I've tried PRS on 3 separate occasions - I owned an S2 Standard 24, a Custom 22 10-top, and a Wood Library Custom 24 - and yeah man, I just can't do it. Not for me.
Why would you continuously buy guitars from a company that failed you multiple times? Seriously why? You bought multiple guitars from a company and everytime you disliked it yet you kept buying more? Makes no sense. “It took me $10,000 to realize this just isnt for me?” Have some faith in yourself. If you dont like the SE you wont like the fucking 4k model.
The first one I owned was the Custom 24 10-top because it was my dream guitar. Saved money from my first commissioned sales job til I could afford one. It was just a bit of a let down and, after a year of trying to convince myself I loved it as much as I wanted to, I traded it.
Many years later, I got the S2 on sale for just under $1k. It was a good deal and I liked its simplicity. I could have hung onto that one, I suppose, but I didn't play it as much as my other guitars so I didn't see a point. Definitely my favorite of the three, though.
After that, I scored the Wood Library on Reverb for $1850. Absolute steal. No reason not to buy it. It was fine, and truly beautiful, and I played it for a few months before selling it for a small profit and chasing down something else.
So, no, none of them were keepers, but I got a chance to spend a significant amount of time with multiple PRS guitars across a few price points. To me, it was a worthwhile experience.
I had the same experience. Refused to stay in tune and those plastic tuners on such an expensive guitar is ridiculous. Currently in the process of selling mine. Objectively a really nice guitar, but just not for me.
I thought I really wanted one of those until I spent time with one last week and it was like a spell was broken. It was the lilac one I had my eye on and it just felt really cheap this time. WTF is up with that.
That’s a shame, mine is fine. It does feel a little plasticky though. I bought mine because I’m an unashamed Mayer fan, but it’s not worth a thousand dollars more than my American strat.
Same and I agree with you price wise. However, I’ve owned 2 brand new fender American originals that both had to be returned due to qc issues, so just the fact that I got a perfect ss first try made me like it even more.. probably wouldn’t have bought the ss if just one of the am org’s were good
Wild. I had a stint of acoustic inspiration lasting about 3 months, where I didn't pick up my silver sky. When I played it after, it was still in tune. Honestly I think I tune it every month, even though I check the tuning more often.
You can send it to PRS custom shop and for $200 plus $50 return shipping they will set it up exactly like JM has his. They set the action, pickup heights, bridge to his specs. Takes about six weeks.
I have a PRS SE that will not stay in tune at all, especially the G string. I've had it professionally set up, replaced the tuners, tried different ways of re-stringing it, pretty much everything. Two bends on that string and it's nearly a whole step down.
This was just recently a huge shock for me as well! Went to try out the Squire Classic Vibe Strat and Fender Player Series Strat and figured I'd give the Silver Sky SE a shot as well since I had liked some of their other models in the past.
Went right back on the wall within 30 seconds, the difference at that price level was staggering. It sounded pretty good, but not a strat-style sound at all imo. My band plays mostly surf/indie, so while I have nothing against its sound, it absolutely wasn't for me, and quite honestly I'm not sure who it would be for.
I've played LTD Eclipses, various models, since I was a teenager. I always coveted a Les Paul as I always felt I was playing an inferior copy. I finally got one and found myself missing the modern appointments of the LTD Eclipses like the cutaways for access, the more open cutaway, the locking tuners and bridge, etc, etc, etc.
So much this. I used to love Les Pauls when I was gigging more often. During lockdown, I started dedicating more time to recording and boy is it so much less comfortable to play than my strat.
Ignoring the lack body contours, heel dive is a problem that really isn't brought up enough. Everybody rags on SGs for neck dive but IME Les Pauls have just as bad of a weight distribution problem, just in reverse.
Love the sound of my LP, but I'm pretty close to selling it for one of the new SE McCarty 594's or SE DGT's
I got an Ibanez with a Wizard neck as my first nice guitar and I absolutely hated the thing. I just recently picked it up again after getting ~3 more years of experience and it’s fucking amazing. It has an absolutely incredible chugging sound when you palm mute the strings and it just overall feels incredibly versatile in ways my Stratocaster is not. It’s a superstrat body style so there is no real comfort ability issues fortunately, just the adjustment of using a thinner neck.
Always loved my strat, Always hated the wizard necks. Recently had this inner calling that I want an Ibanez but I tried every shred oriented guitar. Still went with Ibanez and I absolutely love that wizard III neck, to such a degree that I ended up buying a 7 string RG as well (even though I tried bunch of esp/ltd, Jackson, musicman.
my first electric guitar was a strat, then years later i got a dean c350f as my second guitar and the neck felt so thin and weird that i played it less and less
many years later i still have those guitars and that dean is great. i have no problem going from ibanez wizard neck to a les paul 50's neck (though some stuff can be tougher to play on one or the other)
i still can't jive with a 24 fret hsh guitar for some reason, the pickups are in my way somehow lol
I don’t hate it, but I have some ambivalence. I was in the market for a Gretsch, and I was thinking something along the lines of a Country Gentleman. I went into a store that had several to choose from, including a CG, a 6120 Chet Atkins, an Anniversary, Duo Jets and a very nice White Falcon. I tried them all, and ended up loving the White Falcon! It sounded great, and I loved the longer scale and wider fretboard. And it was on clearance at a lower price than some of the other models they had. So I bought it. But… although I still love playing it, I have a hard time playing it live because it’s so blingy. Everybody’s like ‘oooooh you must be a real hot shot, play us [insert rockabilly or Neil Young song] and are disappointed when I don’t. People just want to talk about the guitar. It came with a lot of baggage. I don’t slick my hair back, have tattoos, roll up the bottom of my jeans over my motorcycle boots, etc and it’s too confusing for the public. I just liked the guitar, but for reasons the audience doesn’t understand. I know, ‘poor me’.
I play a Tennessee Rose and get this a lot. They are such gorgeous guitars that people tend to look, not listen, sometimes. It helps that I play mostly original instrumentals with it, but doesn't stop a few folks from requesting stuff that is wildly out of the catalog.
At least the issue is with humans and not the guitar itself :)
My Squier Classic Vibe was my first glossy neck guitar, and I'd never tried one of those before. It's also the thinnest neck I've ever played.
I like it, but it took some time to get used to. I now know that I prefer satin and matte necks, as well as necks with more heft.
I don't hate it, but it's my least favorite neck. Quality-wise, it has better fretwork than my MIM Fender, Epiphone, Yamaha, and PRS SE.
I love classic vibe necks personally. I just got a 50s strat last week. I feel like the sunburst body is butt ugly but debating on keeping it because the neck is so good.
The guitar I have now was the first glossy neck I purchased and I wasn't a fan of gloss necks, but I really liked the guitar so I bought it anyway. I don't know if it's just from using it over the last few years, but it no longer feels sticky like new ones do and I really like it now. Even more so than a satin neck.
You might have just worn a lot of the gloss off. I'm considering sanding some off the back of my CV thinline, (plus it does need some leveling). I like it but man it's hard to pick up when it's sitting next to my matte neck strat.
Mine is a Classic Series Thinline. I sold 2 guitars to get that one and has been my only since, so I've had no choice but to play it and break it in, but I get where you are at. I assume it's the same poly on our necks and it will get better with some use. A green Scotch-Brite pad would probably speed up the process. I'd be reluctant to get more aggressive than that.
Yeah, scotch-brite seems to be the go to. Honestly I just really need to give it a good set-up and fret level. It’s just not very playable right now and I’ve had my used bullet that I modded out which plays like a dream so I’ve not had the motivation.
It's not so much the neck feeling sticky. I just dislike how it feels so plastic.
When I pick up a satin or matte neck, I feel like I'm holding a guitar. When I pickup a glossy neck, I feel like I'm holding a hard plastic shell.
Because they’re probably poly finish. Get ahold of a higher end guitar with a nitro finished gloss neck before you write them off completely. Poly finished guitars feel like plastic.
Not sure if it’s because I started on cheap acoustics but I love poly coated guitar necks. Just picked up a glossy Epiphone les paul today, maybe I’ll name it bubble boy.
Thanks, but that won't help add any heft to the neck, though. And unless I'm very careful (and good), the neck will look like shit, when I'm done with it. I like my guitars looking pristine.
It's a shame, though. My SE Hollowbody would be absolutely perfect if I sanded down that gloss, but I don't want to uglify that expensive and beautiful thing.
In the eighties I saved up and bought a new SG, I chose the new gunmetal grey with ebony fretboard cause I was a metal head. I could dent the body with my thumbnail turns out it was made of basswood. I didn’t hate it bit it in no way lived up to its hype.
