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  • Guitar

  • A question for the ages: Which "cheap" guitar?

I mention this in my introductory post, but I've been playing guitar for quite a long time, but went through this period where I played nearly nothing. In January this year I bought a Squier Bullet-Strat at a local Cash Crusaders and have been pretty happy about the purchase because it reignited my love for playing, except as time has gone by now I'm noticing things about the guitar that are definitely a testament to the low price tag of R1100. (Granted, I bought it second hand, but I figured it would be a better quality product compared to other strat copies, seeing as it is a Fender product... albeit cheaply produced.)

Anywho, I'm looking to upgrade, so I'm posing the question:

Between a higher-up Squier, Yamaha, Ibanez or Cort (and a budget of about R3500-R4000), which would be the better option? I like my single coil pickups, but I would like a guitar that has a humbucker on the bridge position. My style of playing is generally a blues-rock type mashup.

The MAIN problem I have with the bullet strat is that it doesn't stay in tune. I have my pickups set pretty low so as not to pull on the strings, I set my intonation correctly when I put new strings on, but the G string is always out around the third fret, but in around the seventh and higher. This is super annoying.

Anyway, I welcome suggestions! And if it's advisable to just save up for an even more expensive guitar then so be it, although I'd like to get a new guitar with next month's paycheck! ?
    Shit, thanks a lot! That's a very helpful post. I've luckily got the amp out of the way (75 watt Peavey Vyper - arguably overkill for my current situation, but I consider it an investment in the future.)

    Ideally I'd love a MIM Fender, but finding them here is not so easy. Second-hand seems to be my only option. So far, though, the Pacifica seems like a really good option. My plan is to turn the bullet strat into a serious partscaster with some Dimarzio Area pickups, new machine heads, new bridge - everything.

    Thanks for the citation to the other post, again!
      A PRS SE might also be worth looking for, as mentioned in the guide. You should be able to find a secondhand one for R4000 and it will have little issues with tuning stability and manufacturing quality.
        RickyWicky wrote: My plan is to turn the bullet strat into a serious partscaster with some Dimarzio Area pickups, new machine heads, new bridge - everything.
        This is a good plan if you want to learn more about the way Strats are built and if you want to wind up with a lot of parts lying around. It is a bad plan if you want to get a very nice guitar on a budget - you will be cheaper off buying a good guitar second hand straight away, it will be faster and less work. Cannot polish a turd.

        Check for instance several videos comparing high-end to low-end guitars (Fender, Gibson) = and here
          For R3500-4000 you can get a really nice guitar. You have a number of options:
          1. Get the guitar to a guitar technician and have it properly setup, then keep it as a backup guitar. Not very expensive. Whereabout are you? If you're in Cape Town pm so and I'll give you the details.
          2. Buy new at sale prices. SoundSelect have a Rocktober sale on now. Frontline Music also have good prices. Buy a gig bag to maximise the funds for the guitar.
          3. Buy on the used market. Nice deals around if you know what you're looking for. Problem is you may end up buying and selling until you get what you want.
          4. Buy a custom guitar with either SSH config with a coil tapped bridge or HSH with coil tapped. Once again if you're in Cape Town I know the guy you need to speak to.

          Happy hunting! Personnally I buy new or custom now.
            I'm in Pretoria. The used market has some good options available quite often. And as one would expect, a lot of people are selling their Squiers and Gios. Very seldom you'd see a MIM Fender, which I'd really like. There is also a Paul Bothner store pretty close to me, so if I need to I can take my guitar(s) to them for a proper setup.
              Ok. I suppose I was lucky. Bought a brand new MIM Fender Strat for R5300 (special discount). Currently my favourite guitar. I'd say be patient. The deals come when you least expect it.
                There's an MIM strat with upgraded parts for R4700 on the SA music store group on facebook.
                  Hey dude, i recently bought a bullet for my girlfriend as she is learning to play. What a great little guitar. The true "strat" tone that i got out of those ceramics are truly amazing. id say dont sell the bullet keep it as a second guitar because its quite a fantastic guitar at that price tag. what i wil suggest is doing what i did, going to your local music store and getting replacement tuners. the mighty mite "vintage" range are pretty rad and they will only put you back around 500. Then for your new guitar with an HSS layout... Id say the standard squier is fantastic!!!!

                  http://www.fender.com/squier/guitars/stratocaster/squier-standard-stratocaster-hss-rosewood-fingerboard-black-metallic/

                  and then another option although not a very traditional choice, also a truly fantastic guitar.

                  http://www.yamahalive.co.za/content/pacifica112vcx

                  Good luck mate and tell us what you got.

