Sad Truth About the Guitar Industry, *Took Me 20 years to understand* 

THIS!!!!❤ This guy is speaking the truth. Expensive guitars don’t make you better….YOU do that yourself. Learn to set up your guitars, set intonation, truss rod adjustments, string height, etc. (RU-vid is great for learning all of that.) I have an ltd ec-1000 and it’s been a beast of a guitar for me and I bought it for $840 on reverb. 2 charvel dk24’s for around $700-ish. And they are great too, and better when set up to my liking. But I will never pay for those $2-5000 money grabs from guitar company’s….just not worth it. There are actually some great guitars for way less than my than my $500-$800 range. I have a pretty good Jackson Kelly I picked up for $250 it can use a few parts upgrades, but as it sits it’s still great.

Those hellraisers are a solid beast. You are 100% correct. Once your over the $500-700 mark, they're all the same

If it intonates and stays in tune… you can fix the rest of it for a lot less than any high end axe. Honestly guys, just buy budget shyt and fix it up. You’ll find that there is alot less than you think to fix.

100% accurate. Had the same lesson with Kiesel. Paid $3000 for this “amazing unparalleled” custom guitar. Was so excited when I got it, played it for a few days and realized I liked my $1000 Ibanez better. The Kiesel is still a great guitar, but mostly in the craftsmanship. Lesson learned. Spend the time to find the specs you really like and prefer, and you can find them in production models every time. And a sharp sword means nothing if you can’t swing it properly. A depleted bank account won’t make you play any better.

I've been preaching this for years now, some people will listen some won't.

I agree. Tuning stability, intonation and utility (pickup configuration/bridge/shape, etc) are really the major things to look for in a guitar. If it stays in tune, intonated properly, and it has the things you need as a player like the type of bridge and the pickups, it's a great guitar. No need to break the bank.

FACTS. Purely aesthetics, hardware, customization, and hype those HIGHLY overpriced guitars are. I always try and buy used now for the exact reasons you mentioned!

Schecter Hellraiser sales after this video: 📈

On the spot with this one man! I used to be like that too, caring for expensive gear, thinking hi end guitars can make you play better, but in reality it is YOU who dictate the way you play and yes a good setup goers a long way! Stay heavy \m/ !

I've made the decision to go with American made because I really feel very strongly about that. But, you're right. Another thing is that we don't NEED everything we want. Clapton's been playing a Strat forever. Jack Pearson plays a $160 Squier.

In order to understand this man....one needs to buy a Korean Schecter first... Then one needs to buy 2-3k+ guitars and then conclude that he's ABSOLUTELY bang on spot on about what he's saying. Respect man.

I got a hellraiser around 2006, about the time they came out. Since then I've played custom gibson les pauls, multiple Ernie Ball Music Man guitars, a private reserve PRS, a Mayones Duvell Elite, a Caparison Hours and a Hapas judge....let me tell you that, to ME, a Korean or Indonesian made guitar doesn't compare. The craftsmanship that goes into those instruments is unbelievable in comparison. I love my hellraiser and still have it, its an amazing instrument that does the job but theres most certainly a difference. The Mayones and EBMM stuck out the most to me. Made it hard to come home to my poor schecter. But...everyone is different I suppose.

This is so true Tim, some of my best guitars I've played are in the 1000 dollar range, but also, I've always said: "A good guitar, a few pedals, a good amp and your fingers" it amazes me how much time people devote to being gear heads, I know many good players who are gear heads, but I also know many that should really be spending that time practicing more. Great video!

Watching Justin Johnson play a 3-stringed shovel, and it sounded very good, was all I needed to see. My wife worked as a luthier for a few years, and detailed the process of the build, the finishing, the ridiculous insistence on "perfect" wood. Seeing Justin Johnson play a guitar made from an old whiskey barrel told me she was wasting her time sweating those details. She was astounded with Justin Johnson's playing, not with my revelation of wasted time.

I started playing in 1959. I have owned a total of 12 guitars, 9 of which I still own. Cheapest was $150, most expensive was $3,200. The main reason I had as many was simply my own desire to own several Beatles guitars.

Shout it from the mountain tops. Being 'immersed' in guitar stuff feels good and can end up being a huge part of ones self-identity, and the fact that a huge part of that world is a commercial sector makes one vulnerable. Theres healthier ways to engage deeper and deeper with guitar stuff, like learning guitar maintence, learning soldering, and- hear me out- playing guitar. People talking about it in a clear and healthy manner, like you did here, is a great step for all of us to be more self aware and create a healthy guitar culture.

