the 2020 lineups of squier and epiphone are incredible, I've been looking to pick up my first electric guitar and I've got my eyes on the new firebird. if i wasn't unemployed I'd snatch it in a heart beat
You should really make an econo vs real deal guitar test. Everyone and there mother has done an epiphone vs les Paul. But say a kirk Hammett sig esp vs Ltd. Or an Ibanez jem vs jem jr...something like that
Plenty of the brands listed all made by Cort. Not the fanciest name on the headstock but that makes Cort worth a serious look before I spend my hard earned cash I reckon.
I have two Godin guitars, a Progression and a Summit. These are in a higher price range but the time they take on the setup (frets, etc.) at every price point shows. Incredible North American made instruments.
Godin are awesome. They have some models with really interesting and unique features also. I played one in a music store a while back and it was probably the best feeling neck I've ever played on. They also own Seagull acoustics- excellent quality moderate priced brand. Both Godin and Seagull are "hidden gems".
@@GreatWhiteLionSnake They aren't import but PRS s2 and Fender American. Even some Gibsons are fantastic under 1000. But hands down best guitar under 1000 is prs s2
The fit and finish, playability, and the inimitable Great Gretsch Tone should have Gretsch near the the TOP of this list. Gretsch Electromatics are used by professionals and are worth much more than the street price. Great guitars that are coincidentally great values that sound different from every guitar on this list.
Well done! I was happy to see my Godin Session HT at #1. I've been raving about this guitar to a lot of players and they all look at me like I"m crazy. The appointments they put on this guitar are not found very often in a sub $1k guitar. Mine played great right out of the box. It's my number one electric. i've been playing for over 45 years and have owned dozens of great guitars, but I'm really happy with this one.
It's funny because your screenshot for Aria guitars was of my Reverb listing! Not only that, but before watching this, I was on the phone with my sales rep talking about inventory on the Aria 714 MKII Fullerton! This was an awesome surprise!
I love the sub $600 ibanez's . They are just solid guitars. The necks are just always smooth. Most that I pick up the action is very flush. I owned about 5 of them.
My G&L Legacy Tribute is equal in every way to my Fender FSR Strat, except resale value! Customer support is here in the U.S., and they’re very helpful! Love G&L!
Makes sense that Godin can build so many beautiful instruments when the tone wood comes right from their backdoor! I have a passion custom and believe everybody should play a very high end Godin to see that they stack up against the biggest brands and have a mojo of their own. I'll often pick up my Godin when searching for inspiration in my playing and the h.d.revoicer along with all their electronics sound soo good ❤️🇨🇦🎸
Small is best when it comes to guitar production. The big brands have too many layers of management preventing them from building top quality guitars at competitive prices. As long as a brand can stay within a relatively small production limit quality tends to be good. But once you start making Gibson/ Fender numbers of guitars it's just too difficult to keep up the Quality Control without charging ridiculously high prices.
They guitars are perfect fit and finish, but they just don't sound right. I am Canadian and am happy to see them well regarded, but something about lasido products that just not my cup of tea. I think mexican Fenders has a big edge here.
@@tdunster2011 That's ass-backward on every single point. Making more things makes it cheaper per thing to make sure they are good, not more expensive. Scaling economies are why we can have cheap and good guitars. Upper management is not some sort of Bugs Bunny that goes around menacing factory staff. As Phil says in the video, Godin is the single largest guitar manufacturer in North America, building more guitars than either Gibson or Fender.
I negotiated a brand new g&l tribute with a gig bag for $300 at a music store that didn't sell a bunch of g&l because they didn't say fender on them. Still one if the best playing and sounding guitars I have ever played.
My favorite is Ibanez. I've never had a bad Ibanez guitar and they can do anything from classic rock to death metal. And they are great modding platforms
I got a great ibanez this year, came out the box just great. perfect for a platform/mod starting point (400$ model). I put in Duncan pickups and its rippin
That's true. With correct pickups and locking tuners, a 400$ guitar is quite cool. But that brings the bill to 650$! I owned 2 and always finished reselling them.
@@fredericadda unless you buy used guitars which for an Ibanez or other similar brand it will be probably 250. And say you buy a 200$ pickup set and some tuners now it's only like 500$.
Stupidity At Its Best I bought a 400$ SA460QM, put 200$ Di Marzio pickups and 100$ locking tuners. It was good-looking and sounded great but then was not that comfortable to play. I put the old pickups and tuners back and sold it for 250$.
Godin is forever underrated. Idk why I don't have one, the guitar shop I took lessons from as a kid had them and I would play one every once and a while and they would be really cool. my opinion of them only increases the more different kinds of guitars i get ot play
New player here...went shopping on FB Marketplace, got a Godin SDXT from 2003/4 with an Peavy amp, branded gigbag, and effects pedal all for $125. When I saw it, I quickly looked it up as I never had heard that name. I ran over grabbed this minty guitar and I think I stole it from this guy! Rich dentist retiring at age 55 and moving to Martha’s Vineyard. Been very happy learning on this piece!
I have an older Radiator from Godin that plays and sounds great. Only negative I have to say about the Radiator, and it's subjective, is the ugly scratch plates they used.
For me, the problem is that a lot of them look kind of weird, and I don't think I'm alone in thinking that. I think a lot of their appeal is their electro-acoustic hybrid guitars, piezo equipped electrics, and hollowbody electrics which are kind of niche and trend north of 1000 usd. I do have a seagull acoustic that was around 600$, and it's not too shabby, even though I use it as a beat around living room guitar.
btw - none of my Godin guitars are in this price class, so I can't really speak to the lower priced class, but I do believe that they care about quality
Yeah, a bit weird that he said they’re all sub $600. Only the regular Sessions are I think, but nevertheless the basic Session is probably one of the best if not the best guitar at this price point (if looking for a strat style guitar of course).
@@arn999 The used market is great. They are generally well kept or not beat up as much because people that have them know their value(quality not $$). I had an old SD LP style guitar that was great. I bought it for 250 CDN later flipped it for a tube amp. Seagull while some think its ugly, becomes the headstock you love. Tuning stability is superb and you can find that guitar very easily when you go to guitar center(because of the head stock).
@@mountainpeakcloud8442 The Mona Lisa of guitars. I had the means to buy the Player but went with a 20+ year old artisan signature.I will not dish Fenders and would be privileged to own one like many many others. I thank all luthiers for their work in giving us musicians a way to express ourselves especially the likes of Masters like Leo, les and Robert.
I liked this video just for the fact that, unlike a majority of TH-camrs, this guy doesn't ramble. He is concise and to the point. I had no idea that Godin was assembled in my backyard. That is always cool to find out.
I'd love to see a shorter list of sub $300 guitars. Cut off all the fat, and give us the 10 or so "No BS, Must Have Guitars Under 300 Bucks" list. When I'm in the mood for something new and decide to pickup a new guitar... most times I get so overwhelmed with the options that I never end up getting anything. I spend a week or 2 weighting all the options and by then the desire for a "cool new toy" just dissipates and I get nothing... I think I did that about 4 or 5 times last year alone...
Squier Affinity Series Stratocaster is the absolute best guitar you can get for under $300. With a few tools and few parts you can turn it into a $600 guitar easily. Squier Affinity Series Stratocaster is the best one though. Don't fall for the cheaper Strats by Squier. They're not as good.
once they get back to full swing after the pandemic issues I swear by the rondo stuff - I have a few sx and agiles that are pretty amazing for the price, especially if they are on sale.
Personally I can offer you 3 "must haves" -Ibanez RG421 (RG's are always versatile, especially the ones that have two humbuckers and a five-way switch) -Jackson Rhoads V (When you wanna rock and look great doing it. Sounds great and looks really good in white) -Squire Affinity Strat, or Tele. (I don't feel I have to say anything here. lol) Ibanez - $299 Jackson- $249 Squire - $250-$280 (Depending on pickup configuration, Strat or Tele, color. Etc) That's just my opinion on must have in the sub $300 range. Especially the Ibanez. Side note; I recently picked up an Affinity Squire Strat from the garbage that a friend sold to me for $25 (He drives the big waste management trucks around and found it). I gave her a setup and it plays absolutely amazing. The six point tremolo really surprised me. I put a set of $3.99 roller string trees from Amazon (I hate string trees in general) and use powdered graphite mixed in a little vaseline, worked it into the nut with an old string and made the tremolo just pivot on the outside two screws by backing out the middle four a little bit. Damn thing surprised me and I'm a hardcore Ibanez guy, but I could not get that Strat to go out of tune. Literally dumped the bar 20 times, gave it every sort of abuse I could and it came back in tune every single time. $10 worth of string trees, Vaseline and powdered graphite and you can actually use the damn tremolo!
I just got a Vintage a couple weeks ago. i got a white double cut LP with a single P90. I paid $350 and i love it almost as much as my actual american Gibson. Great guitar.
so does sterling which is probably why they ranked in the top 5... a note about PRS, i received a Tremonti SE that would not only go out of tune from a simple strum, but the action was so high that it was totally unplayable I had to spend an additional $100 and 2 hours for tuners and a nut along with adjusting the Trem springs and lowering the bridge. this one totally slipped through Maryland QC.
@@davefree11 Thats because that is built at the Cor-Tek factory in Indonesia my friend. Paul switched to Cort from WMIC to pad his wallet. The quality there is not good and they don't go from Indonesia to Maryland, trust me.
@@frankiec2765 good point,cort/cortek actually moved to indonesia from korea to escape labor laws,and because it was cheaper, after they fired their entire korean workforce overnight,resulting in a ton of lawsuits,and calls from prominent guitarists to boycott their product cortaction.wordpress.com/about/
So glad you've included Eastwood, people should really start to notice them. I first got drawn to them by researching on Jack White's guitar and then I found RJ Ronqiillo and his awesome tasty playing on TH-cam. I have to say, I have played a lot of the big brands out there and my friends have PRS es, Fenders and Gibsons which are priced a bit higher than my Eastwood Airline guitar, but there's just something about my map guitar that I wouldn't even exchange for a 59 sunburst.
I LOVE Godin/Seagull. I've owned three now. I've owned 2 Entourage models both the dreadnaught and concert hall. I also bought one of their SWS concert halls. You can feel the craftsmanship in every strum.
I've been looking at a Godin lgx-sa. It's just absurd everything that it has in it. It's jammed to the gills with features from coils splits, MIDI, Piezo, and blends for them all.
