At least a couple of times each week the question comes up and it starts something like this:

“My buddy has a $4500 Custom Shop Strat and I have to say that my $700 Mexican made example plays just as nicely and sounds terrific. What am I missing?”

I own and play an Ensenada built ‘72 Thinline and cannot figure out one reason why this instrument is inferior to most of those high-priced vanity specials. Every week I meet more players who are seriously asking why any bolt neck solid body should cost more than $700 to maybe $1000 for a real fancy item.

These are really wonderful times for guitar players. They may not be so great for retailers and some guitar manufacturers but the plethora of very high quality but low cost gear from amps to mandolins, archtop guitars and everything in between is good news to any player who gets terminal sticker shock when he sees the price tag on a new ES 335.

Some terrific guitars, both acoustic and electric, are available in the $350 to $800 range these days. Not too many years ago the typical story on imports in this price range was ” pretty good workmanship but inferior pickups, tuners, jacks, pots, etc”. It’s getting harder to say that with any certainty in 2008.

I have been very impressed with a couple of lines in particular. The Guild acoustics from China and the Ibanez Artcore electrics made, where else, in China, exhibit very high standards of workmanship and nearly always come out of the box needing nothing more than a careful set up. How good are they? Well, I own a Hamer USA Newport Pro which is as close to perfect as any electric I’ve seen and side by side with an Artcore semi hollow it’s very hard to justify $2000+ compared to $350. Guitar snobs will find (or fabricate) reasons to complain about the pickups or the interior finishing or peghead logo but it’s getting hard to justify the prices asked for many well known brands and models.

I don’t want anyone to get the wrong impression here. I admit to being a guitar snob. I love my Hamer Newport, I’m crazy about my Guild Bluesbird, I think a Collings 000 12 fret is worth every penny that crazed Texan asks for one. The flattop I’m building right now will be worth the $3400 I’ll get for it but if $350 or $500 or $800 are all the bucks you want to spend you can buy an ax that will get the job done, if your hands, head, and heart are in your music. Remember, a guitar is a tool to make music and like any other tool, the main component is the hand that guides it.

Trust your ears.