Anyone play "cheap" Guitars live?

[rickster]

Just curious if anyone has utilized a cheap guitar live , ( like alternate tunings /backup etc.) Like..you know the $150 ibanez gio or indonesian strats..anything in that ballpark?

[DirtySanchez]

If it sounds ok and stays in tune, play it.

[MeYatch]

I did when that's what I had. Now, not so much.

[thebattle]

I had a 200$ squire bass the mb4 series the one with the two skull graphics i played that for awhile with the battle. I used it for mr. smalls, it got retired about a month ago. I did a few mods to it though put some emg hz pickups in it and put a leo quans bad ass II bridge in

[slackin@dabass]

i used a lyon by washburn bass for a little bit with slacker theory when i first started. i bought it from a friend used for 40 bucks, then i upgraded the pups... that was about it. then moondoggy on here hooked me up with my spector and now i can't play anything else. i do still have that old bass laying around. i keep it tuned a half step down for whatever reason.



would i play it out now? ... uhm... only if i had to...

[f.sciarrillo]

I would like to see one of you play a kay or sears brand lol ...

[slackin@dabass]

www.rondomusic.com has a nice selection of cheap guitars and basses that are totally mod worthy. the basses are loved on talkbass.com, and i've been going to get one to mod and play out with, just for poops and hahas but i haven't gotten around to it yet.


i'm a procrastinator. that's what i do.

[Blue Reality]

Yeah all the time, just the ones that sound good. It's all about the wood to me. Some cheap bodies ring like a bell and are far better than guitars that are high priced. You can find great wood and then just put in some better pickups. Low dollar PU's squeel like a pig when run through high gain amps. My best strat is a Fernandez body and a neck that came from who knows where. I put Lindy Fralin's in it and watch out. Sounds better than any american made Strat I've played. .

But my opinon is that it's 90% in the fingers. If you can play, you can make anything sound good.

[tonefight]

But my opinon is that it's 90% in the fingers. If you can play, you can make anything sound good.

Agree 100%

[waydowneast]

bought a samick sg rip off many years ago off ebay for $135.
I love it. then i sold a les paul standard instead of it.

[DrumAndDestroy]

i've seen people play no-name brand stuff and sound great.

i've seen a lot of people with high-end gear who suck.

wasn't there some guy on here who said you weren't worthy of playing bass in his band if you had a combo amp? his band probably sucks ass...and he probably sucks cock.

[slackin@dabass]

wasn't there some guy on here who said you weren't worthy of playing bass in his band if you had a combo amp?

see, now that's crap. it's starting to seem as though bass players are going lighter and lighter. carvin just released an amp that's 500w at 4 ohms and weighs like 5 and a half pounds. not to mention the markbass and genzbenz stuff out there that is ultra light and full of such good tone. alot of bass manufactures are using neodymium magnets in their cabs now, as well, to try and cut down on weight. know what i think is funny? alot of bass players are going lighter. if that means that my 35 pound combo just ain't cool enough to be in your band, then maybe i don't wanna be in it. but i do see the point you made. i just think it's dumb when people judge on what gear that someone uses. look at felix's strat... thing looks like it saw nuclear war.

[songsmith]

I had an Aria Les Paul copy I'd have laid against any Gibson LP I ever played. Don't take me wrong, I LOVE the Gibsons, but for my playing style, they don't stay in tune too well, especially onstage. The knock-off was rock-steady, and sounded pretty good, too... just ever so slightly less "tight." (You know, that focused "quality" sound... the Aria didn't sound like a $5k guitar, more like a $1500, but hey, I only paid $400 for it.)

Lately, I've been playing the Peavey T-15, one of the cheapest American-made guitars of the 70's and early 80's. I just like that it doesn't sound like a Strat or Paul or much of anything else. Sure wish it had a better sound on slide, though. It's atrocious for that, I don't even try. They had their own pickups specially-made, and they're just not for slide.

I like the Fernandez stuff, too. I sold my Ferds to PMAC last spring, I'd love to see what he did to them, they're excellent for mods.

My new wish-list includes a set-neck Epiphone SG-copy. I'm in a Derek Trucks Band frame of mind, and I'd like to cop some of that sound, but SG's are too salty for me.--->JMS

[lonewolf]

A very long time ago, I used $39 el cheapo for one song per show to throw it spinning up in the air and catch it while playing.

Yeah, I dropped it a few times. No biggie.

[EyesOfAnguishbassist]

Don't some bigger bands use first act guitars? Those are pretty cheap aren't they?

[Merge]

Ron Jorgensen from Ministry uses a First Act guitar. His model is around $2500. The ones that are on sale at Wal Mart aren't of very high quality.

[DirtySanchez]

Don't some bigger bands use first act guitars? Those are pretty cheap aren't they?

Matt Pike (HIGH ON FIRE) uses first act.

[bassist_25]

www.rondomusic.com has a nice selection of cheap guitars and basses that are totally mod worthy. the basses are loved on talkbass.com, and i've been going to get one to mod and play out with, just for poops and hahas but i haven't gotten around to it yet.


i'm a procrastinator. that's what i do.