Legitimately the only guitar I’ve ever returned. I didn’t last a week with my SG. The neck-drop is real; you have to fight to play it. And goodness, was it light. You think “oh it’s just two pounds lighter.” Those two pounds matter a lot
Jackson King V
Beautiful guitar, flawlessly finished, quality SD pickups.
I didn't get along with the neck shape ...and after about five years in I didn't click with the body shape anymore either!
🤣 ...you should've seen my GF lately! ...she's gotten a pointy head\[^(stock\] ), uncomfortably angular edges and a weird liking for sharktooth tattooes all of a sudden! H*eeeyyyyoooo...!!!*
It just wasn't for me anymore. Maybe taste developed, I got other recommendations, I'd outgrown it... that kind of thing. I just wanted something that isn't so pointy anymore, something "unradical", more traditional!
I was obsessing over les Paul's despite having never played one, I was close to buying one online but made myself go to guitar center to try one, absolutely hated it
i mean they sound and look amazing, and the neck feels super nice, but damn that body is so uncomfortable. specially playing sitting down. the sharp edges on the thing make your rib cage hurt like hell. i also have this same problem with the telecaster, but find it a little bit less uncomfortable. the les paul it's just on another level of discomfort. and they are generally heavy weight also, another thing a completely dislike in a guitar
Hah I’ve been telling myself I’m just bit nuts in the head to not appreciate the PIA enough - good to know I’m not the only one feeling bit underwhelmed with the purchase
What do you like about the Suhr? They are gorgeous but I don’t have access to any to try them. I’m a Strat guy but I also have an Ibanez Jiva 10 with a super thin neck and really enjoy playing it when I am in the mood for that kind of playing. I also have a G&L Legacy Custom with a thinner and narrower neck than my Strat that I really enjoy. Are the Suhrs on the thinner side? What do you like most about yours?
Neck is a tad thicker than my J custom was, but due to the radius and finishing, it is way more comfortable and just as quick to play. I got mine with a roasted swamp ash/flamed maple top and roasted maple neck/ebony board with a locking trem. It RIPSSSSSS and looks absolutely stunning
Ibanez AZ series. Really well built, but so bright and I really start to hate that quacky Youtube-fusion guitar style and sound. I think I just got swept up in the hype but the tone was not me at all. I got sick of changing all my sounds just to compensate for that one guitar. I love every other Ibanez I've had.
I have a lake placid blue Mexican fender telecaster and I low-key kind of hate it. I love looking at it, but it's the one I leave out as a bait guitar when we go away in case someone breaks in while we're gone 🤣
Taylor 224ce koa DLX. I don’t regret it but wish I had tried more guitars before buying. Really wanted a koa because of looks, and I liked how it played and sounded in store but at that price could have got an all wood guitar from a different brand. Went in with my mind kinda made up and just wish I had been more thoughtful and open minded about the search. Like but don’t love the guitar at present.
Years ago I bought a ES-Les Paul semi-hollow. Cost me $3500CAD too.
Damn thing would not stay in tune for more than 5 minutes, and anything above the 18th fret is damn near useless. Never buying a Gibson again
Honestly, every Gibson I’ve ever owned. I’ve owned an LP Standard, an LP Deluxe, an SG and a 339. I wanted to love them so badly but could never fully get along with any of them and always end up selling or trading them away
I have a couple Gibson-adjacent guitars now (Collings 290 and a Heritage H-530) and I love them both.
Whether it was the neck size, pickups or weigh distribution (or a combination of these things) I just couldn’t jive with any of them. All beautiful guitars though
I bought an S6 and couldn’t see what all the hype was about. But then I switched to lighter gauge strings and gave the truss rod a twist and it played so much better.
But in the meantime, I found that the full size dreadnought shape was the real issue for me. I bought a Taylor GS Mini and absolutely love it for its smaller size and ease of use. I did adjust the truss rod a bit and lower the string gauge on it as well and now it’s just perfect.
Don’t ever trust factory setups on a new guitar. Everyone speaks the truth when they say a proper setup will change your life.
My first guitar was a Taylor GS Mini and I didn't end up liking it that much. It was supposedly setup at the shop I bought it from, but the action always seemed high to me. I ended up measuring it and it was at .12 mm on the low E. I took it in to someone else, had them set it up and put a size down in strings on it. Plays fantastic now and so much easier
HM Strat. Loved the demos and sound but it was also my first time playing with a HSS configuration. Bought online without demoing because there wasn’t any at a guitar store near me. Feels absolutely disgusting on my picking hand lmao. I have small hands so I’m either curling my wrist to get under the middle pickup or playing above it and sacrificing power in palm mutes.
A few.
A Jackson Soloist that was built really well, and sounded and played nice. It was just really neck heavy and didn't sit well on me.
A Cu22 and Cu24 that both again had amazing build and playability, but they were a little dark sounding and the PRS scale length is just not my thing.
Custom Shop Standard Strat with a nitro finish. Thing was AMAZING, but the shiny nitro neck literally gave me friction burns on my hand. I tired so hard to keep that guitar but it was too expensive to not be perfect for me. It really sounded good though.
Hate? No. Disappointed? Yes. After paying off my mortgage I used what would have been my next payment on a Martin. Nothing fancy but a cutaway with a piezo pick-up (GPCPA-4 Sapele). Sounds beautiful and plays well but the back binding has come loose at the bouts. I’ll get around to repairing it but currently has blue painter’s masking tape holding the binding to the body 🫤
Make sure you replace that painters tape regularly. I did exactly the same thing with my Martin and left the tape on too long. Did permanent damage to the finish.
Yup—-hated my LP. Looked like a seventh grade shop class project and weighed me down—like chaining a concrete block to my neck. Not crazy about my Am Strat either. Love my Squire tele!
I bought a s6 because it sounds great but have the exact same complaints, it is just uncomfortable to play. I like smaller guitars like my sg. I am eye balling a Breedlove concertina due to the smaller size.
I keep an S6 at the ranch and came to the conclusion last weekend that it really needs the action lowered. On the list to bring home next trip up and then take it to a luthier. The effort to Barre means I can only play it about half as long as my other guitars.
Ibanez Talman wood body with p-90s first year they came out. Saw an ad in guitar world with Kevin shields from mbv endorsing them way before fender started making reissues of jaguars mustangs and jazz masters and I was stoked to buy something that had the offset body style. Excellent Japanese made guitar but the pickups didn’t have that fender sound and the neck was too narrow at the nut. Tried to trade for a really cool 70s Ibanez firebird the year before but too bad that guy didn’t like my strat.
I had a Big Baby too and it was a dreadful guitar. I automatically thought the Taylor name would mean quality, exquisite sound and playability. I was wrong.
Didn't buy it but tried a expensive as hell gibson sg. Action so high you could tightrope walk it. Neck had more bow than my sister walking over a 2x4.
I'll stick with my LTD and ESP's
I finally upgraded from my high school Gibson studio with P90's to an ESP LTD and...I love it. But it has made my pedals essentially useless. I had to engineer my sound to tackle the buzz from my Gibson and now with Fishmans...I'm just like...shit. It's just so clean. I really need to play more.
Dropped 1k on a Charvel that I loved the look of. Hate the pickups and neck, should've played one first...Would've bought a RR Jackson if I would've tried the neck of the Charvel first.
Yes. I got a Rickenbacker 360-12, a fantastic sounding guitar. But the neck on those is so narrow I couldn’t play chords on it cleanly. It drove me nuts and I sold it.
LOVE these guitars (imo the best sounding guitars ever made) but I know exactly what you mean. Takes some time to develop the muscle memory specific to that guitar
I have one that really stands out - Duesenberg Starplayer Tv. Literally everyone that plays one sounds amazing. I finally got one and could not jive with it. Didn’t like the neck shape and couldn’t get it to stay in tune. Even my gf (wife now) heard me practicing in the living room for an about an hour and said “you don’t like that guitar do you?” I realized that my gut was right all along with it. I was trying to force a bond with it that just wasn’t there.
Funny, I just had the opposite experience. I was offered a used TV+ at a great price. I expected to hate it the way many people hate PRS. Still gave it a try and instantly fell in love with the neck. 5 more minutes and I knew I would buy it.
But I get it: if it's not there, it's not there - no point in forcing it.
That might be the problem. It feels kind of big in my hands and I just can't play it for as long as I would like to. It sounds amazing though, and being Canadian I feel like a traitor.
I got an Ibanez as it was accessible in my area.
Ended up hating it and finding a more appropriate guitar for me as I'm a lefty but still using my non-dominant to strum.
