You Get What You Pay For

ScreamingDave · February 2023

Well, you get what you pay for. I decided I wanted a little acoustic guitar to play in the office and I didn’t want to pay too much, so I ordered a cutaway electro with a shallow body from Gear4Music here in the UK. It was OK, but the neck was like a baseball bat and the main issue was piezo pickup was horrible, just distorting when I hit the strings hard, no matter what the amp and guitar settings were. Needless to say it’s going back.

Moral of the story: don’t kid yourself that you can get something decent for £89! I think I was lulled into a false sense of security by how brilliant my Squier Bullet Mustang is for the price.

I’ve now ordered a low-end Fender acoustic, so we’ll see how that goes ….

Jono111 · February 2023

I disagree, I paid for a bath protector for a arm cast in 2012 and I never got it.

ScreamingDave · February 2023

OK. I stand corrected

lustycourtier · February 2023

Problem with cheap acoustics is if they aren't solid woods, they sound like a cardboard box. On other hand, I got an Epiphone slash J45 recently for £500, and it sounds better than my old Gibson version or my 00016E Martin. Utterly joyous to play too.

Devil#20 · February 2023

ScreamingDave said:

Well, you get what you pay for. I decided I wanted a little acoustic guitar to play in the office and I didn’t want to pay too much, so I ordered a cutaway electro with a shallow body from Gear4Music here in the UK. It was OK, but the neck was like a baseball bat and the main issue was piezo pickup was horrible, just distorting when I hit the strings hard, no matter what the amp and guitar settings were. Needless to say it’s going back.

Moral of the story: don’t kid yourself that you can get something decent for £89! I think I was lulled into a false sense of security by how brilliant my Squier Bullet Mustang is for the price.

I’ve now ordered a low-end Fender acoustic, so we’ll see how that goes ….

You're going down the same route with a low end Fender acoustic. They are sh**e.

GoFish · February 2023

TBF, Fender acoustics may have come a long way since I last paid them any mind. Look at their pedals! They could be sort of ok now. But for a sight unseen budget acoustic, my money would be on Yamaha, Harley Barley or Tanglewood. Definitely not G4M.

The very Squier Bullet disproves the money calculus. I wish we did get what we paid for, it would make buying guitars a lot easier.

mrkb · February 2023

I ordered a headstock tuner from Amazon and received a box of 6 headstock tuners. So I got more that I paid for - and it saved Amazon getting too much profit to worry about taxes - win win!

ScreamingDave · February 2023

Devil#20 said: but

ScreamingDave said:

Well, you get what you pay for. I decided I wanted a little acoustic guitar to play in the office and I didn’t want to pay too much, so I ordered a cutaway electro with a shallow body from Gear4Music here in the UK. It was OK, but the neck was like a baseball bat and the main issue was piezo pickup was horrible, just distorting when I hit the strings hard, no matter what the amp and guitar settings were. Needless to say it’s going back.

Moral of the story: don’t kid yourself that you can get something decent for £89! I think I was lulled into a false sense of security by how brilliant my Squier Bullet Mustang is for the price.

I’ve now ordered a low-end Fender acoustic, so we’ll see how that goes ….

You're going down the same route with a low end Fender acoustic. They are sh**e.

Trust me, I’m under no illusion that it’s going to be amazing. Playable will do me, but my days of high-end acoustics are gone. I sold my J45 late last year because I never played it. It just sat in its case for years on end. This one’s just for messing about on

ScreamingDave · February 2023

You’re not wrong. The G4M wasn’t totally dire, and for the money I’d have kept it, but the electrics side of it was totally unusable. I’ll rarely, if ever, use that, but I’m not going to accept it basically not working, even so

ScreamingDave · February 2023

mrkb said:

I ordered a headstock tuner from Amazon and received a box of 6 headstock tuners. So I got more that I paid for - and it saved Amazon getting too much profit to worry about taxes - win win!

Some of the stuff on Amazon is alright. Have you tried putting two on at once to see if they both say the same?

guitarjack66 · February 2023

I bought a Harley Benton about 6 months ago for about 70 quid. It was shit. I even had it set up but it still sounded like crap so I've moved it on. A couple of hundred gets you a good guitar though.

