I bought my cheap, used, Chinese made "Starcaster", 'Strat' in order to strip it down, rebuild , refinish and rewire it to my specs rather than order a Fender custom Shop built the same specs which would cost over 10 times as much.. I also learned more tackling this project myself.. plus getting exactly the paint scheme, and control configuration, wiring and pick/ups I really want. My total cost over this build was a little less than $500 so far....and I now understand why New guitars cost what they do. I shudder to think how much the stainless steel pick guard alone might cost from the custom shop.... lol ...

Love this discussion on the Mike Mcready and Epiphones. I ordered a Mike Mcready on your recommendation, and I own several of the premium Epiphone guitars. These are good guitars. I know its hard for a lot of people to wrap their heads around the cost. The way I see it, the premium Epiphones are NOT expensive Epiphones, but inexpensive Gibsons.

The big difference with Fender Mexico and other imported brands, is Fender directly operates and owns that plant while other brands like Epiphone, PRS SE, etc.. are made by a third party. But yes the prices have gotten insane. The American Fenders went up 40% the last few years and the Squires now sell for what the MIM used to be priced at. I miss the days of the Fender Highway One series where you got an American built Fender for $700. Don't get me going on Gibson, Their prices doubled fast. Not too long ago you got the LP Special faded with Burstbuckers for like $700 now almost all LP's are double and the Standard is ridiculously priced. And SG Standard, remember when you could get them a little over 1k, now they are near 2k. Meanwhile the rest of the world has caught up in Quality. This isn't the 1980's or 90's where import was total garbage. MIM has come a long way, first class stuff they produce. My first Tele is MIM from like 1991/92, total garbage. An Amazon $80 one is built better. I still own it, changed everything out. Only nice thing was the neck, body was poplar top loaded garbage with horrible hardware, pickups. But costs have dropped. I am in American Manufacturing and Summer of 2021 our costs spiked and we charge 150% more now but today are costs dropped back to the 2019 levels and we are just ripping our customers off now. I think the Guitar guys are doing the same. Maybe if these American Guitar companies relocated to cheaper states. I mean Cali has to be one of the most expensive places to make product. Why do all these Music related companies stay there.

I feel like it's so great that all these guitars are available. I'm not into the Mexican fenders, but I'm not mad at the guys who are. This is the golden era of gear. These are "the good ole days".

What's out of control is inflation relative to income. Guitar prices are just a symptom.

The same dude that's complaining about the made in Mexico Fender is playing a made in China Epiphone by Gibson.

I'm about half way through this podcast , just want to say I'm digging it, thank you

Used market is in the toilet in my area, I’ve bought more guitars this year than any other time. These new prices don’t match what I’m scooping up on the used market. Waiting on the car market to tank also, it’s on the cusp so probably June-July. I’m hoping anyway.

If people are "okay" buying expensive Epiphones and Mexican Squires, that will be an incentive to raise the American Guitars prices up to the point that a baseline American Guitar would be close to impossible especially for people outside of the states.

Pickin' for 65 Trips Around The Sun . 20 years after creation,stabilizes wood and medal,regaurdless of country of origin. Keep on pickin' Kidz . Live 4 Ever Compadres

If a person would never spend that much for a thing, then don't. But don't criticize those that would.

I’ll buy these MIM nitro finish/relic’d guitars over any standard American guitar. Maybe one day I’ll buy a custom shop, but just like you, can’t really stomach it at the moment. Absolutely nothing wrong with that.

The one big advantage of gibson over epiphone is that gibsons come plekked. It costs about 350 US to get it done aftermarket and it makes all the difference in the world. I have 17 guitars with two each of these four brands and all have been plekked in either the factory (gibson) or aftermarket (all the fenders and the epiphones). Once plekked and setup with whisper level action, they are all great guitars.

Being in the car references. I see it like the old street rodder guys crapping on the Rat Rod crowed.. It might not be as classy and shiny looking, but deep down they know it’s cooler and funner to beat around on lol.

The problem with the greeny is it's not that much different from 1959 which is much cheaper and mccready is worth it to me.

I have a 1992 les Paul standard Gibson and a 2020 Epiphone '50s Standard Les Paul.Ithink they are great guitars until you play them in your room but when you play live with your band you can feel and hear the difference...havea nice day

Great analogies .....labour time is probably the most expensive commodity

Right analysis and great psychological explanations! TOP Dylan !