Love the video. I absolutely agree. The setup is critical. And your point about watching gear videos rather than practicing or learning technique, spot on and most of us are guilty. I own a schecter Damien that plays and sounds like a dream! They are very underrated guitars

Totally agree man! I bought a new ESP E-II HORIZON NT-II a year ago and that was an amazing guitar as I thought at the time, and I think it still is, but a few days ago I bought a used JACKSON JS22 DINKY which costs me about 200$ and I was blown away by the sound and versatility, despite the fact that this guitar is 10 times cheaper than ESP. So it is all about the right setup! Another advantage of buying a cheap or mid-range guitar is that you can customise it a lot and you won't regret modifying it, unlike a super expensive guitar.

Man I’ve been coming to a similar conclusion but even more crazy. I work at a music store and even the 200-500$ squires these days are REALLY good lol, I’ve recently really started to dig this cheap tele. And this 450$ sg with p-90s has been super cool. All my favorite stuff to play lately rarely reaches more than 6-900$. If it’s set up well for you, you can make it scream!

Very true, the aesthetic is a big part of the purchase and yet my favorite guitar to play is my $450 metallic gray RG Ibanez, always in tune, sounds great and feels good to play over the more expensive Schecter and E-II that I have.

Thanks for this, my man... It's true that it's important to feel comfortable on a guitar, but if you do nothing to improve beyond that, no gear in the world will hel you sound any better... Cheers!!

I so agree. I bought two 1500-dollar guitars, (a lot of money to me) and then I bought a 400-dollar guitar which is my go-to now. It feels the best in my hands and the tones I get are the best of the three. Complete truth!

Oh yeah, these companies don’t care about your growth. They just want your money. I’ve had 1 guitar for the last 10 years. Great playing, man!

Of course! A $3k guitar will have more work done on fret leveling and setup (most cheaper ones do not). You can do this yourself, or pay a Luthier to do it for you. Just make sure it’s a good luthier cause there’s a lot of scammers out there! Though there is ONE FEATURE I cannot deny is super useful to me from more expensive guitar series: the higher access to the neck you get from a set-neck/one piece versus a bolt on. For my hand size, at least, it makes a HUGE difference! 👌👌👌 The Jackson Series x is probably one of the best values out there for $800. Used are cheaper even 👌 Another Jackson feature I love is the compound radius lol just had to mention it

I always had a feeling this was the truth, but I played a friends $4,000 custom shop Jackson recently and realized my 700$ Indonesian Jackson was the exact same thing minus the original Floyd Rose...I was happy for him to get a cool USA guitar and all but man oh man... I've looked at all of my guitars differently ever since then

With you there brother!!!! I’m 44 and owned every guitar you could imagine, over 300 last count, BUT, look at Harley Benton high end stuff, I don’t use it, but they produce amazing stuff for pennies!!!! I now buy guitars that feel awesome, normally cheaper, and upgrade pickups etc…..AND they are better than any high end axe I’ve played!! Good in you man👌🏻🤘🏻

Its been over a decade since i bought my last guitar. I have an American Fender Strat that i bough in 2005. Its my number one and still play it to this day. I realized my gear is not holding me back, its me, i need to play more and work on my playing. Not buying new gear.

My main guitar for the last ten years has been a Schecter Omen 6. Changed the pickups on it. It sounds decent. I could do with a wider neck. I want to upgrade in a few years when the money comes together, will definitely look at the same brand. Also, for the love of God, take what prominent guitar youtubers say with a pinch of salt. They are advertisers mostly.

Ive been saying this for years. I picked up the tools to setup guitars long ago. This allows me to setup just about any guitar to play like butter. One thing about most musicians is they dont generally have a lot of money. They are always looking for cheap solutions for gear. Prince bought his iconic Japanese tele for 30 bucks at a gas station early on in his career. Eddie Van built his franken strat from pieces parts from other guitars for little to no money.

I bought my schecter hellraiser c1 12 years ago when i was 16 cause of the looks and i didn't have a lot of money as a kid...i felt a bond a connection with that guitar..its the only guitar that i own to this day..plays great feels great,heavy guitar wich i love..i haven't set up the guitar in 10 years its crazy i know but it plays great to this day..i tried a fender strat and it felt like cheap and 'fake' guitar in a way..

