For me 1000 dollars is the point where past that I start to question whether or not I'm getting a whole lot better product

I remember when you could get used Les Pauls for $500.00 to $800.00. I miss those days and I’ve had a bunch of them. The trick was finding a good one.

An 800 dollar mim strat is nearly the same thing as a 1500 dollar us strat..my new 300 dollar Gretsch streamliner 2210 plays as good as my Gibson lp special..but it's made of an "undesirable" wood. I'll keep my money upfront, you keep your future trade in value

Need a video series with the sweet spots of brands!

I agree completely! Been buying and building guitars for over 10 years and Phil is right. When it's good, it's good! Price doesn't always matter.

I just got a new Squier Affinity Tele for 240$ and it’s a really really good guitar. Better than many older Fender Teles that I’ve played in the past. I am just amazed at how good it is compared to guitars 5-10 years ago.

About 30 years ago I'd say 1200-1500 depending on the build quality and brand. But today the best bang for buck seems to hang around 500-800 dollars. Heck, there's $300 guitars out now that sound and feel good enough to gig

I gotta say it again Phil, these podcast clips were a fantastic idea! I still like watching the replays in full sometimes but I can see the care and love that goes into making these shorter clip videos. You put in the extra time to edit visual cues and what not. Please keep making these!

I own guitars from 300 to 3000 and with a proper setup and occasional pickup swap they all play and sound great.

The Jackson pro series, charvel pro mods, are two of my favourite sweet spot guitar lines. So much bang for the buck

Precisely $1,437.26.

Thanks Phil. These clips are extremely valuable. I usually don’t have the time to watch the live stream so these help out a lot. For me the sweet spot is around $900.

I recently bought an Epiphone '59 Les Paul Standard for $799 and I really don't see why anyone would need to pay more for a guitar. This thing is phefuckingnominal!!!

Honestly, I'd rather have the lowest Gibson model over a high end Epiphone. I just bought a Gibson Les Paul Special Tribute P90, in worn white, for $850 out the door and It's fantastic! The frets, nut slots and setup were perfect. Gibson have stepped up their game even on the low end models.

I believe in the law of diminishing returns. I have guitars I bought at varied price points and love them all for different reasons and purposes.

I have a CV 60’s Strat..I think it sounds amazing.. But I did fork out the money for a good tube amp..That’s the other part of the equation. No matter how much you spend on the guitar..The amp will ultimately be the deciding factor..Just my opinion..Love the channel.

I love the clips. It’s great to focus on one subject from throughout the podcast

Thanks, Phil! I enjoy the clips :)

My Schecter Sun Valley Shredder cost less than $700 and kicks ass over my Jackson, Kramers, etc. Why pay more when there's plenty of Schecters under $1000.

There is no set price, but you SHOULD expect a guitar to be up to standard and not have playability issues once you get above the $1000 imo. However, working in a guitar store I can tell you I've played terrible custom Mayones, PRS, Gibsons etc. The only two manufacturers that never really disappoint have been Ibanez and ESP, but I'm sure there are bad examples of those out there too. It's all down to the individual guitar.

For anyone that will listen. I pretty much felt that if you go under $500 you’re not getting anything that good. I got the Epiphone SG for $379. That guitar rocks! It barks primal! I love it! I find myself picking it up more than my thousand dollar Gibson Les Paul studio! I have a Jeff Beck Stratocaster which is awesome but I don’t really compare it because it’s a different sound and feel to the SG. I’m not Phil but I RECOMMEND THE CLASSIC WORN EPIPHONE SG FOR $379. You cannot beat it for that price. I got the inverness green (Who doesn’t like a green guitar, I’m a little like Trogly in that fashion) one but I think I’m gonna pick up the cherry also.