I have one...buy it. It's an amazing sounding/playing guitar. I also have a Masterbuilt Stratocaster and the Godin is every bit as good w/o the $8 grand price tag!
I have 3 xtsa godins. I also have many fenders, and gibsons, and prs and others. I play professionally and the xtsa is my main guitar. It does it all. i use the synth on it the most but also the magnetic pickups and the piezo. I highly recommend them
Godin needs to thank Phil- before he started going off about how amazing they are you could get them used for ultra-cheap on Reverb. Now? Notsomuch. I missed a Redline 1 HT EMG in red for $250 on Reverb and I am still kicking myself. That'll never happen again. That being said, it makes me glad in a way that people are understanding the real value of them.
Rather than just the brand, i think the product line matters a lot... My top choices: - Ibanez RGA line - Squier Classic Vibe line - Epiphone Custom (Pro)'s The best deals I made are barely used guitars for half the price, incl. Schecter and PRS SE
Yeah, I have Ibanez RG350MZ with Edge Zero II bridge, and almost 2,5x more expensive ESP LTD 1001H FR with original Floyd Rose. They both sounds good, LTD little bit better (SD pickups), and hold tune barely noticeable better than Ibanez. For me Ibanez is a great value guitar. Edge Zero II bridge have much better control, FR feels sloppy.
Line makes a difference for sure. I have Classic Vibe and Vintage modified and they’re amazing. My VM mustang is every bit as nice as my Japanese KC signature Mustang. Actually, the VM has a Birdseye maple neck and headstock. I got luck with that piece of wood. I’ve got a 1960 tribute plus Epiphone as well. Though well over the $600 mark it’s amazing. It’s constructed more like a vintage Gibson than many newer Gibson’s are. Costs more than an entry level Gibson as well. Those tribute Epiphones are an awesome line as with the Customs.
guilhem loustalot-forest 100% agree! Love my ‘013 Mexican Standard Strat, it’s my all time favorite - and I’ve owned some really nice vintage American ones dating back to 1968. When I bought it, I was actually shopping for an American Standard, but this MIM won me over, it’s the Strat I’ve always dreamed of. I don’t care about prestige, or price, I just want the most Mojo, and this one really delivers it.
Absolutely the right choice for No. 1, Phil. I have had several Godins over the year, and my current favorite is a Session (HSS) in trans cream that I special ordered from Sweetwater. It is one terrific sounding, easy playing, well-made guitar. The maple neck is fantastic and the guitar is resonant and alive. Yes, the quality far exceeds the price. More people should know about them. The other two brands I totally agree with you on: Epiphone (in the $400 to $500 range) and Yamaha. What a great list. Thanks!
Such a pleasant surprise that Godin is so well rated by you. The guitars that impress me in their line are among the electrified acoustics. Say the Godin Multiac Gypsy Jazz 10. But yeah, not in 600$ range :)
Godin guitars are just great. My Seagull (steelstring acoustic line of Godin) I´d buy again with no hesitation. For budget electric guitars I prefer PRS SE, price range 500-1000€ in Europe. Smooth handling and sound, mostly flawless quality, georgeous look (just my opinion) and a great "original" brand taking care of quality. Remembering 30yrs ago, buying a cheap guitar was a guarantee for pain in the a**. No comparison to nowadays, most of todays budget guitars would´ve been bestsellers then just because of quality and handling.
@@roberthuston3200 I´m more into electric guitars nowadays, but if I ever feel the need for another acoustic, besides preferencing Seagull Cole Clark would be a brand I´d definitely check out.
I own an HSS Godin strat, and was equally surprised by the quality. I only bought it over a fender because i am a lefty and mexi strats don’t really come in that configuration. I am glad I made that choice!
I was waiting on you to say Godin but i didnt expect number 1 😮 I love my Godin session. I love the satin finish and the playability. Its in HSS configuration and coil split for the humbucker. All that for under 700$ canadian. I also have a Norman Acoustic and its a beauty. Proud to see a Quebec brand on top of the list
Most of this ranking are guitars that I am unaware of but giving you the thumbs up because the ones I know about are legit rankings. Excellent rundown.
15:16 My 2019 Fender Player MIM Plus Top Strat is the best guitar I've ever owned, period. I've owned mostly Gibsons and other Fender guitars, but Fender simply hit it out of the ballpark with the Player series. Amazing guitars, very much recommended.
I agree, man. I have always played a few different mia telecasters but I recently bought a mint plus top player strat from a buddy who needed the money and the thing is suppppper slick.
Agreed! I own American made guitars by Fender , Gibson and Rickenbacker, and the most satisfying guitars to play are my Mexican 60th anniversary Classic Player and Jimi Hendrix signature Strats . The mim guitars arrived in the UK with such perfect fit n finish . I tuned them up and after some string stretching had perfectly playable guitars straight from the box .
Speaking of Godin....they make the Seagull line of acoustic guitars in Canada. I've played them along side every other brand that Guitar Center offers (regardless of price) and that mop the floor on just about everything else out there. They sound as good as acoustics costing 5 times as much. Best bag for the buck acoustics on the market IMHO.
When I first moved to L.A.(June, 2000) my roommate had 2 Seagulls, gigged and recorded with them, they blew me away. Sounds like they're still the absolute best bang for the buck in acoustics
I stumbled into a used Godin LG around 2000 - been loving them ever since! Amazing build quality for the money. I think the secret is out, but that's great!
I've been playing since 1984. But I still play as much now as ever. I think you are definitely correct but I would add that the old players like me are enjoying the same benefit. I own 6 Epiphone Les Pauls. All 2017 - 2020 I invested a little time and money for Graph Tech nuts and Tonepros Bridges for all of them, costing $70.00 and just a little labor. This is the magic for these guitars. The nut and bridge replaced. Everything else is absolutely good. The Probuckers and new Alnico Classic Plus pickups are very good. So, I can be 100% certain in saying that I have the most expensive of all the Epiphones that only cost me about $700.00 including the nut and bridge replacement and they are just as good in every way as my Gibson Les Pauls. Fit, finish, playability, tuning stability and YES , tone. You are so right. We have it good today with guitars and amplification. Amps are also better AND less expensive.
I've owned a couple of Schecter guitars both around $600 and was very impressed with the quality of those. I also still own a Cort Matt Guitar Murphy Signature guitar which I've had for probably almost 20 years and that is a truly beautiful guitar- probably the prettiest guitar I own.
Godin guitars are awesome. Especially their acoustics (they have several different brands). I don't know how they do it, quality materials, quality build, Canadian/American labour cost.
Nice work Phil. Your list is extensive and with me being Canadian and my first new guitar is a Godin Session I can attest to it being a quality instrument.
Thank you, Phil. I was in the market for a strat type guitar and didn't even consider Godin....so went to my local shop and they brought in a Godin Session HT and a MIM Fender Strat. The playability and the sound on the Godin were far superior, IMO and it was $300 Cdn less! So thanks for the excellent review of the all of the brands and I'm loving my new guitar!
I love my G&L Fallout tribute. I'd put it against any of my higher end guitars. The playability and sound is incredible for something I got on sale for under $400. Very cool list!
Just last week I bought a G&L Tribute ASAT Bluesboy for £350. I was very surprised by how good it is. It sounds fantastic, especially the bridge pickup. But what I didn't expect was for it to feel quite so nice to play. Honestly, I would have expected a guitar that played and sounded like this to be at least £750 or so. I'm incredibly pleased with it.
Any word that comes out of your mouth I believe, Thank you for making all your wonderful videos. You have influence every purchase I have made. Your videos are no joke, they are full with real world information. Thanks @Phillip McKnight
I agree. I’ve followed his advice too and ended up with great purchases after he’s tips: For example: 1/ look at guitars with reduced prices due to the shop carrying too much stock of a particular guitar in the current market and they want to convert excess stock into cash Etc
Awesome list Phil! And I was hoping that Godin hits the number one spot! These guitars are just awesome, flawless and beautiful. Having visited their different plants with Robert Godin, I can definitely say this product is a high-end one with a tiny price tag!
I spent just under $700 for a mint condition PRS SE which I love. Great job as usual, Phil! Lots of quality information. Check out the Harley Benton Dullahan FT-24 available from Thomann for $475 with a headless roasted maple neck. Sweet!
I got my son his first guitar last year, got a Chapman ml1 modern for around $400 and it has swirls in the finish. Other than that it feels and plays pretty good. My old guitar player had a couple Aria Pro guitars and they were pretty nice as well.
I love Aria Pro II guitars. But the man was right, the brand does not sell well in the used market. Which is nice if you want a really well made guitar for low price. But if you want to sell one...
I own a few electric guitars and a couple of acoustics. None of them very expensive. I have an epiphone Les Paul, a Squier Tele, an Ibanez JEM jr. And I recently purchased a Harley Benton Strat. to me the Harley Benton is the best guitar I own. Maybe it would score better and guitars under $300. I had watched several review videos about Harley Benton before I made the purchase I was impressed with what I saw but I still thought I would still have to do some setup when it came in. I was blown away by the fact that the setup was done, the intonation was perfect and I had to tune it up a little more than a half a step and she was right in tune and stayed in tune. The unfinished neck is a feature of always liked in a guitar and there's no fret sprout or any other little minor imperfections that you'd find in a guitar this cheap. I really hate even use the word cheap and I don't understand how anybody can make a guitar for $72 let alone make a profit. I'm very impressed and my next guitar may be a Harley Benton should I decide to buy another. Certainly the best guitar under $300 in my humble the most accurate opinion. LOL P.S. I would have thought Ibanez would have scored a little better than 33. I purchased my Jem Jr about a year ago and I got to say that the quality of the guitar is fantastic for the money. The neck is smooth and straight no flaws and who doesn't like a monkey grip. Anyway just my two cents about Ibanez. I could be a little prejudiced because I'm a huge Steve Vai fan and he sold me on the Jem long time ago...
Did you get one of the "Sub" line? I've heard those had some quality issues. I had the SR50 which actually was priced right at the $600 mark and it was fantastic.
@@TheGuitarPit I was gassing for one of the Valentine models for a while. That's when I decided on the Stingray SR50. They were both double humbucker guitars and I liked the feel better. Based on your testimonial, I'm glad I didn't go with the Valentine. I have been eyeing the J60 for a while. Especially in the blue finish. Those things look quite tasty.
