I'm 57. I can't count anymore how many times I've said to myself. " I wish this was available at this price point when I was a teenager" It's amazing what's available now, especially the affordable stuff.
Yea no doubt. I started playing at 18 I’m now 33. I only had to screw around with cheap crap guitars, not even one year before I was able to layaway a wonderful MIM Strat that I still have to this day. The 99 dollar squires at that time were decent but something like the affinity squires are incredible for like 200 bucks.
I’ve been a budget guitar guy for a while and love buying a good sub $500 guitar and modding it to match my tastes. A lot of the guitars I’ve modded match or even outpace the big guys after the upgrades and love. It’s awesome to see a company put out guitars in this price range that are ready to go with quality parts, beautiful well done finishes, and proper setups. AIO is knocking it out of the park. For what their selling these things for, I want one of each of these beautiful works of art. Thanks again max for putting quality stuff in your content for us budget guys that still want well made, beautiful, professional instruments. 🤘
My latest guitar purchase was a Harley Benton with locking tuners, stainless steel frets, a wilkinson trem, a graphtech nut and roller string trees for about 250$ new, and it plays just as good, has very similar specs, and had better QC than my Solar that I got for 900$ used, the thomann and Harley Benton stuff are just astounding!
Couldn't agree with you more! I'm 68, been playing both acoustic and electric guitars for a lot of years. I have over 25 guitars, from cheap to fairly pricey. What you can get for a few hundred bux these days blows my mind! And I also whole heartedly agree about set up and proper intonation. A well set up axe is a joy to play and makes you want to pick it up!
Hi all. Just received my Relic AIO S3 strat style guitar last week. Setup was exactly as requested. I phoned Jin to thank him for his excellent work. I have several guitars including Fender USA Strat and Gibson Les Paul Studio, and the AIO outmatches both necks as far as finish. Great quality sound as well. And the Wikenson tremolo bridge does not go out of tune like my USA Strat (on which I had to add a Tremsetter to keep it in tune). Great instruments AIO ! Keep up the great work Jin ! Appreciate the effort you put into each of your instruments before shipping them out ! Bruce, Quebec, Caanda.
I agree so much! I've been playing for over 45 years. Some of the junk I learned on as a kid was downright embarrassing. It took me years to afford a really good quality instrument back in the day. Now I can buy virtually anything I look at but I love these solid quality not-so-expensive options. (It means I can buy more guitars, and who doesn't like that?!)
@dananthony6258 I also disagree with you, I think that max can jam very good, and I betcha that I have been playing at a high level longer than you, my friend!
I agree! I'm 55, and during my teen years, a playable guitar can cost a lot in a third-world country. Now the availability, prices, and quality is unbelievable!
Agree, bought a gretsch under $300 AUD, played well sounds good, got another one for my 8 yr old nephew just for fun. He’s learning has great ears. Great to be alive 2023 n playing guitars
Hi Max. I'm 75 and have been playing for over 60 years. You are spot on! Excellent guitars are no longer the domain of the wealthy. With just $200 you can buy excellent guitars. Shalom/gw
I'm 64 and I only picked up the guitar two years ago. Because of my age, and a heart operation, I wasn't sure how much time I had so I bought the best guitars I could afford. But I was lucky to have been in a position to do it. Still, I know I overdid it. I didn't buy anything that wasn't USA made our custom shop. I'm embarrassed to admit I bought 20 guitars in 2 years. I have since stopped. It became an absolute obsession. This gentleman can really play. He really plays from the heart. 🙏🕊️🙏
After watching your shop tour of All in One, I ordered the AIO Wolf Les Paul 750T in beautiful Amber flame top. I was a little skeptical, wasn't sure what to expect. Holy Shiznit! You were right! It's absolutely flawless!! I have some nerve damage to my fretting hand (from my military days... an unwanted gift of a rocket propelled grenade courtesy of the Taliban) and requested a detailed setup request from the AIO luthiers. They NAILED it perfectly!! I'm so glad I didn't go spend four grand on a Gibson! This thing is beyond legit! Got locking tuners and ebony fretboard. Plays like butter! Safe to say I will be buying several more AIO guitars.
Agreed. I’ve still got a made in japan black in black squier that I bought brand new in 1987 yeah ages ago hey ? And even that had a bit of stigma attached to it That thing is worth a fortune. Who’d have thunk hey ?🤣😂🤣😂 Cheers from this Aussie living in NZ 😎🎸🤘
Forty years ago was '83. Are you actually unaware of the brands that were made then ?? I specialize in MIJ from @ '75 to @ '89. Maybe you should do a little Homework, first. Surprise Yerself 😅
I have been playing for 35 years and currently own 47 various Guitars and Basses.... The Guitars being mainly Fender, Squire, Epiphone, and Jackson, and I do all the set ups myself and also fix my Students Guitars as well, and show them how to do it themselves and I can tell you that in many cases my Squires of around £250.00 play as well as my much more expensive Fenders, and my Epiphjone Les Pauls feel and sound better than any Gibson equivalent that I have used,...so I agree totally,.. it's all about the attention to details and personalizing your Guitar to your own specific requirements. I have also recently purchased a few Jackson's which were all sub £350.00 brand new and they played perfectly right out of the box, barring a few very minor tweaks, which to me proves your point exactly.
It looks like AIO have a decent range of left handers as well, which is a big plus for me! You'd be surprised how many larger manufacturers ignore this market.
My first guitar was a Jackson in the early 80's it was 300 bucks, that was a top end guitar,and believe me it was awesome, never had to do anything to it. Now i spend 2k on a gibson and there not even close to build quality or tone, if i could have my Jackson back today i wouldn't even think twice about it. That Jackson blew the doors off my Gibson.
It's all in the heart. Shure the instrument can encourage the drive to play, but if ever wanting to reach super heights, then it really has to come from the heart. A great guitarist will make a 4x4 sound amazing.
I know faux tortoise shell stuff is a throwback to the 60s etc but seriously bro I despise it. Change that pick guard/scratchplate to black and be done with it ffs 😂🤣😂🤣😎🎸🤘
Having been a player all my adult life I can say that this truly is a golden age for guitar players, with an unparalleled amount of bang for your buck. What you can now buy for less than $1000 is simply mind blowing and there is absolutely no reason to pay the Fender or Gibson tax these days. My AL32O0MCC’s run rings around a Les Paul at a fraction of the price, whilst my Michael Kelly’s do the same for Fender Strats and Teles. I am keen to sample one of these AIO models too, so am thinking about the HSS Strat-shaped hole in my collection
I’ve been blessed to have many high end USA & Japanese guitars throughout the years. I recently bought a Charvel MIM and was blown away at the quality 🤯 It’s my main workhorse guitar now 🙂
I agree with you totally, the play-ability and tonal margins between expensive and mid priced guitars are becoming much narrower now. The after market accessories (necks and bodies, tuners etc) are also much much higher in quality, without having to pay a fortune. Some of the bespoke pickup makers out there are making great pickups at very affordable prices, Dawgtown being just one of them.There were some mid priced/cheaper guitars back in the 70s that were an exception, Hayman, Antoria, Jedson and a few of the Ibanez guitars at that period that were very good and gigable instruments, lets not forget Tokia when they appeared in the very early 80s. But nearly every mid priced guitar now, has a superior quality to everything that existed before.
