Why You Should Not Put $600 Worth of Parts into a Cheap Guitar
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- čas přidán 25. 07. 2024
- In the pursuit of tone, it’s always fun to modify your guitar to suit your needs. But this video dives into when not to upgrade your instrument and why.
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Clarification: It’s absolutely okay to mod your guitar. I clarify this starting at 4:37 in the video. I’m not discouraging this practice in any way, shape, or form. Not only am I proud of the modded First Act ME501 I shared in this video, but also am proud of all the other guitars sitting behind me which I’d modded the hell out of. I do it all the time, and have 8 guitars on the bench being modded in some way as I type. It can all be kind of overwhelming, sure. But it’s also fun at the end of the day.
***Continue reading here: **the11thfret.com/youtube-ⅴiewer-reactions-why-you-should-not-put-600-worth-of-parts-into-a-cheap-guitar-video/** ***
I agree with everything you said here, of course. But a big point in favor of modifying cheap instruments is just learning to modify instruments without worrying about messing anything up. It's more accessible for a lot of people. And, of course, many mods can be removed and replaced with the originals if you're gonna get rid of the cheap guitar like you said you'd do with the First Act.
Interestingly, since you used Squier Affinity as an example, I recently bought a HSS Affinity Strat on Craigslist and spent hours setting it up (had to do a fret level/crown/polish) and I'll make maybe $20 if I decide to resell it. haha. Definitely not worth it monetarily, but it's a sweet guitar now (and the coming video was fun to make too).
Your channel's gonna blow up man. Great videos.
Oh yeah, some of these mods I do to keep sharp on soldering, wiring skills, and just good ol' fun experimentation. I only mentioned the Squier Affinity Series Strat because it's perhaps the most common guitar I see listed used in and around Los Angeles. Because they can be had for so cheap, I think I've owned a couple dozen myself. But I also see them "upgraded" and listed for far greater than any Squier Affinity Series Strat, including with replacement Fender waterslide decals but still declaring what the guitar actually is. Yet, they sit on the market for practically an indefinite amount of time.
I also connect with a few local guitar flippers - which some are very talented, and others can be b@tsh!t crazy. One of the video clips I ended up sending to the cutting room floor was mentioning the reason why the ME506 guy sold the body & neck: "I really wanted to modify the hell out of one, but then I realized it's just a cheap First Act and wouldn't make any money." Obviously this seller was a flipper, as I was able to confirm in their other listings. But it was the statement that motivated the entire video ...yet I didn't include it. 🤣
I got the same First Act , I love it. Sounds good
Awesome mention of Mike using a Squier bullet Strat on the last Genesis tour. I own a double humbucker Bullet Mustang that I got for around $130 and out of the near dozen guitars that I own, I’ve played that one probably the most. It has paint chips, the tone switch knob is broken off, yet it’s probably the one of the most satisfying guitars I’ve ever played. Hence I like collecting junk over any pricey guitar.
Those Bullet Mustangs are awesome! I see them go up used near me a fair bit for about $100. I. will. get. one. …Eventually. My best friend just got one, and has 3 Fender Mustangs himself. He loves this Bullet. I have a rebuilt 1966 Mustang, and I’m itching to get the Bullet version as a fun banger.
Hello! Just ran across your site, enjoyed and subscribed. I have a couple very nice pricey guitars, one of which is 35yrs old and is/always was perfect and the other which needed some setup and fret attention early on to make it so but is awesome. I know both will hold good value, largely because of the brands. In my case that's irrelevant because I didn't buy them as investments. I also have some 'cheap' Squier and Epi pawn shop and used Guitar Center finds that had good bones and needed some attention here and there to make them very nice. I can do all that myself, I have the time, and I enjoy it. These cheaper guitars are valuable to me as instruments, not for sale, and I don't fear taking them to a gig, party or on a trip. My simple, stock Epi Special has, after a few hours of work on my part, become my favorite all-around axe and it makes me happy every time I look at it and play it. But I know it'll never fetch more than $150 in any market. To me though, it's better than the equivalent Gibson.
