If you're looking to Transform your playing, why not check out Guitar Evolution, where you can join me for weekly zoom sessions! www.markfeaguitar.com/guitar-evolution
I totally agree. My channel deals the Budget Guitar arena, and I have done videos on and own Jets, Fazleys, Gear4music, etc....and I find a £150 guitar will do the job i need it to do, without shelling out just to have a "name" on the headstock. All of my Budget Guitars have lasted and they are all i use for gigs, on the channel etc....I just expect them to play and not be broken.
@BudgetGuitarShow yeah, same! They may not all be loaded with vibe and character but all the cheapies I've owned and played have been robust enough. I love the fact that you can get good quality replacement electronic parts for not too much outlay in comparison to high end guitars - sure a new set of pickups may be the same price as a Jet. But then you have quality internals and tone, still for a fraction of the price of some Fenders and Gibsons for example! Insane value really!
I've just bough a 2nd hand Squire for £70. Been used twice, according to the girl. It still had it's plastic rapping on the pickguard. It's been fantastic.
what a bargain - I used a Squier Bullet HSS as my main teaching guitar for 4 years in Spain... that guitar was mental and like 140 euros new! Nice one Mark - enjoy the Squier!
I'm in total agreement, I've been playing 30+ years, own some high ender's and cheap slappers, and in today's budget market the quality of guitar you can get compared to 20 years ago, is insane. Just recently brought a Levenson sceptre (telecaster) roasted neck, stainless steel frets, bill Laurence pickups and Wilkinson hardware at $650 Australian, and I recently tested a jet jl500 as a Les Paul alternative, and I was blown away how solid it was👍great rant man.
many of my fondest guitar memories are using a cheap electric guitar. i learned on acoustic like many do. parents got me a cheap electric that was supposed to look like page's les paul. it definitely was not nor sounded like it, but it had it's own crunchiness that i absolutely loved, and reminded me of jack white being fond of his own cheap guitar and i had a blast. have definitely owned better, but still had a great time with cheap ones.
I bought a used, barely used Jet JS300 last srping. I have owned about a dozen Strats, USA, Mexi, Japanese, and a few other Strat types. This thing punches way above its weight. Perfect guitar to upgrade the pickups to some Texas Specials, or a David Glimore set. Which means I may buy another one!
Very relevant video, thanks. I bought a Jet Tele online. Took it to a local guy who does guitar setups. Unfortunately there was a couple of raised frets north of the 12th fret, so a partial fret dress was needed. Although I grumbled a little to him about the guitar and seemingly a lack of quality control I did feel somewhat better when he told me he had carried out many similar jobs in the past for people who had spent upwards of £1000 on their instruments. In fact he was most complimentary about the guitar and thought it was a steal at its RRP.
@johnbooth1556 sometimes stuff happens eh - like I said in the video about cars but yes, absolutely fab value really and of course they have to travel halfway around the world and go through lord knows what to arrive at a store! Anyway, hope you're enjoying it now!
Great video and well said. I bought a JT300 and JS300 for £170 each, I’ve had the JT setup and it plays great, the JS is a very playable Strat out of the box. Daphne blue and Seafoam green both look amazing. I doubt I’ll ever sell these two, they are both great gigging guitars, for those rougher venues!
Hey! Don't know if you saw my JT300s comparison video a couple of weeks ago but I nearly bought the Daphne Blue one! And I bought my daughter the Seafoam green JS 300 LOL... Such great guitars eh! Thanks for watching my friend! Enjoy your Jets!
I'm in my 60s and have been playing for 50 years. When I was young cheap guitars were absolute crap. These days I can find guitars in the $500 range that are fantastic. A few years ago I saw a Squier FSR Telecaster for $120 at my local music store, liked the way it looked (surf green) and was shocked by it's playability. Took it home, changed the strings, treated the neck, dressed the frets, put a Graphtech nut and Wilkinson tuners on it and it is a great guitar for just putting an extra $40 in to it. I wouldn't say it rivals my more expensive guitars, but it is fun to play and totally useable.
How lucky are we now that these cheapies are so good! Problem now is, like someone commented in here, it's too easy to buy more! 🤣🤣 Thanks for the comment, good to hear from you!
The problem is I have too many and I keep buying more :D I think in the last 5 to 10 years diminishing returns on guitars has become so noticeable due to the great quality affordable guitars and basses!
As far as being playable but not having all the features goes,, I've got a harley benton that came with stainless steel frets, push pull coil splitting, graphite nut and Wilkinson trem for £250.