Yes, started playing in 1977 and it was simply impossible to get a decent electric at a good price. Amazing what is available these days and sincevquite a few years.
Excellent points Max! I own an AIO ASG (SG style) and play it live more that my Gibson LP, Epiphone LP and American Strat. It plays so well and sounds amazing!
I do agree with you. Just the amount of information "about" guitars, setups, etc has move light years even in my lifetime. Keep up the goot work, it is much appreciated. Yes, the guitar you're playing sounds fantastic.
I loved both AIO guitars that I saw you analyze. It’s very exciting to me, a newcomer to playing, to be able to get quality at really reasonable and affordable prices. So, It gives pretty much anyone a great opportunity for anybody to learn. Thank you for your videos. Love your channel. Rock on!
That bridge pickup under high gain has some wicked overtones, Max! Wow. It is like it is just asking for harmonic squeals. The single coils sounds are very good as well. It truly is amazing how good a $500 guitar can be now! I also agree with you. A good guitar that stays in tune, and sounds great will help you become a better player. Great video Max! Good points. When I started playing, a $500 guitar was crap. It is amazing how far CNC machines have come, and those machines allow more time for human interaction. You nailed it, dude. ❤
After watching your video on the aio les Paul I bought one about two years ago. Its lasted so well just had to make one truss rod adjustment. I play it every day.
Man, Ive been in the market for a guitar and havent shopped in so long I wasnt sure what to look for. You have helped me make up my mind onwhat to look for.
Hi Max. I bought three guitars based on your reviews. All are magnificent! Thanks! I've been playing for sixty years. I think A.I. has the potential to take over inspection and setup. Not only for guitars but for everything. Couple that with advent of nanobots, capable of emulating the basic elements of the periodic table and it will really get crazy. The only further step is manipulating the quantum fields, through consienceness. Implementation without instrumention ala The Krell of the 1958 movie, Forbidden Planet. I know, deep stuff, sounds crazy. But all of my physicist friends agree. I am also grateful to have lived through such magnificent times. Shalom (May the Peace and all possible Blessings of God be with you!) /gw
I agree with your analogy. I do think the quality of the guitar does effect the motivation to learn and play. I have a collection of 85 guitars that I have been building over the past 10 years (Guitar Builders and Collectors). I like to customize them and when I started that was a lot of work getting the mid price range and budget guitars to the standard of adding to the motivation to play. Now the customizations are much quicker and I don't have to change as much of the hardware. The fretwork has improved drastically over the last decade. When I get one and finish the review, I typically change the pickups (not always but I am kind of a particular when it comes to pickups B13K and N9K), put on a brass nut, and a roller bridge. These guitars have gotten a lot better at intonation I just prefer the roller bridge because of the extended string life. Anyways, great video and valid point.
You are absolutely correct about the quality and pricing compared to the the past which in my case is from the 70's forward as I started playing at about 12 years old in the late 60's.
I totally agree! When i was 15, you either had to buy a guitar with horrible action all messed up or spend alot more money for something of high quality. There weren't all these playable affordable guitars. Competition and engineering have both contributed. Great video as this is often not mentioned as young players probably assume playable guitars were always available for a few bucks. tom
as kirk Hammett said, you can play on any trade or quality. u're so good no matter the guitar you have in your hands. They are so many guitar makers those days, it's just a matter of what you feel and love about your instrument.
Great video, I'm glad you brought this up. I've been thinking the same thing for a while. It seems like after you spend 1k$ your just splitting hairs on quality. Good time to be a guitar player! Obviously there will be innovations in design and technology (Tosin, Strandberg, etc), but for just great playing/sounding classic style guitars, manufacturers have truly raised the bar on quality control and production efficiency.
Another awesome vid! You are totally right about the state of guitar manufacturing over the last 10+ years. CNC technology tools, software technology and (of course) smart people have made it all possible. So grateful that we have just participated in (and witnessed) a major manufacturing revolution like this. Thanks for another great review!
About a year and a half ago I spent $550 on a Gretsch Streamliner with a bigsby tremolo and it played, looked and sounded like the best guitar money could buy. A couple of months later I spent all of $134 on a "Groove" guitar from an eBay dealer located in Canada(saw it on your channel). Insofar as quality, sound, looks, setup and playability the "Groove" was just as good as the Gretsch, just a different(strat style) type of guitar. I can tell ya, we have reached some form of equilibrium now where the buck and the bang have reached their peak counterbalance point.
I think in the 80s we were getting great Japanese Strats cheap. Then we went downhill and now we’re starting finally get back to those standards. You could buy a custom made Leo Fender Music Man Stingray guitar in 1978 for $800
I remember the harley bentons of mid 2000's, their quality was so bad it was almost criminal to call them an instrument. Nowadays, they are borderline unrivaled in price/performance. Like you mentioned, the manufacturing process has gotten so far in this time.
You're right about the inexpensive guitars being much better these days. I remember back in the 70's and early 80's lots of cheap guitars started flooding in and many were not worth buying regardless of the price. Now, there are many companies producing high quality cheap guitars. I don't know how they can sell them for inexpensive prices when the quality is so good???
I hear you, brother. When I bought my $450 (IIRC) Peavey T-60 to play _hard rock_ and _metal_ on, instead of country, you could feel the laughter (not mine!) a mile away! But that was one of the most dependable, solid, great-sounding instruments I've ever had.
They are able to do it because China subsidizes the manufacturing in the country. It’s really crazy when you look into it. The whole government is a scam. They are going into a hole just to get the industry out of other countries.
Beautiful guitar, and you make it sound great! It really is incredible how many quality options there are available in this price range. There are even fantastic options in the $300 to $400 price range, such as the Sire T3 and S3 models. Great video!
I’ve been playing, buying, selling and trading guitars for more than fifty years and I agree with you that the best guitars are being made right now and are definitely the best bang for the buck.