There's a thing, I call it the "great guitar randomizer"- and I understand how it's difficult to talk about in general- but sometimes, a guitar randomly has something special about it- like I have a mid 1990's Korean made Epiphone SG. It's a bolt on, so, not exactly one of the pro series, but whatever happened to go into making it, it's really resonant. As in you can feel every note, even unplugged. It plays well enough, and the pickups were lifeless, but that resonance made it special, such that it was worth changing the pickups and keeping. Here it is nearly 30 years later, and I still play it. Well, that sort of thing can happen at any price point, with any guitar. So, when you're talking about at what price does it get good, or when is it ceilinged out- I think you have to add the caveat about consistency- like, it's possible to have a 100 dollar or 10,000 dollar guitar that's really great, but it's far more likely that the 10k will be great. That means, if I were to guide someone to a pricepoint and a guitar, I'd say "try everything out, but you can expect your favorite to be about a grand"

For me the only questions that really matter are: can I afford it/is it a good price for what I'm getting? And: will it inspire me to be a better player?

It can be any price

I prefer the higher end of the bottom line. So I’d rather pay for a Squier Classic Vibe than the cheapest MIM Fender, a MIM Vintera over the bottom barrel MIA, and a 60s reissue Epiphone over a Gibson Junior. I obviously lean toward the reissued stuff but you get the point.

I totally agree with the "New" Brand buying concept Phillip. It seems that there are GREAT deals to be had when doing this because as you said, the "New" company is producing quality guitars at near cost just to get into the market and get their name brand going!!! Then,eventually, most start creeping up their prices slowly but surely.....If one does their "Homework" and a little bit of research and a good job of looking around, you CAN get AWESOME deals now a days!!!!

I have a cort acoustic guitar that is all solid mahogany (even back and sides), it's built extremely well, and sounds wonderful. All that for just $400. I don't really know what else I would ever want in a guitar.

Wise words - great videos. Thanks

i’d say anything in the $1000 (new ) price bracket has the potential to be a lifetime instrument , but no matter the price you have to find a good one. i’ve kept a heavily upgraded mexi strat over many many us strats because it played almost as good as always sounded better , but i play my musicman stuff the most because no matter what they tend to play better than just about every other guitar i pick up .

Over the last 3 years I bought a £2199 Jackson and a £2099 Les Paul Goldtop, both needed fret leveling to get a great action. This irritates me as I had cheaper import versions of both that didn't need any work.

My cheapo Squier II from the 90s is my favorite guitar that I own. My collection is far from expensive, but I have others that were way more expensive. But I’ve always preferred that one. It’s my go-to.

I recently bought a $1500 American Pro Strat thinking if I liked my $650 Gretsch, I'll like this new Fender better at more than double the price. Turns out I enjoyed playing my $650 Gretsch more. I sold the Fender and bought another Gretsch. Well guess what. The new $550 Gretsch is now my favorite guitar, followed by my $350 Streamliner series Gretsch, and the $650 Gretsch is put away in the closet. It's not about price. It's about what you like, how it sounds in your ears and how it feels in your hands.

I loved what you said about modding guitars, and having an instrument that is unique. I want to get into that, seriously.

Good points here, especially the observation re. resale value. The age-old balance between players and collectors--it's a key distinction.

Interesting and, in a way, encouraging. Thanks.

I own a Hallmark, a Fender, an Epiphone and a high grade Squier. My favorite of the bunch to this day is still the Squier.

I think it depends on your gig. If you play at home and that's all then get whatever you want. Play out on the weekends? It does start to make a difference. Play out more then that I wouldn't hesitate spending around 2500 to 3000. I have an Ernie Ball JP 16 that is always ready. I have a Sterling model for a backup. I can definitely feel and hear the difference.

Phil your clip editing is getting very good.

You have $400 imports out there today that literally Smoke $2,000 American made guitars Welcome to Technology Advancement its everywhere now

This is a great discussion. And I agree completely on the price thing a perfect example is Squier an Affinity can be sketchy but a vintage modified at $400 is usually a sweet guitar.