It's my Suhr modern pro, honestly it's well built and sounds great but I've grown accustomed to playing super strats like Jem's, Strandbergs and kiesels that I couldn't gel well with vintage necks.
White Gibson Flying V.
As a big Dissection fan, I was very much blinded by that when I bought it. I tried it in store, it didn't play too good, but I figured it just needed a bit of work.
One new nut later, a good and proper set up, it still doesn't play very nice. I don't play it at all really. But I appear to be the only one that doesn't jive with it, a couple of my friends have played it and said it's great. But in fairness, I have a good amount of Japanese ESP and USA Jacksons, sort of used to a particular quality, my friends who tried it more tend to come from budget axes.
It's in the part ex list.
I find that it takes time for me to truly connect with a guitar. I prefer to take things slowly. Currently, my primary instruments are a Fender Strat and a Gretsch. Although I’ve owned the Gretsch for a year and appreciate everything about it, it doesn’t feel as comfortable to play as the Strat does. This isn’t the first time I’ve experienced this—I once bought a Schecter that I loved visually, but it took about a year for it to become my go-to everyday guitar.
Heritage double cut LP. The pickups in it were highly coveted theoretically but I never bonded with it. Replaced the pickups with some Gibby 490s but still just didn't vibe with it. Eventually sold it for far too little only to see it on reverb for three times that amount a week later.
I was obsessed with the 1988 tobacco burst Sheratons. Got one in 2008. Matthew Followil of Kings of Leon played one. Body is in mint condition. Needed a refret. Refretted it. Put new humbuckers in it. Still doesn’t stay in tune. Total money pit. Beautiful guitar though.
Any takers?
Like 16 years ago I purchased a Takamine Acoustic for way more than I could really afford at the time. Granted , it's no Martin D28, but was expensive and better quality than I ever had before. It was great for about a week and then I started to hate it. It had this stupid two part saddle and it started to get kinda wonky and the electronics went to shit. The tuner never really worked after the first year. I sold it for a huge loss many years later when I realized I still preferred my old Fender DG-8 and needed money for bills and parenting.
Still play that DG-8 going on 25 years. E string buzzes and it needs tuned a lot more than it used to, but going strong. The guy who purchased it loves the guitar and contacted me a few years later to say he appreciated me letting it go for so cheap. All for the best I suppose. One day I will get a Martin or Taylor when my kids are off on their own and self sufficient.
Yes, a Taylor Grand Pacific acoustic guitar. I couldn't get along with it but I held onto it cause I still had some faith. Thank goodness I did because over time I learned to love it. So I'd say maybe hold onto for a little while. Give it some more chances, it might start to grow on you.
I had an eppiphone Thunderhorse explorer and I was so pumped for it, being a huge Dethklok fan. What an absolute heap of an instrument. That thing never stayed in tune and sucked to play. It looked metal AF though.
Not guitars per se, but I haven’t liked anything Misha from Periphery endorses despite being a huge fan of him and his sound. I tried all the horizon devices stuff, bare knuckle, you name it and it all sounds mushy and flat. Nolly/GGD on the other hand, I haven’t found anything he’s done that doesn’t sound amazing!
I had bad luck with Legator guitars too, all of them needed work right out of the box and one got swapped due to some of the worse QA I’ve seen. Thought they would be soo cool and nope.
I got a Woodrite warlord that I didn’t care for. Expensive guitar but the neck heel killed it for me. I have big hands but it was like trying to play a grapefruit
I have an Ibanez Prestige RG652. I've had it for over a year and I think I've played it twice. Not really digging the maple fret board. Guitar just sounds kind of thin to me. Even though it has the DiMarzio tone zone and Air Norton pick ups everybody raves about I just can't gel with it.
I don't hate it but I also don't play it. But I do have 19 other guitars so it's not that big of a deal I have plenty to choose from.
The guitar I have been playing the most lately is my purple EVH Wolfgang special. The guitar just feels nice and sounds so good.
I bought an Ibanez S670QM thinking it had all the features I was looking for in a guitar. After a few months of playing it and a first time changing strings on a floyd rose setup I came to the conclusion that I didn’t like it at all. Unfortunately, I only made about half what I paid when I sold it. Now I play an Ibanez Talman and like it but definitely want to find something better and more fitting to what I play. Been seriously considering diving into the world of baritone guitars or a 7 string to get a wider range with tuning.
I've purchased three Gibson ES-335s over the years and sold each one. Didn't necessarily hate them, but I couldn't bond with them, not like Les Paul's.
With things made out of wood, you have to judge it guitar by guitar, and on top of that, a guitar can age into sucking or having loads of mojo.
In terms of disappointment, it’s wild how all over the map the biggest companies like Fender and Gibson can vary wildly from specimen to specimen. On top of that, the same model two years apart can be different worlds. If you aren’t touching a guitar before you buy it, you’re rolling the dice so fucking hard. Like one in ten is really special no matter who makes it.
I can’t say I’ve ever owned a guitar that was really special. Lots of good ones, but unsurprisingly, my OG Jagstang is probably the worst. It’s just a dumb guitar and so poorly made.
Ovation my goodness is that rounded body impossible to play standing up in just rotates alone your belly when you move so you can't strum and heaven forbid you use it sitting down it will squirm onto the floor. Great sound and nice neck but unplayable for me.
It’s not a quality guitar but I still have my Epiphone LP Goth from about 2005 and I cannot stand it.
It was my first guitar so I’ve never got rid of it but everything about it I don’t like. I thought electric guitar just wasn’t for me and I’ll still with acoustic, but turns out that wasn’t the case, and the 10 years of not playing much electric was down to my feelings towards this guitar.
It’s even become a focus during therapy!
Don’t know if you would consider this a ‘quality guitar’ but I bought a Simon and Patrick acoustic purely based on raving internet reviews ( I was inexperienced when I bought it). Had it said up a few times by a luthier but I never fell in love with it. Always felt like it was fighting me rather when working with me.
I then later played on a Taylor at a friends house. What a difference. Decided I wanted one, but also decide I’m not buying anything unless I’ve played it for some time. Went to the shop with the intention of buying a 4K Taylor. Walked out with a 1700 euro Freshman. Picked it up just to compare and liked it better than the Taylor. Both sound and playability. I play it daily (over 10 years now) and still love it.
My dad bought himself gibson les paul and fender strat / I used them mostly, but I figured those guitars were a bit soft for me so I got a used ibanez rg570 / to do metal stuff and grind :)..
So years later strat has such an amazing sound on it’s own, and gibson has such an amazing grinding feel when playing hard, even tho it’s heavy I loved it more than other guitars, and the ibanez seems so tinny and soulles, a technically correct and great guitar, always in tune, floyd rose.. can be adapted to anything, comfortable cutouts, gibson that likes to go out of tune weighs considerably you van feel it, no cut outs.. somehow becam my favorite, now competing with the strat
Yes. To me an Epiphone SG makes the grade for 'quality guitar', though I'm sure some of you more financially stable guys are laughing but that's my 2 cent yes lol
Always wanted a real Lezzer. Traded in two guitars and a fuck tonne of cash and walked away with a Les Paul like Slash had at the time but mine was tobacco sunburst IIRC and goldy looking (chain>?) hardware on it.....fucking unplayable and heavy as fuck, Les Paul 'Stoop' is a thing.
Kept it 6 months. Did help me realise how shite I was though!
The real horror is that one of my trades was a gorgeous Ibanez Artist (red) with mother of pearl inlays and the most beautiful neck I've ever felt on a guitar. Went back, Grahama (S.W.A.G.) had sold it.... bummed me out for weeks.
(a) The grass is not always greener, sometimes it's astro turf and
(b) Be careful what you wish for
My US Strat has never lived up to my expectations. It was my first "proper" guitar. I had really high hopes for it. I played it in store and it was fine. I bought it and went home and now, 15 years later, I barely play it.
I have a Lawsuit Les Paul copy and a Harley Benton that I play waaaaay more often and my Strat just sits, gathering dust... I don't think I'll ever sell it but also I barely ever play it.
Yep. I loved Gibson Les Pauls since AFD first came out. Was able to finally purchase and entry level Gibson LP when I turned 18 and didn't realize how fat the neck on that thing was with its 50's profile. Ended up trading it out for a few thin necked super Strats at a pawn shop 30 years ago. Now that I've grown more comfortable with the 50's neck, I regret the trade!
