One $4.5k guitar or three $1,500 guitars?

[ValleyAcoustic]

This is such an interesting thread to me. Having many more electrics (one acoustic, and one more on the way) than acoustics, the price points are incredibly different. You can find a decent electric guitar for under $1000, an acoustic it seems it is very very hard! Also I am not sure I agree with much of what is said. "Boutique builders use the finest woods, etc etc etc" Ok, thats very true! However, some of the most famous acoustic tones, and guitars heard on countless records were build with not the best woods. Look at the old j45's who have tops consisting of multiple pieces of woods, alot of them sound AMAZING!" Tone is a perception, and ones perception of tone in many cases does not agree with the other. I've heard many boutique guitars that I thought sounded like trash, and could NEVER justify the asking price, and I've heard some great ones. Same goes for lesser priced guitars.

[kmcmichael]

Originally Posted by Shock6

You can only play one at a time..put me down for the 4.5k.

I would hate to gig with a 4.5 guitar.

[Ikeepem]

I'll take one flavor each of an Eastman snack any and all day over a $4500.00 hunk of wood for dinner any and all day..

[Guitar1083]

Originally Posted by ValleyAcoustic

This is such an interesting thread to me. Having many more electrics (one acoustic, and one more on the way) than acoustics, the price points are incredibly different. You can find a decent electric guitar for under $1000, an acoustic it seems it is very very hard! Also I am not sure I agree with much of what is said. "Boutique builders use the finest woods, etc etc etc" Ok, thats very true! However, some of the most famous acoustic tones, and guitars heard on countless records were build with not the best woods. Look at the old j45's who have tops consisting of multiple pieces of woods, alot of them sound AMAZING!" Tone is a perception, and ones perception of tone in many cases does not agree with the other. I've heard many boutique guitars that I thought sounded like trash, and could NEVER justify the asking price, and I've heard some great ones. Same goes for lesser priced guitars.

it might be a studio guitar they are using, they have the best of the best to use.

[kydave]

Originally Posted by paulzoom

Would you rather have one great guitar or three pretty good guitars with different tone woods?

Easy! If you have that kind of money all at one time, get the one great one.

Heck, at $4500, I'd figure out how to get just a little more and get an Authentic.

[RodB]

Originally Posted by Guitar1083

..... when you get a $4,500 guitar and you try guitars for $1,500 - $2,000 $3,000 they will all sound cheap when compared.

Is it really that simple?

Originally Posted by DesertTwang

I have played too many $4500 guitars that couldn't hold a candle to the $1500 guitar hanging next to it to automatically associate pricier with better.

Agreed - about the last criteria I would use in evaluating a guitar is price - so much variance. Paying $ xxxx is no guarantee of absolute quality or subjective satifaction...

[Guitar1083]

Originally Posted by RodB

Is it really simple?

Yes it is, if you have access to a store.
I don't know where you live but I'm sure you have some stores near by.

[RodB]

Originally Posted by Guitar1083

Yes it is, if you have access to a store.
I don't know where you live but I'm sure you have some stores near by.

Ahhh........ really is that simple, then!

[Jimbolaya]

I'm with the others that would get one for $3500 and a second for $1000.
You can find some really good guitars for $3500.
And it's always nice to have a back up for variation.

[Inverted314]

This thread is interesting because I am left handed, and in that field price is one of the few ways to attempt to judge a guitars tone. It's rather half baked, but as someone who has never been able to walk into a store and play everything to find the gem it's certainly different! (And unfair )

[bohemian]

One quality guitar at the right price.. does not have to be $1500 or $4500.

[thechoochlyman]

Originally Posted by Mycroft

I think that you missed the point of the question (which is why I removed the dollar amounts from my answer). It is not if a $4500 is automatically going to be better than a $1500 guitar. It may be and it may not be. However, there is often (but not always) a correlation between price and quality, but that does not suggest causation.

The question that I think that the majority of us have answered is: would you prefer 1 great guitar or 3 good guitars for the same total value, whatever that value is?

TW

Ah, well that makes a lot more sense. I suppose one really good one...

[kydave]

Originally Posted by DesertTwang

I have played too many $4500 guitars that couldn't hold a candle to the $1500 guitar hanging next to it to automatically associate pricier with better.

Well, there obviously is some selection of guitar involved. But within certain brands there is a pretty good chance that what you opined won't hold true.

But I can certainly agree with your statement in some situations.

[pstarr]

I too tend to think that the sweet spot is around $2250 used, so would love to tweak the premise a bit and say 2. In fact, I'd probably choose 2 I bought used at nearly that price--a 2005 Lowden F25 and a 2008 Vinetto Artifact tele.

Forced to choose as requested, I'd say one $4500 guitar, unless I couldn't also buy an electric, in which case it would have to be 3 at $1500 (a price point I find to be much harder than $2250 or so).

[B Chas]

More expensive acoustics usually are better, of course there are exceptions, but as a general rule more money buys a better guitar. That may not result in a better experience. When all I had was a laminate then got a better laminate, I'd marvel how nice the sound was, so much sustain etc. The experience was wonderful, so playable and sounds so good. With each step up it's a similar experience, the new one sounds so good. The old one compared to the new one just isn't as nice anymore. So I present this question, if you never tried a better guitar and never moved up, would our perception and enjoyment for the current class be the same without a nicer guitar as a point of reference?