Upgrading my guitar...need some help

[jaymz]

hey guys...

i'm intending to upgrade my electric guitar..i've already gone down to bras basah complex & peninsula shopping centre to check out some of the shops..

ok..here's my question..

does a good axe always have to be a fender, gibson, ibanez or some other high end guitar?
'cos i did try out other guitar brands which cost around the $300 region & they gave pretty sweet sounds too..

what do u guys think?

Thx..

 

[gordonzz]

Re: Need some valuable insights..

for me a good axe is about how good u play it, use it.. and do all the tricks u could wif it.. all the player man...

if ur a gear person of cos.. u would wan to have these.. all these are considered branded goods.. but if ur in the view of a musician.. can play can liao la..

 

[xhareshx]

i have got a 300+ craftman les paul copy guitar.. and to me, this sounds nicer n also easier to play then my fren's 1000+ gibson les paul..
paying 1000+ for a guitar of a well-known brand, is like paying for the brand instead of the guitar.. to me atleast.

 

[pooo]

That's exactly how i feel when i play my Aria Les Paul copy every once in a while!

 

[dhalif]

the most important thing.. is that you're comfortable playing it... thats all.. brand doesnt matter

 

[ShredCow]

does a good axe always have to be a fender, gibson, ibanez or some other high end guitar?
'cos i did try out other guitar brands which cost around the $300 region & they gave pretty sweet sounds too..

No, it doesn't necessarily have to be a high end guitar.

However, say you find a 300 dollar guitar that sounds sweet to you. Have you checked the workmanship? Opened up the cavities and checked the wiring and shielding? How about the kind of material used to make the guitar; wood, tuners, bridge so on.

Even if the 300 dollar guitar sounds good, it might not last you long. For sure, good things in this world, don't come cheap. There's a reason why people still buy expensive guitars and its not only for the brand. And I sure wouldn't want to buy a good sounding but cheap guitar, only to realise that it can't stay in tune after 30mins of playing.

So before you go ahead and buy blindly because the guitar sings sweetly, I think you should carefully check the quality of the instrument.

 

[xhareshx]

maybe i luckily tt my guitars dun give me probs.. but can u roughly guide me how to check guitars? as u said the wiring, shieldin n all those stuff...

 

[pooo]

I don't think you'll be able to check the wiring/shielding etc of the guitars. Doubt any shop'll allow you to unscrew the pickguard/control cavity plate to let you examine.

The physical things you can look out for, mainly neck warp, overall condition of the guitar. Possibly listen carefully to the sound when plugged in, whether theres hum or crackles where there shouldn't be any.

 

[ShredCow]

I don't think you'll be able to check the wiring/shielding etc of the guitars. Doubt any shop'll allow you to unscrew the pickguard/control cavity plate to let you examine.

Unfortunately, thats true. Shops wouldn't let you do that so you'll only find out the truth when you buy the guitar. But you can listen to tell tale signs of bad wiring... strum something then listen for crackling when you move the volume or tone controls. Switching pickups shouldn't have too much noise and each position of the pickup selector should give you a distinct, clear tone (e.g. Neck sounds mellow, bridge sounds sharper...).

The physical things you can look out for, mainly neck warp, overall condition of the guitar. Possibly listen carefully to the sound when plugged in, whether theres hum or crackles where there shouldn't be any.

Yeap, a physical check is the best you can do.... pooo has listed out some stuff... here's somemore things to check if you are getting a better quality guitar and remember, you want to upgrade from your current axe so you are comparing to your current axe.
1) Check the finish esp at the neck joints. You'll know poor finsihes when you see them.

2) Frets (esp > 15) should be smooth to allow smooth vibrato but at 300, don't expect too much.

3) Quality of tuners. Cheap tuners do not look anything like them branded Gotoh, Schaller tuners. And they don't hold tuning well. Maybe do a few big bends, then check the tuning. Do it a couple of times. If the tuning runs after a couple of bends/retunes, the tuners are unstable.

4) Check the Bridge. The bridge should look well constructed and smooth, no rough edges where the strings go thru/over. If its a trem, try to use it and check if it can flutter well.

I know that some of the above check are going to be definate fails for a $300 axe, but well, if you really want it... :roll:

On the other hand, why don't you fork out another hundred or so, and get the Yamaha 112 series guitars? I saw some today and at roughly $450 for the Pacifica 112XJ (or something), it's built rather well with a nice matte natural colour (Body is alder) finish to it. Fretboard looks smooth and nicely filed. Trem looks like how a vintage trem should look... and it has a h-s-s config with a 5-way switch, versatile enough!

If you really want to upgrade to good stuff, sometimes, you just got to spend that little more and you'd be rewarded with a good playing axe! 8)

 

[jaymz]

thx for the feedback guys!

will definitely put all these checks to good use

Colin

 

[Jayshen]

I agree with the rest, it doesn't really need to be up there to be a good guit. One way though is to upgrade the parts of the guit. Like the neck, pickup , etc... like tt no need to one shot also spend so much... can customise a bit more.... so ur guit unique one... haha... it will make the guit feel so much more precious to u...