I fell for the hype and bought a gold top LP from AIO., the high E string and B string rested on the first two frets. The strings kept slipping and had been wound around the posts one or two times with no locking procedures. After changing the strings it was still hard to keep in tune. I checked the string posts and they were all loose. I adjusted the intonation and finally had a guitar I could use. I think it came straight from the factory, so much for paying for a superb set up, clearly that didn't happen.
Totally agree. I can't imagine any guitar being built better any than my PRS Standard 24-08 - except for a fancy bookmatched top or other upscale details. With a wealth of reviews to be found on YT, manufacturers have to provide excellent quality to survive these days. Boutique luthiers are up against some tough competition.
I’ve been working in manufacturing for decades. I agree with what you said. One thing I would point out. Very high gain is not a good way to judge sound. Clean and slight breakup is better to tell.
Max I love your humour although before i go on my iPhone prompted me to accept “hair” as the next word as in I love your hair. So funny. Anyway You’re spot on WRT c&c machines and QC. Isn’t it ironic (no im not Alanis Morrisette 🤣😂🤣😂) that an 80s group called The C and C Music Factory could be relevant in the context of your guitar channel ? I actually like playing to “gonna make you sweat “ or whatever it was called. I think Leo over at Frog Leap should do a heavy metal cover of that. Peace and as usual cheers from NZ 😎🍻🎸🤘
For so long you've been bringing us so many great videos and equipment. I bought a Chender, the red one YEARS ago because I saw it here. I did the same thing you did and used it for a mod platform. So many changes I made, and got it absolutely perfect for me. So good, someone stole it. 🤬. Is there any way you could find the seller we bought them from Max? I need to heal my broken heart. 😢. Thanks for the years of work man. It really has been appreciated by so many of us. ROCK ON MAX🤘
You're not wrong. I am continually amazed at how good these new inexpensive guitars really are. I think part of it is that China has shifted some of their focus from making good counterfeit guitars over to making their own legitimate versions of the popular guitars we all love. Either way, I'm not complaining.
I agree with all that you have said (including the comments). So now is the time for commercial manufacturers to start designing guitar bodies that are not just a rehash of the same o' same mo'... that's been around a 100 years. In order to really get a different look with electric guitar bodies these days, you have to get a custom designed guitar which costs thousands of dollars..i.e. Rick Toon. Manufacturers should start changing the course of their designs, so that new people and seasoned musicians, will be drawn to wanting to play the guitar that has a new and fresh design sensibility, at an affordable price.
Totally agree with you when you say the better the guitar plays the better you get as a player and the easyer Is learning...there are so many good great guitars out there now on the 500/700 bucks range that for that money you can get a real pro instrument when 25/30 years ago that was guaranteed only by the most famous brands(Gibson,Fender,Jackson,Charvel and so on) that now skyrocketed their prices for no apparent reason... Cheers from Italy as always... you' re always interesting to Watch and listen to...ROCK ON GUITAR MAX🍻🍻🍻🤟🤟🤟💪💪💪👍👍👍🎸🎸🎸
I put 2 velvet hammer pups on my mex made strat along with a tele neck and it sounds great. Plays like a dream. The only pedals I use are my Marshall Blues Breaker and Marshall Drive master along with a hush pedal to quell the noise. I run it through my Marshall DSL 100 and my fender 4×12 cab outfitted with 2 EV 12 L classic speakers. Love this rig. ( yes I only have 2 speakers in my 4×12 cab.)
You nailed it buddy! I got my first guitar in 1965. In the 1970s you could not purchase a guitar for $500 that was worth playing. Now you can buy brand new guitars for $100 that are amazing instruments. I, too, am happy to have lived through the revolution and I am more excited about guitars and guitar playing than ever. Keep up the great work! Your playing is always amazing and your views mean a lot. I very much appreciate what you do and how consistently you do it -- both as a player and a program host.
The other fantastic corollary to the guitar revolution is you can buy a dirt cheap guitar as an upgrade platform and it will play well out of the box. It might not stay in tune all that well and will have crappy pickups that sound crap but as a framework for upgrades it's a solid platform. One of my favourite more recent acquisitions has been 65gbp Harley Benton Strat in candy apple red. Body is basswood and the neck is maple with a rosewood fingerboard. I've fitted the lace sensor rainbow pack pickups in it, Tusq Nut and String trees, Ratio locking tuners and Vega trem on it. It plays like a Strat Ultra from back in the day. Sounds amazing too. Absolutely rock solid tuning stability. Now granted it's a bit of a ship of Theseus type of deal but the skeleton of the guitar had to be solid to accomplish this. We live in amazing times as modern guitarists. To contrast this my first halfway decent Strat back in the 80s was a Ninja Nighthawk and it was rubbish. Plywood body and The worst locking trem setup ever committed to any guitar ever. Luv and Peace.
It's a great time to be alive and playing music. Almost all gear, including guitars, speakers, amps (particularly class D amps), effects (modelers), recording equipment, digital editing, and just about everything else has become so affordable and good and reliable. The barriers that used to hold folks back are gone. Everyone has access to the tools to make beautiful sounds for not very much money. It's all on the musician now to be the show and a show worth listening to! That's great. We all need to step up and create beautiful music.
I think the revolution may have began a little sooner than 15 years ago, at least as far as the Squier stuff is concerned. I have a 2007 Squier Vintage Modified 70s Jazz Bass I bought new for about $475? from Guitar Center in 2007. It's got the Duncan Design pickups, and would still be a quality gigable bass without them. A few years ago I rescued an older Korean Squier P Bass from the 90s that had been left for years in a friend's garage. It was a pretty good instrument and I giged with it one night just to make a point. I do agree though that this is an amazing time. I just bought a couple Glary instruments for my kids for Christmas. They will need a little work and a setup, but I think that really just makes your point in a way. Some of the human ellements that are lacking in an inexpensive instrument fall under the catagory of "I can do that myself". Great video!
I bought this guitar and can't believe the quality for the price. The setup was better than some of my 1-3K guitars. My only complaint is the saddle screws are pretty rough and scratch the side of my hand when palm muting. Thanks for the review.
agree 1000% on base line being constantly raised. harley benton is killing it. i got my daughter a squire bass 2 years ago and holy hell thats the best 300 dollar bass ive ever played. i then got a chinese knock off fender 6 string bass (fender doesn't really make 6 strings) and dude holy hell its great. i used to play spector and warwick and these basses DO NOT live up to those higher end basses but the amount of value for your dollar is HUGE
For those of you were thinking about buying the Boss IR 200 it’s pretty awesome 128 sounds that are in there are incredible but I want some others and they just don’t have those. They have some pie ones but I want like a Friedman and Soldano all kinds of things like that don’t shy away from buying. I’m pretty sureMax will help us out and make a video.