@@ibanezleftyclub You got what you paid for, so not any more trashy than anything else in the price range. I had one of the more mid-range priced Kramer Striker's and it was as good as my Ibanez RG270, which is from the same era and price range. Both came with crappy licensed Floyd Rose's, both had overly hot, uninspiring pickups but were built to shred and could certainly turn into much better instruments with a few choice upgrades.
Very comprehensive list. Of all the guitars I've owned my very favorites are my Daisy Rock electric (and my Martin acoustic). I'm stoked Daisy Rock made your list. It is a great guitar for women: way lighter and smaller, and the neck is more slender. However, when I stand and play, the neck is much heavier than the body - so I attached a 1lb weight to the bottom of the strap to balance it. Which makes me think they are not made for gigging guitarists, per say. But I'm ride or die with my Daisy Rock (I've owned several)! Much prefer it to my Gibson Les Paul- which is heavy AF. The other guitarist in my band plays a Godin btw, so that's good. ;)
I must be lucky since I have the exact Mitchell you put on screen and Ive had zero issues, in fact its my favorite guitar, plays smoother than any other guitar I own or have owned. It does need a pickup upgrade though.
I have a small collection of guitars. One of my best playing is a Godin Richmond Dorchester. It is an "acquired" taste visually, but feature rich. It has a chambered body inspired by by Mosrite Ventures of the 60's, a Graphtech nut, Lace Alumitone pick ups and a rolled neck. Plays great and the electronics offer a wide range of tonality. A hidden gem in my opinion.
@@weaselwhistlington6498 Yea but I tried several made in China Tokais, a Les Paul, an SG and an Explorer, all for around 400/450~€ at my local store, and i always came back to buy them. They played as good as my 1600/1800€ Fender Strat and ESP V lmao. And they're great for recording, nobody could hear this and say "Yeah, that's a sub 600€ chinese guitar"
Solid list! I LOVE that Firefly didn’t make the list. 😂 That has to be one of the most YT hyped products of all time. Fine for a cheap guitar but like most cheap guitars, totally dependent on whether you got a good one and the dodgy quality control you see at that price point means you’re really playing the lotto. Hardluck Kings, too.
I must have lucked out. I traded a Rogue Rocketeer and $40 for a Hardluck Kings Bossman (Les Paul type). I paid $20 for the Rocketeer at a pawn shop. The owner wanted a short scale strat-type with a humbucker for his nephew to learn on. The $40 was because the owner had installed a rolling bridge on the Bossman. And it was set up perfect when I got it, so the other guy did all the hard work. But like all cheaper guitars, it's probably just the luck of the draw.
Word. I have an 80s hamer electric 12-string, 3 switch super Strat switching, black glitter(?) finish. Now I have Parker fly, 73 Sg, real starts, anything BUTT there’s something Immediate when you touch the Hamer = it’s crafted on another level than most other guitars (not counting the Parker/ the Parker feels different than anything though). The neck angle, the electronics, frets body contour, the whole tactile experience. People say they were the original PRS(?) But, yeah, Hamer was putting out such better product than Gibson, Fender, and all those crappy companies local stores were pushing in the 80s. If it wasn’t a hard-tail, I’d string mine as a 6string and use it for my main axe. (Tempted to try a vintage Steve Stevens
Sadly, Peavey hasn’t made a decent instrument since the mid 90s. I feel they had an opportunity to really improve the quality and still keep a decent price point. They went for nothing but true cheap beginner stuff. I really think they hurt their brand.
I'm guessing that is when they went to being made overseas. I had a late 80s/early 90s Reactor(Telecaster) that was made in USA and it was a jewel of a guitar. It had really hot pickups and I could get really good, controlled feedback with it. It was better than getting feedback with my Epiphone Dot.
@@mattbrillhart2922 never had the pleasure of stumbling across one unfortunately, there's Reverb of course but that's only pictures, you don't get to sit down with one and get to know it.
@@Mamo878 Excellent point and very true. Lucky for me I'm a bit shallow and really just like the way a butterscotch Tele looks. It was the cherry on top that the ASAT pickups are a bit more aggressive than a Tele as that suits my playing style more.
@@Mamo878 Except that the pole pieces are adjustable, so if you want that Tele sound, it's just a few wrist turns away. Meanwhile, you have a pro- quality instrument for an affordable price.
@@leftofpunk Sure. I haven't done this myself, as I feel my USA Asat has plenty of Tele twang, but if you want your Asat to sound more like a Fender, (are you certain you want to?!) adjust your pole pieces downwards (using flathead screwdriver as I recall) until you have the desired sound. FYI Darrell Braun Guitar has a video or two comparing Asats and Teles, and he performs this trick in one of them. Good luck and happy playing!
I have an SX Callisto STD. It's honestly one of my best playing guitars. It feels and sounds absolutely AMAZING! Maybe I just got lucky but my SX is my #1 guitar for C Standard tuning.
@Phillip McKnight i own 2 G&L’s a ASAT Tribute tele and a beautiful Ascanti GTS Tribute! Both from Indonesia’s Cort Factory and they both are seriously made very well, play and sound even better, after Leo Sold the Company, he drew up plans for a 24.75” scale Les Paul style guitar with a Strat body thats Binded with a great looking smoke Maple Vanir, the specs on this thing is wicked cool! Thew a set of those roto Grover locking sealed tuner mini’s and made the 3x3 head stock look great, it is about 2/3’s the size of a Ibanez ART120Q from last year, If your not familiar with this guitar G&L made i highly recommend it and the story that comes with it is a good story, i wish Leo had a chance to see it come to life
I respect Rob and what he has done, but I think the mistake he made was creating the 'Pro' range. I've seen Schecters with Evertune bridges at roughly the same price point. I think he lost his way a bit.
I suspect there are great chapman guitars. If I could have a go of one in a shop I would consider buying one . But don’t see many demo models . Certainly wouldn’t dismiss without actually trying one for myself
@@pablo9364 Can I just say that I am not trying to say Chapmans are bad guitars, I am just saying that I think he kind of lost his way some. Originally Chapmans were supposed to be crowd designed guitars that were lets face it, marketed to and priced for enthusiasts. The 'Pro' line to me is a bit of a slap in the face for people who supported his brand when it started. I suspect that is why there has been such a backlash on him.
Matthew Clark your ahead of me I don’t know enough about Chapman guitars as I’ve never seen or played one but I understand your point . I’d love a schecter with a evertune bridge. Maybe one day I’ll get one
Phillip-I generally agree with this list, although I admit I am not familiar with all of them. If anything, I'd rate Squier higher, based on my experience. I bought a Squier Telecaster in 2002 for $350, and I was my go-to guitar for live play right out of the box for years. It was intonated, the frets were all polished and set, and it looked (still looks) great. It's just a pleasure to play, its got the great telecaster sound, and I've never had to do any repairs, despite hauling it around extensively in sometimes sub-optimal conditions. And here's my suggestion if you ever do a bass guitar version of this video: Epiphone makes a violin-type bass guitar that I love. I bought one in 2010 for about $350 from Guitar Center, and just as with the Squier, it's been terrific right out of the box. I've traveled and played live with it numerous times with no problems at all. I've also played Hofner violin basses that were considerably more expensive, but don't sound any better. Plus, in my experience, Hofners are notoriously fragile. I've played a couple in studio settings that had multiple things go wrong, including a pickup going out altogether, to a tuning knob actually detaching from the head!
I'd love a sub $300 video. My favourites here in the UK: Yamaha, Tanglewood, Aria, Vintage, Squier, Crafter, Cort. My "avoids": Keiper, Westfield, Stagg, Peavey, Encore, Eastcost, Wesley ... ... and I've never yet played a cheap Epiphone that wasn't firewood in the shape of a guitar.
I just bought an under 100 euro Harley Benton Acoustic Guitar, In my oppinion it plays better then 200 euro Epiphones And btwFord didn't stop making cars... I guess maybe for the US marked, but for the EU marked they still make cars
I would add the Indio line of guitars from Monoprice are great value for the money. And like some others you mentioned they are setup at the factory and after they are shipped to Monoprice. You probably haven't used or worked on them and that is probably why they are not on your list.
I own a Godin Velocity from 2008, paid 700$ CAD new and it's my best guitar in my collection. Beats my Gibson Les Paul Studio in terms of quality and sound.
I have a sawtooth leftie st. Paid 109 and i have 0 complaints. No free buzz no dead spots holds tune and it's just all around a blast. Honestly love it cause it's a all around workhorse. Not the most exciting but it just works with no issues
I own alot of guitars (18) and my favorite guitar of all time is my grandfather's Silvertone archtop he bought from Searsi n 1968. WOW! I've never played another guitar with the tones this old beast has. Probably because of its age. And because I remember him playing it when I was very young.
Last month I got an Encore Les Paul copy. When the guy at the shop showed me the back of the headstock and I saw "JHS" & "Trevor Wilkinson" I was all in. Basically a student guitar but plays better than all of the LPs I've played except for one....at a student guitar price. All it needs are better p'ups.
I'll vouch for Rondo/Agile. I have played cheaper Ibanez and Jackson guitars, plenty of mid-range Schecters, and a few mid to high range Agiles and you definitely get a lot of features for the money. You can pick up a fanned-fret 7-string Agile for around $400-500. The closest comparable Schecter is probably the Reaper MS for $950. Regarding G&L and not selling b-stock---IDK. My two favorite guitars were b-stock. I got a $1400 Apocalypse for well under a grand, and I saved on my Agile, too. IMO that makes me enjoy those guitars even more because I "can't believe I got this for $xxx!" B-stock doesn't automatically mean bad. I'm going to scratch it, they travel, I have kids, it's inevitable. If it comes lightly pre-scratched that's less stress for me and a few $$ saved, too.
