List of affordable guitars used by artists to record hits

[ScareDe2]

Generally speaking, when you try to buy the same guitar model as what a professional artist use, you can expect to spend a few home rents. Gibsons, Martins, Fenders Stratocasters, they are all expensive.

But rarely but surely there are some holy grails available below the price of one grand. For example, the guitars used by Kurt Cobain are generally affordable, or the Harmony H1260 used by Jimmy Page to record Stairway To Heaven, why not.

So let's rock it at an affordable price. Please contribute.

Edit: Let's keep the heavily modified guitars out of this thread.

Edit 2: Needs a certain level of availability. Not that one of a kind guitar made in Africa bought for 20 bucks that only exist a single copy.

Edit 3: Affordable now, for less than USD $1000.

Edit 4: The price originally paid by the artist doesn't matter.

Edit 5: We are in the optic of buying "that same guitar" that will sound as close as possible to the original recording, without breaking the wallet.

 

[SnidelyWhiplash]

Mentioning affordable guitars on a gear forum???

How dare you!

 

[Twang Deluxe]

JJ Cale Harmony guitar

 

[nojazzhere]

Do you count Brian Mays' Red Special? Completely "home-made".

 

[Boreas]

People have been making music for millennia. You can make music with a box and a stick. Paying big bucks for a guitar is unfortunately often an attempt to buy chops. A fantasy. But that is the way humans are wired. When a person does this several times, they become a collector.

 

[Leonardocoate]

most musicians aren't exactly flush with cash, especially in their early years. My guess is that most use whatever they can get their hands on and barter their way forward. Joe Walsh once said,"there are a lot of great hits that have been recorded on gear cheaper than you have"

 

[Fiesta Red]

Jeff Healey, with his Squier.

Hound Dog Taylor, with his Teisco Del Rey and Silvertone amp.

Jack White and Dan Auerbach.

Junior Kimbrough and RL Burnside.

Jimmy Page and his Danelectro.

 

[Engine Swap]

I don't get it - tons of hits were recorded with regular fenders, gibsons, etc... purchased at retail from a local music store. How are you defining "affordable"?

 

[VintageSG]

JJ Cale was known to use a Danelectro Convertible to great effect.
Mark Knopfler and Rory Gallagher have recorded with Danelectro guitars too.
Wilko plays his signature model, a MIM telecaster.

 

[scottser]

jeff buckley's 83 usa tele?

 

[ScareDe2]

most musicians aren't exactly flush with cash, especially in their early years. My guess is that most use whatever they can get their hands on and barter their way forward. Joe Walsh once said,"there are a lot of great hits that have been recorded on gear cheaper than you have"

But in fact recording artists play with quality material that is often expensive. Sad true. I think there was an effort to sell a different story.

 

[johnny k]

But in fact recording artists play with quality material that is often expensive. Sad true. I think there was an effort to sell a different story.

Depends on the style of music, and production. Some bands still do records in an old time fashion.

 

[Twang Deluxe]

Many artists in the 70s used an EKO E
Ranger XII (Led Zeppelin, Genesis, The Who and nearly every famous italian artist of the 70s)

 

[Fretting out]

I don’t know how to link it but we just did one of these not to long ago, maybe the o.p will see this and put a link

 

[Fretting out]

Jeff Healey, with his Squier.

Hound Dog Taylor, with his Teisco Del Rey and Silvertone amp.

Jack White and Dan Auerbach.

Junior Kimbrough and RL Burnside.

Jimmy Page and his Danelectro.

I don’t count The Auerbach/White catalogue models as affordable

They were reasonable until they started playing them

Also depends on what someone views as affordable, to me affordable is 500 dollars or less, a 60’s catalog guitar that is now 1500 to 2500 dollars isn’t too affordable

Same thing for Kurt’s guitars of choice

 

[Fiesta Red]

I don’t count The Auerbach/White catalogue models as affordable

They were reasonable until they started playing them

Also depends on what someone views as affordable, to me affordable is 500 dollars or less, a 60’s catalog guitar that is now 1500 to 2500 dollars isn’t too affordable

Same thing for Kurt’s guitars of choice

I understand what you mean…I thought the premise was “lesser” guitars, such as the catalogue models many of these guys use, not the current sticker value of them…

 

[SixStringSlinger]

I don't get it - tons of hits were recorded with regular fenders, gibsons, etc... purchased at retail from a local music store. How are you defining "affordable"?

"Cheap" without any negative connotation?

 

[wabashslim]

As soon as you publish that a famous artist uses some cheapo gear, that gear will no longer be cheapo. So this thread really should be deleted so we don't end up seeing $25 Stella acoustics going for $8K because Joey Neil Splatterass recorded "Sweet Baby Skidmark" with one.

 

[beninma]

The list is too long to even bother thinking about it. Most of your "golden era" rock star guys were dirt poor and bought their guitars used after scraping hard for cash.

It's like basically "all of them" so why even bother thinking about it. The gear doesn't make the player.

 

[ScareDe2]

I am sorry if some of you are frustrated by the nature of this thread. But the question is clear. The parameters can be objectively measured or verified. 1. Used to record a hit 2. Available for less than USD $1000

And if the list is too long, may it be. I rather think that the list is quite short.