[OFFICIAL] There are no stupid Guitar questions. Ask us anything!

Really, if you want something quite good you need to pay up or you need to really know what to look for in the used market. The wood used in a lot of guitars is becoming more rare and hard to find each passing year really. For example if you want a 1 piece neck and not multi-piece necks or ones with scarf joints, you will usually have to pay up for it from most makers these days. Other things to consider as well is the pickups and fret material used, lots of cheaper guitars have a lot of tin in the frets with less nickel and they wear down fast.

IMO if you want something "good" at a new price I'd try and budget for at least $800-$900 or so. For the used market you can find a lot of great stuff at this price also.

In the end, it will come down to preferences. IMO the best quality brand for the money right now is Godin by a long shot. You get a lot of guitar for the money from them. They don't hold good resale value, but if you want a top quality instrument they are the way to go. On the used market you can especially find great deals on them. Anything made in South Korea or Japan are great guitars as well in a lot of cases. If you're looking at Yamaha those Indonesian made Pacifica's with the Seymour Duncan pickups are very good for the money also, above average quality guitar at that price.

/r/Guitar Thread Parent