A lot of the pricing comes down to the name on the headstock. I know as a gigging musician myself and among my other musician friends, we payed the extra money to have that Fender logo on our headstocks instead of a Squier logo so our bands don’t look “cheap”

There is a point where a guitar becomes more of a piece of art and history rather than just an instrument and that’s where the higher end/vintage stuff exists

Sometimes a person can run across a vintage guitar, where pricing at the time the guitar was made, doesn't reflect current value.

i dont think id ever pay more than 2k for a guitar unless i got a killer deal & i planned on flipping it. i have $500 guitars that are as good or better than $1500. ive played $5-10k guitars & they just aren't worth the extra money AT ALL. IMO ;)

A lot of my guitars are used and about $350.00 USD. I always 'mentally' put aside $200 to add into them if they 'need' it. Some took a little more yet others need nothing. My check list is the use of traditional woods and a good fit and finish.

Exactly, about price versus value to the individual. I buy used guitars exclusively. They have so much more mojo than a lot of the newer guitars. Just scored a Yamaha sc300t. Mint condition for 200 bucks. The guitar is sick as hell! The only caveat is it didn't come with the bar. Could anyone tell me what bar would fit into that tremolo system? Thanks in advance.

What would you recommend as the sweet spot for G&L guitars? I want a strat pretty bad, and found these builders by accident? What resembles the tone of a fender stratocaster best?

Great point 3:00 on new companies Firefly comes to mind.

Man Now I want a Danelectro just a tad more

One of my favorites is just a modified Fender Squier - better tuners, better nut, brass block blocked, and better pickups. Even an Epiphone Les Paul LT, Slash AFD, or Special Vintage Edition are nice if you set them up and mod them.

I think that guitars stop really getting better after the $1000 mark. After that you’re paying for an artist model or just being made in America. High end guitars usually just have exotic woods besides that they aren’t any “better”

Good move breaking out the livestream into individual segments - hope it works out and is worth it, I've clicked on a few of them.

I have a custom shop LP I paid 5k for. I also have a $800 Baja tele. I love both of them equally. Shop for deals and find instruments that speak to you.

I just go 800$ Solar and Im really happy with it.

So what's the sweet spot for each brand?

Phil, I love your videos, thanks. My experience is slightly different to you. I've been playing since 1973 and have had many guitars. My two favourites were my Classic Vibe Telecaster and my Vintage JMH V6 reissue with the reverse headstock. When I turned 60 this year I bought myself a USA FSR Fender Stratocaster Performer. What a massive difference it is to my other guitars. I don't think it sounds twice as good as my old favourites, but it is truly the best guitar I've ever played. I will never sell it and it will become an heirloom for my children and grand children. I doubt it will lose much value and I doubt it will increase in value.

re: the point on custom mods. This is the exact same reason people like me in the PC modding community enjoy custom watercooling and case mods. Its fun to work on to create something that is fundamentally YOURS.

The nicest guitar I own is a used Reverend. Got it for $500 in mint condition with an equally mint case.

Great discussion subject

The only high end guitar that I have played or bought that meets the high dollar cost is the PRS McCarty 594 Core. I’ve had one for a few years and I still am blown away by it.

On a Donner guitar the body is thicker than the Squire guitar. Have you done an upgrade on a Donner, it seems that would make it easier to put quarters size pots , better switch & pickups on a Donner, what’s you thoughts on that.

What's the best new or used Explorer or Sharp V available for $390 including shipping? Recently bought a JS Kelly and it's okay but I feel like I can do better and it's taking a long time to settle in(5 days and still have to make adjustments)

Great vid. Just got my second Charvel DK24 HSS 2PT, this time in the white and gold, and it's everything I would need. Around $1,000/1,200 is proper. The neck on these particular guitars got me, add the sound and I didn't quit playing this time. I feel inspired and want to play more. To have fun and be totally satisfied is seemingly more difficult every day or so, lol....so it's nice every once in a while to live a dream. Thanks, holmes!! 🔥🔥🔥💨💨💨🍺🍺🍺🤟🤟🤟💯💯💯

Great way of looking at this. The brands sweet spots.