Harley Benton is on the list lumped in with guitar fetish/slick and another brand, but you likely mised it because he was referring to them as Thomann guitars and also because they missed the top 3. Or top 5. Or top 10. I have 2 Harley Bentons. If I made a list based only on the double cut Junior TV I own, it would be, Harley Benton #1,Squier#2 ( I own a Classic Vibes 52 Tele), Fender Mexico #3, then the rest would fight it out. But I also own a Harley Benton RB6/12 12 string "Chickenbacker". Gets great reviews, looks good, but it came with cheapo tiny pots and I had to route out the cavity just to get them in. Also, I could not get the low E string pair to resolve themselves tuning wise even unfretted until I replaced the bridge with a newly designed new real Rickenbacker 12 string individual saddle bridge which nearly doubled the cost of the guitar,(but a properly intonated electric 12 is rarer than rare but a stunningly great sound ). The thing is, while I am tickled at the playabilty looks and value of the double cut, my electric 12 from them drops them at least out of the top 5 here, maybe further. Oh, also, the Slick guitar I own gets high ratings for: tremolo system with brass huge tone block and brass saddles, the bronze tuning keys,the pickups, and the fretwork. But the hyped "solid swamp ash " body is a veneer obscured virtual butchers block of laminated swamp mudded undetermined tree or something that had what looked like tree bark glued in the pickup routing to hide a hole through to the tremolo cavity in the thin piece of veneer that had been inserted into a slot in the center of the body. Solid swamp ash huh? Multi laminated swamp ass is more like it. An absolute crying shame dropping it out of my top 5 down to out of the list of all guitar makers of good reputation into the I think I just got took category with all the other crapola including Esteban. Think I am unfair Mr Slick, (whos playing and attitude I just love) or mr. Guitar Fetish? Send me a swamp ash body, unpainted and les than oh, 5 pieces and I'll stop exposing your embarassing deception of the public.
I have a Fusion ll top of the line with roasted maple neck, stainless frets, etc,etc. Great guitar. It's my main gigging guitar and I have many expensive guitars, fender, gibson, and others. It's very versatile and I don't have to bring more than 2 guitars to a gig.
@@rickroberts9182 The way I look at the HB Fusion and the HB line as a whole is they might not be "perfect" when you first get them but they have some of the best bones to work-start with and you'll end up with outstanding guitar for at least half if not three quarters of price of a "name brand" guitar. Roughly $420 usd shipped add a nice set of locking tuners some Duncan or Dimarzio pups and a little feet polishing and your still under $800 bucks, you can't beat that any day of the week!
@@jdj62464 this guitar came with staggered locking tuners, 24 polished and leveled stainless frets, HSH pickups with coil tap and a really stable bridge that I set to float. All I had to do was set the action where I like it, fine tune the intonation and I installed a toggle to include the bridge pickup with position 4 and 5. Really, this guitar is a killer value. It's a close copy of a Suhr and my only criticism is the pickups are a bit weak but a set of SD's would remedy that. I'm looking into that.
i bought one from GC, it would not even play, junk, GC agreed after a look over and play, dead spots on neck that wouldn't even play a note. They took it back and ordered me another one. This one played but was still a horrible dissapointment, very muddy pick-ups, bent neck, sharp frets, couldn't be set up,, GC said oh well, what do you want for 400$. piece of junk, ibeenhad guitars
+1 I have an S521, and it played nearly perfectly right out of the store. Of course, being a fiddler, I set the action lower, replaced the stock pickups with Dimarzio EJ Customs, and added a treble bleed. Now it plays perfectly - halfway between bright Strat and dark humbucker. And it's the lightest guitar I own.
The super strat style that Phillip shows is the session which i've had (amazing), but i strongly suggest you to try the progression plus. With a JB junior pickup on the bridge and higher end overall finish I think that's the ULTMATE super strat. I own one and its definitely a keeper
That'll teach ya... You were 'Rob'd'... I've never despised a brand more, but owning a guitar is so personal, I would never REALLY knock someone's choice. I f you love your guitar, you'll keep it for life, so whatever some lil' UK douchebag like me says should'nt mean a thing. I'm a big fan of LTD and Sterling at this price point and was glad to see them do well, reckon Chapman will do better at a higher price point (living near Andertons, I've played many) and I'll be honest, I get what they are and appreciate it. Will have to admit to you that if they had nothing to do with Rob Chapman I might start liking them... So nothing at all objective man! I just couldnt own a guitar that had his name on the headstock. Just couldnt do it. It might be my loss, but I can live with it. Anyway all the best to you and your playing, and good health to you and yours/
My MIM Strat had couple of pickguard screws crooked, few spots of finish on frets that I had to polish out, and not so great setup - playable but not even close to my preferences. And to make it perfect I need to get shim, because saddles won't go lower. It is still good value, especially alnico pickups with that exact strat sound I love, fret job was great, parts are good and so on. But it could be better.
@@gotguts5423 MIM Strats don't really cost much considering all their features. And it is not that easy to spot crooked screw and setup limits while on first glance guitar looks fine and plays ok.
Squier Affinity Series Stratocaster is the absolute best guitar you can get for under $300 and with a few parts you can make it a $600+ guitar easily. Here's the steps and you'll need a soldering gun. 1) Change out the tuning machines with Grovers 2) Sand down the edges of frets if needed 3) Replace the SSS pickguard with a prewired HSS, HH or HSH(Ammoon from Amazon is $33 and high quality) 4) Adjust the bridge height 5) Restring with quality strings(I always use Fender brand)
On a fairly regular basis, Musicians Friend's Stupid Deal of the Day will post a Gretsch for $399 or less. I have been tempted! Never had a Gretsch but they seem to be universally popular.
I'm sending this video to everyone who asks me what guitar should they get while on a budget! The most comprehensive list I've seen so far.
Love your new song from the studio!
the 2020 lineups of squier and epiphone are incredible, I've been looking to pick up my first electric guitar and I've got my eyes on the new firebird. if i wasn't unemployed I'd snatch it in a heart beat
You should really make an econo vs real deal guitar test. Everyone and there mother has done an epiphone vs les Paul. But say a kirk Hammett sig esp vs Ltd. Or an Ibanez jem vs jem jr...something like that
Esp ltd kills them all. My local guitar dealer admitted it and doesn't even have any... yet
@@landonbailey esp ltd h-1001 with SD Pegasus / Sentient pickups. Neck through solid mahogany, best headstock for metalheads...
44. Tregan
43. STAGG
42. Peavey
41. Sawtooth
40. Mitchell
39. Austin
38. Silvertone
37. Jay Turser
36. Hamer
35. Chapman
34. Aria Pro
33. Ibanez
32. Washburn
31. Daisey Rock
30. Dean
29. Glarry
28. Gretch
27. Vintage
26. Hagstrum
25. Traveler
24. Vox
23. Jackson
22. EVH
21. Schecter
20. Michael Kelly
19. Supro
18. Tagima
17. Kramer
16. SX/Agile/Hadean
15. Harley Benton
14. Xaiere/Slick
13. Guild
12. Cort
11. Eastwood
10. Yamaha
9. LTD
8. PRS SE
7. Squier
6. Epiphone
5. Danelectro
4. Sterling
3. Fender
2. G&L Tribute
1. Godin
This is what the kids call a “spoiler alert” No Surprise ending lol
Why do you do this to him?
You suck
Plenty of the brands listed all made by Cort. Not the fanciest name on the headstock but that makes Cort worth a serious look before I spend my hard earned cash I reckon.
Thanks Bro.
I have two Godin guitars, a Progression and a Summit. These are in a higher price range but the time they take on the setup (frets, etc.) at every price point shows. Incredible North American made instruments.
Godin are awesome. They have some models with really interesting and unique features also. I played one in a music store a while back and it was probably the best feeling neck I've ever played on. They also own Seagull acoustics- excellent quality moderate priced brand. Both Godin and Seagull are "hidden gems".
"Godin/Seagull/Art-Lutherie/Norman" ; all made by Godin.....
@@jamesparker1063 I didn’t know that, thanks
@@jamesparker1063 I do like my 1996 Norman st40 very much
I would love to see your list of important guitars for a $1000
@@GreatWhiteLionSnake They aren't import but PRS s2 and Fender American. Even some Gibsons are fantastic under 1000. But hands down best guitar under 1000 is prs s2
Yes me too!
@@GreatWhiteLionSnake also PRS SE
@@GreatWhiteLionSnake I have one and it feels amazing, much better than most fenders Ive felt. Have you tried the newer ones or an older model?
I think from the $900 to $1200 price range you should get a high quality great playing great sounding guitar
Gretsch has a lot of offerings sub $600 with the Streamliner models and they look (and even more important they feel) great for the money!
electromatic line as well
I recently bought a Gretsch G2622 Streamliner CB Single Barrel HT Electric Guitar, Phantom Metallic. It is a great solid guitar with great tones!
The fit and finish, playability, and the inimitable Great Gretsch Tone should have Gretsch near the the TOP of this list. Gretsch Electromatics are used by professionals and are worth much more than the street price. Great guitars that are coincidentally great values that sound different from every guitar on this list.
@@jts3339 Well said!!
I love my Double cut Electromatic as much as my much pricier Gibson. The tone....the TONE!!!
Bruno Oliveira: Yes!!!
Well done! I was happy to see my Godin Session HT at #1. I've been raving about this guitar to a lot of players and they all look at me like I"m crazy. The appointments they put on this guitar are not found very often in a sub $1k guitar. Mine played great right out of the box. It's my number one electric. i've been playing for over 45 years and have owned dozens of great guitars, but I'm really happy with this one.
I'm getting one for my birthday hopefully. I'm kind of just hoping to blind buy it just based on the looks and specs
Dude, you're awesome! You've just saved us
10 years of research and painful disappointment :)
This is the one channel that I have never grown tired of over the years. Thanks for the quality content and general likeableness.
It's funny because your screenshot for Aria guitars was of my Reverb listing! Not only that, but before watching this, I was on the phone with my sales rep talking about inventory on the Aria 714 MKII Fullerton! This was an awesome surprise!
I love the sub $600 ibanez's . They are just solid guitars. The necks are just always smooth. Most that I pick up the action is very flush. I owned about 5 of them.
My G&L Legacy Tribute is equal in every way to my Fender FSR Strat, except resale value! Customer support is here in the U.S., and they’re very helpful! Love G&L!
Definitely should do a ranking of imports from $500 to $999.
Agreed. Some of the ones making the upper part of the top 10 onward would've ranked way higher if he reviewed from $700 rather than $600
That's a real sweet spot.
Me: Cool, Phil's top 10 list
Phil: Coming in at #44...
Makes you wonder about his math...
Lol
He marched through the list quick tho, thankfully
Just go to 12:00. That's the start of his "top ten" list.
Makes sense that Godin can build so many beautiful instruments when the tone wood comes right from their backdoor! I have a passion custom and believe everybody should play a very high end Godin to see that they stack up against the biggest brands and have a mojo of their own. I'll often pick up my Godin when searching for inspiration in my playing and the h.d.revoicer along with all their electronics sound soo good ❤️🇨🇦🎸
Small is best when it comes to guitar production. The big brands have too many layers of management preventing them from building top quality guitars at competitive prices. As long as a brand can stay within a relatively small production limit quality tends to be good. But once you start making Gibson/ Fender numbers of guitars it's just too difficult to keep up the Quality Control without charging ridiculously high prices.