I have an Essex Jazz Bass copy. The construction on it is surprisingly good. The stock pickups were cheese, which is to be expected from an instrument in that price range. I dropped in a set of Bartolinis, which probably costs about as much as I paid for the bass. It's a great old school sounding bass when I want something with the passive sound. However, I have to disagree with the position that you can take a cheaper instrument, drop a set of high-end pickups in it, and tada...you have a high quality piece. The Essex is a cool bass with the Barts, but it still doesn't even come close to touching my Carvins in terms of fit, finish, feel, and overall clarity.

I also have a really cool Squier Jazz that I'd like to get with MetalChurch Joe on to drop in a set of upgraded electronics. The whole thing is just a sweet bass, and I think a new set of electronics will definitely make it a nice piece.

The bottom line is that if you find an instrument that speaks to you and inspires you to pick it up, then keep playing it. I've seen cats flip guitars and basses like trading cards. I've only ever sold off one bass, a cheap Cort P-bass knock off with a baseball bat for a neck. Instruments are too sentimental for more to sell off.

wasn't there some guy on here who said you weren't worthy of playing bass in his band if you had a combo amp? his band probably sucks ass...and he probably sucks cock.

Yeah, I remember that. I stated in the thread that I'd rather play through an Eden Metro (a high-end combo amp) than some POS 8x10 just because it's not a combo. He said he disagreed, and I chose not to pursue the conversation any further because I didn't want to turn a classified ad into a flame war. My philosophy on the matter is I have no problem if you feel that you need to dictate what exact gear I play through. However, that means I'm a hired gun, not an equal member, and I'm naming a flat rate for my services. Oh, what's that? I'm naming $150 for a gig and the owner's only paying you $300? Have fun splitting the other $150 four ways...or of course, you could let me play through my combo amp.

As my esteemed collegue, Ryan, pointed out, the trend in bass amplification is to go lighter and smaller anyways. With neo speakers, highly efficient cab designs, and full FOH PA support becoming more common, we don't need an SVT 8x10 just to play corner pubs anymore. After going back to driving a sedan a few weeks ago, I think I'm ready for a Schroeder cab.

[BloodyFingers]

A few years ago i had a $99.00 Dean electric, I put a set of turners on it and played it for a year or so. The action was great but it lacked in sound. So I ran it through a RockmanX100 and it sounded great. Then I got a $400.00 LTD it was a little better. But the old saying you get what you pay for still stands with me. My stock Yamaha sound better than anything i have played. The yamaha AES720 lists around 999.99 and is a amazing guitar.

[MeYatch]

Don't some bigger bands use first act guitars? Those are pretty cheap aren't they?

first act has a high end custom shop. I don't know what the price range is, but I'm guessing several thousand dollars.

[JackANSI]

my favorite bass to play, and the one that just made a second trip down to the humidity of tennesee with out going more than a few cents out of tune, even during the plane ride down (had to work it in somehow). is also the cheapest bass I own. Also the one most likely straped around my neck at any given time.

nice low action, great playing comfort.

I've sold basses worth many times more because they didn't play as good.

I look at prices along these lines, not true in all cases, but fits my experience. the more you spend the greater chance you'll get something well built and plays well. Even at $300 you'll find a few out of every hundred that meet or exceed the quality of a much more expensive instrument . Go to the $3000 level and that percentage normally increases greatly.

[VENTGtr]

Was just thinking about this yesterday. My playing out gear is an American
standard strat, a Mexican strat I got as a backup for it, and an LP-Type built
by a guy who custom-builds them and has some kind of agreement with
Gibson (After a lot of talking to him, he sent be the parts of one his LPs
to put together. He normally builds and sells them. I wanted to use it to
try different PUPs, etc. so he sent me one he would've normally scrapped
or had to paint opaque. Has a couple of birds-eyes on it, which I like).

All have replacement PUPs, I've sanded the necks to where I like them, how they feel, etc. The one that just has the best feel, vibe, etc. is the MIM. If I could only KEEP one, it would be the MIM.

Wiggus still uses his old Silvertone and a Tedesco live sometimes, and his
Epi LP (Granted, with replacement bridge, PUPs) is killer.

Some if it's knowing how to set things up but that goes for pricey stuff as
well. I've played some PRS' that feel cheap...and certainly weren't.

Rob's Yamaha is a perfect example. Maybe not the most expensive, but,
along with being setup well and having new PUPs, has the intangibles.

People get too caught up in the price of things. There's expensive stuff
that is so because of the name, and "cheaper" stuff that can be great.
Not to say that a Harmony is comparable to something in the "mid" price
range, necessarily, just that the price isn't always the deciding factor on
quality.
Use what you like and what works for you.

[Banned]

Don't some bigger bands use first act guitars? Those are pretty cheap aren't they?

First Act manufacture's a "Pro-Series" in their line. They seem sturdier and the hardware is nicer. A friend of mine has one that kinda looks like a Washburn fucked a Gibson and the First Act was the spawn of their unholy union...It sounded decent out of my Bullit and RP-50.