I had a similar revelation to this a few years ago. I remember watching Phil from Know Your Gear chat with Ron Thorn, a guy that works in the fender, custom shop and builds guitars that cost thousands of dollars. He said that his number one guitar, his baby, his go to axe of choice is a black Squier Stratocaster that he’s owned since the 1980s. Electric guitars have been made for well over 70 years now, and most builders have learned what makes a great guitar great as well as what kind of guitar people want to buy.

Everything you said iz exactly correct! Learn to set up and maintain your own instrument, whether its a guitar, bass, drumz or any other instrument. The knowledge and experience you gain in learning how its built, how it worx and how to repair it iz invaluable. I paid for one set up in the past 28 yearz and it cost $150. That waz in '95. I can only imagine how much it would cost now! An inexpensive guitar doezn't mean a cheap guitar. If you learn how to replace.and upgrade pickups and electronix, learn to set it up and repair it yourself, you will never have to pay for them and you will have the satisfaction of know YOU fixed it! Not to mention making an inexpensive guitar sound great and exactly how you want it, without dropping a small fortune on something thats not exactly how you want. Knowledge iz Power in every sense of the phraze. If you get good enough at it, you can actually start charging people on the side who don't know how to do it, or just don't have the time. That enablez you to gain more practice and experience becauze no matter what, every guitar iz different and unique.

I agree completely. I have some $2500 PRS guitars, and truthfully, I love them. I also have a $300 Alden Les Paul copy that started out as a project guitar, so I could learn how to do simple things like setups, hardware replacement, truss rod adjustments, nut replacement (this $15 part was BY FAR the biggest bang for buck improvement), etc... and after learning how to do all this, the guitar plays, sounds, and feels great, and holds tuning better than it ever used to. Is it as high quality as the PRS', of course not. The fretwork isn't as good, particularly the ends, which is probably my next endeavor, but it was for me to learn on, so if I damaged it, I wasn't out much. Once I got it setup how I like, it stopped being only a project guitar and was added to my rotation. That's pretty much how I learned what you discuss in this video. Learning how to do these things transformed the play-ability of the guitar far more than I expected.

The rule of thumb I was always taught was that you get what you pay for, but over like 1200 you're just paying for brand name and slight increases in fit and finish or cosmetics rather than a large jump in quality. I've had a lot of guitars around the 400-500 range that were magnificent instruments. I'd be willing to swing a little more though if there was a guitar with cool cosmetic options that I couldn't find at a lower price point.

Ive got a few expensive guitars but my favourite is my $300 epiphone sg, it looks like shit but is the guitar i pick up every time, i love it for how it feels to play. Im stuck in a gear obsession with amps at the moment, need to get myself out of it because im just aimlessly chugging and tweaking dials instead of coming up with new song ideas. Good points in your video and i can definitely relate. 👍🏻

You are spot on here. I bought a limited run custom 24 SE recently and while I can justify it for sub 1k the fact is I know it’s a luxury I could set up a sub 500 guitar to play really close. I justify it for the QC and consistency of PRS guitars from factory (it’s been a dream compared to my SG special tuning wise even with a tremolo..) and well it just looks nice🤷🏼‍♂️ Thanks for sharing your insights dude!

Mr scary! When Dokken was fire! I love ole GL

Yep- Ibanez sent their top luthiers to Indonesia for the Premium series, and since then the fretwork throughout the price points is pretty solid, which gives an excellent starting point. I've been buying RG450s and RGA42s lately- people sell them for very little. I change the bridge, level the frets, and change the pickups to my preference and they sound and play exactly like guitars I've bought in the $2k range- except they end up being about $500-600 all told.

Thanks for telling the truth!, That's what grabs my attention, I just collect used gear and found the same thing you have just described!

Dude!! I completed agree with you! I have made some outstanding purchases and turned them into absolute monsters. I do my own setups. I paid for it once and said “never again “! Thank you for your inspiration.

Great video! You hit the nail on the head and I agree 100%.

I love that this video found me because i was just having a conversation with a friend that is a proud owner ( with good reason ) of two EBMM's and an Aristides, that my 800 to 1k guitars shred just as hard if not harder in some respects.