Been a huge fan of Donner for quite some time. Sub 200 USD all day. Do I love the major name brands? Absolutely, but I highly encourage looking into the cheaper brands and selections. IYV has some nice options as well with some spiffier finishes. Nothing wrong with these instruments. 30+ years in music. Great video. Thank you. 🤘🎶🙏🎶🤘
Nice one - thanks for sharing those - I didn't make a list in the video because there are so many brands that just aren't around in some parts of the world!! Cheers for the comment!
I often see the snobs claiming that EVERYTHING on a high-priced instrument is noticeably better than on, for example, a Made in Mexico telecaster - let alone a guitar from a factory in China. What those people fail to understand is that almost everyone now has access to all of the parts used on those high-priced instruments. One example which springs to mind is Gotoh hardware, which Fender has used for decades on their MIA instruments. If you asked those cork-sniffers to guess the cost of the bridge and tuners on a MIA Telecaster, I know from experience that they will vastly overestimate the price. The fact is that a Gotoh Tele bridge and tuners will set you back only around $100 in total, delivered to your door. Upgrading to top-shelf electronics will set you back around $40. What about pickups? A set from Tonerider will cost around $70. Yes, I've used Dahlerrrs for the above, but that's the currency with which I'm most familiar when feeding my GAS.
@anthonystark5412 absolutely agree - as you say, aftermarket pups can be THE game changer and everyone seems to be saying it's them, not the tonewood that makes the difference, so yeah - start with a nice core product and make it amazing for not a lot more!!
Totally agree well said Mark, I'd be all night listing the guitars I've had over my 60 years of attempting to get a tune out of them, and none over £300, I have just sold a modded Chibson les Paul and for the money and my playing ability it was a bargain.
Yeah - you can do a lot with not much money these days! I had plenty of cheapies in my time - it's more about playing them and having fun doing what they were made to do, eh!
Harley Benton have top quality guitars with coil spitting, licensed bridges and tremolos, binding, nice paint jobs, locking tuners and decent pickups for under £260. Right now, more than ever, it's a matter of 'name' rather than quality and value for money.
I keep hearing good things about them, as there have been a few people I follow on YT that have reviewed them, like their LP and Tele models... in fact a couple of my old students built some guitars from their kits and my son built a Vee they had as a kit too! I think the world is changin in regard to what people buy and what name it is - whether a guitar or even cars now... value for money is king!
I honestly prefer cheap guitars these days. I’m not really a fussy player when it comes to feel, and I love modifying guitars. So cheap guitars are perfect for me in that sense!
@jl3059 I know right! I think margins are tight through the whole chain from production to sales, so it's amazing really that we have such playable and great sounding guitars for like the price of a family meal at a restaurant!!
The point is it doesn’t matter what you play so long as it suits you A named guitar may not be what you like and that’s okay they are t always superbly made
@johnboyce1916 indeed- good point! I think many people forget that a guitar has so many subtle elements - especially in the neck profile and weight etc and so you have to try them! Cheers for commenting, Mark
Good rant. Thing is, in 2024 you're going to get a much better instrument NEW for $150 shipped off of Amazon than the secondhand used offbrand c-grade POS that I got from a music store in 1984 for *double* that price. "just sayin"
If you're looking to Transform your playing, why not check out Guitar Evolution, where you can join me for weekly zoom sessions!
www.markfeaguitar.com/guitar-evolution
I totally agree. My channel deals the Budget Guitar arena, and I have done videos on and own Jets, Fazleys, Gear4music, etc....and I find a £150 guitar will do the job i need it to do, without shelling out just to have a "name" on the headstock. All of my Budget Guitars have lasted and they are all i use for gigs, on the channel etc....I just expect them to play and not be broken.
@BudgetGuitarShow yeah, same! They may not all be loaded with vibe and character but all the cheapies I've owned and played have been robust enough. I love the fact that you can get good quality replacement electronic parts for not too much outlay in comparison to high end guitars - sure a new set of pickups may be the same price as a Jet. But then you have quality internals and tone, still for a fraction of the price of some Fenders and Gibsons for example! Insane value really!
The biggest problem with cheap guitars is that I'm able to buy too many of them.
Indeed!! That is a SERIOUS problem many of us are suffering from!! 🤣🤣
Very interesting and helpful video ! Thanks Mark.
New subscriber.
