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Question inspired by an interview I saw with Jack Pearson. Successful guitar player that quite happily plays a Squier he paid $87 for.

From 3:53



How low would you go? Does ego play a part? Do expensive guitars reflect your 'seriousness'?

Being brutally honest with myself, I don't think I could rock-up to an open-night or audition etc. with a cheap guitar.

As an owner ( and happy player ) of two Danelectro and one Supro guitars I'd say yes. They don't get the same use as the more expensive stuff but for reasons other than embarrassment.

I've done plenty of gigs with an Epiphone LP100. It plays great and feels nice in the hands. It's not my problem if other people have a problem and if they did it'd say more about them I guess. That guitar cost me 75 quid.

We all love toys too much

Dharmajester wrote: ↑Tue Jul 20, 2021 6:01 pm As an owner ( and happy player ) of two Danelectro and one Supro guitars I'd say yes. They don't get the same use as the more expensive stuff but for reasons other than embarrassment.

I remember an interview with Crowded House where they said cheap guitars can have their own thing so they weren't averse to using them.

NippleWrestler wrote: ↑Tue Jul 20, 2021 6:03 pm I've done plenty of gigs with an Epiphone LP100. It plays great and feels nice in the hands. It's not my problem if other people have a problem and if they did it'd say more about them I guess. That guitar cost me 75 quid.

We're maybe conditioned to want / rate high-end gear so some of it is understandable. But I did have one of those Indonesian Strats and it really was a perfectly good guitar.

I dropped-in at an open-night a few days ago. When I saw the cramped set-up in the corner of the room I thought I'd be worried sick about taking anything valuable. So there's that reason for using cheap guitars if no other.

No judgement either way.

One of the best playing guitars I have ever had the pleasure of spending time with was an early 2000s Squier Affinity Strat. Skinny neck, but handled really low action with no buzz and great sustain. Stayed in tune. Sounded fine, but not amazing. Owned by a mate who went on to do a jazz degree. He bought a Gibson ES-137 for it, but mostly played his faithful Squier.

I can understand the value aspect as well, taking a $5k guitar to a dive bar can be a risky prospect. I took the lp100 because it suited what we were doing (since the upgrades are worth more than the guitar), nothing more or less.

NippleWrestler wrote: ↑Tue Jul 20, 2021 6:16 pm I can understand the value aspect as well, taking a $5k guitar to a dive bar can be a risky prospect. I took the lp100 because it suited what we were doing (since the upgrades are worth more than the guitar), nothing more or less.

I recall Chris Buck saying much the same thing.

Depends on how you define cheap. I’ve found I can put a Warmoth neck on a cheap body with decent pickups and bridge and be happier than I was with my $7000 PRS. So in that regard, I could probably get something I’m really happy with for around $600.

I think anyone who puts price over playability has an issue....

and to be fair its probably just not about guitars but about everything including size of the knob

Yep - no cheaper than $1K otherwise I can blame the guitar...

None of my guitars are expensive, as long as they play well, sound good and don't need constant maintenance, I'm happy.

Somewhere around the $1000 to $1500 mark achieves that.

Strats can be cheap and cheerful, and a nonissue in terms of owning and playing. Set neck mahogany beasts with p90s or humbuckers, and I get snobby. I just cannot get the sounds I want from dirt cheap equivalents. But a $1200 LP Special would do the trick no problems. So would a $10k R9, with the $8,800 being knob size tax.

I used to have brand insecurity, then something happened; my fingers and ears started to have opinions. Now my fingers and ears judge a guitar; little else gets a look in. And while there is a minimum price on a functioning musical tool, it's nowhere near as much as we often pay.

Still, as Grant says, designs differ. But I'll play anything, as long as I like it.

The sub-$1k Reverends I was buying second hand 5-7 years ago I’d put against anything I’ve purchased since. But the ‘gots-ta-have’ stepped in and here I am with nothing under the $3k mark, and actually no happier.