Hey Mark! Thanks for watching and subscribing! This latest video is serving as this channel’s breakthrough, oddly enough. It only took me stating a controversial position to get there. 😂
But yeah, I have a number of premium grade stuff and perhaps even more budget oriented guitars. Some of this budget stuff is the best I own. Perhaps my favorite is my 1989 Epiphone Sheraton Ⅱ (always hanging on the wall in my background) which I replaced all the gold hardware with nickel, installed a new Bourns pot 50’s style wiring harness, a Switchcraft toggle, a Pure Tone jack, and a set of Seymour Duncan 59’s. It’s so perfect. I want a 335 again, but at the same time questioning my motivation as to “why,” since the Sheraton Ⅱ is now perfect.
Great video!
I appreciate your thoughts on the matter, as soon as I started buying guitars I started modifying them 😄😂🤣
I love the Guns and guitar channel as well!
Oh yeah, I do the exact same thing. I’m always modding something (or 6 things simultaneously like right now). Thanks for watching!
…And yes, Dan over a Guns & Guitars is super legit and creates great content.
I agree I own to 2 Vintage brand guitars here in the UK great instruments well made , many Pro's are using them, I am going to modify them, but first thing I am not modifying them to sell them, I just want to give them a refresh, the great thing about Vintage Brand Guitars, they already come with decent quality Wilkinson parts, and good quality wood, but you have to be smart, luckily there is great after market pickups here Tonerider, Iron Gear WIlkinson, and Vanson, are geared towards those budget and mid-range guitars , I will upgrade the pots and wiring on the V100 guitar it's 12 years time for a refresh nothing wrong with what it is has the Humbucker's are PAF designed pretty straightforward modest upgrade, now the V6P with 3 P90's is unique in the sense it's a Strat style guitar that came built with 3 Stacked P90's , this is a keeper, I might go towards a decent set of P90's , and pots, the main point is you upgrade your guitars if your going to keep them, and as you said I'm upgrading my guitars for me no one else,
Point well made..I did a mod on my Affinity Strat.Tuners,pots,pickups and brass block at bridge...Love the guitar and it sounds sooo much better..Im not gonna sell it..I did the mods for ME for MY guitar and I love it..Great video man Thanks...
Oh yeah! Thanks for watching the video and hearing what I actually said. Modding for your own use/benefit is amazing! I do it all the time. Glad your Squier is rock solid awesome.
I generally agree, although there are probably certain types of guitars that are easier to mod and flip for a small profit. I'm thinking Squier Mustangs and some other cheap offset guitars. Any mods I've ever done are for my own playing purposes, though.
Yup! Some guitars can be modded for a good flip. I go a little nuts with spending tracking in a (now very large) spreadsheet. If I plan to flip anything, I have to make sure I'll make at least 30% - which I usually do. I track everything from the raw item cost, gas to retrieve it, parts, tax on parts, and even a small flat number for materials like polish, cloth maintenance, etc. But most of the time, I'm just modding guitars I love for me and only me. These First Acts are great examples of that.
I also have a Squier 2000 Stagemaster I got essentially for free that I pumped in more than $500 of mods. It's mine, and I love it. But there'd be no chance of me getting anything near that price should I have decided to "flip" it, nor would I expect to. Sadly there are those people out there who believe they could. This video was basically for these people who make such inflated listings as there are many out there.
I agree, i would not modify to resell. But i might pay more for a decent/cheap guitar with some cool upgrades if i really liked the configuration of the mods or was just my suited to my personal style.
It’s all about the reasoning behind it. I’m literally doing a cheap guitar mod right now where I’d never get my return of investment back should I sell it. But I’m modding it because it’s friggin’ awesome and I’ve ideas to make it more awesome. Video of that is coming in the next couple months.
