would you get a lee guitar or other more famous brands?

[burping_boy]

in a deep dilemma now, i was deeply attracted by the mayday signature lee guitar currently for sale in guitar 77. i guess it wouldn't harm much since they themselves posted the prices in the thread here: http://soft.com.sg/forum/guitar-77-...-limited-edition-lee-guitar-3-pieces-aug.html

"The Lee Guitars Mayday Signature Model is here! Spruce top, Mahagony back and sides, L R Baggs Element Active pickup system going for $2,000.00. The Limited Edition with the band member's autographs, Spruce top, Indian Rosewood back and sides model with abalone binding, L R Baggs Epickup system going for $3800.00. Come and check them out!"

The worse part is that i'm deeply poisoned by the rosewood back one at $3,800 and not the cheaper Mahogany ones. WHY?

on the shallow reason, the rosewood one was serial no. 50 (meaning it's the first few batch), abalone binding, cutway, and had mayday's signature autographs INSIDE the sound box. the mahogany ones were serial no. 295 and 304 (saw it from a tw blogger who owned the guitar that subsequent batches were subcontracted to EASTMAN, but that doesn't mean that it's not as good), wood binding, full body, and no autographs. for the collectors' value and aesthetics, the former wins. workmanship i can't really differentiate as yet.

sonically, the rosewood guitar had an obvious significant edge over the mahogany ones in the bass and treble tone and sustain. the mahogany ones just lost it's bass right after the strum. maybe it's too new, needs time to season.

am i buying it for the lee guitar name, or for mayday, for li zong sheng or for a good guitar? i can't differentiate really. currently have a takamine solid top (i think), which i'm enjoying it. a full solid guitar (they are full solid guitars right?) would naturally be the next upgrade on my list. but with the price, i could probably get the cheaper full solids from big brands like gibson, taylor or martin, or other good full solids from smaller brands like ayers, alvarez and etc.

but it's like serial no. 50 is such a nice no., and perhaps once it's gone it's gone.
yet again, will i be spending time playing it or i'll end up not playing in fear of damaging it or etc? (i'll play it gently...)

i got frenz who think that i'm crazy spending so much for mayday merchadise. they don't play the guitar and can't appreciate a guitar and can't think like me so i dun see the reason of explaining to them.

so fellow softies who may think more like me and appreciate the value of a guitar, do you all have any inputs?

(to clementyangxi, thanks for your assistance, somehow this is just a self-confirmation bias thing... but i still really inclined to getting it, really...)

 

[Phil]

If you have doubts, then don't buy it.

Personally, I'd never pay a cent extra for signatures and custom models.

My primary concerns with a guitar is how it sounds, how it plays and the workmanship. In respective order of importance.

It depends on whether you are looking to acquire the guitar from a player or collector's point of view.

If you are a collector, then go for the signatures and all that fancy extra details.

If you are a player, and will be buying the guitar to play it, then you might want to reconsider your priorities.

You ought to go try out all the different full solid, spruce and rosewood models from all the different brands. And if that Lee guitar still sounds the best to you, then it's the one for you.

But frankly, I'd die before I pay 3.8k for a Lee Guitar. If only you exhausted and explored all your options, you'd probably reach a similar conclusion.

Don't be blinded by the brand alone.

 

[junhao405]

I can tell you i damm freaking like mayday, lee zong sheng but not lee guitar.. I tried the 3800 and i tell u is not worth buying it.. perhaps the $2000 is more worth, but i didn't try..

 

[Whitestrat]

I'd take a Wu Bai signature Les Paul or ES335 over that any day...:mrgreen:

 

[junhao405]

I'd take a Wu Bai signature Les Paul or ES335 over that any day...:mrgreen:

Wu bai use lp? LOL.

 

[van_halen]

wu bai mockingbird!

 

[rock-fied]

Seeing your love for this guitar, i say go for it if this 3.8k wont set your finances back or if there are no foreseeable circumstances in which you would need the 3.8k...of if you have an abundant amount of money left for rainy days..

I wouldnt want to burst the bank or my pocket just for the guitar.. but go for it if you can well afford it!