Yea, I’ve got a godin lgx-sa and dayum it is better than my Gibson lp custom silverburst and as good as my u.s strat
They guitars are perfect fit and finish, but they just don't sound right. I am Canadian and am happy to see them well regarded, but something about lasido products that just not my cup of tea. I think mexican Fenders has a big edge here.
@@tdunster2011 That's ass-backward on every single point. Making more things makes it cheaper per thing to make sure they are good, not more expensive. Scaling economies are why we can have cheap and good guitars. Upper management is not some sort of Bugs Bunny that goes around menacing factory staff. As Phil says in the video, Godin is the single largest guitar manufacturer in North America, building more guitars than either Gibson or Fender.
I negotiated a brand new g&l tribute with a gig bag for $300 at a music store that didn't sell a bunch of g&l because they didn't say fender on them. Still one if the best playing and sounding guitars I have ever played.
My favorite is Ibanez. I've never had a bad Ibanez guitar and they can do anything from classic rock to death metal. And they are great modding platforms
I got a great ibanez this year, came out the box just great. perfect for a platform/mod starting point (400$ model). I put in Duncan pickups and its rippin
@@Valkanry exactly. I got my Ibanez rvx220 flying V for 150 used and It had a dimebucker and a hot stack in it. Thing is a serious metal machine
That's true. With correct pickups and locking tuners, a 400$ guitar is quite cool. But that brings the bill to 650$!
I owned 2 and always finished reselling them.
@@fredericadda unless you buy used guitars which for an Ibanez or other similar brand it will be probably 250. And say you buy a 200$ pickup set and some tuners now it's only like 500$.
Stupidity At Its Best I bought a 400$ SA460QM, put 200$ Di Marzio pickups and 100$ locking tuners. It was good-looking and sounded great but then was not that comfortable to play. I put the old pickups and tuners back and sold it for 250$.
Godin is forever underrated. Idk why I don't have one, the guitar shop I took lessons from as a kid had them and I would play one every once and a while and they would be really cool. my opinion of them only increases the more different kinds of guitars i get ot play
New player here...went shopping on FB Marketplace, got a Godin SDXT from 2003/4 with an Peavy amp, branded gigbag, and effects pedal all for $125. When I saw it, I quickly looked it up as I never had heard that name. I ran over grabbed this minty guitar and I think I stole it from this guy! Rich dentist retiring at age 55 and moving to Martha’s Vineyard. Been very happy learning on this piece!
Oh man they're so good
@@shantytownbrown nice man! that is a steal for sure
I have an older Radiator from Godin that plays and sounds great. Only negative I have to say about the Radiator, and it's subjective, is the ugly scratch plates they used.
For me, the problem is that a lot of them look kind of weird, and I don't think I'm alone in thinking that.
I think a lot of their appeal is their electro-acoustic hybrid guitars, piezo equipped electrics, and hollowbody electrics which are kind of niche and trend north of 1000 usd.
I do have a seagull acoustic that was around 600$, and it's not too shabby, even though I use it as a beat around living room guitar.
btw - none of my Godin guitars are in this price class, so I can't really speak to the lower priced class, but I do believe that they care about quality
Yeah, a bit weird that he said they’re all sub $600. Only the regular Sessions are I think, but nevertheless the basic Session is probably one of the best if not the best guitar at this price point (if looking for a strat style guitar of course).
@@arn999 The used market is great. They are generally well kept or not beat up as much because people that have them know their value(quality not $$). I had an old SD LP style guitar that was great. I bought it for 250 CDN later flipped it for a tube amp. Seagull while some think its ugly, becomes the headstock you love. Tuning stability is superb and you can find that guitar very easily when you go to guitar center(because of the head stock).
I bought a Godin artisan ST back in 1996 for $800ish and it’s an amazing guitar.
@@mountainpeakcloud8442 The Mona Lisa of guitars. I had the means to buy the Player but went with a 20+ year old artisan signature.I will not dish Fenders and would be privileged to own one like many many others. I thank all luthiers for their work in giving us musicians a way to express ourselves especially the likes of Masters like Leo, les and Robert.
I liked this video just for the fact that, unlike a majority of TH-camrs, this guy doesn't ramble. He is concise and to the point.
I had no idea that Godin was assembled in my backyard. That is always cool to find out.
I own an ESP/LTD...it roars. Fantastic guitar! Great reviews, Mr. McKnight!
Great video, would love other lists like this! $600-$1200 would be cool as a follow up.
I'd love to see a shorter list of sub $300 guitars. Cut off all the fat, and give us the 10 or so "No BS, Must Have Guitars Under 300 Bucks" list.
When I'm in the mood for something new and decide to pickup a new guitar... most times I get so overwhelmed with the options that I never end up getting anything. I spend a week or 2 weighting all the options and by then the desire for a "cool new toy" just dissipates and I get nothing... I think I did that about 4 or 5 times last year alone...
Well, at least you saved a lot of cash!
Squier Affinity Series Stratocaster is the absolute best guitar you can get for under $300. With a few tools and few parts you can turn it into a $600 guitar easily. Squier Affinity Series Stratocaster is the best one though. Don't fall for the cheaper Strats by Squier. They're not as good.
Got a bullet tele new on sale for $139. It's great. Stays in tune better than my epi lp which has gotoh tuners.
once they get back to full swing after the pandemic issues I swear by the rondo stuff - I have a few sx and agiles that are pretty amazing for the price, especially if they are on sale.
Personally I can offer you 3 "must haves"
-Ibanez RG421 (RG's are always versatile, especially the ones that have two humbuckers and a five-way switch)
-Jackson Rhoads V (When you wanna rock and look great doing it. Sounds great and looks really good in white)
-Squire Affinity Strat, or Tele. (I don't feel I have to say anything here. lol)
Ibanez - $299
Jackson- $249
Squire - $250-$280
(Depending on pickup configuration, Strat or Tele, color. Etc)
That's just my opinion on must have in the sub $300 range. Especially the Ibanez. Side note; I recently picked up an Affinity Squire Strat from the garbage that a friend sold to me for $25 (He drives the big waste management trucks around and found it). I gave her a setup and it plays absolutely amazing. The six point tremolo really surprised me. I put a set of $3.99 roller string trees from Amazon (I hate string trees in general) and use powdered graphite mixed in a little vaseline, worked it into the nut with an old string and made the tremolo just pivot on the outside two screws by backing out the middle four a little bit. Damn thing surprised me and I'm a hardcore Ibanez guy, but I could not get that Strat to go out of tune. Literally dumped the bar 20 times, gave it every sort of abuse I could and it came back in tune every single time. $10 worth of string trees, Vaseline and powdered graphite and you can actually use the damn tremolo!
I just got a Vintage a couple weeks ago. i got a white double cut LP with a single P90. I paid $350 and i love it almost as much as my actual american Gibson. Great guitar.
LTD ships all of their guitars to ESP for QC as well.
Yup and if you order from somewhere like Sweetwater the setup gets checked again. I got an MH-400FR from SW and the setup was spot on.
so does sterling which is probably why they ranked in the top 5... a note about PRS, i received a Tremonti SE that would not only go out of tune from a simple strum, but the action was so high that it was totally unplayable I had to spend an additional $100 and 2 hours for tuners and a nut along with adjusting the Trem springs and lowering the bridge. this one totally slipped through Maryland QC.
@@davefree11 Thats because that is built at the Cor-Tek factory in Indonesia my friend. Paul switched to Cort from WMIC to pad his wallet. The quality there is not good and they don't go from Indonesia to Maryland, trust me.
@@frankiec2765 good point,cort/cortek actually moved to indonesia from korea to escape labor laws,and because it was cheaper, after they fired their entire korean workforce overnight,resulting in a ton of lawsuits,and calls from prominent guitarists to boycott their product cortaction.wordpress.com/about/
Frankie C, David Freeman
WMIC fired their best guy in 2017 ish
and then screwed up a bunch of
trampas green finishes
which led prs se to bail.
Leo is smiling 2. G&L, 3. Fender, 4. Sterling (Music Man). HIs legacy lives on. Affordable guitars people can afford.
That is a very good point. I hadnt noticed, and I think you are right, Leo would be happy.
So glad you've included Eastwood, people should really start to notice them. I first got drawn to them by researching on Jack White's guitar and then I found RJ Ronqiillo and his awesome tasty playing on TH-cam. I have to say, I have played a lot of the big brands out there and my friends have PRS es, Fenders and Gibsons which are priced a bit higher than my Eastwood Airline guitar, but there's just something about my map guitar that I wouldn't even exchange for a 59 sunburst.
I LOVE Godin/Seagull. I've owned three now. I've owned 2 Entourage models both the dreadnaught and concert hall. I also bought one of their SWS concert halls. You can feel the craftsmanship in every strum.
I've been looking at a Godin lgx-sa. It's just absurd everything that it has in it. It's jammed to the gills with features from coils splits, MIDI, Piezo, and blends for them all.
I have one...buy it. It's an amazing sounding/playing guitar. I also have a Masterbuilt Stratocaster and the Godin is every bit as good w/o the $8 grand price tag!
sadly godin's price tag got a lot higher recently, they used to have awsome sub 1k$ (cad) guitar but now they are mostlly around 1500$.
I have 3 xtsa godins. I also have many fenders, and gibsons, and prs and others. I play professionally and the xtsa is my main guitar. It does it all. i use the synth on it the most but also the magnetic pickups and the piezo. I highly recommend them
Godin needs to thank Phil- before he started going off about how amazing they are you could get them used for ultra-cheap on Reverb. Now? Notsomuch.
I missed a Redline 1 HT EMG in red for $250 on Reverb and I am still kicking myself. That'll never happen again. That being said, it makes me glad in a way that people are understanding the real value of them.
I played a nylon string synth Godin once, it was absolutely stunning. Amazing guitars really
Once again, you knock it out of the park...I completely agree with this list. Godin is a hidden treasure.
Rather than just the brand, i think the product line matters a lot...