@Chimp_No_1 nice one!! Thanks so much - would love to know what level you're playing is at if you don't mind me asking!
@ Hi Mark - I would say that I’m intermediate in theory and below that with Rhythm playing. 😛
@@Chimp_No_1 Well, theory is useful but not the be-all people say - and rhythm is a serious business!
I've just bough a 2nd hand Squire for £70. Been used twice, according to the girl. It still had it's plastic rapping on the pickguard. It's been fantastic.
what a bargain - I used a Squier Bullet HSS as my main teaching guitar for 4 years in Spain... that guitar was mental and like 140 euros new! Nice one Mark - enjoy the Squier!
Nice score!
I'm in total agreement, I've been playing 30+ years, own some high ender's and cheap slappers, and in today's budget market the quality of guitar you can get compared to 20 years ago, is insane. Just recently brought a Levenson sceptre (telecaster) roasted neck, stainless steel frets, bill Laurence pickups and Wilkinson hardware at $650 Australian, and I recently tested a jet jl500 as a Les Paul alternative, and I was blown away how solid it was👍great rant man.
Nice one!! Thanks for commenting dude! hope you're enjoying those guitars!
many of my fondest guitar memories are using a cheap electric guitar. i learned on acoustic like many do. parents got me a cheap electric that was supposed to look like page's les paul. it definitely was not nor sounded like it, but it had it's own crunchiness that i absolutely loved, and reminded me of jack white being fond of his own cheap guitar and i had a blast. have definitely owned better, but still had a great time with cheap ones.
ah that's cool - most of us have shared the same path I guess! Thanks for the comment!
I bought a used, barely used Jet JS300 last srping. I have owned about a dozen Strats, USA, Mexi, Japanese, and a few other Strat types. This thing punches way above its weight. Perfect guitar to upgrade the pickups to some Texas Specials, or a David Glimore set. Which means I may buy another one!
Haha. Absolutely nailed it - perfect guitar to upgrade, and as you say, Jet are punching well above their weight ! Cheers for watching! Mark
Very relevant video, thanks. I bought a Jet Tele online. Took it to a local guy who does guitar setups. Unfortunately there was a couple of raised frets north of the 12th fret, so a partial fret dress was needed. Although I grumbled a little to him about the guitar and seemingly a lack of quality control I did feel somewhat better when he told me he had carried out many similar jobs in the past for people who had spent upwards of £1000 on their instruments. In fact he was most complimentary about the guitar and thought it was a steal at its RRP.
@johnbooth1556 sometimes stuff happens eh - like I said in the video about cars but yes, absolutely fab value really and of course they have to travel halfway around the world and go through lord knows what to arrive at a store! Anyway, hope you're enjoying it now!
Great video and well said. I bought a JT300 and JS300 for £170 each, I’ve had the JT setup and it plays great, the JS is a very playable Strat out of the box. Daphne blue and Seafoam green both look amazing. I doubt I’ll ever sell these two, they are both great gigging guitars, for those rougher venues!
Hey! Don't know if you saw my JT300s comparison video a couple of weeks ago but I nearly bought the Daphne Blue one! And I bought my daughter the Seafoam green JS 300 LOL... Such great guitars eh! Thanks for watching my friend! Enjoy your Jets!
I'm in my 60s and have been playing for 50 years. When I was young cheap guitars were absolute crap. These days I can find guitars in the $500 range that are fantastic. A few years ago I saw a Squier FSR Telecaster for $120 at my local music store, liked the way it looked (surf green) and was shocked by it's playability. Took it home, changed the strings, treated the neck, dressed the frets, put a Graphtech nut and Wilkinson tuners on it and it is a great guitar for just putting an extra $40 in to it. I wouldn't say it rivals my more expensive guitars, but it is fun to play and totally useable.
How lucky are we now that these cheapies are so good! Problem now is, like someone commented in here, it's too easy to buy more! 🤣🤣 Thanks for the comment, good to hear from you!
The problem is I have too many and I keep buying more :D I think in the last 5 to 10 years diminishing returns on guitars has become so noticeable due to the great quality affordable guitars and basses!
@@njp2k914 totally agreed!! Thanks for commenting!
Amen!
As far as being playable but not having all the features goes,, I've got a harley benton that came with stainless steel frets, push pull coil splitting, graphite nut and Wilkinson trem for £250.
@@bombercountyblues that's not a bad feature list for the price!