I ordered a foreign LP copy about 13 years ago. When I received it , I was livid to find that the neck was twisted like a vine. It would have cost me more money to ship it back than I had paid for it. So, I contacted the seller and explained the problem. He agreed to refund some of the money and I agreed. I got online and watched MANY videos of guitar neck staightening., learned how to set-up a guitar, and now that guitar is my go-to guitar........for far less than a Gibson Les Paul (which would probably a lot of work right from the factory). Great video!

Speaking of Floyd’s, I removed mine and replaced the bridge with a pretty cheap Amazon hard tail bridge. I enjoy playing it now more than ever.

Honestly, I've sold more pedals than I currently have and I'm happy now, after finally saying that was enough. My pedals aren't expensive, the most expensive one was £80, and I still enjoy it. They sound good, they work, I save money and, honestly, the audience doesn't really care about expensive gear. Sure, it's fun to chat about gear with other musicians, but 95% of the people going to gigs don't care. The workmanship and quality of "cheap" gear these days is basically on par with what used to be considered top of the range. I enjoyed the video, man. My first time here and I think I'll stick around

Perhaps a tough pill to swallow for some, but I think you're 100% right. I've got 11 guitars that I've been using for awhile, and mostly just for the sake of space, I always sell or trade an instrument I have before getting a new one. And it pretty much is like you say in the video. The new gear I often get isn't usually that much better from what I had. The only big difference I noticed is that I had gotten a fanned fret 7 string and it definitely feels different than one without fanned frets, but that's mostly it. I'm going to look at your video on how to set up guitars too, because it's really time I learned how to do it properly. Thanks for the video!

This is so true! You can even get a Harley Benton for $500 with stainless steel frets. Then spend $200 changing the nut, tuners, checking the soldering and pots, have it set up professionally. It will play like a $3000 guitar, the only difference is in the finish/details, which has 0 impact on the sound and playability.

Of my 5 guitars, two are Schecters. I have a C-1 FR and V-1 FR I got used for ~$500 each IIRC a few years ago, they're just amazing. Once you learn how to do your own setup (especially on a Floyd), you're set. Each of my guitars has a specific purpose and/or tuning, I'm about to get a third Schecter for the fleet.

Your testimony rings true. Regardless of origin or price there is a perfect guitar for every individual. Sometimes the quest is lengthy.

I've had numerous guitars and mostly agree with you. Currently, I play a Les Paul Tribute I got used for just under $1000. I love it and am very happy with it. I could have paid a lot more for a Standard or Deluxe or Custom but they won't make me a better player so I'll use the money I saved for something else.

I have nothing to add. Awesome! man. Thank you for putting it so well. I have been learning for a couple years now and I have been seeing these truths since the beginning as I learn to build and mod as well as setup and play.

Completely agree .I'm 60 , played for 54 years , still own 45+ guitars .A few months back I picked up a 2015 Schecter Blackjack SLS FR-S . Same color as your Hellraiser . I also have a 2012 Blackjack ATX FR .Absolutely love them . If I ever sold all my guitars ,they would be 2 I would always hang on to . Sound great ,play great ,and both have Floyd's ,and both stay in tune perfectly .

I used to own a schecter. When I bought it..I was like never heard of it... but it was cheap so I got it. It sounded fkin great with crate amp. Fret board.....weight.... man..... Great guitar.... badass tone

You're absolutely correct. Most of my guitars are under $500, except for the Jackson Randy Rhoads, which I paid $1100 for over 30 years ago. But I mostly play my Japanese dinky strat, which was about $350, and my Chinese Monarkh, which was like $150. Both are great guitars. And Jackson is my go to because I love the compound radius necks.

I 1000% agree with you brother it’s the truth and a crazy business!

Great video. I've finally started to figure this out, too. I would just add that IMO it's often good to upgrade certain components (especially pickups, nuts, and tuners) on cheaper guitars. But once you do, those guitars are often just as great as their expensive counterparts. And to me, they're sometimes genuinely preferable, since I don't feel nervous holding them or hesitant to dig in when playing. I sold my Fender Strat and kept my Squier, which I liked much better, for example.

You got my sub, bud! I feel the hurt in this video tbh...thanks for the honesty!

