Pawn shops are my favorite place to look, but I'm so tired of buying 100 dollar or less pieces where the necks are messed up beyond repair. For the price of good necks now, I can buy a great sounding squire. I know, squire... But I do have 2 that sound way better than the models they were based on
Right now, cheap guitars are expensive due to shipping. Just a few months ago, I spent $170 on a Les Paul copy from Vietnam (IYV) and it's absolutely amazing for the price. It required no setup - but the low E intonation was out maybe a cent and a tiny adjustment fixed it. It was only noticeable when using a pretty precise tuner.
But, prices are up right now. So, I'd wait...
I have a ton of "real" equipment, so this playing with the cheap stuff is fun. I've posted pics before, but I have more music gear than many music stores. I have hundreds of guitars collected over the years. (I got lucky and was able to retire early while being financially independent.)
This is all just a fun project for me. I'll likely donate the stuff when I'm done playing around with it.
But, yeah... For now you can still find some cheap guitars on Amazon, but their stock is running low. Squire is a fine brand to play, even to gig with it. The name on t he headstock only matters if you're a collector or have ego issues. What matters is the tone, quality, and your ability to play the damned thing.
Oh yes. Thats awesome and I have no ego issue. I do have a few nice ones. One was even cause for the wife to bring up the word divorce. We are divorced now for different reasons & though I still have love for her, I love the Paul Reed Smith, even more.
I've been playing and collecting for about 20 years but can't play with the same ability I used to. I was always lead, but now I'm chugging along on rhythm. I have some debilitating nerve issues so I have no feeling in my right hand except for my thumb which makes feeling around for the string I need impossible even when looking at the strings.
I wont give up though. I feel I will be able to play like I was able to 2 years ago, but I will have to unlearn every bit of my style and learn to play a completely different way. Ive even thought about grabbing a steel guitar or Hawaiian lap just to keep some progress going.
I looked through the entire thread and some past ones. I really enjoy the camaraderie. I work nights often, but when I am off, I will always join in. Whats really cool is that you all archive everything and I can search for it on the weekend
LOL I have some of the Private Stock guitars from PRS - but I paid artist price for 'em.
I'm a classical guitarist by training. Alas, I've been paid to play pretty much anything except classical guitar. I've been at it over fifty years and throughout all of it I've diligently practiced. So, I've been everything from a gig musician to a studio musician. There have been times when I made my entire living from music. I was pretty poor.
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