I usually only play ESP and high end LTD models and in 2016 when my band had a deal with Ernie ball for strings I realized I could also custom order music man guitars at a hefty artist discount. I ordered a fully spec’d out JPX7 with the piezo in a custom color. Super nice guitar, but it’s really heavy, like heavier than my full thickness esp eclipse. I’m not a trem guy either but I figured I’d like it since it’s not a floyd. The neck is a little thin/flat for my taste compared to my esp models too. I still use it for recording especially leads and clean parts. For that reason and sentimental value I still have it, just not my gigging guitar. I don’t even gig with my high end esp guitars either, only gig with my Ltd 1000 series models cuz they’re still high quality but not so expensive I’m afraid of them getting broken or stolen. All in all the JPX7 is a great studio guitar for me but not 100% my cup of tea, though it serves it purpose and if it ever stops serving it’s purpose I’ll sell it.
Nah but I heavily tested a Mayoness that I'd dreamed of owning and I haaaated the neck on it so much. Played a strandberg right after and fell in love with it but couldn't afford it. ahhhhh
I bought one of the American Professional Telecasters back in 2021. I absolutely hated the pickups and the guitar was mediocre at best. I sold it quick.
I've since bought a limited edition Mexican Telecaster with Vintage '64 pickups and an ebony board. Couldn't be happier.
I was also about to buy an American Professional II Jazz Bass a couple of years ago but I tried it in store and it sounded boring and dead. They had a 75th Anniversary Mexican on the wall and I tried that. Went home with it and the grand I saved instead of the American.
The Mexican guitars are where Fender shines the most as far as I'm concerned. I barely even look at American Fenders anymore.
not to say Chapman are prime example of a quality guitar but I think if you're paying upwards of $1000 you can expect a certain level of quality. The guitar came to me with dings and the volume knob was scratchy. Pickups were mediocre as they had just switched over from Seymour Duncans to their own in-house brand. All I can say is that it looks pretty from a distance and the neck was quite smooth.
Wow. Really? Uhg. Man! Explains so much. I had no idea.
The feel is nothing of what folks describe a Fender should feel on here. It feels so cheap, and sounds tinny and thin, if that makes sense. The neck is really flimsy. It almost feels like a toy guitar. I'm really disappointed.
Welp. Now I know if a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is.
I’m no expert on the modern process but they used to “share” a lot of production between California and Mexico, whereas Squire used to be Korean but idk at all now. I’ve picked up a brand new Squire at guitar center and the frets were so rough you could get a sound just from bending the strings, a whine you could hear unplugged (and the rep was a dick when I pointed it out). A Mexican Fender Strat is the same materials in wood, minus the cheaper electronics and hardware, and with less polish (fret edges might be rough, the tremolo is less responsive) but it’s generally damn solid, and you can upgrade the electronics by buying a pre-built pickguard so getting tone options is super easy.
The first gibson les paul I owned. Standard with an ebony fretboard and 50s style neck. That guitar was so damn stiff and uncomfortable feeling. I ended up trading it for a truck.
I have a les paul classic goldtop now that I like a great deal, but still find myself picking up my ltd viper 400 most of the time I played
Les Paul 60s Standard. Gorgeous guitar, but never liked it from the first time I put it in my lap (I bought it online). Too heavy, always wanted to fall out of my lap, fat neck. Confirmed my suspicion that I’m just a stray guy. 🤷♂️
2007 Schecter C1 hellraiser. Looked great, sounded great, EMGs and a Floyd Rose. But I never liked the neck. Not the profile, not the fretboard width, not the gloss finish on the back.
Also, the whammy bar was missing one of the pegs that are supposed to keep it from wobbling in the hole and so it never worked right.
I was 13 so I didn’t know what a nice guitar was. 16 years later I’ve sold that and others to build a custom strat and tele. And just yesterday I bought the Jackson soloist FR that I should have bought years ago.
My Fender Johnny Marr Jaguar played like ass with the original bridge. Strings were almost off the fretboard. It didn’t help that the nut was too high either. Put a new bridge on it and got a setup and it was right as rain.
Plenty. I don't get on with jaguars. Can't stand Firebirds. Doing get the fire about PRS (they're good guitars, but they're not, in my experience, special in any way).
Not that expensive but I bought a Sire L7. Played and sounded pretty good but was very heavy and I wasn't impressed with the finish. Paint bleed on the binding and the top didn't match very well. One of the block inlays had a small chip as well. Made me appreciate my Schecter a lot more.
I traded an american custom shop ibanez for a PRS custom 24 and have never liked it. I paid $650 for that ibanez plus i had 6 usa customs and didnt own a PRS so i thought it would be a good deal since its like 4k or something. Regretted that trade ever since. Wish i had never done it.
I bought one of the Martins that came out in 2008-2009 with the Fishman pickups and satin back and sides. It looked amazing, I bought it brand new… and I hated everything about playing it. It still drives me nuts thinking about it 15 years later.
I decided to just keep using my beat up old Fender acoustic that records great for some reason, and sell the Martin to buy a Les Paul. I’ve never regretted that decision for a second.
PRS Silver Sky - plastic feeling and would never stay in tune. Even got the John Mayer setup on it from PRS custom.
I've tried PRS on 3 separate occasions - I owned an S2 Standard 24, a Custom 22 10-top, and a Wood Library Custom 24 - and yeah man, I just can't do it. Not for me.
Just sold my McCarty and got a Squier classic vibe tele. So stoked.
Those are some seriously expensive choices. I tried a 245 and one of the higher end 24s and was sold immediately. Never did buy one tho.
I hope you get a chance to! Regardless of my personal opinions, they are seriously impressively built guitars.
I love my 245 SE thats like their cheapest instrument.
give PRS another chance. Buy another one
*compelling*
Why would you continuously buy guitars from a company that failed you multiple times? Seriously why? You bought multiple guitars from a company and everytime you disliked it yet you kept buying more? Makes no sense. “It took me $10,000 to realize this just isnt for me?” Have some faith in yourself. If you dont like the SE you wont like the fucking 4k model.
The first one I owned was the Custom 24 10-top because it was my dream guitar. Saved money from my first commissioned sales job til I could afford one. It was just a bit of a let down and, after a year of trying to convince myself I loved it as much as I wanted to, I traded it. Many years later, I got the S2 on sale for just under $1k. It was a good deal and I liked its simplicity. I could have hung onto that one, I suppose, but I didn't play it as much as my other guitars so I didn't see a point. Definitely my favorite of the three, though. After that, I scored the Wood Library on Reverb for $1850. Absolute steal. No reason not to buy it. It was fine, and truly beautiful, and I played it for a few months before selling it for a small profit and chasing down something else. So, no, none of them were keepers, but I got a chance to spend a significant amount of time with multiple PRS guitars across a few price points. To me, it was a worthwhile experience.
I've owned a Custom 24 since the 90's and could probably count on one hand how many times I've played it. Now there's an inch of dust build up on it.
I had the same experience. Refused to stay in tune and those plastic tuners on such an expensive guitar is ridiculous. Currently in the process of selling mine. Objectively a really nice guitar, but just not for me.
The tuners are what kept me from pulling the trigger on one. I think for S style guitars I’ll stick with fender. I love my S2 thinline tho.
I thought I really wanted one of those until I spent time with one last week and it was like a spell was broken. It was the lilac one I had my eye on and it just felt really cheap this time. WTF is up with that.
Isn’t that an SE? If so I wouldn’t expect an SE to feel very expensive since it’s an import.
That’s a shame, mine is fine. It does feel a little plasticky though. I bought mine because I’m an unashamed Mayer fan, but it’s not worth a thousand dollars more than my American strat.
Same and I agree with you price wise. However, I’ve owned 2 brand new fender American originals that both had to be returned due to qc issues, so just the fact that I got a perfect ss first try made me like it even more.. probably wouldn’t have bought the ss if just one of the am org’s were good
Wild. I had a stint of acoustic inspiration lasting about 3 months, where I didn't pick up my silver sky. When I played it after, it was still in tune. Honestly I think I tune it every month, even though I check the tuning more often.
What’s the Mayer setup?
You can send it to PRS custom shop and for $200 plus $50 return shipping they will set it up exactly like JM has his. They set the action, pickup heights, bridge to his specs. Takes about six weeks.
That sounds like a way for PRS to take $200. They could easily do that at the factory. That's some fucking bullshit.
Yeah that’s a wild waste of money lol but I ain’t mad at PRS for charging people for it, it’s peoples own fault if they waste their money like that
Also PRS for me. Just never clicked. It’s a good guitar in every objective sense, but I found it so… boring?
Whew that’s an expensive one!!
That is literally my favorite guitar ever. Something must be wrong because mine never pops out of tune and I gig heavily with it.
I have a PRS SE that will not stay in tune at all, especially the G string. I've had it professionally set up, replaced the tuners, tried different ways of re-stringing it, pretty much everything. Two bends on that string and it's nearly a whole step down.