I have a couple of sub 100 dollar guitars I admit I have thrown about 60 bucks worth of hardware at. One of them is my go-to Strat every time. Plays great, sounds great. Unheatd of when I was starting out...
Totally agree, I own 6 Harley Benton guitars including an SC550-II (Les Paul copy) that I received 2-days ago. It’s an unbelievable guitar with fantastic spec including modern weight relief 7.8lbs, AAAA maple veneer top, stainless steel frets, Kluson tuners etc. all for £288. I also own Suhr and some other high end custom built guitars too, costing 10 times more but definitely not 10 times better than the Harley Benton’s, which are not that far off. I modded a Harley Benton Fusion Pro, their version of the Suhr Pete Thorn signature standard to Suhr spec with the addition of Thornbuckers and a Wilkinson WVS130-2P bridge, refinished the headstock and neck to my preferred finish of a blend of gunstock oil and wax (Music Man’s standard neck finish). This Fusion Pro is easily as good as my other Suhr’s now and cost £800 in total as opposed to the ‘eye watering’ £4000 retail price tag of the Suhr Pete Thorn Standard.
Sure they can get better!!! You had one with a 'Rocket Launcher!'. You're the Tesla of guitar innovation Max. 😁😎👍🎸. I do agree, for me it's about time the U.S. companies admit this : The smaller companies are listening to their customers and giving them decent gear at realistic pricing. I always enjoy your input on gear and trends. Thanks, Max \m/
@@southboundguitar and i saw that at VFL Park, Glen Waverley (outer Melbourne, Oz suburb) in 1977 when i was 14. i just turned 60. Kiss is scheduled for December here in NZ where i now live.
I think you are right. I bought a Kramer 30 years ago , It was absolutely horrible. It was a 400 dollar guitar. As you said , in manufacturing , the time it use to take to go from step A to step D before any refinement , lets say , a body , a neck , a wired pickguard , bridge and nut and tuners. Before paint , before fret work , before truss rod adjustment and setting strings. Might have taken a few days. Then steps E to H was the setup of the rest , and well , companies are trying to make money , so the end of the production takes the hit on the clock. Its about getting it out to sell it. So on day 4 that thing needs to be leaving in a box to someone for 500 bucks to make money off it. Now , Steps A to D are done in a matter of hours. Alot of the pickguards for certain models are already done and setting in a bin. SO at the end of day one , you already have a painted body , pickguard done and neck frets polished and set. So you start day two with the details. More time is spent on those things from day two to day 4. So at the end of day 4 , what you have coming out of the factory is considerably more refined for that same 500 bucks and moreover , the reputation goes up and the work even gets better over time because the company is going to make more money. Harley Benton is a big case for this. I am amazed at the 25th anniversary edition stuff. I mean , WOW they are just ridiculous for the price. If you spent anything past 500 bucks , its just a name , or an artist model at this point. The PIA is a damn nice guitar , but for almost 4 grand? Na , its not that nice.
I have a USA Charvel San Dimas, I/200 in its particular color. I also have a $179 Tagima S-type that I dropped $100 for a setup on and the the Tagima sits on its own stand by my desk and the Charvel has migrated form the rack to its case in the corner. One of the reasons is the neck. Charvel neck is fantastic. The Tagima is even better. It is pretty close to an early 60s fender baseball bat neck. That is a perfect profile for my hands and style. Without C&C and computers and 3d scanning Tagima would't be able to make that guitar at that price.
yeah thats true! i wish i had that kind of accessibility when i started playing with my (kinda) bad 1st guitar. although that one taught me how to spot a bad one, in this day and age with the internet/reviews, the possibility of getting a bad instrument decreases significantly. thats what happened for me, when i wanted to buy a les paul, a dream of mine. bought an encore from an online shop. i was the worst. so then i found harley benton. a company i would highly recommend to anyone starting all already playing years!! (just for reference my first guitar is a floyd rose J&D)
I'm 57. I can't count anymore how many times I've said to myself. " I wish this was available at this price point when I was a teenager" It's amazing what's available now, especially the affordable stuff.
Same except just turned 60. Been playing for 50 years
I’m the same age and feel exactly the same way.
Said the same thing im only 45 but remember paying prices for used guitars still not even close to some of these now.
Yea no doubt. I started playing at 18 I’m now 33. I only had to screw around with cheap crap guitars, not even one year before I was able to layaway a wonderful MIM Strat that I still have to this day. The 99 dollar squires at that time were decent but something like the affinity squires are incredible for like 200 bucks.
I'm 45. I learned by fighting my Gremlin. Now, these guitars are awesome looking and sound great.
I agree with your QC comment. A brand name guitar that skipped it's QC process could be worse than a cheaper guitar that didn't.
I’ve been a budget guitar guy for a while and love buying a good sub $500 guitar and modding it to match my tastes. A lot of the guitars I’ve modded match or even outpace the big guys after the upgrades and love. It’s awesome to see a company put out guitars in this price range that are ready to go with quality parts, beautiful well done finishes, and proper setups. AIO is knocking it out of the park. For what their selling these things for, I want one of each of these beautiful works of art. Thanks again max for putting quality stuff in your content for us budget guys that still want well made, beautiful, professional instruments. 🤘
My latest guitar purchase was a Harley Benton with locking tuners, stainless steel frets, a wilkinson trem, a graphtech nut and roller string trees for about 250$ new, and it plays just as good, has very similar specs, and had better QC than my Solar that I got for 900$ used, the thomann and Harley Benton stuff are just astounding!
They cant be touched ( i got 4), maybe by these aio or wolf brands
try iyv guitars, harley benton comes no where near
Couldn't agree with you more! I'm 68, been playing both acoustic and electric guitars for a lot of years. I have over 25 guitars, from cheap to fairly pricey. What you can get for a few hundred bux these days blows my mind! And I also whole heartedly agree about set up and proper intonation. A well set up axe is a joy to play and makes you want to pick it up!
Hi all. Just received my Relic AIO S3 strat style guitar last week. Setup was exactly as requested. I phoned Jin to thank him for his excellent work. I have several guitars including Fender USA Strat and Gibson Les Paul Studio, and the AIO outmatches both necks as far as finish. Great quality sound as well. And the Wikenson tremolo bridge does not go out of tune like my USA Strat (on which I had to add a Tremsetter to keep it in tune). Great instruments AIO ! Keep up the great work Jin ! Appreciate the effort you put into each of your instruments before shipping them out ! Bruce, Quebec, Caanda.
Wonderful. Thanks for the report!