Jez6345789 · February 2023

I bought a Harley Benton travel guitar out of interest which is pretty much a dimensionally accurate clone of a GS mini mahogany for 89 quid and it’s an ok guitar well set up real wood guitar but I wish they charged like 129 and spent the extra on nicer tuners.

The actual difference is the thing is identical except in most areas it’s overbuilt by about 20% top is thicker bracing dims are 20% thicker than the gs mini, as is bridge plate etc. I presume the overbuild saves on warranty returns the bridge is bolted on ala some gibsons acoustics. A real example of playing a numbers game. The fact that that measuring the thing and most is close to 30% makes me think it deliberate.

I have lightened the bass side of the X and that helped a little if I ever get time I might sand the top thinner as well and see where the sound ends up as an experiment as not much to lose the neck is actually a nice V as opposed to the Taylor C.

Smellyfingers · February 2023

If I was going to buy a cheap acoustic I’d buy something like an Alvarez or a Takamine, on the basis that because acoustics are all they do, they might be better on this level than a big catch-all brand like Fender or HB.

Mellish · February 2023

At the entry level, you get a lot better guitar today than you did back when I started in 1960.

You could pick up a new acoustic for £25 but, man, they were the worst. They wouldn't tune, the action was way off. And you couldn't pop it round to your local tech cos (in most cases) there wasn't one.

OK, kids back then in the cities had tech access but many in small towns (with not much money for travelling) had to try to ignore that their acoustic was meh.

bertie · February 2023

at that price you dont aways get what you want, but if you try, sometimes you get what you need

woody · February 2023

A second hand recording king should do the job nicely.

ditchboy · February 2023

mrkb said:

I ordered a headstock tuner from Amazon and received a box of 6 headstock tuners. So I got more that I paid for - and it saved Amazon getting too much profit to worry about taxes - win win!

Which one did you get? I’m sick of tuning via an app and fancy something to clip on.

bertie · February 2023

ditchboy said:

mrkb said:

I ordered a headstock tuner from Amazon and received a box of 6 headstock tuners. So I got more that I paid for - and it saved Amazon getting too much profit to worry about taxes - win win!

Which one did you get? I’m sick of tuning via an app and fancy something to clip on.

cheap, cheerful and unobtrusive

spev11 · February 2023

The little Cort Parlour (AP550M) I bought from GAK a month back is really quite nice, its not as good as my Baby Taylor but its pretty good, came with spare saddle and pin so when I changed the strings I lowered the action (there were two little shims under the saddle) and its really rather good. No electrics probably helps, its Mahogany all round, doesn't say if its a solid top or not but for 110 quid its a lot better than I expected it to be.

Tannin · February 2023

Once you get used to the accuracy and all-round usability of Peterson tuners, nothing else will do. Use it on any guitar, with any tuning system - yes even a decrepit old bugger like me can read it without difficulty, without my reading glasses, and in any light, including direct sunlight.

Costs three times as much as a cheap D'Addario. Worth every penny.

https://www.petersontuners.com/products/stroboClipHD/

DonnyMac · February 2023

Tannin said:

Once you get used to the accuracy and all-round usability of Peterson tuners, nothing else will do. Use it on any guitar, with any tuning system - yes even a decrepit old bugger like me can read it without difficulty, without my reading glasses, and in any light, including direct sunlight.

Costs three times as much as a cheap D'Addario. Worth every penny.

https://www.petersontuners.com/products/stroboClipHD/

I have the same, it's excellent. Great fun to play around with the 'sweetener' tunings too.

Kilgore · February 2023

spev11 said:

The little Cort Parlour (AP550M) I bought from GAK a month back is really quite nice, its not as good as my Baby Taylor but its pretty good, came with spare saddle and pin so when I changed the strings I lowered the action (there were two little shims under the saddle) and its really rather good. No electrics probably helps, its Mahogany all round, doesn't say if its a solid top or not but for 110 quid its a lot better than I expected it to be.