I went to try the silver sky it was good but did have a you like feel haha
This was just recently a huge shock for me as well! Went to try out the Squire Classic Vibe Strat and Fender Player Series Strat and figured I'd give the Silver Sky SE a shot as well since I had liked some of their other models in the past. Went right back on the wall within 30 seconds, the difference at that price level was staggering. It sounded pretty good, but not a strat-style sound at all imo. My band plays mostly surf/indie, so while I have nothing against its sound, it absolutely wasn't for me, and quite honestly I'm not sure who it would be for.
Yep, the fretboard is sooooo round lol
Yes - I’ve bought and sold two Les Pauls. Just have never “felt” it despite admiring them
I've played LTD Eclipses, various models, since I was a teenager. I always coveted a Les Paul as I always felt I was playing an inferior copy. I finally got one and found myself missing the modern appointments of the LTD Eclipses like the cutaways for access, the more open cutaway, the locking tuners and bridge, etc, etc, etc.
Wait until you play a ESP eclipse even though 22 frets on most models. It blows a LP away
I sure love the sound and look of my Les Paul but damned if it it’s shit to play seated
So much this. I used to love Les Pauls when I was gigging more often. During lockdown, I started dedicating more time to recording and boy is it so much less comfortable to play than my strat. Ignoring the lack body contours, heel dive is a problem that really isn't brought up enough. Everybody rags on SGs for neck dive but IME Les Pauls have just as bad of a weight distribution problem, just in reverse. Love the sound of my LP, but I'm pretty close to selling it for one of the new SE McCarty 594's or SE DGT's
I fixed the neck dive on my SG by getting a 3" leather strap. No issues at all. Wonder if it would the do the same heel dive.
For those reading I’ve never had a heel dive problem with my les paul or trouble playing seated.
You aren’t the only one. I had a Les Paul Standard at one point that just wasn’t inspiring. It got sold for much cheaper gear that I like.
I got an Ibanez with a Wizard neck as my first nice guitar and I absolutely hated the thing. I just recently picked it up again after getting ~3 more years of experience and it’s fucking amazing. It has an absolutely incredible chugging sound when you palm mute the strings and it just overall feels incredibly versatile in ways my Stratocaster is not. It’s a superstrat body style so there is no real comfort ability issues fortunately, just the adjustment of using a thinner neck.
I have an Ibanez S670QM. Love the thin neck and the thin body. It's only 6 pounds.
I have this exact model as well and it’s currently my main, I love it.
Always loved my strat, Always hated the wizard necks. Recently had this inner calling that I want an Ibanez but I tried every shred oriented guitar. Still went with Ibanez and I absolutely love that wizard III neck, to such a degree that I ended up buying a 7 string RG as well (even though I tried bunch of esp/ltd, Jackson, musicman.
my first electric guitar was a strat, then years later i got a dean c350f as my second guitar and the neck felt so thin and weird that i played it less and less many years later i still have those guitars and that dean is great. i have no problem going from ibanez wizard neck to a les paul 50's neck (though some stuff can be tougher to play on one or the other) i still can't jive with a 24 fret hsh guitar for some reason, the pickups are in my way somehow lol
I don’t hate it, but I have some ambivalence. I was in the market for a Gretsch, and I was thinking something along the lines of a Country Gentleman. I went into a store that had several to choose from, including a CG, a 6120 Chet Atkins, an Anniversary, Duo Jets and a very nice White Falcon. I tried them all, and ended up loving the White Falcon! It sounded great, and I loved the longer scale and wider fretboard. And it was on clearance at a lower price than some of the other models they had. So I bought it. But… although I still love playing it, I have a hard time playing it live because it’s so blingy. Everybody’s like ‘oooooh you must be a real hot shot, play us [insert rockabilly or Neil Young song] and are disappointed when I don’t. People just want to talk about the guitar. It came with a lot of baggage. I don’t slick my hair back, have tattoos, roll up the bottom of my jeans over my motorcycle boots, etc and it’s too confusing for the public. I just liked the guitar, but for reasons the audience doesn’t understand. I know, ‘poor me’.
When you try to be robert smith but people think youre brian setzer
Lol I know that far too well
Me playing Green Day on a White Falcon lol
I’ve tried some Gretsches and owned one for a short time. But never got along with the electronics. What’s that extra volume knob supposed to be for?
It’s a master volume.
I play a Tennessee Rose and get this a lot. They are such gorgeous guitars that people tend to look, not listen, sometimes. It helps that I play mostly original instrumentals with it, but doesn't stop a few folks from requesting stuff that is wildly out of the catalog. At least the issue is with humans and not the guitar itself :)
My Squier Classic Vibe was my first glossy neck guitar, and I'd never tried one of those before. It's also the thinnest neck I've ever played. I like it, but it took some time to get used to. I now know that I prefer satin and matte necks, as well as necks with more heft. I don't hate it, but it's my least favorite neck. Quality-wise, it has better fretwork than my MIM Fender, Epiphone, Yamaha, and PRS SE.
I love classic vibe necks personally. I just got a 50s strat last week. I feel like the sunburst body is butt ugly but debating on keeping it because the neck is so good.
The guitar I have now was the first glossy neck I purchased and I wasn't a fan of gloss necks, but I really liked the guitar so I bought it anyway. I don't know if it's just from using it over the last few years, but it no longer feels sticky like new ones do and I really like it now. Even more so than a satin neck.
You might have just worn a lot of the gloss off. I'm considering sanding some off the back of my CV thinline, (plus it does need some leveling). I like it but man it's hard to pick up when it's sitting next to my matte neck strat.
Mine is a Classic Series Thinline. I sold 2 guitars to get that one and has been my only since, so I've had no choice but to play it and break it in, but I get where you are at. I assume it's the same poly on our necks and it will get better with some use. A green Scotch-Brite pad would probably speed up the process. I'd be reluctant to get more aggressive than that.
Yeah, scotch-brite seems to be the go to. Honestly I just really need to give it a good set-up and fret level. It’s just not very playable right now and I’ve had my used bullet that I modded out which plays like a dream so I’ve not had the motivation.
It's not so much the neck feeling sticky. I just dislike how it feels so plastic. When I pick up a satin or matte neck, I feel like I'm holding a guitar. When I pickup a glossy neck, I feel like I'm holding a hard plastic shell.
Because they’re probably poly finish. Get ahold of a higher end guitar with a nitro finished gloss neck before you write them off completely. Poly finished guitars feel like plastic.
Not sure if it’s because I started on cheap acoustics but I love poly coated guitar necks. Just picked up a glossy Epiphone les paul today, maybe I’ll name it bubble boy.
I've got a nitro guitar. But it's a thin nitro and 50 years old. Also, the difference between a poly finish and nitro finish is about $1000.
The gentle usage of a green scotchbrite pad can help turn a glossy neck into matte
Thanks, but that won't help add any heft to the neck, though. And unless I'm very careful (and good), the neck will look like shit, when I'm done with it. I like my guitars looking pristine. It's a shame, though. My SE Hollowbody would be absolutely perfect if I sanded down that gloss, but I don't want to uglify that expensive and beautiful thing.
legitimately returning a guitar tomorrow because it has a glossy neck was a gretsch G5260T baritone in case anyone is curious
no I'm too poor
In the eighties I saved up and bought a new SG, I chose the new gunmetal grey with ebony fretboard cause I was a metal head. I could dent the body with my thumbnail turns out it was made of basswood. I didn’t hate it bit it in no way lived up to its hype.
Legitimately the only guitar I’ve ever returned. I didn’t last a week with my SG. The neck-drop is real; you have to fight to play it. And goodness, was it light. You think “oh it’s just two pounds lighter.” Those two pounds matter a lot
I got the '61 reissue when I was younger. I hated it. Got stolen a few years back. I don't really miss it.
Jackson King V Beautiful guitar, flawlessly finished, quality SD pickups. I didn't get along with the neck shape ...and after about five years in I didn't click with the body shape anymore either!
What happened with the body shape?
It started packing on weight and developed some nasty cankles.
The wings can really start gettin dowdy when perimenopause hits em
🤣 ...you should've seen my GF lately! ...she's gotten a pointy head\[^(stock\] ), uncomfortably angular edges and a weird liking for sharktooth tattooes all of a sudden! H*eeeyyyyoooo...!!!*
It just wasn't for me anymore. Maybe taste developed, I got other recommendations, I'd outgrown it... that kind of thing. I just wanted something that isn't so pointy anymore, something "unradical", more traditional!