Been a huge fan of Donner for quite some time. Sub 200 USD all day. Do I love the major name brands? Absolutely, but I highly encourage looking into the cheaper brands and selections. IYV has some nice options as well with some spiffier finishes. Nothing wrong with these instruments.
30+ years in music.
Great video. Thank you.
🤘🎶🙏🎶🤘
Nice one - thanks for sharing those - I didn't make a list in the video because there are so many brands that just aren't around in some parts of the world!! Cheers for the comment!
Thought you were going to diss the guitar. Good perspective!
Wise words my man
haha thanks dude!
For £150 it should really have Seymour duncan pickups, Schaller strap locks & a platinum fretboard...😂😂
Great video Mark,
I'm with you on this.
hahah - yes it should!! And a flame maple 10 top, don't forget 🤣🤣 Love it!
I often see the snobs claiming that EVERYTHING on a high-priced instrument is noticeably better than on, for example, a Made in Mexico telecaster - let alone a guitar from a factory in China.
What those people fail to understand is that almost everyone now has access to all of the parts used on those high-priced instruments. One example which springs to mind is Gotoh hardware, which Fender has used for decades on their MIA instruments. If you asked those cork-sniffers to guess the cost of the bridge and tuners on a MIA Telecaster, I know from experience that they will vastly overestimate the price.
The fact is that a Gotoh Tele bridge and tuners will set you back only around $100 in total, delivered to your door.
Upgrading to top-shelf electronics will set you back around $40.
What about pickups? A set from Tonerider will cost around $70.
Yes, I've used Dahlerrrs for the above, but that's the currency with which I'm most familiar when feeding my GAS.
@anthonystark5412 absolutely agree - as you say, aftermarket pups can be THE game changer and everyone seems to be saying it's them, not the tonewood that makes the difference, so yeah - start with a nice core product and make it amazing for not a lot more!!
Totally agree well said Mark, I'd be all night listing the guitars I've had over my 60 years of attempting to get a tune out of them, and none over £300, I have just sold a modded Chibson les Paul and for the money and my playing ability it was a bargain.
Yeah - you can do a lot with not much money these days! I had plenty of cheapies in my time - it's more about playing them and having fun doing what they were made to do, eh!
Harley Benton have top quality guitars with coil spitting, licensed bridges and tremolos, binding, nice paint jobs, locking tuners and decent pickups for under £260.
Right now, more than ever, it's a matter of 'name' rather than quality and value for money.
I keep hearing good things about them, as there have been a few people I follow on YT that have reviewed them, like their LP and Tele models... in fact a couple of my old students built some guitars from their kits and my son built a Vee they had as a kit too! I think the world is changin in regard to what people buy and what name it is - whether a guitar or even cars now... value for money is king!
Hear Hear! 😎👍
Awww look at how cute your Little Boy Blue guitar is 🤣
haha - I love it. I was gonna buy the daphne blue or sonic blue Tele I reviewed in another vid, with the rosewood but I'm a sucker for metallic 🤣
I honestly prefer cheap guitars these days. I’m not really a fussy player when it comes to feel, and I love modifying guitars. So cheap guitars are perfect for me in that sense!
Yeah - you daon't have to feel guilty about ripping out the pickups like it was a PRS or Murphy LP LOL!
Once we got cnc machining that helped a lot. Cant be making much profit selling these for $200 Canadian
@jl3059 I know right! I think margins are tight through the whole chain from production to sales, so it's amazing really that we have such playable and great sounding guitars for like the price of a family meal at a restaurant!!
The point is it doesn’t matter what you play so long as it suits you
A named guitar may not be what you like and that’s okay they are t always superbly made
@johnboyce1916 indeed- good point! I think many people forget that a guitar has so many subtle elements - especially in the neck profile and weight etc and so you have to try them! Cheers for commenting, Mark
@ absolutely agree with you Mark
Good rant.
Thing is, in 2024 you're going to get a much better instrument NEW for $150 shipped off of Amazon than the secondhand used offbrand c-grade POS that I got from a music store in 1984 for *double* that price.
"just sayin"
Absolutely! Value for money and quality these days is truly bonkers!
I am firmly in the cheap seats - it's what my talent demands lol.
@@johnnorth9355 awww lol
What can you expect with a cheap guitar? Ooh, ooh, I know! More money to pay your bills!
LOL - yeah probably!
I bought a £75 (brand new) Glarry P bass. New set of strings, and it's great. £75!!!
hahah - wow!! 75 quid!! That's BONKERS!!