I have several custom shop fenders. I still play my mexico mccready strat everyday because its awsome

I got a MIM Player and it's fine for me. The only thing that irritates me in Epiphones is the headstock.

Being from Scotland I had the joy of going to Nashville recently. Paid a visit to the Gibson Garage. I played a Murphy Lab aged SG in pelham blue. 6 and half grand it cost and I have to say, when I played it. I was thinking wow this feels like a 6 and half grand guitar. I got home and played my 61 Epiphone SG inspired by Gibson SG and I love it, sounds great plays great.

Your auto analogy is quite correct. Except, PRS is going backwards with the SEs vs. US made. But given time, I expect SE prices will also rise....

Yep, yer right about Epi & MIM prices. Only way to fight would be to not buy en masse & that ain't happening....

Another case in point is the MIM Fender Robert Cray signature hard tail strats. Premium pickups, excellent build quality and parts, and the only hardtail Strat Fender make. Great value.

You have an Audi, you must be so proud Given your expensive purchases the last month, I expect your pickup customers are happy for you

Ford teams with Gibson and opens their relic’d cars division. 1976 Ford Pinto, heavily relic’d, $150,000.

I will definitely defend the Made in mexico gear because of lot of the EVH branded stuff is made there! The replica Frankenstrat that they made is incredible even compared to that $25K USA custom shop one they made back in 2009. it plays and sounds REAL CLOSE for a lot less money!! Ask anyone that owns one! The EVH amps are made in Mexico and are stellar amps! The days of MIM gear being low quality are long gone now. Players can no longer say that because it is made in Mexico that it is not high quality and great!

I didn’t recognize you without a hat! 😂😂😂

Fender was built to be the blue color working mans guitar, and priced accordingly.. Now they are ridiculously over priced.

If Squire and Epiphone dont move "up market" then Harley benton ( and similar makes) will clean their clocks in the market place. besides,..you can still find an Epiphone Les Paul 50s or 60s standard for under a thousand bucks. and for the Squire folks there si always th squire bullet,..LoL

I love my high-end, expensive epiphones Joe Bonamassa models

I’ve bought two Mexican Fenders and an Epiphone in the last two years. The Fenders overall had excellent quality. The tone knob on the Tele was put on too low so that it scraped in the plate, but that has been my only complaint. The Epiphone was bought with changing out the pickups and electronics. It was good enough with out changing pickups - for my level of playing anyway. The frets could have used a bit more polishing, but that was really it from a quality standpoint. Plus, I really don’t like the nitro finish on Gibson as they damage too easily (I used to own one). I don’t regret buying any of these.

Eatmans are over 2 grand in Canada .

Id rather buy a used Gibson for price similar to a new expensive Epi. The Epi is fine. But the resale value is in favor of Gibson etc

I missed the live as well. Airport duty. I'll listen in full a little later.

Hi Dylan! I always enjoy your videos. When I think "expensive" guitar, I imagine something in the 3 grand and higher price point. I had a 1970 Gibson EB3L bass with original case that I traded to a friend for one of his Gibson electric guitars. These are the 2 I have had that are "worth" the most. I now have 2 Epiphone basses, 3 Epiphone SGs, and 3 vintage guitars that are more sentimental than really worth much? I have yet to spend over $400 for any bass or guitar new or used, and am happy with my collection. One of my fave basses is a Squire Affinity Jazz bass I got for $100 used. It plays well, and sounds great! I am all the way in with your comments about liking what you like. That's enough! Thanks for all that you do, and all that you say. You, rock! (Ps, I am saving up for a Texas Toast guitar, thanks to you!)

Love my mexican strats and epiphone les pauls

Seems people cant tell the difference between daamge and aging . Age wear and damage are 2 very different things .