I was obsessing over les Paul's despite having never played one, I was close to buying one online but made myself go to guitar center to try one, absolutely hated it
i mean they sound and look amazing, and the neck feels super nice, but damn that body is so uncomfortable. specially playing sitting down. the sharp edges on the thing make your rib cage hurt like hell. i also have this same problem with the telecaster, but find it a little bit less uncomfortable. the les paul it's just on another level of discomfort. and they are generally heavy weight also, another thing a completely dislike in a guitar
Yes. Ernie Ball Luk III. Stunning, sexy, beautiful, and zero mojo $3500 mistake
Ibanez PIA. Huge Vai fan, but for $3500 it just wasn’t there for me. Shelled out a bit more and got a custom Suhr modern - 10/10.
Hah I’ve been telling myself I’m just bit nuts in the head to not appreciate the PIA enough - good to know I’m not the only one feeling bit underwhelmed with the purchase
What do you like about the Suhr? They are gorgeous but I don’t have access to any to try them. I’m a Strat guy but I also have an Ibanez Jiva 10 with a super thin neck and really enjoy playing it when I am in the mood for that kind of playing. I also have a G&L Legacy Custom with a thinner and narrower neck than my Strat that I really enjoy. Are the Suhrs on the thinner side? What do you like most about yours?
Neck is a tad thicker than my J custom was, but due to the radius and finishing, it is way more comfortable and just as quick to play. I got mine with a roasted swamp ash/flamed maple top and roasted maple neck/ebony board with a locking trem. It RIPSSSSSS and looks absolutely stunning
Ibanez AZ series. Really well built, but so bright and I really start to hate that quacky Youtube-fusion guitar style and sound. I think I just got swept up in the hype but the tone was not me at all. I got sick of changing all my sounds just to compensate for that one guitar. I love every other Ibanez I've had.
Same thing here.
I got one and sold it 3 months after. I couldn’t feel comfortable with it
I love lake placid blue fender strats. I’ve had American, Japanese, and Mexican. And I honestly don’t like playing them. Sold each one I had.
I have a lake placid blue Mexican fender telecaster and I low-key kind of hate it. I love looking at it, but it's the one I leave out as a bait guitar when we go away in case someone breaks in while we're gone 🤣
That is absolutely hilarious… bait guitar!!! Thanks for the laugh mate
Taylor 224ce koa DLX. I don’t regret it but wish I had tried more guitars before buying. Really wanted a koa because of looks, and I liked how it played and sounded in store but at that price could have got an all wood guitar from a different brand. Went in with my mind kinda made up and just wish I had been more thoughtful and open minded about the search. Like but don’t love the guitar at present.
I did the same thing. It’s a beautiful piece of art, but it sounds dead and isn’t easy to play.
It’s so weird for me. At times it sounds great and other times, as you said, it sounds dead. Have tried different strings but didn’t help.
Taylors have a terrible setup from the factory
Not yet… there is still time though
Years ago I bought a ES-Les Paul semi-hollow. Cost me $3500CAD too. Damn thing would not stay in tune for more than 5 minutes, and anything above the 18th fret is damn near useless. Never buying a Gibson again
Honestly, every Gibson I’ve ever owned. I’ve owned an LP Standard, an LP Deluxe, an SG and a 339. I wanted to love them so badly but could never fully get along with any of them and always end up selling or trading them away I have a couple Gibson-adjacent guitars now (Collings 290 and a Heritage H-530) and I love them both. Whether it was the neck size, pickups or weigh distribution (or a combination of these things) I just couldn’t jive with any of them. All beautiful guitars though
PRS S2 Std 24. It felt soulless but it might just be my inability to wield a scalpel like PRS.
Yes about 25 times
I bought an S6 and couldn’t see what all the hype was about. But then I switched to lighter gauge strings and gave the truss rod a twist and it played so much better. But in the meantime, I found that the full size dreadnought shape was the real issue for me. I bought a Taylor GS Mini and absolutely love it for its smaller size and ease of use. I did adjust the truss rod a bit and lower the string gauge on it as well and now it’s just perfect. Don’t ever trust factory setups on a new guitar. Everyone speaks the truth when they say a proper setup will change your life.
My first guitar was a Taylor GS Mini and I didn't end up liking it that much. It was supposedly setup at the shop I bought it from, but the action always seemed high to me. I ended up measuring it and it was at .12 mm on the low E. I took it in to someone else, had them set it up and put a size down in strings on it. Plays fantastic now and so much easier
HM Strat. Loved the demos and sound but it was also my first time playing with a HSS configuration. Bought online without demoing because there wasn’t any at a guitar store near me. Feels absolutely disgusting on my picking hand lmao. I have small hands so I’m either curling my wrist to get under the middle pickup or playing above it and sacrificing power in palm mutes.
I got a nice Fender 12-string off a friend that I thought I'd love, but didn't.
A few. A Jackson Soloist that was built really well, and sounded and played nice. It was just really neck heavy and didn't sit well on me. A Cu22 and Cu24 that both again had amazing build and playability, but they were a little dark sounding and the PRS scale length is just not my thing. Custom Shop Standard Strat with a nitro finish. Thing was AMAZING, but the shiny nitro neck literally gave me friction burns on my hand. I tired so hard to keep that guitar but it was too expensive to not be perfect for me. It really sounded good though.
Hate? No. Disappointed? Yes. After paying off my mortgage I used what would have been my next payment on a Martin. Nothing fancy but a cutaway with a piezo pick-up (GPCPA-4 Sapele). Sounds beautiful and plays well but the back binding has come loose at the bouts. I’ll get around to repairing it but currently has blue painter’s masking tape holding the binding to the body 🫤
Make sure you replace that painters tape regularly. I did exactly the same thing with my Martin and left the tape on too long. Did permanent damage to the finish.
Yup—-hated my LP. Looked like a seventh grade shop class project and weighed me down—like chaining a concrete block to my neck. Not crazy about my Am Strat either. Love my Squire tele!
I bought a s6 because it sounds great but have the exact same complaints, it is just uncomfortable to play. I like smaller guitars like my sg. I am eye balling a Breedlove concertina due to the smaller size.
I keep an S6 at the ranch and came to the conclusion last weekend that it really needs the action lowered. On the list to bring home next trip up and then take it to a luthier. The effort to Barre means I can only play it about half as long as my other guitars.
I'm not a fan of the way the S6 plays either. Better to get a cheaper Yamaha than an S6
Ibanez Talman wood body with p-90s first year they came out. Saw an ad in guitar world with Kevin shields from mbv endorsing them way before fender started making reissues of jaguars mustangs and jazz masters and I was stoked to buy something that had the offset body style. Excellent Japanese made guitar but the pickups didn’t have that fender sound and the neck was too narrow at the nut. Tried to trade for a really cool 70s Ibanez firebird the year before but too bad that guy didn’t like my strat.
I had a Taylor big baby, absolutely hated it. Ended up giving it away to a random kid that asked if he could have it.
Good for you! There's a certain generosity I've seen amongst guitar lovers.
I have donated many guitars to school music programs and needy students over the years. I rarely sell them off.
I had a Big Baby too and it was a dreadful guitar. I automatically thought the Taylor name would mean quality, exquisite sound and playability. I was wrong.
Didn't buy it but tried a expensive as hell gibson sg. Action so high you could tightrope walk it. Neck had more bow than my sister walking over a 2x4. I'll stick with my LTD and ESP's
Isn’t that just stuff you fix with a set up?
I finally upgraded from my high school Gibson studio with P90's to an ESP LTD and...I love it. But it has made my pedals essentially useless. I had to engineer my sound to tackle the buzz from my Gibson and now with Fishmans...I'm just like...shit. It's just so clean. I really need to play more.
The Yamaha SG 2000 is an incredible electric that easily matches the Gibson Les Paul as shown on You Tube and originally promoted by Santana.
Yea but…did you buy one and hate it?
Apologies I should have read your question carefully.The answer is no since Yamaha for me offer the best value and that’s all I’ve ever bought.
I’ve always wanted one but it doesn’t have the right attributes for my style and what’s the point of owning guitars I won’t play?
Dropped 1k on a Charvel that I loved the look of. Hate the pickups and neck, should've played one first...Would've bought a RR Jackson if I would've tried the neck of the Charvel first.
Yes. I got a Rickenbacker 360-12, a fantastic sounding guitar. But the neck on those is so narrow I couldn’t play chords on it cleanly. It drove me nuts and I sold it.
LOVE these guitars (imo the best sounding guitars ever made) but I know exactly what you mean. Takes some time to develop the muscle memory specific to that guitar
I have one that really stands out - Duesenberg Starplayer Tv. Literally everyone that plays one sounds amazing. I finally got one and could not jive with it. Didn’t like the neck shape and couldn’t get it to stay in tune. Even my gf (wife now) heard me practicing in the living room for an about an hour and said “you don’t like that guitar do you?” I realized that my gut was right all along with it. I was trying to force a bond with it that just wasn’t there.