I have a bit of experience here. I have a 2017 Gibson Faded T LP I got used for $550. They were a low end answer to Gibson ownership, costing $800 new. People sell them used now for retail price, all because GIbson doesn't make them anymore. When the bridge volume started failing above 8, I started to look at replacing the electricals. Got SD P-Rails w/ triple shot, new CTS pots (P/P but regret this now), lowered the strings as far they could go without buzzing, open or fretted. Love it. So easy for hammer-ons, double taps, etc. Getting better at the opening riff to Thunderstruck using only the fretting hand. About a month ago, I bought a Gibson Classic in Smokehouse burst finish. Two thousand dollars. I'm going to leave this as is. It's nearly impossible for me to double tap on this, but it's nearly impossible for me to practice slide work on my Faded T because the strings are so low. I have no intention of selling my Faded T. It's a great guitar, lighter than the Classic, easier to fret and sounds great with the P-Rails, but I love owning a higher end Gibson.

What is that brown semi-hollow hanging behind you next to the green swirl guitar?

Definitely dig the clips more when you add photos and such, but i see how that didn't really apply to this clip

Aha top right corner I think I see the squier and silver sky future video guitars?

Please elaborate on why the Danelectro is your favorite.

About that comment around 4:00 I totally get that. I have an ESP USA custom along with way too many LTD deluxes/black metal series guitars, but the two guitars I spend the most time on are my ESP LTD VB400 and my Ibanez RGIXL7 that I had an evertune installed on. Objectively speaking, my ESP USA is better in every single way but those two guitars are just amazing.

I have more gear than I need and one of my best guitars is a 50’s squire classic vibe I modded. Hummbucker in the bridge and blocked the trem.

Nearly 20 years ago at a decent local guitar shop they sold this brand of guitars copies of Les Pauls etc, I bought an SG copy and a Les Paul, they sounded really good and stuck with me up until 2018 when my ex made me sell them.

I recall asking this question before. I've been looking forward to this discussion. I've asked pro guitar players in comments sections (MusicIsWin, Rick Beato) what they think are the best guitars as it pertains to quality, sound, etc, for each brand. I buy American guitars when I can, since I like the option of good resale value, but I also have noticed the hardware & QA are better. I haven't had the pleasure of playing the new Schecters, which I'm told is really high quality. Should we expect better quality for the entire instrument (MusicMan, Duesenberg, Relish) or the best necks & fretboards (Suhr, PRS). The two big boys (Gibson, Fender) are all over the place. I've seen more defects in Gibsons than American Fenders, but they're still "handmade" & a couple of quirks here & there might be a bit sloppy for the price. Both their custom shop guitar offerings are better, though I'm not fan of relic'ing. It's about the quality/tonality/type of the wood and any grain matching, the precision & quality of the hardware, the attention & QA in the paint/stain/binding, the quality of the pickups and the smoothness & precision of the frets. A MIM Strat is just an American Strat with worse hardware. I bought a Noventa Strat (2 P90's) & it stays in tune (locking Kluson tuners, 9.5 gauge strings) better than my American Fenders & my Gibson ES-339 (all with locking tuners). I've got a $3k Tele Deluxe that needs a truss-rod adjustment every 3-4 of months, but an Epiphone semi-hollow ($500) that's never needed one, they're the same age. What is the best made, most exacting in fabrication, excluding the hardware? What is the best hardware? Who has the best QA? Who's the most innovative? Who's got the best overall value per country? Mexican? Canadian? Chinese? Korean? Malaysian? Japanese? German? Swedish? If a pro musician who isn't beholden to one brand (think Gilmour, Bonamassa, John 5) wants to put down new tracks, what did they do to their own guitars to make them perfect? I guess they have techs to prep their instruments, so it's more about creativity than quality then. Are they also a bit like us mortals & are creatures of habit & familiarity too? If they had a realistic budget, what would they buy if they could spend a measely $2k?

Picked up a like new 2019 epi Les paul prophecy plus custom with e.m.g pickups for 300 bucks recently. It sat unsold on craigslist for several weeks because as soon as people saw the name epiphone they scrolled right past it not realizing it was a very hi quality guitar that cost 800 to 900 bucks new. I was so glad that the seller had "EPIPHONE" posted in big bold letters across the top of his listing!