What a brilliant and thought out argument. Subscribed because of this (and also ordered one of each of the guitars :-))

I have 3 Lespaul's, one Gibson, two Epiphone. I have a Slash Epiphone, and a Adam Jones art collection (girl with bees for hair art). Both of the Epiphones are made in China, the Gibson US. They are all very different IMO. The action came very bad on the China guitars, but the Gibson was set nice (still a bit high). After adjusting the action on the China guitars, the Adam Jones one plays exceptionally well, the slash one is good but just not as good (or maybe it's just me). The Slash Gibson Lespaul is noticeably better quality wise (although that Gibson Heft :) )crafted with better body and finishing touches, and it sounds, well Like a Gibson - it is sensational!!!. All I can say is some of the "made elsewhere guitars play great for the money 80% of the expensive ones" and others not so much... You can buy 2 or more Ephiphones for the price of the Gibson Lespaul custom, and if you have a tight budget, I will tell you they work great!!... My experience using the artist ephiphones , vs the regular models, is they are definitely a bridge between (a bit better imo) and they are that much better than a regular one in certain area (disparity is really up to the user). Off of the Gibson guitar talk for now, I had a Fender Strat 50th anniversary , anaconda burst - looked amazing!... Guitar was complete shit.. I hated it and not to get into details , it just played really bad compared to another Strat I have, or any other guitar I own... I loved the look, but wow what a dud!!!. Come full circle , I have a Mexican EVH Frankie Replica. OMG this thing is my 2nd favorite guitar and plays like a dream.... it's just wonderful!!!! one of my favorite guitars now!!! In summary response to this excellent review: (IMO) I think most of the Artist Replica series at least step up quality control a notch.. Just my opinion.. JAM ON!!!!!!!!

Guitar players ; What would you want? A 'Relic', or a free first-time re-fret?

I’m one of those people who had a crappy Mexican strat 25 years ago; was $350 and had extremely soft frets that wore out in about a year. Maybe the new ones are are worth the money, but you’re right, it’s hard for me to get past that feeling that they’re junk just cause the were built a few miles away from Corona. I agree with all the pragmatic commentary but as a dumb guitarist it’s hard for me to work through those feelings that compel me to buy certain things. I’m pretty good at narrowing down what I want to qualify stuff though, so I usually avoid the remorse

Oh crap, I missed it live, sorry, Dylan! I'll listen later.

My made n China 2021 Shijie Strat Style guitar has replaced my FCS Strats as my favorite, at one fourth the price.

Man, I hope you are getting fat KZfaq $$$’s cuz they are pumping the replay FULL of ads. Maybe it’s a sign of your rising influence. 😂

You mention the Vintera II Strat, Dylan. I'd rather pay under a grand British pounds for that than an extra grand for the Vintage II, simply because I'd enjoy the process of modding the Vintera II (and I don't need the case). As a parent myself, can understand the frustration when we all throw stuff at the walls over relic'd gear. Each to their own, and what they perceive as value. A merry Christmas to yourself and your family.

Huh. If you're going to budget $2K for a Strat, why buy American vs the Mike McCready Strat (if you don't mind relic-ing)? I have 2 American Strats (both over 10 years old now). I used to have a 2015 USA Gibson Les Paul Traditional (traded it towards a PRS). I recently got the '59 reissue Epiphone with the USA-made pickups, and it's every bit as good as my Gibson was (quality, playability, tone). Just ordered a MIM Fender Player Plus Tele... I simply don't see the value proposition anymore in the USA made "standard" trims.

For me i feel the reason people associate import guitars with cheep is because thats what the companies contracted for. As people are people no mstter where they are they can make just as good of stuff if they have the supplies they need. I cannot afford most new guitars n its tempting to say "i dont want that" i have a epi prophecy n im am very fond of it and its the first active guitar ive liked. I dont regret buying it and got it just as prices were rising

This whole video is like an argument as to why you should accept being totally conned. My heart goes out to anyone that would spend 1.8k on a MIM Fender.

I have an Epi Greeny and it's phenomenal, It's quality and features are superior to any Gibson studio, standard or custom ive ever played granted I have never owned or a Gibson Custom Shop. I just wish it had a nitro finish. I'm sure the 2ok or 50k are superior and the specs are more accurate than the 3k Gibson version. Maybe I just got lucky my squire classic vibes are great not as good as my Fender usa but also cost me 2/3 less.

“Go watch cartoons…” now that I love! Great comment and so true!