I agree so much! I've been playing for over 45 years. Some of the junk I learned on as a kid was downright embarrassing. It took me years to afford a really good quality instrument back in the day. Now I can buy virtually anything I look at but I love these solid quality not-so-expensive options. (It means I can buy more guitars, and who doesn't like that?!)
That was definitely one of your best solos at the intro. You’re definitely improving a lot. Keep jamming brother , great video.
Agreed. I really enjoyed his intro esp when he switched over to cleans. Cheers
Improving?? He's been a very very good player for years.
@@eric_in_florida no he hasn't I ve been playing for 37 years. I know guitar players.
@@dananthony6258 I've been watching him 3-4 years and his playing always impressed me. I'm not talking about the early days of his channel.
@dananthony6258 I also disagree with you, I think that max can jam very good, and I betcha that I have been playing at a high level longer than you, my friend!
I agree! I'm 55, and during my teen years, a playable guitar can cost a lot in a third-world country. Now the availability, prices, and quality is unbelievable!
Yeah really good point, meanwhile Europe has become a third world country and looks more like sub Saharan Africa. Guitars are cheaper tho 😢
Agree, bought a gretsch under $300 AUD, played well sounds good, got another one for my 8 yr old nephew just for fun. He’s learning has great ears. Great to be alive 2023 n playing guitars
Love my Wolf and AIO guitars.
Hi Max. I'm 75 and have been playing for over 60 years. You are spot on! Excellent guitars are no longer the domain of the wealthy. With just $200 you can buy excellent guitars. Shalom/gw
Thanks!
I see I'm not the only geezer here (72). I have a WLP being delivered in a couple days. Can't wait!
I totally agree with this analysis, Max. The Bigs should be concerned, if they're not already.
I like the buzzard beak headstock.
I'm 64 and I only picked up the guitar two years ago.
Because of my age, and a heart operation, I wasn't sure how much time I had so I bought the best guitars I could afford.
But I was lucky to have been in a position to do it.
Still, I know I overdid it. I didn't buy anything that wasn't USA made our custom shop.
I'm embarrassed to admit I bought 20 guitars in 2 years. I have since stopped. It became an absolute obsession.
This gentleman can really play. He really plays from the heart.
🙏🕊️🙏
I have 30 guitars, so you're good to go.
@@EHou01
How long have you been playing?
After watching your shop tour of All in One, I ordered the AIO Wolf Les Paul 750T in beautiful Amber flame top. I was a little skeptical, wasn't sure what to expect. Holy Shiznit! You were right! It's absolutely flawless!! I have some nerve damage to my fretting hand (from my military days... an unwanted gift of a rocket propelled grenade courtesy of the Taliban) and requested a detailed setup request from the AIO luthiers. They NAILED it perfectly!! I'm so glad I didn't go spend four grand on a Gibson! This thing is beyond legit! Got locking tuners and ebony fretboard. Plays like butter! Safe to say I will be buying several more AIO guitars.
Thanks for the report. That is so great to hear!
It's truly incredible what is available today compared to 40 years ago. The playability is remarkable.
Agreed. I’ve still got a made in japan black in black squier that I bought brand new in 1987 yeah ages ago hey ? And even that had a bit of stigma attached to it
That thing is worth a fortune. Who’d have thunk hey ?🤣😂🤣😂
Cheers from this Aussie living in NZ 😎🎸🤘
@PeterMoore350 that's what's up 🤙
Even 20 years ago. A 2000's starter guitar under 500 was almost unplayable.
Forty years ago was '83. Are you actually unaware of the brands that were made then ?? I specialize in MIJ from @ '75 to @ '89. Maybe you should do a little Homework, first. Surprise Yerself 😅
@@jayrificBecause there is no such thing. Only Worse and Better.😊
I have been playing for 35 years and currently own 47 various Guitars and Basses.... The Guitars being mainly Fender, Squire, Epiphone, and Jackson, and I do all the set ups myself and also fix my Students Guitars as well, and show them how to do it themselves and I can tell you that in many cases my Squires of around £250.00 play as well as my much more expensive Fenders, and my Epiphjone Les Pauls feel and sound better than any Gibson equivalent that I have used,...so I agree totally,.. it's all about the attention to details and personalizing your Guitar to your own specific requirements.
I have also recently purchased a few Jackson's which were all sub £350.00 brand new and they played perfectly right out of the box, barring a few very minor tweaks, which to me proves your point exactly.
It looks like AIO have a decent range of left handers as well, which is a big plus for me! You'd be surprised how many larger manufacturers ignore this market.
My first guitar was a Jackson in the early 80's it was 300 bucks, that was a top end guitar,and believe me it was awesome, never had to do anything to it. Now i spend 2k on a gibson and there not even close to build quality or tone, if i could have my Jackson back today i wouldn't even think twice about it. That Jackson blew the doors off my Gibson.
It's nice to see that some manufactures are putting their time and real work into their products!
It's all in the heart. Shure the instrument can encourage the drive to play, but if ever wanting to reach super heights, then it really has to come from the heart. A great guitarist will make a 4x4 sound amazing.
That guitar is awesome. Love the finish and spec 👌
I know faux tortoise shell stuff is a throwback to the 60s etc but seriously bro I despise it. Change that pick guard/scratchplate to black and be done with it ffs 😂🤣😂🤣😎🎸🤘
(Cough) fender (cough)
@@PeterMoore350 what? Its my favourite one
Beautiful guitar Max!!!❤
Having been a player all my adult life I can say that this truly is a golden age for guitar players, with an unparalleled amount of bang for your buck. What you can now buy for less than $1000 is simply mind blowing and there is absolutely no reason to pay the Fender or Gibson tax these days. My AL32O0MCC’s run rings around a Les Paul at a fraction of the price, whilst my Michael Kelly’s do the same for Fender Strats and Teles. I am keen to sample one of these AIO models too, so am thinking about the HSS Strat-shaped hole in my collection
I’ve been blessed to have many high end USA & Japanese guitars throughout the years. I recently bought a Charvel MIM and was blown away at the quality 🤯 It’s my main workhorse guitar now 🙂
Spot on! Great specs, fantastic price.
The only down side is that now folks have no excuse for failing to actually learn to play.
I agree with you totally, the play-ability and tonal margins between expensive and mid priced guitars are becoming much narrower now. The after market accessories (necks and bodies, tuners etc) are also much much higher in quality, without having to pay a fortune. Some of the bespoke pickup makers out there are making great pickups at very affordable prices, Dawgtown being just one of them.There were some mid priced/cheaper guitars back in the 70s that were an exception, Hayman, Antoria, Jedson and a few of the Ibanez guitars at that period that were very good and gigable instruments, lets not forget Tokia when they appeared in the very early 80s. But nearly every mid priced guitar now, has a superior quality to everything that existed before.