I got a Schecter demon 7 a good few years ago as my first (and only) 7 string but the sound of the guitar is massive! Even with the Duncan designed blackouts. Ive picked it up instead of my higher end guitars as of late just because it sounds and feels so nice.

speak the truth brother! I found out the same way always searching for the next big thing and realized I had the best right in front of me that cost a fraction what I was looking for. Live and learn as they say 🤘🏻🤘🏻

Totally agree. I'm 49. Been playing guitar since I was 12. I own exactly 3 electric guitars the most expensive of which was less than 500 bucks. They're all great. I played a friend's super expensive Les Paul once and I honestly thought it was crap. It completely turned me off Les Paul's. Haven't been impressed by them since.

My main "gear bug" is mainly for utility's sake now. Trying to scale down my rig size while at the same time not sacrificing sound quality.

I'm a used market guy and I don't think I've spent more that about $800 for a guitar. You are 1000% right. I'll never be able to outplay the guitars I had. And I spend more time watching reviews than playing. I'm glad you said that, but I hate having to admit it!! That being said I confess I just picked up a new guitar. Guilty!

That is a stunning guitar just beautiful! Great comments!👍😉

I've been playing guitar for 50 years...I am a retired professional musician...And I've owned every make and model you could imagine...And I agree with you 100%...I remember this one time I had the money to buy a Gibson Les Paul (American made) I ended up going with an Epiphone Les Paul because it played way better...This is one of many stories of the same situation I've encountered over the years.

You’re 100% correct ..its not sad!! it’s all about what’s in your fingers.

100% agree. The quality of playability and the overall feel are what makes a guitar great. In the majority of cases, achieving great playability relies on the guitar setup. In my personal experience, investing up to approximately $1500 can result in an instrument of amazing quality, where big attention is given to each and every tiny detail - fretwork, materials, hardware, etc. Anything that goes beyond that threshold often stems from a desire to attain a subjective "boutique" level instrument. I currently own a Mexican Fender Nashville Telecaster with piezos valued at around $1000, and a PRS Core Custom 24 worth $5000 which I got recently. The PRS has always been my lifelong dream, and it delivers incredible sound and playability, however, after some setup work in the past my Mexican Telecaster also provides a fantastic playing experience, and I objectively can't say it's "worse" than PRS, despite the price difference. So yeah, totally backing up your point, setup work is the key to achieving great playability of a guitar, regardless of the price, UNLESS the guitar has some real mechanical issues.

Totally true and thanks for sharing!

I feel you man. I sold a lot of my gear...I mean ALOT. I now only own a ec1000, Squier classic vibe, modded schecter lady luck, modded starcaster, and my first guitar (all with good setups). I consolidated to just these as each of them have a purpose and essentially covers the whole genre spectrum for me. Anything more is unnecessary at this point. Sold all my amps aside from my katana mk2 and switched primarily to digital Amps. Now when I gig I take a laptop and hook it to the FOH and run amphub. I started to realize that a good setup is all it takes to have a nice playing guitar, switch the pickups to your style of play, and run the amp/Amp Sims that fit your style of play. Anything more is overkill

i do the same thing with the sponge under the nut. Great video I realized the same. Keep it up!

When I first started playing guitar, I was 16 and it was 2005. I had a starter pack squier strat, but I didn’t know any better. I really had no idea what kind of gear was out there. I was so happy to play my guitar everyday, i’d play all day long. Learning new songs from tabs, then finding the song on limewire to hear it for the first time. I got pretty good, I could play all the green day and blink 182 songs, then started learning some metallica and avenged sevenfold… after a couple years of playing, and learning all these songs, I’d meet other guitar players. One of the first things they’d ask me was what kind of guitar I played, which always confused me, because for me the guitar itself wasn’t the important part, it was playing the music. They’d always turn their nose up at me when I told em I played a squier strat, as though I wasn’t a real guitar player if that’s what I played. But when we’d jam, and they pulled out some les paul their dad bought em, they couldn’t play through a single song, couldn’t hold rhythm to save their life, but they could always play faster than me, doing some lick they learned. It was always interesting to me. I learned a lot from those experiences.