My top choices:
- Ibanez RGA line
- Squier Classic Vibe line
- Epiphone Custom (Pro)'s
The best deals I made are barely used guitars for half the price, incl. Schecter and PRS SE
Yeah, I have Ibanez RG350MZ with Edge Zero II bridge, and almost 2,5x more expensive ESP LTD 1001H FR with original Floyd Rose. They both sounds good, LTD little bit better (SD pickups), and hold tune barely noticeable better than Ibanez. For me Ibanez is a great value guitar. Edge Zero II bridge have much better control, FR feels sloppy.
Line makes a difference for sure. I have Classic Vibe and Vintage modified and they’re amazing. My VM mustang is every bit as nice as my Japanese KC signature Mustang. Actually, the VM has a Birdseye maple neck and headstock. I got luck with that piece of wood. I’ve got a 1960 tribute plus Epiphone as well. Though well over the $600 mark it’s amazing. It’s constructed more like a vintage Gibson than many newer Gibson’s are. Costs more than an entry level Gibson as well. Those tribute Epiphones are an awesome line as with the Customs.
Cool list! I've got a Mexican Fender, sub $600 and I confirm it's a great quality instrument!
The really cool thing about the MIM Fender's is you can get them really cheap used. They are a very underrated instrument.
guilhem loustalot-forest 100% agree! Love my ‘013 Mexican Standard Strat, it’s my all time favorite - and I’ve owned some really nice vintage American ones dating back to 1968. When I bought it, I was actually shopping for an American Standard, but this MIM won me over, it’s the Strat I’ve always dreamed of. I don’t care about prestige, or price, I just want the most Mojo, and this one really delivers it.
Wanna see the higher end list. Godin makes awesome guitars assembled in my hometown saweeet. Thanx Phil I and many others value your opinion. 🤘
I just picked up a Sterling Sting Ray for $320!!!! Makes me feel really good about my purchase now! Great Video!!!
Absolutely the right choice for No. 1, Phil. I have had several Godins over the year, and my current favorite is a Session (HSS) in trans cream that I special ordered from Sweetwater. It is one terrific sounding, easy playing, well-made guitar. The maple neck is fantastic and the guitar is resonant and alive. Yes, the quality far exceeds the price. More people should know about them. The other two brands I totally agree with you on: Epiphone (in the $400 to $500 range) and Yamaha. What a great list. Thanks!
Such a pleasant surprise that Godin is so well rated by you. The guitars that impress me in their line are among the electrified acoustics. Say the Godin Multiac Gypsy Jazz 10. But yeah, not in 600$ range :)
Godin guitars are just great. My Seagull (steelstring acoustic line of Godin) I´d buy again with no hesitation.
For budget electric guitars I prefer PRS SE, price range 500-1000€ in Europe. Smooth handling and sound, mostly flawless quality, georgeous look (just my opinion) and a great "original" brand taking care of quality.
Remembering 30yrs ago, buying a cheap guitar was a guarantee for pain in the a**. No comparison to nowadays, most of todays budget guitars would´ve been bestsellers then just because of quality and handling.
Colyvor i have 2 seagull acoustics one is a 12 string cedar they both sound and play like butter. I love em.
@@roberthuston3200 I´m more into electric guitars nowadays, but if I ever feel the need for another acoustic, besides preferencing Seagull Cole Clark would be a brand I´d definitely check out.
I own an HSS Godin strat, and was equally surprised by the quality. I only bought it over a fender because i am a lefty and mexi strats don’t really come in that configuration. I am glad I made that choice!
Being left handed my list is quite different in rankings. Nice job and thanks!
I was waiting on you to say Godin but i didnt expect number 1 😮 I love my Godin session. I love the satin finish and the playability. Its in HSS configuration and coil split for the humbucker. All that for under 700$ canadian. I also have a Norman Acoustic and its a beauty. Proud to see a Quebec brand on top of the list
I have bought 2 Mitchell guitars one acoustic and a electric. BOTH ARE GREAT.
Harley Benton. I have 5.....love them all. Haven't spent more than $800 total.
Most of this ranking are guitars that I am unaware of but giving you the thumbs up because the ones I know about are legit rankings. Excellent rundown.
15:16 My 2019 Fender Player MIM Plus Top Strat is the best guitar I've ever owned, period. I've owned mostly Gibsons and other Fender guitars, but Fender simply hit it out of the ballpark with the Player series. Amazing guitars, very much recommended.
I agree, man. I have always played a few different mia telecasters but I recently bought a mint plus top player strat from a buddy who needed the money and the thing is suppppper slick.
Agree totally
Agreed! I own American made guitars by Fender , Gibson and Rickenbacker, and the most satisfying guitars to play are my Mexican 60th anniversary Classic Player and Jimi Hendrix signature Strats . The mim guitars arrived in the UK with such perfect fit n finish . I tuned them up and after some string stretching had perfectly playable guitars straight from the box .
Agree! Remember all pre-cbs Fenders were built by mostly people of Mexican descent!
Agreed. I love mine.
Speaking of Godin....they make the Seagull line of acoustic guitars in Canada. I've played them along side every other brand that Guitar Center offers (regardless of price) and that mop the floor on just about everything else out there. They sound as good as acoustics costing 5 times as much. Best bag for the buck acoustics on the market IMHO.
When I first moved to L.A.(June, 2000) my roommate had 2 Seagulls, gigged and recorded with them, they blew me away. Sounds like they're still the absolute best bang for the buck in acoustics
I completely agree. My favorite,go to guitar is my seagull.
1a
I stumbled into a used Godin LG around 2000 - been loving them ever since! Amazing build quality for the money. I think the secret is out, but that's great!
A year ago I promised myself I wouldn't buy any more guitars. Now, I'm going to be shopping for days. Great video Phillip. One of the best ever.
So many brands I've never heard of...
Kids have it so good these days. There are some excellent instruments for less than 600 and also the cheap amps now are REALLY good!
I've been playing since 1984.
But I still play as much now as ever. I think you are definitely correct but I would add that the old players like me are enjoying the same benefit.
I own 6 Epiphone Les Pauls. All 2017 - 2020
I invested a little time and money for Graph Tech nuts and Tonepros Bridges for all of them, costing $70.00 and just a little labor.
This is the magic for these guitars.
The nut and bridge replaced. Everything else is absolutely good.
The Probuckers and new Alnico Classic Plus pickups are very good.
So, I can be 100% certain in saying that I have the most expensive of all the Epiphones that only cost me about $700.00 including the nut and bridge replacement and they are just as good in every way as my Gibson Les Pauls. Fit, finish, playability, tuning stability and YES , tone.
You are so right. We have it good today with guitars and amplification. Amps are also better AND less expensive.
The best review I’ve seen in a long time. Straight from repairman himself. Thank you Phil McKnight!
I've owned a couple of Schecter guitars both around $600 and was very impressed with the quality of those. I also still own a Cort Matt Guitar Murphy Signature guitar which I've had for probably almost 20 years and that is a truly beautiful guitar- probably the prettiest guitar I own.
Interesting list. The only surprise for me was the low ranking for Ibanez. I've never played a bad one.
Those gios though 🤢🤮
I have, Artcore (neck dive) and S470 (cheap electronics)
My first guitar was a RG321 and I still play it. Moved up to an iron label S-series and never looked back.
Agreed. Every Ibanez I've played at every price point (above Gio) has been absolutely great for the money.
Yeah my rg6003fm is awesome, and I got it on sale for $250. Pickups and electronics aren’t that great but you don’t really expect that at that price
Godin guitars are awesome. Especially their acoustics (they have several different brands). I don't know how they do it, quality materials, quality build, Canadian/American labour cost.
Nice work Phil. Your list is extensive and with me being Canadian and my first new guitar is a Godin Session I can attest to it being a quality instrument.
Thank you, Phil. I was in the market for a strat type guitar and didn't even consider Godin....so went to my local shop and they brought in a Godin Session HT and a MIM Fender Strat. The playability and the sound on the Godin were far superior, IMO and it was $300 Cdn less! So thanks for the excellent review of the all of the brands and I'm loving my new guitar!
I love my G&L Fallout tribute. I'd put it against any of my higher end guitars. The playability and sound is incredible for something I got on sale for under $400. Very cool list!
Just last week I bought a G&L Tribute ASAT Bluesboy for £350. I was very surprised by how good it is. It sounds fantastic, especially the bridge pickup. But what I didn't expect was for it to feel quite so nice to play. Honestly, I would have expected a guitar that played and sounded like this to be at least £750 or so. I'm incredibly pleased with it.
Any word that comes out of your mouth I believe, Thank you for making all your wonderful videos. You have influence every purchase I have made. Your videos are no joke, they are full with real world information. Thanks @Phillip McKnight
I agree. I’ve followed his advice too and ended up with great purchases after he’s tips:
For example:
1/ look at guitars with reduced prices due to the shop carrying too much stock of a particular guitar in the current market and they want to convert excess stock into cash
Etc
Awesome list Phil! And I was hoping that Godin hits the number one spot! These guitars are just awesome, flawless and beautiful. Having visited their different plants with Robert Godin, I can definitely say this product is a high-end one with a tiny price tag!
I spent just under $700 for a mint condition PRS SE which I love.
Great job as usual, Phil! Lots of quality information.
Check out the Harley Benton Dullahan FT-24 available from Thomann for $475 with a headless roasted maple neck. Sweet!
I got my son his first guitar last year, got a Chapman ml1 modern for around $400 and it has swirls in the finish. Other than that it feels and plays pretty good. My old guitar player had a couple Aria Pro guitars and they were pretty nice as well.
I love Aria Pro II guitars. But the man was right, the brand does not sell well in the used market. Which is nice if you want a really well made guitar for low price. But if you want to sell one...
My first G&L Tribute was so freakin' good it multiplied.
Now there's three of them.
The American ones are unbelievably good, and still reasonably priced.
I own a few electric guitars and a couple of acoustics. None of them very expensive. I have an epiphone Les Paul, a Squier Tele, an Ibanez JEM jr. And I recently purchased a Harley Benton Strat. to me the Harley Benton is the best guitar I own. Maybe it would score better and guitars under $300.
I had watched several review videos about Harley Benton before I made the purchase I was impressed with what I saw but I still thought I would still have to do some setup when it came in.
I was blown away by the fact that the setup was done, the intonation was perfect and I had to tune it up a little more than a half a step and she was right in tune and stayed in tune. The unfinished neck is a feature of always liked in a guitar and there's no fret sprout or any other little minor imperfections that you'd find in a guitar this cheap. I really hate even use the word cheap and I don't understand how anybody can make a guitar for $72 let alone make a profit. I'm very impressed and my next guitar may be a Harley Benton should I decide to buy another.