                  :goodtimes:

                    RickyWicky wrote: I figured it would be a better quality product compared to other strat copies, seeing as it is a Fender product... albeit cheaply produced.)
                    People seem to occasionally get lucky with Squiers, but I've never played one that wasn't rubbish. They sell because of the reasons you've stated above. I'd ditch it and get something decent rather than trying to use a shoddy guitar as a platform for upgrades.

                    Buy second hand - that's the first thing. You pay a huge premium buying new which is not rewarded for longer than it takes to pull the plastic off the pickguard.

                    If it's a pure Strat you want, get a Mexican Fender (easy to find, decent guitars) or, if you're lucky, get a Japanese Fender or a Japanese made Tokai (Tokai used to make Fenders for Fender Japan, so the quality is identical).

                    Otherwise it's hard to go wrong with a Yamaha Pacifica. The lowest priced Pacifica should sell for less second hand than your bullet-Squier but be a vastly superior instrument. But Pacificas keep going up to the level of USA Fenders, quality and spec-wise. Unfortunately, most owners of high-end Pacificas don't know what they have and tend to advertise them simply as a "Yamaha Pacifica," (which can net you some insane deals. My buddy's 700 series Pacifica cost about the same a Squier).

                    Edit: And (haha) I bought my made-in-Japan, 900 series Pacifica new because it was going for about the same as a Mexican Fender at the time. Best deal ever.
                      Thanks for the tips guys.

                      What about the Ibanez SA160QM? Found a guy very, very close to me selling it for an absolute steal. I'm gonna go take a look at it on Wednesday. But does anybody have any experience with this guitar? Is it any good? It seems to be a discontinued model as I can only find it second hand (gumtree, ebay etc.) and retailers list it as a non-existent product. I can easily find the SA260QM, though, which appears to be a very similar guitar, and at a price of R3500, it's well within my budget for a new instrument. But this Ibanez SA160QM is being sold for like R2500, while elsewheres someone else is selling the same guitar, different finish, for R5000. So it's a bit difficult to accurately gauge the market price of this instrument and to actually get any good info on it, apart from that it has been around since 2002.

                      But I'll let you guys know on Wednesday if I got it and what my thoughts are, or if I did not get it... and what my thoughts are, lol.

                      Thanks again for all the super-helpfulness from everyone!
                        Are you in Johannesburg?

                        TOMS Rivonia are having their "opening" on Saturday, I'm sure you'll find some killer deals on Ibanez guitars at the opening "Green ticket" sale.
                          I had an Ibanez SA120. Similar range to the SA160. Nice guitars. But I wouldn't pay R2500 for it. Better deals out there.

                          It's difficult if you don't have the funds but believe me you'll never stop until that craving is satisfied. In my case I played with a Samick Strat copy for 10 years. Coupled with a good amp it sounded great. After selling it I was never satisfied until I bought a Fender MIM strat recently. With an EQ pedal I can beef it up a bit when I want a slightly fatter sound.

                          I recommended keeping the Bullet but maybe think of selling it; add the cash to your budget and get a nice MIM Strat. If you can get a one with a humbucker in the bridge. Yes it will stretch your budget but believe me you'll save yourself a lot of grief.
                            I decided at 50+ I was going to learn guitar. Bought a Squier guitar in a "kit" with a small amp. The very best thing that happened to me was it got stolen and I started researching slowly what to buy with the insurance money. Still only know a few chords, but I'm still in the game! That Squier guitar would have killed the game.

                            Edit:
                            Didn't like my first guitar.
                            Have no idea if it was the Squier-ish-ness of it or not.
                              Wizard wrote: Bought a Squier in a "kit" with a small amp. The very best thing that happened to me was it got stolen
                              :roflmao: :roflmao:

                              Good one. The perp hasn't offered to sell it back to you yet? ?
                                Stoffeltoo wrote:
                                Wizard wrote: Bought a Squier in a "kit" with a small amp. The very best thing that happened to me was it got stolen
                                :roflmao: :roflmao:

                                Good one. The perp hasn't offered to sell it back to you yet? ?
                                I had a squier bullet strat with a peavy rage 158 amp... The guitar wasn't too bad... would have been a lot better with some upgrades... I gave it away when I got an Ibanez SAS36.
                                  Stoffeltoo wrote:
                                  Wizard wrote: Bought a Squier in a "kit" with a small amp. The very best thing that happened to me was it got stolen
                                  :roflmao: :roflmao:

                                  Good one. The perp hasn't offered to sell it back to you yet? ?
                                  Them's fightin' words! ? I have a Squier SE strat (the one from the kit) and its my number 1.... It's an incredibly comfortable guitar.
                                    Chocks I also have one. Too many Forumites with better taste ?. I still love mine though, plays lekker and I am not sorry for gigging it.
                                    Rocker Gramps did a nice setup and she's OK
                                      I think when you can play an instrument well, you can play cheap instruments well too. But entry level instruments can kill the passion of entry level people