I have both and like them all. I have a Music Man Cutlass & a PRS CE24 hollowbody both in the $2400 range, but on the other end I got a $400 Harley Benton Pro series Tele that has locking tuners, S/S frets, and superb neck carve that plays and sounds great. I was amazed at the quality and performance of the Harley Benton at 1/6th the money. I bought the Harley Benton as a "project" guitar, but it doesn't need any upgrades at all !

Check out Cort for a guitar (either electric or acoustic) at a medium price range for a high end sound…massive value for money!

I have in my studio a number of brands across all price ranges including a Harley Benton, LTD, Schecter, USA strat, USA tele, Musicman, Kiesel up to a PRS Core and I can honestly say my Korean Schecter Solo ii custom is the best playing guitar I own, followed by my 500 dollar Jazzmaster Blacktop made in Mexico. Not to say the other guitars are not good, they are all great but these two stand out and are certainly on the lower price range.

you're right about the new brands being the best deal bit... my example is an early made Japanese acoustic guitar from the company called soundhouse. I believe the model zenn 100 ce something or other. this model is presently listed as spruce veneer for about 600 bucks. But i have one of the first guitars made for that brand, its solid everything, rosewood, spruce, beautiful inlay work. I picked it up used for 250.

What seems to be the sweet spot right now on Jackson basses?

I have a ‘94 japanese squier strat...I bought it for $300 from music-go-round...it’s one of the nicest playing and sounding guitars I own !!!!!

This was a good video

I just rewatched this podcast 2 hours ago haha

I'm on my fifth modded guitar. Refinish, body shaping, American electronics, fun pickup combos, custom colors. I'm spending as much money as a mid range guitar. The end result hasn't been perfect by any means, but it's my vision not just in aesthetics but audibly as well. Harley Benton's have great bones btw.

I had a Gibson Les Paul Studio and got an Epiphone Les Paul. Sold the Gibson a couple of months later. I just liked the Epi better.

I would be interested in what the cheapest guitar is with all premium/upgraded parts? Obviously it wouldn't be a big name brand but would be interesting to see a comparison.

The right one is one that has what you want and you won’t need to change anything.

Hey Phil I am a beginner guitar player and I have a a 2008 Indonesia squire affinity fender that was given to me. I would like to know if the guitar center and Emeryville California is a good place to take the guitar to be tuned and set up cuz I have no knowledge and I'm a senior citizen. I have watched just about all your videos probably over the years over the years because I enjoy your information and if you can give me a a good music store to go to because I have no inkling what to ask a tech. And what kind of question should I be asking the check because the last time I went in there I didn't get a good feeling of employees. They were about 20 years old

What’s about the same question but for amps?

Bought an Epiphone DR-100 wine red for 99 dollars. Had to file down the 14th fret just a bit. Plays and sounds amazing. Sound, feel, and inspiration drives the overall quality regardless of price. I enjoy my high end guitars as well, but let me tell you certain songs call me back to my DR-100.

I stuck with my $200 2011 squire affinity tele for years. Recently got my 2nd guitar, a $450 AIO Wolf and it blew me away how much better of a guitar it is. I shouldn't have stuck with the squire for so long. The playability, sustain, feel and quality of the parts is soooooooo much better.

Totally agree with the video. Every brand has their sweet spot. Generally speaking, over $1200 is where I tap out in terms of price to quality. There is a noticeable difference between most $1000 guitars and most $300 guitars in build quality, appointments (pickups, locking tuners, etc.), and so on. Not to say you can't find a $500 gem (or a thousand-dollar lemon), but if you spend a grand on a guitar you'll generally get a better-made guitar. Above $1200, you're really just paying for luxury features.