"You won't fool the Children of the Revolution!" Great video Max and that guitar looks and sounds great. I bet it would serve any guitarist well.
With precision CNC and PLEK machines out there.... it's no joke.
The CNC is only as good as the machinists that run them. That’s why better equipment is still made in USA and Japan.
Appreciate your expertise on these type of instruments.
Yes, started playing in 1977 and it was simply impossible to get a decent electric at a good price. Amazing what is available these days and sincevquite a few years.
Excellent points Max! I own an AIO ASG (SG style) and play it live more that my Gibson LP, Epiphone LP and American Strat. It plays so well and sounds amazing!
I do agree with you. Just the amount of information "about" guitars, setups, etc has move light years even in my lifetime. Keep up the goot work, it is much appreciated. Yes, the guitar you're playing sounds fantastic.
I loved both AIO guitars that I saw you analyze. It’s very exciting to me, a newcomer to playing, to be able to get quality at really reasonable and affordable prices. So, It gives pretty much anyone a great opportunity for anybody to learn. Thank you for your videos. Love your channel. Rock on!
That bridge pickup under high gain has some wicked overtones, Max! Wow. It is like it is just asking for harmonic squeals.
The single coils sounds are very good as well. It truly is amazing how good a $500 guitar can be now!
I also agree with you. A good guitar that stays in tune, and sounds great will help you become a better player.
Great video Max! Good points. When I started playing, a $500 guitar was crap. It is amazing how far CNC machines have come, and those machines allow more time for human interaction. You nailed it, dude. ❤
After watching your video on the aio les Paul I bought one about two years ago. Its lasted so well just had to make one truss rod adjustment. I play it every day.
Thank you for sharing your perspective👍💯
Man, Ive been in the market for a guitar and havent shopped in so long I wasnt sure what to look for. You have helped me make up my mind onwhat to look for.
Hi Max. I bought three guitars based on your reviews. All are magnificent! Thanks! I've been playing for sixty years. I think A.I. has the potential to take over inspection and setup. Not only for guitars but for everything. Couple that with advent of nanobots, capable of emulating the basic elements of the periodic table and it will really get crazy. The only further step is manipulating the quantum fields, through consienceness. Implementation without instrumention ala The Krell of the 1958 movie, Forbidden Planet. I know, deep stuff, sounds crazy. But all of my physicist friends agree. I am also grateful to have lived through such magnificent times. Shalom (May the Peace and all possible Blessings of God be with you!) /gw
I agree with your analogy. I do think the quality of the guitar does effect the motivation to learn and play. I have a collection of 85 guitars that I have been building over the past 10 years (Guitar Builders and Collectors). I like to customize them and when I started that was a lot of work getting the mid price range and budget guitars to the standard of adding to the motivation to play. Now the customizations are much quicker and I don't have to change as much of the hardware. The fretwork has improved drastically over the last decade. When I get one and finish the review, I typically change the pickups (not always but I am kind of a particular when it comes to pickups B13K and N9K), put on a brass nut, and a roller bridge. These guitars have gotten a lot better at intonation I just prefer the roller bridge because of the extended string life. Anyways, great video and valid point.
You are absolutely correct about the quality and pricing compared to the the past which in my case is from the 70's forward as I started playing at about 12 years old in the late 60's.
I totally agree! When i was 15, you either had to buy a guitar with horrible action all messed up or spend alot more money for something of high quality. There weren't all these playable affordable guitars. Competition and engineering have both contributed. Great video as this is often not mentioned as young players probably assume playable guitars were always available for a few bucks. tom
A great review. I appreciate the attention to clean tones and slightly dirty.
Awesome channel awesome playing awesome communication skills! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
as kirk Hammett said, you can play on any trade or quality. u're so good no matter the guitar you have in your hands. They are so many guitar makers those days, it's just a matter of what you feel and love about your instrument.
Great video, I'm glad you brought this up. I've been thinking the same thing for a while. It seems like after you spend 1k$ your just splitting hairs on quality. Good time to be a guitar player! Obviously there will be innovations in design and technology (Tosin, Strandberg, etc), but for just great playing/sounding classic style guitars, manufacturers have truly raised the bar on quality control and production efficiency.
Another awesome vid! You are totally right about the state of guitar manufacturing over the last 10+ years. CNC technology tools, software technology and (of course) smart people have made it all possible. So grateful that we have just participated in (and witnessed) a major manufacturing revolution like this. Thanks for another great review!
About a year and a half ago I spent $550 on a Gretsch Streamliner with a bigsby tremolo and it played, looked and sounded like the best guitar money could buy. A couple of months later I spent all of $134 on a "Groove" guitar from an eBay dealer located in Canada(saw it on your channel). Insofar as quality, sound, looks, setup and playability the "Groove" was just as good as the Gretsch, just a different(strat style) type of guitar. I can tell ya, we have reached some form of equilibrium now where the buck and the bang have reached their peak counterbalance point.
I think in the 80s we were getting great Japanese Strats cheap. Then we went downhill and now we’re starting finally get back to those standards. You could buy a custom made Leo Fender Music Man Stingray guitar in 1978 for $800
Yeah that’s $3,823.47 in 2023
What a fascinating conversation! Thanks, Max!
This is a satisfying follow-up to the AIO tour you did.
I remember the harley bentons of mid 2000's, their quality was so bad it was almost criminal to call them an instrument. Nowadays, they are borderline unrivaled in price/performance. Like you mentioned, the manufacturing process has gotten so far in this time.
You're right about the inexpensive guitars being much better these days. I remember back in the 70's and early 80's lots of cheap guitars started flooding in and many were not worth buying regardless of the price. Now, there are many companies producing high quality cheap guitars. I don't know how they can sell them for inexpensive prices when the quality is so good???
I hear you, brother. When I bought my $450 (IIRC) Peavey T-60 to play _hard rock_ and _metal_ on, instead of country, you could feel the laughter (not mine!) a mile away! But that was one of the most dependable, solid, great-sounding instruments I've ever had.
They are able to do it because China subsidizes the manufacturing in the country. It’s really crazy when you look into it. The whole government is a scam. They are going into a hole just to get the industry out of other countries.
Well they can cause theyre manufactured very cheaply in asia. Fender/gibson are overcharging on every single guitar
Beautiful guitar, and you make it sound great! It really is incredible how many quality options there are available in this price range. There are even fantastic options in the $300 to $400 price range, such as the Sire T3 and S3 models. Great video!