I think a better title would be "Why upgrades don't add resale value to your guitar". I get what you're saying and I agree, I just never understood having this mentality about a guitar from the time I got my first nice one.
Granted I've sold every guitar I've owned minus 2, but thinking about selling them was never a thought when getting them. I've just always looked at getting a guitar as something to play and enjoy, not something I'm renting for an indefinite amount of time and hoping to get my money back.
In hindsight, this video was mostly born after looking at the local Los Angeles used market to see people selling their Squier Bullets and Affinity Strats “with upgrades” for a premium. The video isn’t ever intended to discourage a player from modding their guitar for their own use, to their own tastes. I mod the hell out of guitars all the time …for me. But there are those amateur techs who list their modded, lower-cost instruments for a premium quite often out here where I’m at. That said, the title was suggested to me and by @VidIQ, and holy moly did it drive some traffic my way. 😂
I don’t like clickbait much, but I get why some CZcamsrs go that route. I didn’t intend for this video to be clickbait, but I see now more than ever the expectations my video title set vs viewer takeaways.
Kris excellent video! Some players I'm sure will disagree but I think your opinion is spot on! We all have our personal preferences. I see alot of overpriced guitars on Reverb. Specifically, Fender Stratocasters. Some people just don't realize how many stratocasters are in the guitar world. Keep up the great work!
Thanks! Yeah, Strats of all kinds are over-saturating the market, between Fender to all the brands honoring Leo by producing their own versions - including partscasters. I actually have a Partscaster video planned as well that'll go over that a bit more.
@@11thFret nice! BTW I haven't had time to try the pickups I won yet!
Oh yeah, I've got a few pickup installs still to do that I've been putting off. 😂
I think it’s usually a good idea to just buy music gear that you love and not think about resale. Mod what you want so it fits you.
But I’m not a collector.
Rock on 🤘
I absolutely agree. Most of the gear sitting behind me in the shots are all heavily modified to my liking, and I do that specifically 'for' me.
Let me take a guess.. the guitar hiding in the back is a Shijie relic strat 😉 Good channel btw keep rocking!
Thanks! And yes. ;-)
Somewhat weird take. I haven't heard people advocating this method as a way of flipping guitars. The concept is simply that you can get a more or less custom made guitar that fits all your specifications for the same price as an off the shelf guitar of a more expensive tier, which anyway won't fit all your specs. For many players, that's more important than re-sell value.
It’s definitely something I encounter a lot, many times from the same person making these listings. I agree that it’s about the player’s own wants and needs, which is why I said in the video that it’s cool to do these mods …”for you.” Modding to profit is a thing some select flippers do, or people just grasping how to calculate used value. But yeah, good call out.
Thanks for watching. I have a video where I look though used listings here: czcams.com/video/XGItDS3Qa_I/video.html
I also have another installment in this series in the works where someone has been relisting their Firefly FFLP (Les Paul) “with upgrades” for $490. So these people exist. 😂
I agree 100% with this.
If you want to “upgrade” or otherwise personalize your budget guitar, I say go for it!
I’ve done the same to several low-end guitars I’ve had in the past.
Epiphones, Squiers, etc. are all nice and decent guitars for the price you pay, and sometimes those little tweaks you do to them make them just a little bit better… FOR YOU.
What gets me are the chuckleheads that think if they pump all of those updates and upgrades into their budget, low-end guitars and then claim that it now “plays, sounds, and feels just as good as… or even better than [insert high-end guitar here]”
I have US made guitars, Gibsons, PRS, and Fender. I also have import versions of those brands, Squier, PRS SE, and Epiphone.
No matter what you do to a Squier, it will NEVER be on par with a high-end, US made Fender.