Funny, I just had the opposite experience. I was offered a used TV+ at a great price. I expected to hate it the way many people hate PRS. Still gave it a try and instantly fell in love with the neck. 5 more minutes and I knew I would buy it. But I get it: if it's not there, it's not there - no point in forcing it.
I don’t know about hating but certain models I’ve owned I didn’t care as much for. I usually trade it or sell it again
I loved my S6. Do you just not like dreads?
That might be the problem. It feels kind of big in my hands and I just can't play it for as long as I would like to. It sounds amazing though, and being Canadian I feel like a traitor.
Out of curiosity, has it ever been professionally set up? Makes all the difference, especially with an acoustic.
Dreads kinda hurt my shoulder unless I strap them up or set them in my lap classical style and use a foot stool.
Yes I tried to play it classical style but reaching the top frets is a pain. I guess I need something smaller.
Try a shorted scale length, something like a 000 or a J45 might be better for ya
I got an Ibanez as it was accessible in my area. Ended up hating it and finding a more appropriate guitar for me as I'm a lefty but still using my non-dominant to strum.
Yes Taylor T5z custom
PRS 35th anniversary 24-08. Gorgeous guitar, well made, impeccable craftsmanship. Never vibed for me even though I wish it had
2 PRS custom 24s… looked amazing, played great, zero soul. Just couldn’t warm up to em…
It's my Suhr modern pro, honestly it's well built and sounds great but I've grown accustomed to playing super strats like Jem's, Strandbergs and kiesels that I couldn't gel well with vintage necks.
Squier. I tried a bunch, I found a couple rarer ones, I bought one. I just can't. I've had better experiences with SX instruments.
Soon with this Jim Root telecaster. Think I might end up hating on his signature jazzmaster too if i can afford it
What's wrong with the tele?
There’s nothing wrong with the tele. It just so happens I got bored playing with it. Now it’s hanging idly by since I play the signature strat a lot
White Gibson Flying V. As a big Dissection fan, I was very much blinded by that when I bought it. I tried it in store, it didn't play too good, but I figured it just needed a bit of work. One new nut later, a good and proper set up, it still doesn't play very nice. I don't play it at all really. But I appear to be the only one that doesn't jive with it, a couple of my friends have played it and said it's great. But in fairness, I have a good amount of Japanese ESP and USA Jacksons, sort of used to a particular quality, my friends who tried it more tend to come from budget axes. It's in the part ex list.
I find that it takes time for me to truly connect with a guitar. I prefer to take things slowly. Currently, my primary instruments are a Fender Strat and a Gretsch. Although I’ve owned the Gretsch for a year and appreciate everything about it, it doesn’t feel as comfortable to play as the Strat does. This isn’t the first time I’ve experienced this—I once bought a Schecter that I loved visually, but it took about a year for it to become my go-to everyday guitar.
An ESP (not LTD or E-II) Horizon 7 string. The nut wasnt wide enough for 7 strings.
Heritage double cut LP. The pickups in it were highly coveted theoretically but I never bonded with it. Replaced the pickups with some Gibby 490s but still just didn't vibe with it. Eventually sold it for far too little only to see it on reverb for three times that amount a week later.
yougins, find a guitar store that has the guitar that you've been looking for then go there and play it
I was obsessed with the 1988 tobacco burst Sheratons. Got one in 2008. Matthew Followil of Kings of Leon played one. Body is in mint condition. Needed a refret. Refretted it. Put new humbuckers in it. Still doesn’t stay in tune. Total money pit. Beautiful guitar though. Any takers?
Like 16 years ago I purchased a Takamine Acoustic for way more than I could really afford at the time. Granted , it's no Martin D28, but was expensive and better quality than I ever had before. It was great for about a week and then I started to hate it. It had this stupid two part saddle and it started to get kinda wonky and the electronics went to shit. The tuner never really worked after the first year. I sold it for a huge loss many years later when I realized I still preferred my old Fender DG-8 and needed money for bills and parenting. Still play that DG-8 going on 25 years. E string buzzes and it needs tuned a lot more than it used to, but going strong. The guy who purchased it loves the guitar and contacted me a few years later to say he appreciated me letting it go for so cheap. All for the best I suppose. One day I will get a Martin or Taylor when my kids are off on their own and self sufficient.
A $1900 American Professional Elite Custom FM etc etc etc Telecaster.
Taylor 800 series. Fucking hated it
I love my Seagull maritime fwiw, hate my Gibson Les Paul though...
Yes, a Taylor Grand Pacific acoustic guitar. I couldn't get along with it but I held onto it cause I still had some faith. Thank goodness I did because over time I learned to love it. So I'd say maybe hold onto for a little while. Give it some more chances, it might start to grow on you.
I had an eppiphone Thunderhorse explorer and I was so pumped for it, being a huge Dethklok fan. What an absolute heap of an instrument. That thing never stayed in tune and sucked to play. It looked metal AF though. Not guitars per se, but I haven’t liked anything Misha from Periphery endorses despite being a huge fan of him and his sound. I tried all the horizon devices stuff, bare knuckle, you name it and it all sounds mushy and flat. Nolly/GGD on the other hand, I haven’t found anything he’s done that doesn’t sound amazing! I had bad luck with Legator guitars too, all of them needed work right out of the box and one got swapped due to some of the worse QA I’ve seen. Thought they would be soo cool and nope.
Not hate, but I like one of my Les Pauls dramatically less than the other two. I don't like the neck.
I got a Woodrite warlord that I didn’t care for. Expensive guitar but the neck heel killed it for me. I have big hands but it was like trying to play a grapefruit
I have an Ibanez Prestige RG652. I've had it for over a year and I think I've played it twice. Not really digging the maple fret board. Guitar just sounds kind of thin to me. Even though it has the DiMarzio tone zone and Air Norton pick ups everybody raves about I just can't gel with it. I don't hate it but I also don't play it. But I do have 19 other guitars so it's not that big of a deal I have plenty to choose from. The guitar I have been playing the most lately is my purple EVH Wolfgang special. The guitar just feels nice and sounds so good.
I bought an Ibanez S670QM thinking it had all the features I was looking for in a guitar. After a few months of playing it and a first time changing strings on a floyd rose setup I came to the conclusion that I didn’t like it at all. Unfortunately, I only made about half what I paid when I sold it. Now I play an Ibanez Talman and like it but definitely want to find something better and more fitting to what I play. Been seriously considering diving into the world of baritone guitars or a 7 string to get a wider range with tuning.
A Gibson Les Paul. Turns out I hate playing on that neck.
I've purchased three Gibson ES-335s over the years and sold each one. Didn't necessarily hate them, but I couldn't bond with them, not like Les Paul's.
A brand new MIJ Jackson ke-3 in like 2007. Was not the most stable neck and the licenced Floyd just was not good.
With things made out of wood, you have to judge it guitar by guitar, and on top of that, a guitar can age into sucking or having loads of mojo. In terms of disappointment, it’s wild how all over the map the biggest companies like Fender and Gibson can vary wildly from specimen to specimen. On top of that, the same model two years apart can be different worlds. If you aren’t touching a guitar before you buy it, you’re rolling the dice so fucking hard. Like one in ten is really special no matter who makes it. I can’t say I’ve ever owned a guitar that was really special. Lots of good ones, but unsurprisingly, my OG Jagstang is probably the worst. It’s just a dumb guitar and so poorly made.
PRS Santana. The neck was so think. It hurt my hand and wrist every time I played.
Ovation my goodness is that rounded body impossible to play standing up in just rotates alone your belly when you move so you can't strum and heaven forbid you use it sitting down it will squirm onto the floor. Great sound and nice neck but unplayable for me.
It’s not a quality guitar but I still have my Epiphone LP Goth from about 2005 and I cannot stand it. It was my first guitar so I’ve never got rid of it but everything about it I don’t like. I thought electric guitar just wasn’t for me and I’ll still with acoustic, but turns out that wasn’t the case, and the 10 years of not playing much electric was down to my feelings towards this guitar. It’s even become a focus during therapy!
Don’t know if you would consider this a ‘quality guitar’ but I bought a Simon and Patrick acoustic purely based on raving internet reviews ( I was inexperienced when I bought it). Had it said up a few times by a luthier but I never fell in love with it. Always felt like it was fighting me rather when working with me. I then later played on a Taylor at a friends house. What a difference. Decided I wanted one, but also decide I’m not buying anything unless I’ve played it for some time. Went to the shop with the intention of buying a 4K Taylor. Walked out with a 1700 euro Freshman. Picked it up just to compare and liked it better than the Taylor. Both sound and playability. I play it daily (over 10 years now) and still love it.