He plays really well. You’d think he was in a band or something…..oh wait….🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂
Gotta love those Sire guitars! Great instrument straight up!
Agree, you can get a great playing and sounding guitar that many people can afford for all the reasons you said.
I’ve been playing, buying, selling and trading guitars for more than fifty years and I agree with you that the best guitars are being made right now and are definitely the best bang for the buck.
Not quite as long for me. i agree with respect to elec guitars. But quality’s acoustics get better with age imo
Love your videos, I discovered you when I was thinking about buying a fender gtx50. Thanks for all your work
Thank you! Rock on!
I fell for the hype and bought a gold top LP from AIO., the high E string and B string rested on the first two frets. The strings kept slipping and had been wound around the posts one or two times with no locking procedures. After changing the strings it was still hard to keep in tune. I checked the string posts and they were all loose. I adjusted the intonation and finally had a guitar I could use. I think it came straight from the factory, so much for paying for a superb set up, clearly that didn't happen.
Totally agree. I can't imagine any guitar being built better any than my PRS Standard 24-08 - except for a fancy bookmatched top or other upscale details. With a wealth of reviews to be found on YT, manufacturers have to provide excellent quality to survive these days. Boutique luthiers are up against some tough competition.
I’ve been working in manufacturing for decades. I agree with what you said. One thing I would point out. Very high gain is not a good way to judge sound. Clean and slight breakup is better to tell.
I wouldn't speak to soon...... bringing it back
Max I love your humour although before i go on my iPhone prompted me to accept “hair” as the next word as in I love your hair. So funny. Anyway
You’re spot on WRT c&c machines and QC.
Isn’t it ironic (no im not Alanis Morrisette 🤣😂🤣😂) that an 80s group called The C and C Music Factory could be relevant in the context of your guitar channel ?
I actually like playing to “gonna make you sweat “ or whatever it was called. I think Leo over at Frog Leap should do a heavy metal cover of that.
Peace and as usual cheers from NZ 😎🍻🎸🤘
For so long you've been bringing us so many great videos and equipment. I bought a Chender, the red one YEARS ago because I saw it here. I did the same thing you did and used it for a mod platform. So many changes I made, and got it absolutely perfect for me. So good, someone stole it. 🤬. Is there any way you could find the seller we bought them from Max? I need to heal my broken heart. 😢. Thanks for the years of work man. It really has been appreciated by so many of us.
ROCK ON MAX🤘
Nice guitar!
You're not wrong. I am continually amazed at how good these new inexpensive guitars really are. I think part of it is that China has shifted some of their focus from making good counterfeit guitars over to making their own legitimate versions of the popular guitars we all love. Either way, I'm not complaining.
My les paul is 10 years old. Not a great year for Gibson but it has had some upgrades and it’s just been perfect
Holy cow that thing sounds totally awesome direct through that ir 200
I agree with all that you have said (including the comments). So now is the time for commercial manufacturers to start designing guitar bodies that are not just a rehash of the same o' same mo'... that's been around a 100 years. In order to really get a different look with electric guitar bodies these days, you have to get a custom designed guitar which costs thousands of dollars..i.e. Rick Toon. Manufacturers should start changing the course of their designs, so that new people and seasoned musicians, will be drawn to wanting to play the guitar that has a new and fresh design sensibility, at an affordable price.
Totally agree with you when you say the better the guitar plays the better you get as a player and the easyer Is learning...there are so many good great guitars out there now on the 500/700 bucks range that for that money you can get a real pro instrument when 25/30 years ago that was guaranteed only by the most famous brands(Gibson,Fender,Jackson,Charvel and so on) that now skyrocketed their prices for no apparent reason... Cheers from Italy as always... you' re always interesting to Watch and listen to...ROCK ON GUITAR MAX🍻🍻🍻🤟🤟🤟💪💪💪👍👍👍🎸🎸🎸
It's gorgeous....And I have too agree as to what your saying....
I put 2 velvet hammer pups on my mex made strat along with a tele neck and it sounds great. Plays like a dream. The only pedals I use are my Marshall Blues Breaker and Marshall Drive master along with a hush pedal to quell the noise. I run it through my Marshall DSL 100 and my fender 4×12 cab outfitted with 2 EV 12 L classic speakers. Love this rig. ( yes I only have 2 speakers in my 4×12 cab.)
You nailed it buddy! I got my first guitar in 1965. In the 1970s you could not purchase a guitar for $500 that was worth playing. Now you can buy brand new guitars for $100 that are amazing instruments. I, too, am happy to have lived through the revolution and I am more excited about guitars and guitar playing than ever. Keep up the great work! Your playing is always amazing and your views mean a lot. I very much appreciate what you do and how consistently you do it -- both as a player and a program host.
You could absolutely buy a great guitar for $500 in the 1970s. Why would you make something like that up?
Sharp looking color. edit I hadn't even made it to the ebony fretboard on a strat part. Sold!
That was bang on mate well said, I found a similar thing with Chinese built motorcycles, better build quality and less set up needed.
The other fantastic corollary to the guitar revolution is you can buy a dirt cheap guitar as an upgrade platform and it will play well out of the box. It might not stay in tune all that well and will have crappy pickups that sound crap but as a framework for upgrades it's a solid platform.
One of my favourite more recent acquisitions has been 65gbp Harley Benton Strat in candy apple red. Body is basswood and the neck is maple with a rosewood fingerboard.
I've fitted the lace sensor rainbow pack pickups in it, Tusq Nut and String trees, Ratio locking tuners and Vega trem on it.
It plays like a Strat Ultra from back in the day. Sounds amazing too. Absolutely rock solid tuning stability.
Now granted it's a bit of a ship of Theseus type of deal but the skeleton of the guitar had to be solid to accomplish this.
We live in amazing times as modern guitarists.
To contrast this my first halfway decent Strat back in the 80s was a Ninja Nighthawk and it was rubbish. Plywood body and The worst locking trem setup ever committed to any guitar ever.
Luv and Peace.
Yep - couldn't agree with you more!
It's a great time to be alive and playing music. Almost all gear, including guitars, speakers, amps (particularly class D amps), effects (modelers), recording equipment, digital editing, and just about everything else has become so affordable and good and reliable. The barriers that used to hold folks back are gone. Everyone has access to the tools to make beautiful sounds for not very much money. It's all on the musician now to be the show and a show worth listening to! That's great. We all need to step up and create beautiful music.