Certainly the best guitar under $300 in my humble the most accurate opinion. LOL
P.S.
I would have thought Ibanez would have scored a little better than 33. I purchased my Jem Jr about a year ago and I got to say that the quality of the guitar is fantastic for the money. The neck is smooth and straight no flaws and who doesn't like a monkey grip. Anyway just my two cents about Ibanez. I could be a little prejudiced because I'm a huge Steve Vai fan and he sold me on the Jem long time ago...
Thanks. I have an entry level Ibanez and was wanting another guitar at this price range. The Fender Lead III looks awesome
Great list! I didn't have as much luck with Sterling as you did, but totally agree on the other stuff!
Did you get one of the "Sub" line? I've heard those had some quality issues. I had the SR50 which actually was priced right at the $600 mark and it was fantastic.
@@dbmabe I had a Valentine V60 I think? It was pretty much junk. But someone I know had the JP60 and loved it, so maybe it's a toss up.
@@TheGuitarPit I was gassing for one of the Valentine models for a while. That's when I decided on the Stingray SR50. They were both double humbucker guitars and I liked the feel better. Based on your testimonial, I'm glad I didn't go with the Valentine. I have been eyeing the J60 for a while. Especially in the blue finish. Those things look quite tasty.
Love your channel man, but I get so jealous seeing all your awesome guitars!
I remember when Music Yo relaunched the Kramer and Steinberger lines and you could buy a five pack of the S-style for $249.
The music-yo era of Kramer were pure trash.
@@ibanezleftyclub You got what you paid for, so not any more trashy than anything else in the price range. I had one of the more mid-range priced Kramer Striker's and it was as good as my Ibanez RG270, which is from the same era and price range. Both came with crappy licensed Floyd Rose's, both had overly hot, uninspiring pickups but were built to shred and could certainly turn into much better instruments with a few choice upgrades.
Very comprehensive list. Of all the guitars I've owned my very favorites are my Daisy Rock electric (and my Martin acoustic). I'm stoked Daisy Rock made your list. It is a great guitar for women: way lighter and smaller, and the neck is more slender. However, when I stand and play, the neck is much heavier than the body - so I attached a 1lb weight to the bottom of the strap to balance it. Which makes me think they are not made for gigging guitarists, per say. But I'm ride or die with my Daisy Rock (I've owned several)! Much prefer it to my Gibson Les Paul- which is heavy AF. The other guitarist in my band plays a Godin btw, so that's good. ;)
I must be lucky since I have the exact Mitchell you put on screen and Ive had zero issues, in fact its my favorite guitar, plays smoother than any other guitar I own or have owned. It does need a pickup upgrade though.
You can’t go wrong with a G&L Tribute
Squier will always be one of my favorite brands. I like some of my squiers more than my fenders
$600 - $1000 list would be awesome! 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻
I have a small collection of guitars. One of my best playing is a Godin Richmond Dorchester. It is an "acquired" taste visually, but feature rich. It has a chambered body inspired by by Mosrite Ventures of the 60's, a Graphtech nut, Lace Alumitone pick ups and a rolled neck. Plays great and the electronics offer a wide range of tonality. A hidden gem in my opinion.
Did I miss Tokai? If didn't they should be atleast in top 20.
Completely agree. Tokai is a top 3 easy! I think in the US they don't have Tokai's, so this might be a reason. Fantastic guitars!
MIJ Tokai is not sub $600 tho lol
@@weaselwhistlington6498 Yea but I tried several made in China Tokais, a Les Paul, an SG and an Explorer, all for around 400/450~€ at my local store, and i always came back to buy them. They played as good as my 1600/1800€ Fender Strat and ESP V lmao. And they're great for recording, nobody could hear this and say "Yeah, that's a sub 600€ chinese guitar"
@@raventael9775 yep i had a MIC Tokai for like a month and it was so good I just had to get an MIJ one
Tokai are great, i've got an MIJ Love Rock LS128 and its glorious to play
Solid list! I LOVE that Firefly didn’t make the list. 😂 That has to be one of the most YT hyped products of all time. Fine for a cheap guitar but like most cheap guitars, totally dependent on whether you got a good one and the dodgy quality control you see at that price point means you’re really playing the lotto. Hardluck Kings, too.
firefly sucks lol. its cheap plywood stuff
I must have lucked out. I traded a Rogue Rocketeer and $40 for a Hardluck Kings Bossman (Les Paul type). I paid $20 for the Rocketeer at a pawn shop. The owner wanted a short scale strat-type with a humbucker for his nephew to learn on. The $40 was because the owner had installed a rolling bridge on the Bossman. And it was set up perfect when I got it, so the other guy did all the hard work. But like all cheaper guitars, it's probably just the luck of the draw.
casey lee Awesome! I know a number of people who’ve really loved their Firefly and Hardluck Kings guitars. I’m glad you do, too!
@@jacobbrown1690 . Which Firefly do you have?
I got the les paul style one and it looks pretty good, plays well too. Frets are a little rough but I’ll admit I know I lucked out
I’ve owned two Seagull S6 acoustic guitars, same as Godin I believe, and I love em. Great playing and sounding guitars with great fit & finish.
Word. I have an 80s hamer electric 12-string, 3 switch super Strat switching, black glitter(?) finish. Now I have Parker fly, 73 Sg, real starts, anything BUTT there’s something Immediate when you touch the Hamer = it’s crafted on another level than most other guitars (not counting the Parker/ the Parker feels different than anything though). The neck angle, the electronics, frets body contour, the whole tactile experience. People say they were the original PRS(?) But, yeah, Hamer was putting out such better product than Gibson, Fender, and all those crappy companies local stores were pushing in the 80s. If it wasn’t a hard-tail, I’d string mine as a 6string and use it for my main axe. (Tempted to try a vintage Steve Stevens
Sadly, Peavey hasn’t made a decent instrument since the mid 90s. I feel they had an opportunity to really improve the quality and still keep a decent price point. They went for nothing but true cheap beginner stuff. I really think they hurt their brand.
It is a shame what happened to this company. They should have kept it in the USA and put Americans to work building quality guitars, amps and PAs.
I remember in 2000 in a budget P bass head to head The Peavey Milestone wiped the floor with the competition, it's a shame they slipped.
I'm guessing that is when they went to being made overseas. I had a late 80s/early 90s Reactor(Telecaster) that was made in USA and it was a jewel of a guitar. It had really hot pickups and I could get really good, controlled feedback with it. It was better than getting feedback with my Epiphone Dot.
John Harrison their USA Basses were fantastic! I have had several and own one now.
@@mattbrillhart2922 never had the pleasure of stumbling across one unfortunately, there's Reverb of course but that's only pictures, you don't get to sit down with one and get to know it.
YEAH! I skipped over a Mexican Telecaster a few years ago in favor of a G&L ASAT Tribute and here we are. Got the #2 slot!
Sure, but the ASAT doesn't really sound like a Telecaster.
So there is that.
@@Mamo878 Excellent point and very true. Lucky for me I'm a bit shallow and really just like the way a butterscotch Tele looks. It was the cherry on top that the ASAT pickups are a bit more aggressive than a Tele as that suits my playing style more.
@@Mamo878 Except that the pole pieces are adjustable, so if you want that Tele sound, it's just a few wrist turns away. Meanwhile, you have a pro- quality instrument for an affordable price.
@@darwinia8 Can you tell me more?
@@leftofpunk Sure. I haven't done this myself, as I feel my USA Asat has plenty of Tele twang, but if you want your Asat to sound more like a Fender, (are you certain you want to?!) adjust your pole pieces downwards (using flathead screwdriver as I recall) until you have the desired sound.
FYI Darrell Braun Guitar has a video or two comparing Asats and Teles, and he performs this trick in one of them. Good luck and happy playing!
I have an SX Callisto STD. It's honestly one of my best playing guitars. It feels and sounds absolutely AMAZING! Maybe I just got lucky but my SX is my #1 guitar for C Standard tuning.
Would love to see a higher end list. Max 1000 dollars :). Keep up the good work. Greetings from the Netherlands
@Phillip McKnight i own 2 G&L’s a ASAT Tribute tele and a beautiful Ascanti GTS Tribute! Both from Indonesia’s Cort Factory and they both are seriously made very well, play and sound even better, after Leo Sold the Company, he drew up plans for a 24.75” scale Les Paul style guitar with a Strat body thats Binded with a great looking smoke Maple Vanir, the specs on this thing is wicked cool! Thew a set of those roto Grover locking sealed tuner mini’s and made the 3x3 head stock look great, it is about 2/3’s the size of a Ibanez ART120Q from last year, If your not familiar with this guitar G&L made i highly recommend it and the story that comes with it is a good story, i wish Leo had a chance to see it come to life
Wow, loved that Strat LP guitar!! Very interesting indeed!
Love my tribute legacy. I think its fantastic
Oh boy, hope Rob doesn't climb his ivory tower and start attacking you because you spoke poorly of his brand.
He tends to douche it up a lot.
I respect Rob and what he has done, but I think the mistake he made was creating the 'Pro' range. I've seen Schecters with Evertune bridges at roughly the same price point. I think he lost his way a bit.
3:32 for viewers... re: Chapman
I suspect there are great chapman guitars. If I could have a go of one in a shop I would consider buying one . But don’t see many demo models . Certainly wouldn’t dismiss without actually trying one for myself
@@pablo9364 Can I just say that I am not trying to say Chapmans are bad guitars, I am just saying that I think he kind of lost his way some. Originally Chapmans were supposed to be crowd designed guitars that were lets face it, marketed to and priced for enthusiasts. The 'Pro' line to me is a bit of a slap in the face for people who supported his brand when it started. I suspect that is why there has been such a backlash on him.
Matthew Clark your ahead of me I don’t know enough about Chapman guitars as I’ve never seen or played one but I understand your point . I’d love a schecter with a evertune bridge. Maybe one day I’ll get one
Phillip-I generally agree with this list, although I admit I am not familiar with all of them. If anything, I'd rate Squier higher, based on my experience. I bought a Squier Telecaster in 2002 for $350, and I was my go-to guitar for live play right out of the box for years. It was intonated, the frets were all polished and set, and it looked (still looks) great. It's just a pleasure to play, its got the great telecaster sound, and I've never had to do any repairs, despite hauling it around extensively in sometimes sub-optimal conditions. And here's my suggestion if you ever do a bass guitar version of this video: Epiphone makes a violin-type bass guitar that I love. I bought one in 2010 for about $350 from Guitar Center, and just as with the Squier, it's been terrific right out of the box. I've traveled and played live with it numerous times with no problems at all. I've also played Hofner violin basses that were considerably more expensive, but don't sound any better. Plus, in my experience, Hofners are notoriously fragile. I've played a couple in studio settings that had multiple things go wrong, including a pickup going out altogether, to a tuning knob actually detaching from the head!
