replace the pickup, volume pot, wiring, and tuners and add an electrosocket, but I had most of it laying around already... :lol:

Mid-1930s Regal dobro, roundneck spider-cone. Had a few cracks and a couple tuner gears missing. Bought it and had it fixed for less than $100 total. Most beautiful resonator tone I've ever heard (all that being very subjective, of course). I'm a bit afraid of it's fragility, but nothing lasts forever. Bought it a nice case; almost cost the same as the guitar!

"51 Squier.

Beerts, wow! What a score. My GAS is in remission right now, but a good deal on a Viper would drag some money out of my pocket. Those go for $5-700 on eBay.

I just wish it had ever been in good enough condition to get that much for it but the original pickguard had been cut up to fit a pair of humbuckers and it was in rough shape long before I got it. I still have the pickguard and the original case but I cut a stainless steel pickguard and put in a pair of p-90's. I probably couldn't get enough for it to replace it with anything that would play or sound better...

Then you must have pictures of it. Otherwise we can't believe that whopper...:wink:

Fair enough, yes I can. But 2 things first, I work at a college and school just started so I'm really swamped with the kids coming back and can't do the pics right now. 2nd, I didn't tell you the whole story. After I bought it, I took it to a very good guitar tech in Boston and had it stripped of all it's hardware and re-done. The neck and body are all original but that's it. Also before you call this story a whopper, it was back in 1977 when a Mustang like this was worth maybe $300 or so, so it wasn't as big a deal as it sounds like now, it was a very good deal but not outrageous. I do remember being very well aware that it was a Pre-CBS Mustang but it was considered a budget model and not that well sought after. I've been trying to find all the parts to get it back to original and it's going well but will continue to take some time and money. I was planning on posting pics when I have it close to original but when I get a chance I'll post some as it is now. BTW, as much as I love this guitar, the Mustang is not something I would really consider playing live. The vibrato is a poor substitute for the Bigsby on my Tele or the standard trem on my Strat. The frets, which are original and in very good condition are really tiny, and I want to keep them original.

Was at a party on Halloween, and as I am leaving the owner of the house says, 'hey man, I've got a Guitar for you to check out.' He doesn't play at all, so I was a bit curious. He hands me a cheap hybrid guitar all gunky and dusty. He said it was his girlfriends sister's guitar and she only wanted $10 for it w/ a little amp. How could I say no?

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/1108/img04142.jpg (http://img267.imageshack.us/i/img04142.jpg/)

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/3280/img04132.jpg (http://img441.imageshack.us/i/img04132.jpg/)

It's called a Wildfire Drive...She cleaned up nicely. Hardtail bridge with tele style saddles, and string through body. I Put on a new set of strings, and had to replaced the jack.

This guitar was in pieces in a box at the end of someone's driveway on garbage day. I put about $30 to $40 worth of parts into it to make it playable. My son uses it occasionally now. Looks like it belongs in a goth band.

http://i334.photobucket.com/albums/m408/apolloguitars/misc/apollorecon.jpg

I got this off eBay for £41 (currently @ $66).

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k7/andys_01/SunburstSquier51blackguard1.jpg

Not very well described, and collection only. Ive been looking for a Squier 51 for years, always missing bids. This bargain balances out the fact that I probably paid over the odds for my other blonde one. I went from having none, to having two within two weeks of each other.

Its just had a new black p/up cover put on, and will probably get the bridge replaced. Otherwise I'm leaving it stock.

http://i334.photobucket.com/albums/m408/apolloguitars/misc/apollorecon.jpg

I LOVE IT!!! Why can't I ever find something like that on trash day?

Squier Affinity Tele at my local GC. $99

I've owned only a couple in that price range. Both are long gone. One was a MiM 12-string of unknown name that I picked up on my honeymoon 38+ years ago. Sold it not long after. I can't remember for sure, but I think it may be the only guitar I have ever sold.

The other I would still have if it hadn't been damaged beyond repair. It was an Alvarez classical that my wife bought for my birthday in 1973. I think it was in the C note range, of course that was in 1973 dollars, so I don't know what a comparable Alvarez model would go for today.

I've had better luck with keepers in the $300 range.

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/500/FA_pair.jpg
My pair of Paul Westerberg First Acts - have $63 in the red one and $85 in the black one.

Both taken apart, frets leveled and crowned and neck pocket and mounting holes massaged. Play like a dream now, and the black single-coil sounds especially good.
Otherwise stock apart from the bridge-mounting screws and stainless saddles.

My best $100 guitars are my all-solid-wood Silver Creek acoustics, though... bought one of each (000 and dread, mahog and rosewood) a couple years ago when MF had a $100 rebate... making them $80 for hog and $100 for rosewood!

I got this guitar for 89$ and the 60's tiesco behind it for 10$
http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm28/Fridge_album/DSCF9097.jpg

I've got a Rogue, Rocketeer or something like that, $99 guitar, "gig bag", "amp", notice the "" lol, and some other junk with it. It's the guitar that everyone loves to play. The jaws drop when I tell them it is absolutely the cheapest guitar I own. Plays great, I love it, everyone else that comes over to mess around on guitars does too.

In the early days of Craigslist, I was cruising the ads one morning and saw one that said "Free Guitar". I called the number immediately. Turned out to be a Steinberger Spirit with a surface scratch on the paint. Came with 4 new sets of strings, and both hard and soft cases. Otherwise it was in perfect shape. He said he'd hold it for me and I raced up there on my lunch hour.

I got there and the guy had it all ready to go. Turned out he had OCD, and couldn't stand to have a guitar with a scratch. He'd ordered another axe and basically said he needed me to get the scratched one "out of his sight". It was bizarre but good for me.

I loved that guitar, but had to sell it a couple of years ago because I needed money. I want another one, and I'll get one someday.

Got this Rogue(on right) used for $75 back around 1998.
http://i866.photobucket.com/albums/ab223/PineAppleSlim/110928-135300.jpg
My MF Artisan lap, about the same price
http://i866.photobucket.com/albums/ab223/PineAppleSlim/110928-140152.jpg
My SX bass almost qualifies at around $120
http://i866.photobucket.com/albums/ab223/PineAppleSlim/110928-142447.jpg

$100 with case from Craigslist. Hamer SATF

Nice score on the hamer.


The one on the right is an SX Furrian I picked up used for $75. The one on the left is a Stadium I picked up new for 100. It was dinged a couple of times in shipping. It's a great guitar. The neck is thicker than my affinity Tele without the jumbo frets of the SX.

P Thought, my local shop has a used black ovation viper. It looks pretty good. I believe he wants under 400 for it.

Sorry for the awful pic.


Edit: I went by the store today, it's actually and Ovation UK II. And he's asking about $330. I took some poor pics if anyone's interested. It doesn't have a Pickguard.