 

[burping_boy]

I can tell you i damm freaking like mayday, lee zong sheng but not lee guitar.. I tried the 3800 and i tell u is not worth buying it.. perhaps the $2000 is more worth, but i didn't try..

i tried both, and the $3800 one wins hands down in terms of sound quality, sustain, treble and bass extension. but that's just my opinion.

to phil: i agree with you that a guitar is for playing, and what matters is the sound and playability and workmanship. I can't discredit the guitar for it's sound, playability and workmanship, i dun own a gibson or a taylor neither have i played them b4 to give an honest comment on which is better. i can't even compare it to my takamine because my takamine was tuned to DGCFAd which makes it sound lower. but i can say that while trying the guitar, it didn't sound bad, and i loved the brightness and sustain of the A on fret 4 of the first string.

the price of it includes a substantial premium for it's collector's value. however i must admit that it was the collector's value of this guitar that first caught my eye. if not for that, i would have just stayed with my current takamine. thanks nevertheless for your input, which really made me reconsider my priorities.

to rock-fied: i've just started working for 4months, and this spending is going to take up like 60% to 80% of my bank balance depending on when my next pay comes in. but i'm not surviving on just my bank balance, it will not cost me my lunch or transport or daily necessities.

i'll be visiting the shop again tomorrow. like i said i thought that this would be like a self-confirmation bias thread, but i'm glad that there were comments from both sides! as a collector fan boy (i collect quite a no. of celebrity or concert merchandises like jay chou figurines and etc), and also as a guitarist, i must admit that i'm still inclined to getting it.

will keep you all posted with my final decision!

thanks to all of you!

(to van_halen, i was once in love with the mockingbird because of cheer chen. did wu bai have a mockingbird?)

 

[Whitestrat]

Wu bai use lp? LOL.

you don't know?

 

[LadyInTears]

the last time wubai came to sg and i watched his show i swear he wasnt playing on some songs. just guitar syncing haha

 

[van_halen]

(to van_halen, i was once in love with the mockingbird because of cheer chen. did wu bai have a mockingbird?)

i saw him with a red mockingbird on a MTV.. cool guitar

 

[lppier]

My take is : If you try it and you fell in love with it, get it.
Else don't. If you love it who cares whether is full solid or recognised brand or whatever.

 

[burping_boy]

i fell in love, and i got it, and i'm happy! poor, but happy!
the workmanship of my no. 50 is superb, mother-of-pearl binding around the top is blinding, sustain is great, pick-up is sensitive, rosewood back is gorgeous, the carved out logo in the headstock is intricate, the autographs in the sound box is unique, the sturdiness of the case, too much to describe! My guitar is no. 50 of limited 50 Recording Series Guitars! whereas 295 and 304 are the no. 295 and 305 of limited 450 Artist Series Guitars. may not mean much to some, but it makes me feel happy.

complains: i couldn't register my product, it says that the serial no. is wrong or has been registered, and finding they had no links or watsoever to any email address that can help on their website. managed to find one service@leeguitars.com from the small booklet that came with the guitar, and awaiting for their assistance.

also, i still find that their website guitar specifications are too general. for the same model, they can describe it as : spruce/cedar top; rosewood/maple/mahogony sides and back; rosewood/cocobolo/koa binding and etc. I mean which material is mine exactly? they didn't even differentiate the specs between the recording and artist series, if there's any difference. I dun even know what brand and model of the undersaddle pickup that was installed.

but so far complaints are just restricted to it's less-than-friendly and outdated website (last new event was dated november 2008) with over-general specs. no complaints on the guitar itself.

can already feel the difference in tone and sustain between my takamine solid top and the lee guitar full solid. plugged-in, the overtones on the lee guitar sounds like chords from a wind instrument which i have never heard of from my takamine. also my takamine had this subtle wah-wah-wah effect which did not sound as natural, but that's prolly due to the pickup and not the guitar itself. considering investing a tone rite too see what improvements it can bring to both of them. still in love with both of them, (dun worry takamine, i still love you...)

now i need another guitar stand...