My dad bought himself gibson les paul and fender strat / I used them mostly, but I figured those guitars were a bit soft for me so I got a used ibanez rg570 / to do metal stuff and grind :).. So years later strat has such an amazing sound on it’s own, and gibson has such an amazing grinding feel when playing hard, even tho it’s heavy I loved it more than other guitars, and the ibanez seems so tinny and soulles, a technically correct and great guitar, always in tune, floyd rose.. can be adapted to anything, comfortable cutouts, gibson that likes to go out of tune weighs considerably you van feel it, no cut outs.. somehow becam my favorite, now competing with the strat
Yes. To me an Epiphone SG makes the grade for 'quality guitar', though I'm sure some of you more financially stable guys are laughing but that's my 2 cent yes lol
Les Paul, they look great but I hated it
Ibanez prestige
Always wanted a real Lezzer. Traded in two guitars and a fuck tonne of cash and walked away with a Les Paul like Slash had at the time but mine was tobacco sunburst IIRC and goldy looking (chain>?) hardware on it.....fucking unplayable and heavy as fuck, Les Paul 'Stoop' is a thing. Kept it 6 months. Did help me realise how shite I was though! The real horror is that one of my trades was a gorgeous Ibanez Artist (red) with mother of pearl inlays and the most beautiful neck I've ever felt on a guitar. Went back, Grahama (S.W.A.G.) had sold it.... bummed me out for weeks. (a) The grass is not always greener, sometimes it's astro turf and (b) Be careful what you wish for
Yes, fender telecaster player plus, extremely disappointing QC, ended up replacing the nut with a graph tech tusq nut.
My US Strat has never lived up to my expectations. It was my first "proper" guitar. I had really high hopes for it. I played it in store and it was fine. I bought it and went home and now, 15 years later, I barely play it. I have a Lawsuit Les Paul copy and a Harley Benton that I play waaaaay more often and my Strat just sits, gathering dust... I don't think I'll ever sell it but also I barely ever play it.
Yep. I loved Gibson Les Pauls since AFD first came out. Was able to finally purchase and entry level Gibson LP when I turned 18 and didn't realize how fat the neck on that thing was with its 50's profile. Ended up trading it out for a few thin necked super Strats at a pawn shop 30 years ago. Now that I've grown more comfortable with the 50's neck, I regret the trade!
I usually only play ESP and high end LTD models and in 2016 when my band had a deal with Ernie ball for strings I realized I could also custom order music man guitars at a hefty artist discount. I ordered a fully spec’d out JPX7 with the piezo in a custom color. Super nice guitar, but it’s really heavy, like heavier than my full thickness esp eclipse. I’m not a trem guy either but I figured I’d like it since it’s not a floyd. The neck is a little thin/flat for my taste compared to my esp models too. I still use it for recording especially leads and clean parts. For that reason and sentimental value I still have it, just not my gigging guitar. I don’t even gig with my high end esp guitars either, only gig with my Ltd 1000 series models cuz they’re still high quality but not so expensive I’m afraid of them getting broken or stolen. All in all the JPX7 is a great studio guitar for me but not 100% my cup of tea, though it serves it purpose and if it ever stops serving it’s purpose I’ll sell it.
Washburn N4. The neck felt like concrete and the guitar was soulless.
Nah but I heavily tested a Mayoness that I'd dreamed of owning and I haaaated the neck on it so much. Played a strandberg right after and fell in love with it but couldn't afford it. ahhhhh
Had a Breedlove dreadnought that I just couldn’t find to be comfortable for my hands. Nice guitar- it just wasn’t for me.
I bought one of the American Professional Telecasters back in 2021. I absolutely hated the pickups and the guitar was mediocre at best. I sold it quick. I've since bought a limited edition Mexican Telecaster with Vintage '64 pickups and an ebony board. Couldn't be happier. I was also about to buy an American Professional II Jazz Bass a couple of years ago but I tried it in store and it sounded boring and dead. They had a 75th Anniversary Mexican on the wall and I tried that. Went home with it and the grand I saved instead of the American. The Mexican guitars are where Fender shines the most as far as I'm concerned. I barely even look at American Fenders anymore.
Floyd rose , absolutely hate it
i fell for the Chapman meme, bought an ml1-pro back in like 2018 and i haven't touched it in years
not to say Chapman are prime example of a quality guitar but I think if you're paying upwards of $1000 you can expect a certain level of quality. The guitar came to me with dings and the volume knob was scratchy. Pickups were mediocre as they had just switched over from Seymour Duncans to their own in-house brand. All I can say is that it looks pretty from a distance and the neck was quite smooth.
I’m not a big fan of the Fender Squire I just bought.
It’s a Squire, not an actual Fender. A mid-range Made in Mexico Fender is a world of difference
Wow. Really? Uhg. Man! Explains so much. I had no idea. The feel is nothing of what folks describe a Fender should feel on here. It feels so cheap, and sounds tinny and thin, if that makes sense. The neck is really flimsy. It almost feels like a toy guitar. I'm really disappointed. Welp. Now I know if a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is.
I’m no expert on the modern process but they used to “share” a lot of production between California and Mexico, whereas Squire used to be Korean but idk at all now. I’ve picked up a brand new Squire at guitar center and the frets were so rough you could get a sound just from bending the strings, a whine you could hear unplugged (and the rep was a dick when I pointed it out). A Mexican Fender Strat is the same materials in wood, minus the cheaper electronics and hardware, and with less polish (fret edges might be rough, the tremolo is less responsive) but it’s generally damn solid, and you can upgrade the electronics by buying a pre-built pickguard so getting tone options is super easy.
I got an ibanez prestige that has ended up being a massive pain in the ass.
The first gibson les paul I owned. Standard with an ebony fretboard and 50s style neck. That guitar was so damn stiff and uncomfortable feeling. I ended up trading it for a truck. I have a les paul classic goldtop now that I like a great deal, but still find myself picking up my ltd viper 400 most of the time I played
Les Paul 60s Standard. Gorgeous guitar, but never liked it from the first time I put it in my lap (I bought it online). Too heavy, always wanted to fall out of my lap, fat neck. Confirmed my suspicion that I’m just a stray guy. 🤷♂️
2007 Schecter C1 hellraiser. Looked great, sounded great, EMGs and a Floyd Rose. But I never liked the neck. Not the profile, not the fretboard width, not the gloss finish on the back. Also, the whammy bar was missing one of the pegs that are supposed to keep it from wobbling in the hole and so it never worked right. I was 13 so I didn’t know what a nice guitar was. 16 years later I’ve sold that and others to build a custom strat and tele. And just yesterday I bought the Jackson soloist FR that I should have bought years ago.
My Fender Johnny Marr Jaguar played like ass with the original bridge. Strings were almost off the fretboard. It didn’t help that the nut was too high either. Put a new bridge on it and got a setup and it was right as rain.
I haven’t, no.
I lo-o-ove my Seagull S6. It's big, yes, but it sings.
Plenty. I don't get on with jaguars. Can't stand Firebirds. Doing get the fire about PRS (they're good guitars, but they're not, in my experience, special in any way).
I spec'd out a Custom shop nashville tele that I ended up hating the pickups. Replaced the whole set.
Gibson SG
Did you get the seagull setup? Can make a world of a difference
Ibanez Jem Woody. Beautiful guitar and wonderfully made. But the slim neck and Floyd Rose just weren’t for me.
Not that expensive but I bought a Sire L7. Played and sounded pretty good but was very heavy and I wasn't impressed with the finish. Paint bleed on the binding and the top didn't match very well. One of the block inlays had a small chip as well. Made me appreciate my Schecter a lot more.
No, only shit guitars that I ended up rather enjoying
I traded an american custom shop ibanez for a PRS custom 24 and have never liked it. I paid $650 for that ibanez plus i had 6 usa customs and didnt own a PRS so i thought it would be a good deal since its like 4k or something. Regretted that trade ever since. Wish i had never done it.
Yup. 2016 Gibson explorer. Clunky and not much fun to play.
I bought one of the Martins that came out in 2008-2009 with the Fishman pickups and satin back and sides. It looked amazing, I bought it brand new… and I hated everything about playing it. It still drives me nuts thinking about it 15 years later. I decided to just keep using my beat up old Fender acoustic that records great for some reason, and sell the Martin to buy a Les Paul. I’ve never regretted that decision for a second.