I've been playing for about 20ish years. I'm 32 now, and grew up working in my family's guitar shop. I've had some $200 beaters and I've also been lucky enough to own a number of custom shop guitars as well, such as Kiesels, Jackson, Fender, etc. I currently do have some pretty expensive ones in my collection, but you are 100% correct. If you know how to set a guitar up, it doesn't really matter. I'm always worried about damaging the expensive ones, so I never enjoy them as much. I have an old 1991 Jackson MIJ dinky reverse that I got for $200 when i was 21, I spent about a month just cleaning the components and reassembling it. To this day, I enjoy it as much as the Kiesels and other high dollar guitars I have. I've never thought about offloading it for the reason you mention. However, I have let go of countless high dollar guitars over the years and never really looked back. Most +/-$1000 guitars now have all the components you'd want, and the construction is just getting better and better on them. Its nice enjoy the high end stuff, but really if I could only have one guitar, I'd just drop around $800 on a used MIJ Ibanez, MIK Schecter, or MIM Charvel. The premium people pay for custom shop and exotic brands really does yield a marginally, if at all better, product.

My best is a beat up 30 yr old Japanese Jackson with one pu, and just a volume knob, it just plays well, stays in tune, it's all I need

Absolutely love my esp Ltd h1001 deluxe. Bought for 750 probably about 15 years ago and it’s in great shape and love it. I wish my younger self wasn’t stupid and didn’t chuck the Seymour Duncan’s for EMGs because gotta be more metal. Considering even switching back now. But yeah around that price point you can clearly get some quality stuff that sounds and plays good as well as lasts for years and years. I’ve always been a cheap asshole so luckily didn’t get the gear bug too bad. Most of the stuff I’ve purchased has been used and saved a great deal and never went overboard. I just wish I knew how much a quality amp made a difference when I was super young. I was using that esp on a 15 watt crate practice amp that sounded like garbage. (Meanwhile I thought the emgs were going to make it sound better😂).

This absolutely spot on. I’ve been playing guitar for 25 years and everything this man says is true 🙌🏻

Dang it after watching this I want a hell raiser and I have 6 guitars downstairs!! Lol jk but yah I have had the gear bug for years like you said if I actually played my guitars as much as I watched gear demos I would be great. That new Dave mustain V has me itching!! It’s all an illusion

I agree. Setup is everything. I got a 2010 ESP LTD Gus G Signature Eclipse. I saved it before my buddy pawned it about 8 years ago. I paid about 250 for it. I see they are selling for 1000 to 1300 new. They arent rare but they sound so good people dont like selling them. And if it isn't setup correctly it sounds horrible.

Totally agree! I think once you get into the $1000USD range, the rest above that price point are just special fancy figured tops and other extras that don’t affect playability as much. You can dress the frets and do some minor upgrades to make a mid-ranged guitar feel like a million bucks.

After 20+ years of gear chasing and having a very similar story as you I’ve settled on a 08 Gibson les Paul jr I got for $800 off Craigslist. Made me believe the instrument chooses the player, not the other way around

Maybe that's your guitar, the kind of guitar that is for you. In my case, I've played Gibson's, American Fenders, a Xotic, a Parker once and a strandberg (just mentioning the expensive ones) and the best for me is my Charvel DK24 (made in Mexico) casually in the same price range than your Schecter. Love almost everything about that guitar! The more expensive doesn't mean the best for you. Pd: I own a Schecter too! An 8 string one (maybe the cheapest 8 string guitar out there) and it's a very nice guitar, very comfortable, good looking, maybe just changing the pickups and that's it! A very good guitar at $399

I agree 💯! I tell my students the exact same thing. I feel the same way about the market for classical guitars as well. Once a guitar is set up correctly, it is the player. Guitars are made so well now, most players will never need to spend more than $1,000 for a guitar which will last a lifetime. Great video!

The power of a great fret level and crown can never be understated. I have a $400 LTD that, after a thorough setup, plays just as good as my USA Jackson.

tnx a lot for this testimony!!

Nice video, this is getting viral bro because you just hit on something factual BIG that's going on for decades and no one is noticing. You exposed it.......If only guitar players will realize this, there will be no need for NAMM every year to bust your bank and savings. haha.😂 All we need is just 2 or 3 guitars that have a great set-up and pick-ups and that's it. It will last for a lifetime.🤭We just need more practice and not collect guitars as rack decor.

You're absolutely sir! Pricing is all about brand and market value

The fact that you opened up with Mr. Scary earns a like from me!

