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My friend had the cheapest epi les paul - a horrific, slab bodied thing with a screw on neck that looked nasty. Set up, it played fine but it wasn't a good guitar.
Now, for £200 you get something that 15 years ago would have been £300. That's kind of amazing.
I love seeing people treat some older budget models as vintage - Korean epis were really hit and miss, and while I played a stunning korina explorer it was the only great epi until more recently.
Gotta wonder, though, whether the places that churn out these guitars are ethical - what are the environmental and human impacts of this? I've seen relative beginners on Facebook start by buying several different guitars, usually harley benton, yet a single £500 guitar would be so much better.
Absolutely nothing wrong with it apart from the neck plate needs tightening up a fraction every coupla years.
Then again, so do a lot of bolt-ons.
So it got me thinking that you don't have to spend a lot to get a really good guitar and I wondered what I could get for say half that. Always wanted an ash Tele with a maple neck, so watched loads of vids and read reviews, and took a punt on a Harley Benton TE52-NA that cost £139 from Thomann. Simply mind boggling quality, playability and tone not just for a £139 guitar, but that could hold its own against the 'real thing'
I upgraded the tuners to Wilkinson deluxe vintage for £22, and replaced the chrome bridge saddles for Wilkinson brass compensated saddles. And for the last 3 months it's pretty much all I've been playing. Still blows my mind how they can sell a guitar of this build quality, superb neck, great pickups, Inc free delivery and a 3 yr warranty for only £139. I may never buy a 'name' guitar again!!
My other guitar is a MIJ Squire Bullet from 1983, smaller Strat body and Telecaster neck with three pickups. It’s not expensive but genuinely awesome.
How I drooled over them!
To be fair, they did have some decent stuff, such as Hofner and Levin, but that was way out of range for a poverty-stricken teenager like me...
had another hour with this today and it’s bloody great fun
https://i.imgur.com/CeUvUe8.jpg