Owning high end gear

[dada]

Sorry I realized this is a more general question and should have been placed in a different forum.

[Ricky D.]

Originally Posted by dada

I've figured out that because I have plenty of high end stuff and could basically buy whatever I want makes me really enjoy the real cheap stuff I have. I think back to when I was a young guy and it had to be Gibson, Fender, Martin, Gretsch. There was no way I could have ever enjoyed anything less no matter how it played or sounded. Now I have the freedom and money to not give a damn about what anyone else thinks and enjoy making a $100 Squier fun to play. Who else thinks that owning high end gear has freed up your mind to enjoy the cheap crap mass produced in Asia? I'm not comparing the inherent qualities of these instruments to each other, but rather the overall satisfaction of proudly sporting a cheap guitar to a local jam and not giving it a second thought. I say this as I have seen my $3k Les Paul's etc. collect dust while I cart out my Affinity or CVC.

I was a young guy when you were a young guy. There was a good reason why we stuck to those brands back in 1965. The cheap Asian stuff was junk back then. So was the cheap US stuff. You had to pay up for the name brands to get a playable instrument in those days.

It's a different world now. Guitars with good playable necks are cheap now. Good replacement pickups are cheap if you need a different sound. The hgh end stuff is still better than the cheap stuff, but a player on a tight budget never had it so good.

[banjohabit]

i own a couple of high-end instruments, my banjo being one of them. i take a bit of an opposing view from many of the posters here, i guess, because to me, the high-end stuff is what goes to the gig and gets handled and hauled in all conditions. that's why i paid big money (at the time) for my banjo, i needed it to sound great and be ready to go day after day, often outdoors. and i got what i paid for. the cheap banjo i was already playing in the band couldn't keep up.

all that said, i am far easier on electric guitars than i ever was on my bass (also a pro instrument) or my banjo, mainly because i usually play them in a fairly controlled enviorment, so "road worthy" is not a big consideration.

and i do get a particular pleasure in playing a guitar scorned by others, but modded by me into a nice, useful instrument. like the strat i played at church yesterday and recieved nice compliments on it's sound : it happens to be one my son (a genuine headstock snob) gave me as what he considered "junk". i can't wait 'til he hears it now.

[wmsimpson]

Originally Posted by Ricky D.

I was a young guy when you were a young guy. There was a good reason why we stuck to those brands back in 1965. The cheap Asian stuff was junk back then. So was the cheap US stuff. You had to pay up for the name brands to get a playable instrument in those days.

It's a different world now. Guitars with good playable necks are cheap now. Good replacement pickups are cheap if you need a different sound. The hgh end stuff is still better than the cheap stuff, but a player on a tight budget never had it so good.

You nailed it Ricky D. Well said.

[Gary in Boston]

Telecasters were about "every mans'" instrument.

Some are better than others.

I love cheap, no, normally priced guitars and amps.

If they stay in tune, sound good, feel good etc what could be better ?

Add; you get to keep more money, not worry about damage and theft so you can focus on........... wait for it, playing.

What could be better ?

Gary

[dada]

Originally Posted by Ricky D.

I was a young guy when you were a young guy. There was a good reason why we stuck to those brands back in 1965. The cheap Asian stuff was junk back then. So was the cheap US stuff. You had to pay up for the name brands to get a playable instrument in those days.

It's a different world now. Guitars with good playable necks are cheap now. Good replacement pickups are cheap if you need a different sound. The hgh end stuff is still better than the cheap stuff, but a player on a tight budget never had it so good.

Yes, I remember my Knox guitar and amp I bought from Montgomery Ward in 1965, made a Silvertone from Sears seem like a D'Angelico.

[edipo]

Not being able to buying high end stuff makes me happier with cheap ones.

[Rolling Estonian]

I posted recently about having quality but not high end. I think the playing is so much more important. I'll never knock a guy who gets it done cheap nor has a house invested. It's all good.

M

[63dot]

At one time an ES-175 or a Martin D-18 was seriously high end but that all changed when Carmel Music Company and Sylvan Music were businesses I visited and I saw a played a Stromberg or signed Lloyd Loar mandolin or SGCC Tim Rice. Those are instruments which give one almost a religious experience when you hear and play them. However, they didn't make me play better or be more creative. I did like the one rare 1947 Martin I used, or that '65 tele, but I got just as much traction from my low end Takamine rental guitar. These are all tools and the most important part of the equation is who is playing them, and then what state of mind that person is in. Even then, some days are better than others and some days worse.

[soulman969]

Originally Posted by Phelonious Ponk

Owning, and having owned lots of high-end stuff gives me the perspective to understand that the gap between those and my $200 Xavier is nothing a good set-up hasn't fixed. When I see guys talking trash about cheap guitars, saying "you get what you pay for," "there's no way a $350 Asian guitar could even compare to American X," I can just smile, knowing I'm reading the words of a man whose mouth is running pretty far ahead of his experience.

P

Well said! (Insert standing ovation here). Even if someone has tried one if there's a preconceived notion that if it doesn't say Fender on the headstock it can't be any good prevents a fair evaluation anyway.

My stable has everything from a CS Fender to an MIM Standard and a Deluxe plus two of those cheap ass Asian copies of "real Fenders" so my experience is just the opposite. A good guitar is a good guitar no matter where it was made of what it says on the headstock and mine are all good guitars.

[Ed P]

I have no idea of what it feels like to own high end gear.