Glad i stumbled upon this. I am brand new to guitar. im 48 and about 40 days into playing the guitar. I've played other stuff, drums and saxophone, and now im learning the guitar. im having fun with the process, it's both frustrating and fun at the same time. I have a cheap ibanez sg120 that im learning on. I want to buy a 300-500 guitar and set it up and learn on that for the next few years. just one guitar i can get extremely comfortable with and learn inside and out.

Truth! I've played expensive guitars, and I've played cheap ones - usually all you get with the extra money is a fancy look and a name(and back problems early on if you're playing a Les Paul). I'm currently swinging a shadow green Ibanez S520EX that I got for $400 back in the day. It came with a set of DiMarzio Evolution pickups that looked like a 2-yr old soldered together - I later re-did those solder joints and replaced the stock pots with a pair of 500k push-pulls to switch the pickups between series and parallel. I set the string height and neck on my own with the help of a few videos, and this thing plays like a dream!

Great video, great points! I' ve been using a schecter hellraiser c1 fr for 10-11 years now. Its the only guitar i have. Picked it up in 2012 i think for 900 euros. For the last two years ive been interested in buying an esp eii horizon but the price is 2600 in thomann, almost triple the price of the schecter. Is the esp three times better?? It just cant be...thanks for the video!

This is great advice, especially since I live out in the middle of nowhere. I bought a new guitar recently, a Les Paul, had it shipped to me but forgot to have it set up before being shipped. Now, lately l’ve been thinking about learning to do the set up myself. Repacking the guitar and paying the shipping costs and worrying if my guitar will get damaged is not worth it. It’s better to learn than to get burned.

Preach the truth brother. There's a point of diminishing returns and I find it it's usually around $1000-1500 after that the guitars don't get that much better and most of the increase in money is in superficial fluff you don't need like binding, etc. nothing that makes it sound or play better

This is true for acoustic guitars as well. I’ve been told all my life to get an all solid wood, hide glued, blah blah blah… But my favorite guitar is my hundred dollar laminate piece of junk. It sounds good and projects well. It’s not a name brand, but it plays and sounds like one with a set up and a bone nut and saddle.

Preach, brother. I have a 1st run Synyster Gates Schecter that still stands as one of the best guitars I’ve had regardless of price.

As a bass player for many years, I think we in general have it easier than guitarists as there just isn't the same amount of choices for bass. That being said, we have the same desires for the latest thing. I've found what keeps me from giving in to gear urges is the way I focus in on just one artist at a time and mirror what they use to get the same sound. I grew up a fan of Geddy Lee, I finally bought a Fender Jazz bass and a preamp and once I had that sound, I was satisfied for a while. I didn't "need" anything else. I moved on to another artist, bought the same bass they use, and some pedals they use. So far this is all I've used for a few years now. This sound and equipment I have now is my favorite setup. I can't imagine changing it ever again. Also by getting the same expensive equipment they used was also inspiration to reach the same level of proficiency to get the same sound. The hardware was no longer an excuse to not sound or play to the same level. So the purchases really did help my playing by just having the right equipment. But that's a mentality thing, we all have different drives pushing our art. I think focusing on one artist's sound and equipment helped me attain that desirable sound for myself and limit my gear purchases. Maybe it will help you ;-) ??

Spot on, Tim. And nice guitar.

I had one of these and it played incredibly. Beside the nut needing to be reset and a setup, the quality is pretty extraordinary for the price.

I wouldn't say it's just the setup. Different guitars have different specs of course. Scale length, fret size, neck shape, neck construction, fretboard radius, wood, hardware and so on. Also: The most important thing is the player. The best guitar won't help when you don't put in the work.

So glad a saw this Video....I've been upgrading gear like a crack habit....spending more time burying, selling and hoarding for 3 months....for what....haven't spent an hour since then working on my craft....my passion....PLAYING GUITAR..... creativity....What a concept.....Im closing my Bedroom pawn shop...LOL....grabbing a pic ....one of my guitars and do something crazy.....PLAY GUITAR.....Its like being race car driver and never getting on the track......I HAVE seen the Light

AMEN my man, I've been caught up in this loop, this video is what i needed, I now have a Fender AM Pro II that i need to get rid off

Everything you said it true. Luckily I found out early on thru comparing my epiphones to high dollar gibsons. Ever since I’ve always done research and bought mid range gear. (Except for my amp/cab rig for live use) Good video man

Ah, Mr. Scary. One of my favorite guitar tracks of all time.