I'd love a sub $300 video.
My favourites here in the UK: Yamaha, Tanglewood, Aria, Vintage, Squier, Crafter, Cort.
My "avoids": Keiper, Westfield, Stagg, Peavey, Encore, Eastcost, Wesley ...
... and I've never yet played a cheap Epiphone that wasn't firewood in the shape of a guitar.
I just bought an under 100 euro Harley Benton Acoustic Guitar, In my oppinion it plays better then 200 euro Epiphones
And btwFord didn't stop making cars...
I guess maybe for the US marked, but for the EU marked they still make cars
I would add the Indio line of guitars from Monoprice are great value for the money. And like some others you mentioned they are setup at the factory and after they are shipped to Monoprice. You probably haven't used or worked on them and that is probably why they are not on your list.
I own a Godin Velocity from 2008, paid 700$ CAD new and it's my best guitar in my collection. Beats my Gibson Les Paul Studio in terms of quality and sound.
I have a sawtooth leftie st. Paid 109 and i have 0 complaints. No free buzz no dead spots holds tune and it's just all around a blast. Honestly love it cause it's a all around workhorse. Not the most exciting but it just works with no issues
Love my Godin "Montreal", though it's not in that price range.
I want one so bad...got a chance to demo one in a music store, and they sound amazing, even unplugged.
Let's see. Phillip usually is very reasonable.
I own alot of guitars (18) and my favorite guitar of all time is my grandfather's Silvertone archtop he bought from Searsi n 1968. WOW! I've never played another guitar with the tones this old beast has. Probably because of its age. And because I remember him playing it when I was very young.
@@caseylee12 who knows, maybe its got some really weird electronics
@@DatBoi-mo9vc none... Acoustic- sounds AMAZING!
@@caseylee12 ah, whoops on not knowing it was acoustic there 😅
Last month I got an Encore Les Paul copy. When the guy at the shop showed me the back of the headstock and I saw "JHS" & "Trevor Wilkinson" I was all in. Basically a student guitar but plays better than all of the LPs I've played except for one....at a student guitar price. All it needs are better p'ups.
I'll vouch for Rondo/Agile. I have played cheaper Ibanez and Jackson guitars, plenty of mid-range Schecters, and a few mid to high range Agiles and you definitely get a lot of features for the money. You can pick up a fanned-fret 7-string Agile for around $400-500. The closest comparable Schecter is probably the Reaper MS for $950.
Regarding G&L and not selling b-stock---IDK. My two favorite guitars were b-stock. I got a $1400 Apocalypse for well under a grand, and I saved on my Agile, too. IMO that makes me enjoy those guitars even more because I "can't believe I got this for $xxx!" B-stock doesn't automatically mean bad. I'm going to scratch it, they travel, I have kids, it's inevitable. If it comes lightly pre-scratched that's less stress for me and a few $$ saved, too.
Gotta say, new to Phil’s channel and absolutely love his no bias honest opinions!
You gotta add Harley Benton to the list especially their new Fusion Line and they're under $500 bucks.
its on the list
Harley Benton is on the list lumped in with guitar fetish/slick and another brand, but you likely mised it because he was referring to them as Thomann guitars and also because they missed the top 3. Or top 5. Or top 10. I have 2 Harley Bentons. If I made a list based only on the double cut Junior TV I own, it would be, Harley Benton #1,Squier#2 ( I own a Classic Vibes 52 Tele), Fender Mexico #3, then the rest would fight it out. But I also own a Harley Benton RB6/12 12 string "Chickenbacker". Gets great reviews, looks good, but it came with cheapo tiny pots and I had to route out the cavity just to get them in. Also, I could not get the low E string pair to resolve themselves tuning wise even unfretted until I replaced the bridge with a newly designed new real Rickenbacker 12 string individual saddle bridge which nearly doubled the cost of the guitar,(but a properly intonated electric 12 is rarer than rare but a stunningly great sound ). The thing is, while I am tickled at the playabilty looks and value of the double cut, my electric 12 from them drops them at least out of the top 5 here, maybe further. Oh, also, the Slick guitar I own gets high ratings for: tremolo system with brass huge tone block and brass saddles, the bronze tuning keys,the pickups, and the fretwork. But the hyped "solid swamp ash " body is a veneer obscured virtual butchers block of laminated swamp mudded undetermined tree or something that had what looked like tree bark glued in the pickup routing to hide a hole through to the tremolo cavity in the thin piece of veneer that had been inserted into a slot in the center of the body. Solid swamp ash huh? Multi laminated swamp ass is more like it. An absolute crying shame dropping it out of my top 5 down to out of the list of all guitar makers of good reputation into the I think I just got took category with all the other crapola including Esteban. Think I am unfair Mr Slick, (whos playing and attitude I just love) or
mr. Guitar Fetish? Send me a swamp ash body, unpainted and les than oh, 5 pieces and I'll stop exposing your embarassing deception of the public.
I have a Fusion ll top of the line with roasted maple neck, stainless frets, etc,etc. Great guitar. It's my main gigging guitar and I have many expensive guitars, fender, gibson, and others. It's very versatile and I don't have to bring more than 2 guitars to a gig.
@@rickroberts9182 The way I look at the HB Fusion and the HB line as a whole is they might not be "perfect" when you first get them but they have some of the best bones to work-start with and you'll end up with outstanding guitar for at least half if not three quarters of price of a "name brand" guitar. Roughly $420 usd shipped add a nice set of locking tuners some Duncan or Dimarzio pups and a little feet polishing and your still under $800 bucks, you can't beat that any day of the week!
@@jdj62464 this guitar came with staggered locking tuners, 24 polished and leveled stainless frets, HSH pickups with coil tap and a really stable bridge that I set to float. All I had to do was set the action where I like it, fine tune the intonation and I installed a toggle to include the bridge pickup with position 4 and 5. Really, this guitar is a killer value. It's a close copy of a Suhr and my only criticism is the pickups are a bit weak but a set of SD's would remedy that. I'm looking into that.
My Ibanez S521 at about $400 seems to my amateur eye to be a quality instrument, made in Indonesia.
Those guitars are great
i bought one from GC, it would not even play, junk, GC agreed after a look over and play, dead spots on neck that wouldn't even play a note. They took it back and ordered me another one. This one played but was still a horrible dissapointment, very muddy pick-ups, bent neck, sharp frets, couldn't be set up,, GC said oh well, what do you want for 400$. piece of junk, ibeenhad guitars
I bought a Mikro PGM for my son and the fretwork was the worst of any guitar I've ever bought.
+1 I have an S521, and it played nearly perfectly right out of the store. Of course, being a fiddler, I set the action lower, replaced the stock pickups with Dimarzio EJ Customs, and added a treble bleed. Now it plays perfectly - halfway between bright Strat and dark humbucker. And it's the lightest guitar I own.
Godin !!!! Yes!!! I love my freeway classic and my higher end stadium 59!! Looking at getting a strat style from them and an acoustic soon! Godin 🇨🇦🇨🇦
The super strat style that Phillip shows is the session which i've had (amazing), but i strongly suggest you to try the progression plus. With a JB junior pickup on the bridge and higher end overall finish I think that's the ULTMATE super strat. I own one and its definitely a keeper
Clo 6184 that’s exactly what I want! A progression plus is the goal or also a passion rg3! Right now I might get a Godin Metropolis acoustic guitar
Thank you. Your opinions are highly valued.
Me: “I’m going to see Chapman pretty high, love mine”
Phil: “35, Chapman”
Me: “Whaaaaat?”
That'll teach ya... You were 'Rob'd'... I've never despised a brand more, but owning a guitar is so personal, I would never REALLY knock someone's choice. I f you love your guitar, you'll keep it for life, so whatever some lil' UK douchebag like me says should'nt mean a thing. I'm a big fan of LTD and Sterling at this price point and was glad to see them do well, reckon Chapman will do better at a higher price point (living near Andertons, I've played many) and I'll be honest, I get what they are and appreciate it. Will have to admit to you that if they had nothing to do with Rob Chapman I might start liking them... So nothing at all objective man! I just couldnt own a guitar that had his name on the headstock. Just couldnt do it. It might be my loss, but I can live with it. Anyway all the best to you and your playing, and good health to you and yours/
My MIM Strat had couple of pickguard screws crooked, few spots of finish on frets that I had to polish out, and not so great setup - playable but not even close to my preferences. And to make it perfect I need to get shim, because saddles won't go lower.
It is still good value, especially alnico pickups with that exact strat sound I love, fret job was great, parts are good and so on. But it could be better.
What the hell!? you could get an affinity strat without those problems lol
@@gotguts5423 You could get any guitar with those problems if you order online. Just probability will vary with brand and price range.
@@ThorneyedWT well the price should be justified, so if I pay a lot I need to expect good QC as well
@@gotguts5423 MIM Strats don't really cost much considering all their features. And it is not that easy to spot crooked screw and setup limits while on first glance guitar looks fine and plays ok.
@@gotguts5423 But you didn't pay a lot. I have two MIMs (one is a black label 95 strat) and they are both awesome.
What a great list Phil! Really enjoyed this info and anxiously await all those other lists. Appreciate your work, enjoy it all!
Squier Affinity Series Stratocaster is the absolute best guitar you can get for under $300 and with a few parts you can make it a $600+ guitar easily. Here's the steps and you'll need a soldering gun.
1) Change out the tuning machines with Grovers
2) Sand down the edges of frets if needed
3) Replace the SSS pickguard with a prewired HSS, HH or HSH(Ammoon from Amazon is $33 and high quality)
4) Adjust the bridge height
5) Restring with quality strings(I always use Fender brand)
I have two Gretches and l play them a lot. THEY'RE Under the six hundred dollor range. I l
On a fairly regular basis, Musicians Friend's Stupid Deal of the Day will post a Gretsch for $399 or less. I have been tempted! Never had a Gretsch but they seem to be universally popular.