Epi still has inexpensive guitars and the expensive ones are very few . The expensive epi is filling a whole in the market . The 1500 dollar Epis have specs not available on lower priced Gibsons such as hand wired Harness CTS pots 1 piece neck 50s neck profile and high end Gibson pickups .Either BB2 and BB3 or Greeny buckers They have specs only avaliable on the highest end Gibson USA or custom shop guitars . I will take an Epi 59 or an Epi Greeny over a Gibson LP tribute of Lp studio . The expensive Epis have solid bodies while the low end Gibsom LPs have ultra modern weight relief . Those guitars feel like cheap toys to me while the High end Epis feel like a proper guitar I have high end epis and Gibson USA as well as Custom shop and they are all great .

How about gold for the cericoated stuff? I love gold hardware but it always eventually starts to tarnish and wear. Seems like this coating would be the answer to all gold hardware??

What is the difference between a Mexi Strat and a Cali Strat A few hundred miles

I dk I am a bit lost, ive seen soo many American strats with quality issues. I'm lost, quality shouldn't cost 6k with modern machinery, its a basic bolt on guitar, why are they doing crap like thin rosewood boards where there's a radius on the bottom of it? Come on. And yes the neck pocket gap does bother me

And you are correct at what you are saying

I dont even care anymore about where it's made, I recently bought a gretsch, and it played excellent out of the box. Indonesia, Korea, china, Mexico make great guitars, look a firefly guitars, they are excellent for a beginner or first guitar. There afew hundred. There is a guitar for any price range that can make music. So it's upto you on how much u wanna spend.

The supposed to be black one would be called graphite.

I had a mim Stratocaster that was fantastic!

Everytime Dylan sais uhm uhm youtube goes to commercial

I've noticed every guntuber I watch has this problem of unsubscribing

The guitar market segments are going in opposite directions at the top and bottom. The luxury end is getting more expensive, and at the same time, the low-end is getting ridiculously good value. For example Eart, Sire, Jet and even Harley Benton. The specs that you can get now for very little money are ridiculous. When you pay more for one of these big brand guitars, you're paying for the cost of living increase for office staff. You're not paying for increases in the cost of manufacturing technology - it's all getting more accurate, faster and cheaper. There's literally no reason whatsoever to go near a Mexican Fender in 2023.

Dylan you said the key words IF they were not great selling guitars then Fender and Epiphone would not keep making them! Does anyone really think these companies make guitars to sit in the warehouse? When a guitar model is a flop in the marker it is discontinued fast! I think the latest Fender MIM and Epiphone MIC guitars are world's better than they were a few years back! is it worth the increase in cost? Hell Yeah! I remember 2010 Epi LP's for $599 that were pure garbage! all cheap parts and horrible fret work!

I remember when KZfaq didn’t make me pay 30 bucks a month to skip the ads. Vimeo is just as good!! Get off my lawn!

Love the shirt bud

P90 covers.

Ah, the dangers of knowing exactly what you're doing.

A6 the worst money I ever flushed, german cars living off a reputation from 40+ years ago. You "enjoy" that Audi and I can't wait for the update when you have out of pocket maintenance.

There are 2 reasons I wouldn't buy a custom shop guitar. 1) the law of diminishing returns. The $6000 guitar IS NOT 3 times better than the $2000-2500 guitar. 2) Spending that much money on a guitar WILL NOT make me a better guitar player. The caveat to this comment is that if your level of playing allows you to play things that would be more difficult on a cheaper guitar, then it's worth it. But I've heard stories about Jeff Beck taking a guitar off the wall in a guitar store, and still sounded like himself. 3) (I lied) I defy anyone to pick out a MIM vs a custom shop guitar on a recording or even at a gig (if you don't look at the headstock). In the end, it's about making music.

Opinions are like assholes: everybody works with one or two.

More expensive Squiers and Epihones is not a good thing.

There's no need whatsoever to buy a new guitar.

I don’t understand..you are going to change the pickups in the mccready guitar? Mike voiced those pickups by playing the guitars every night at each show the last two years. So if you change the pickups it’s just another guitar.

I like the shirt, are they available on your site?

Sorry, you can keep the "Premium" Epiphone & Fender-Mexico guitars .... I'll save hundreds of dollars and buy the "Budget" Gibson Tribute or Fender American Performer.

Sorry Dylan…you don’t get mad, but things that people say drive you batty and annoy you??

Buy what you like and don't buy what you don't want but don't worry about what oher peeple buy . Pocket watching is karren behavior.

17 minutes in and 5th commercial? C'mon man

🎸👊🏻

Video starts at 3:50 for those that want to skip the rambling

MIM are really good guitars