[homesick345]

Originally Posted by dada

I've figured out that because I have plenty of high end stuff and could basically buy whatever I want makes me really enjoy the real cheap stuff I have. I think back to when I was a young guy and it had to be Gibson, Fender, Martin, Gretsch. There was no way I could have ever enjoyed anything less no matter how it played or sounded. Now I have the freedom and money to not give a damn about what anyone else thinks and enjoy making a $100 Squier fun to play. Who else thinks that owning high end gear has freed up your mind to enjoy the cheap crap mass produced in Asia? I'm not comparing the inherent qualities of these instruments to each other, but rather the overall satisfaction of proudly sporting a cheap guitar to a local jam and not giving it a second thought. I say this as I have seen my $3k Les Paul's etc. collect dust while I cart out my Affinity or CVC.

High end gear is gay.

[Westerly Sunn]

I have some relatively high-end stuff; bought when it wasn't that high!

Honestly; Compared to the less expensive stuff that I have, I much prefer the high-end stuff!

That preference is based on the intrinsic quality of the gear. Can't help it; it's really better stuff.

[TwangBilly]

Congratulations! I am happy for your success in life, however I have not attained that level, YET! I am poor, have always been poor, and still striving for success. So I am not in your club. I am however very proud of the few quality instruments and gear that I have been blessed to acquire thru VERY HARD work and finding good deals. I have a Fender Tele I bought new that retails for $2149.00, and a vintage tube amp worth about $400.00. I LOVE them and get all the sounds I want from them so I'm happy! And to beat it all, I have out of pocket, the grand sum total of $510.00 in these two items! So in a way I may be in your club after all, enjoying cheap (for what I have in it), gear, yet it's quality stuff. If you really want to know how I accomplished this ask and I'll explain. But having done this, makes me think I still have a future in business and the stock market lol. So I may eventually truly join your club lol. My dad has always been poor too, but has a nice collection of vintage Martin and Gibson acoustics, must be in our genes, poor but with good taste lol.

[trev333]

+1@ westerly sunn...

I ended up buying some US fender guitars/amps... some here in Oz..most online from the states.... because at this time in my life, I finally could...

because I figured US fender gear WAS high end.... for a bloke from down under who grew up with asian import guitars...

even now..very few people I know have US fenders, barring working musos, I kinda know....

they must be up there somewhere, ;)

[Tonetele]

dada, I know exactly where you're coming from. I've owned and played them all. Still have some high end gear a Fender Tele and Fender amp. I also have two Chinese acoustics, Nashville, distributed by our local Martin dealer, that EVERYONE who plays them says they are just as good as US originals. I'm past being a snob. I've also got a Partscaster Tele with Tonerider Vintage p/ups which sits around and I play every day.It is great. Also a Strat Squire that I've re-built in every way ( only original stuff is the neck and body).I started out at 13 with the worst possible acoustic, went onto Japanese guitars then Gibsons, Fender and Ibanez. If it feels good, sounds good then it's okay.By the way, we have show called Rockwiz, the muso guitarist/ keyboard player uses an old lawsuit Fernandez Tele and an old (1940s/ 1950s) Matin amp. No problems with his sound. A good muso can make just about anything sound good.Let's lose the snobbery about Asian and/or Chinese gear. JMHO

[hemingway]

The lack of gear snobbery on this forum is a lot of what makes it so good.

[trev333]

my #2 guitar is an Indo whibley Squier that I routed 2 dog ears into,,,
great guitar...
it sits beside a Fullerton made Tele...

when I switch the amp on.. I look at the pair of them and genuinely have to decide which one I'm going to play first....

remember US Fenders are production guitars...there's millions of them... hardly snobbery to prefer them....

they're not Parker Flys.... or made from a quaker barn....

funnily enough... I'd never heard of a CV or an RI, until I started reading these forums...

I had a laugh when I read a thread about '52RI Nash guitars... like derrr.. was Nash making guitars in '52 ?....
to be a "re issue" it has to be "issued" in the first place.. nes pa?...

talk about riding someone else's horse...;)

[jjkrause84]

Originally Posted by Phelonious Ponk

Owning, and having owned lots of high-end stuff gives me the perspective to understand that the gap between those and my $200 Xavier is nothing a good set-up hasn't fixed. When I see guys talking trash about cheap guitars, saying "you get what you pay for," "there's no way a $350 Asian guitar could even compare to American X," I can just smile, knowing I'm reading the words of a man whose mouth is running pretty far ahead of his experience.

P

Because there is only one acceptable opinion?

Look, I know the cool thing to do is to prefer cheaper gear (our inner hipster coming out?), but to believe that more expensive gear is no better than cheaper gear is incredibly cynical. It implies that USA-made guitars are marked up entirely for ethereal prestige value, and not for any quality of craftsmanship.

Barring rare mishaps (like that one magic Squier we've all played at some point.....) you typically do 'get what you pay for'.

[Bill]

I have three Strats with me. A '56, a '63, and 2007 Fender Squire Bullet (hardtail) Strat that I bought new from Guitar Center for $70.

They are all fun, and yes, owning the first two freed my aqcuisitive snobby side to fully enjoy the third. I'm amazed at how well it plays and how good it sounds.

Cheap guitars are so much better now than in the 70's when I was first playing. Then they were $100 for a bolt neck Les Paul copy. (What is that, $400-$500 in today's terms?) For under $100 I bought a far better guitar. (What is that $25 in 70's terms?)