I think the revolution may have began a little sooner than 15 years ago, at least as far as the Squier stuff is concerned. I have a 2007 Squier Vintage Modified 70s Jazz Bass I bought new for about $475? from Guitar Center in 2007. It's got the Duncan Design pickups, and would still be a quality gigable bass without them. A few years ago I rescued an older Korean Squier P Bass from the 90s that had been left for years in a friend's garage. It was a pretty good instrument and I giged with it one night just to make a point. I do agree though that this is an amazing time. I just bought a couple Glary instruments for my kids for Christmas. They will need a little work and a setup, but I think that really just makes your point in a way. Some of the human ellements that are lacking in an inexpensive instrument fall under the catagory of "I can do that myself". Great video!
Now that I think about it, that Jazz bass was probably about $375 back in 2007. Just trying to go from memory, sorry.
That end little jam on the intro was awesome
I bought this guitar and can't believe the quality for the price. The setup was better than some of my 1-3K guitars. My only complaint is the saddle screws are pretty rough and scratch the side of my hand when palm muting. Thanks for the review.
That guitar looks & sounds great!
agree 1000% on base line being constantly raised. harley benton is killing it. i got my daughter a squire bass 2 years ago and holy hell thats the best 300 dollar bass ive ever played. i then got a chinese knock off fender 6 string bass (fender doesn't really make 6 strings) and dude holy hell its great. i used to play spector and warwick and these basses DO NOT live up to those higher end basses but the amount of value for your dollar is HUGE
Someone with his talent can make any guitar sound great, just my opinion .
Its in the hands but nowdays there are lots of good guitars for a cheap price
@@the.communist people who say this kind of stuff have probably never tried to learn on something that can't stay in tune
For those of you were thinking about buying the Boss IR 200 it’s pretty awesome 128 sounds that are in there are incredible but I want some others and they just don’t have those. They have some pie ones but I want like a Friedman and Soldano all kinds of things like that don’t shy away from buying. I’m pretty sureMax will help us out and make a video.
Yes in the 80's and 90's a 250 guitar was usually crap. Not today. I got a decent, tube amp for 250 and set up with effects pedals sounds awesome
I’ve purchased five guitars (so far) from AIO. Setup is always spot on even after being shipped from California to Alabama.
I have a couple of sub 100 dollar guitars I admit I have thrown about 60 bucks worth of hardware at. One of them is my go-to Strat every time. Plays great, sounds great. Unheatd of when I was starting out...
I would argue that there is ONE company...that has pushed the level of quality to its current place MORE than other company...
Harley Benton...😊
Totally agree, I own 6 Harley Benton guitars including an SC550-II (Les Paul copy) that I received 2-days ago. It’s an unbelievable guitar with fantastic spec including modern weight relief 7.8lbs, AAAA maple veneer top, stainless steel frets, Kluson tuners etc. all for £288. I also own Suhr and some other high end custom built guitars too, costing 10 times more but definitely not 10 times better than the Harley Benton’s, which are not that far off. I modded a Harley Benton Fusion Pro, their version of the Suhr Pete Thorn signature standard to Suhr spec with the addition of Thornbuckers and a Wilkinson WVS130-2P bridge, refinished the headstock and neck to my preferred finish of a blend of gunstock oil and wax (Music Man’s standard neck finish). This Fusion Pro is easily as good as my other Suhr’s now and cost £800 in total as opposed to the ‘eye watering’ £4000 retail price tag of the Suhr Pete Thorn Standard.
Things will always advance and get better and better. We have heard this before.
Sure they can get better!!! You had one with a 'Rocket Launcher!'. You're the Tesla of guitar innovation Max. 😁😎👍🎸. I do agree, for me it's about time the U.S. companies admit this : The smaller companies are listening to their customers and giving them decent gear at realistic pricing. I always enjoy your input on gear and trends. Thanks, Max \m/
I remember that video. Classic hey bro !!!
Ace Frehley did that decades ago.
@@southboundguitar and i saw that at VFL Park, Glen Waverley (outer Melbourne, Oz suburb) in 1977 when i was 14.
i just turned 60. Kiss is scheduled for December here in NZ where i now live.
I think you are right. I bought a Kramer 30 years ago , It was absolutely horrible. It was a 400 dollar guitar. As you said , in manufacturing , the time it use to take to go from step A to step D before any refinement , lets say , a body , a neck , a wired pickguard , bridge and nut and tuners. Before paint , before fret work , before truss rod adjustment and setting strings. Might have taken a few days. Then steps E to H was the setup of the rest , and well , companies are trying to make money , so the end of the production takes the hit on the clock. Its about getting it out to sell it. So on day 4 that thing needs to be leaving in a box to someone for 500 bucks to make money off it. Now , Steps A to D are done in a matter of hours. Alot of the pickguards for certain models are already done and setting in a bin. SO at the end of day one , you already have a painted body , pickguard done and neck frets polished and set. So you start day two with the details. More time is spent on those things from day two to day 4. So at the end of day 4 , what you have coming out of the factory is considerably more refined for that same 500 bucks and moreover , the reputation goes up and the work even gets better over time because the company is going to make more money. Harley Benton is a big case for this. I am amazed at the 25th anniversary edition stuff. I mean , WOW they are just ridiculous for the price. If you spent anything past 500 bucks , its just a name , or an artist model at this point. The PIA is a damn nice guitar , but for almost 4 grand? Na , its not that nice.
I do agree with you that great guitars dont have to break the bank . Find one you like then set it up to fit your needs.
I have a USA Charvel San Dimas, I/200 in its particular color. I also have a $179 Tagima S-type that I dropped $100 for a setup on and the the Tagima sits on its own stand by my desk and the Charvel has migrated form the rack to its case in the corner.
One of the reasons is the neck.
Charvel neck is fantastic. The Tagima is even better. It is pretty close to an early 60s fender baseball bat neck. That is a perfect profile for my hands and style.
Without C&C and computers and 3d scanning Tagima would't be able to make that guitar at that price.
That's because you really don't have a Charvel..
yeah thats true! i wish i had that kind of accessibility when i started playing with my (kinda) bad 1st guitar. although that one taught me how to spot a bad one, in this day and age with the internet/reviews, the possibility of getting a bad instrument decreases significantly. thats what happened for me, when i wanted to buy a les paul, a dream of mine. bought an encore from an online shop. i was the worst. so then i found harley benton. a company i would highly recommend to anyone starting all already playing years!! (just for reference my first guitar is a floyd rose J&D)
Pickups can be made through machines that control to the wiring wrapping and magnet strength based on whatever pickup they want to simulate.
Love that orangish yellow finish... also really like the nickel hardware, it will tarnish really nice and have a classic look/feel as it ages.
I usually judge on the clean sounds first, so far so good!
Love that color!
i just tuned in after a while your play is sounding polished nice guitar too.