It will be a laminate top. Cort describe the top as mahogany. If it was a solid top Cort would specify "solid mahogany" If they simply describe it as mahogany, spruce, etc it will be laminate. This is standard practice on budget guitars.

Of course, if it sounds good, who cares.

Mellish · February 2023

@Tannin ; there's also an all-alloy Peterson StroboClip (or there was) cos I have one.
The display isn't as bright as the HD but the tuning accuracy is just as good. Mine came in a presentation tin.

EDIT: I have to correct myself - the alloy one *is* a Peterson StroboClip HD. Probably earlier than the plastic one?

ScreamingDave · February 2023

Well, this tale of woe has moved on. The Fender acoustic I ordered seems to have gone missing in transit with no tracking information available to anyone, so I’m getting that refunded and I found a really nice looking Washburn with a solid top and Fishman pickup. Seems like a real steal at £200. Watch this space!

GoFish · February 2023

Oh you poor bar steward! I've got my fingers crossed for you.

Mellish · February 2023

@ScreamingDave ; hopefully it will turn up mate.

hollywoodrox · February 2023

lustycourtier said:

Problem with cheap acoustics is if they aren't solid woods, they sound like a cardboard box. On other hand, I got an Epiphone slash J45 recently for £500, and it sounds better than my old Gibson version or my 00016E Martin. Utterly joyous to play too.

Damn going to have to put that on the bucket list ,trouble is I’m ok with my £50 odd quid Harley Benton d120sce a £50 setup & it’s just right

bugileman · February 2023

lustycourtier said:

Problem with cheap acoustics is if they aren't solid woods, they sound like a cardboard box. On other hand, I got an Epiphone slash J45 recently for £500, and it sounds better than my old Gibson version or my 00016E Martin. Utterly joyous to play too.

You don't necessarily need to have solid woods to have a great guitar. I have quite a few Japanese laminate guitars, in fact the latest guitar I've bought is a Three S acoustic..... its all laminate, but sounds bloody fantastic. Cost £30, so it can be done.

guitarjack66 · February 2023

bugileman said:

lustycourtier said:

Problem with cheap acoustics is if they aren't solid woods, they sound like a cardboard box. On other hand, I got an Epiphone slash J45 recently for £500, and it sounds better than my old Gibson version or my 00016E Martin. Utterly joyous to play too.

You don't necessarily need to have solid woods to have a great guitar. I have quite a few Japanese laminate guitars, in fact the latest guitar I've bought is a Three S acoustic..... its all laminate, but sounds bloody fantastic. Cost £30, so it can be done.

I have a Chinese made Squier acoustic from the early 2000s and it's 'glossy' laminate but it sounds pretty good even now.

ScreamingDave · February 2023

Many years ago i worked in India for a while, going over there for a month or so at a time, so I decided to buy a guitar I could leave there. I bought a frightenly cheap acoustic, a "Givson Jumboo" (sic). It was ..... how can I put it ...... as rough as a badger's arse, to be frank. The finish was thin and not very well applied, the tuners were open with the tuning buttons being just thick discs of aluminium hammered onto the ends of the tuner spindles, the pick guard was just a piece of black shiny sticky backed plastic cut to the shape of a normal pickguard .... but OMG it sounded fantastic! It had a solid top and I think the thinly applied finish probably actually helped it. It cost me about 18 quid, I seem to remember.

guitarjack66 · February 2023

ScreamingDave said:

Many years ago i worked in India for a while, going over there for a month or so at a time, so I decided to buy a guitar I could leave there. I bought a frightenly cheap acoustic, a "Givson Jumboo" (sic). It was ..... how can I put it ...... as rough as a badger's arse, to be frank. The finish was thin and not very well applied, the tuners were open with the tuning buttons being just thick discs of aluminium hammered onto the ends of the tuner spindles, the pick guard was just a piece of black shiny sticky backed plastic cut to the shape of a normal pickguard .... but OMG it sounded fantastic! It had a solid top and I think the thinly applied finish probably actually helped it. It cost me about 18 quid, I seem to remember.

No fear of it being stolen then. Sounds like one of today's relics.

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories

In this Discussion

Become a Subscriber!

You Get What You Pay For

Comments