Philip I've just made a big score on a 1996 Gibson All American 2 from guitar center,$700 with the original case,it was modified,TV Jones pickups, and the tone... Troy from Alantic City

I absolutely agree with Phil on this. I’ve got inexpensive guitars that I love & expensive guitars that I love. My main 2 right now are a Baja Tele I paid $600 used for & an American Originals Jazzmaster with custom pickups & Mastery hardware that I’m in about $2.5k for. Both sound great & are exactly what I want them to be. Also have a Danelectro that I paid $200 for that’s my main electric 12 string. For me it’s all about what you want out of the guitar; they’re tools. Some tools are inexpensive, some aren’t.

I can feel the difference between my G5622T ($1000) and my G6122T ($3000) but I enjoy playing each of them immensely, and often grab the less expensive one first for various reasons. I can’t imagine wanting a $5k+ custom shop guitar though. I mean just how much better will it be than that G6122T (Player Series Gretsch Country Gentleman)?

10 years ago the MIM strats and teles were 500 bucks(euros) with ceramic pickups, the american special(vintage tremolo) was like 750 and the american standard 1k with the 2 point tremolo, the MIM strats from today are 2 point tremolos with alnico pickups, which is equivalent to the MIA from back them costing less. In a way we got better bang for buck but on the other hand if we want a cheap strat with a fender logo we're screwed. The mexican strats from back then were the perfect platform for upgrades

Rolled the dice on ebay and got a squire affinity Strat 06 crafted in China...Best 80 quid I've ever spent. The sound from my Marshall amp is awesome. Very very lucky.

Your comment about buying cheap guitars when the brands are new makes me think about EART guitars. I saw a review about them and their fretwork was apparently very good for the price range. Stainless steel frets and the ends were well rounded. What’s the chance they drop that after they develop a market share?

I bought a Schecter for $50! It was trashed,(scuffed up, broken tuner, knobs missing) but it was well balanced and the neck feels fantastic. I was in the process of modding a brand new one and just put the tuners and pups from the new one into the trashed one and added push pull pots for more versatility and painted it. The $50 Guitar looks, plays, and sounds great! Phil has repeatedly shown us that price isn't indicative of quality, but rather attention to details!

My Les Paul Studio (Gibson chambered), Road Worn Tele and Mexican Stratocaster (Fenders) exceed my skill level and I aspire to get everything I can out of them🤘🏼

When I worked at a music shop 10 years ago, the sweet spot for most of the Ibanez, LTD, Schecter, etc guitars was 500. That's where the wood started to really sing, the necks were noticeably better and the electronics, parts and wiring stepped up. The biggest improvement was consistency. I could order 12 of the same guitar and for the most part, they were all good. I could order 12 Squier bullets, and it would be all over the place from fine to firewood. I remember one gem of a bullet that was perfect build quality wise. I was gonna buy it, but one of my good friends and customers really wanted it for their kid and I let it go. Being a hot-rodder though, if I go out to buy say an electric guitar, I will go down the row of possibles and knock on the back of the body to see what sound, resonance and pitch I get back. Then I will choose one and just play it unplugged. Again, I will just listen and feel how it talks back to me. If it is lively and open, I will continue. If it is dead and muted, back on the wall it goes. I will then start to really check the neck out. If it needs a quick adjustment, usually a qualified worker has no problem taking up the slack in the trussrod. If all that passes, then I move on to fit and finish. Really the last thing for me is the electronics, because I end up ripping it all out anyway, but I will still see how they react with the guitar. That's how you find the cream of the crop for the dollar range and really send it over the top. Honestly, more of my guitars started from an idea or having a set of pickups laying around than the actual name on the guitar itself. To address the original question a little more, it always seemed to follow the double rule. 200 was noticeable over 100, 500 over 200, 1000 over 500 and so on. Just gotta find that gem to start with. Don't skimp on the electronics, parts and wiring. I have completely saved and changed a guitar just with quality wiring, pots, caps, etc. Or changing values of parts to open up and or brighten the sound. I have seen people just pickup swap and wonder why their sound is still crap. Because all the rest of the guts are garbage, like re-treads on a Porsche. I also shield the crap outta everything I can. In the end, it's always fun to find a good guitar, and make it better than your snobby rich friends and their 10 top PRS Custom. (True story)