And before someone starts to whine, “what about the MIJ Squiers???”…. yeah, I have a MIJ Squier. It’s freakin fantastic and has a super nice neck on it… dare I say, it does rival US made Fender necks…. But those are an anomaly. My Squier was MIJ all the way back in 1983. It ain’t the same Squier you’re buying today by a long shot. Lol
Bottom line, budget guitars can be really nice. They can punch way above their weight class… but… they will never be on the same level as their High-end siblings. PERIOD. Even if you put $100’s of upgrades in them… they are still budget guitars. Not bad guitars… but still budget guitars that don’t meet or match the expensive ones.
Weeee!!! That’s perfect!! Thanks for watching, responding, and articulating.
You know GFS make a Mean90 Phat Cat copy for ~$35 ea! Prob BETTER for that guitar!
I have a neck 1 in a Tanglewood 335 copy & it rocks!
You are right, if you are a collector and see a guitar only as an investment. In this case, names and brands are all that matters. As a player I see a guitar as a tool to make music, hence all that counts is playability and sound. That's why I never would consider to buy a guitar online without having the chance to test it. I bought a Squire Affinity Strat, put in some Fender pickups and it plays better than any US Strat I played (and I tested quite some in several music stores that cost more than 10 times the price I invested in the Squire). Besides that, the wood looks beautiful.
I totally agree, and did the exact same thing with an Affinity Strat. It plays great and that's all that matters. Plus I have taken the Squire name off it and people keep asking me where I got the beautiful flamed maple neck for my guitar. I don't care what its worth, I enjoy playing it, and that's all that matters. And I have owned very expensive guitars in my life and I sell all of them eventually and keep the lower cost ones that I have modified because they are more fun to play and less worry about damaging it.
I was going to say the same. Depends if you're a collector or a player. A lot of "collectable" guitars spend their lives hanging on a wall being admired not played as that might damage the patina and hence it's retail value. My favourite guitar is a 1985 MIJ Weston'e which was sold as a "cheap" guitar back in the day but I will stand it against any HSH Super Strat you care to name. It won't be sold until I've "popped my clogs" ;-)
Who said modifying a cheap guitar will increase its value?
I started modifying to get new sounds from humbuckers, better switch positions, master volumes etc. I buy pickups second hand and I keep stock parts if I want to flip. But with such a cheap guitar, can also give to a beginner to get them going if fed up of instrument. I bought some nashville tele noiseless 3 pickups am adding to my first tele - a squier 120 UK (better finished than all 4 gibsons i bought - two returned other two reduced).
I'm adding a freeway 10 way switch for the three pickups. Adding a lace tele neck and replacing awful tele switch position switch with a 4 way to wire the two neck pickups for either seperate and both in series or paralell.
As I did with my first plywood 80's epiphone explorer, I may need to move switch positions as i've never used a tele before. If I find I am happy with the instrument other than neck and body, then I have some korina body wood that will do a good job and give the butterscotch vibe.
Only a novice or an idiot/ chancer would think modifying a cheap guitar would add any more value than sum of the parts second hand value?
Agreed. Yet there are many people out there who actually think what they’re doing is adding value. I have saved many of their listings, if not their entire account. 😂
Thanks for watching!
A guitar is not a good investment, not for business, but for passion
I never sell Guitars. I might give one to a Kid when they have Stars in their Eyes, like I did when I was young. To many Doctors, Lawyers and Trogladytes taking nice Guitars out of the hands of real Musicians.
Ok I have some news to share with you.....I've been modifying guitars of ALL types, cheap or otherwise, since before you were born.....at my age I will continue to modify them to whatever spec I am inclined to......no matter what anyone else thinks.......
Good on you for that! I also mentioned that in the video too as a good thing. Most of the guitars sitting behind me are heavily modded. All I was saying here is to do it for the right reasons.
yes for value, but talki g about sound and playability, i did some fret and fingerboard work on mu bullet strat and put a Mojotone loaded pickguard in and i love this guitar, i dont think it will have good resale value, so i wont sell it. I built it for me, nobody else.
i plan on putting zero fret and locking tuners, It plays and sounds better than a player strat, dont care if people see me play a squire. guitar snobs can overpay for guitars, i will custom build what i want for a fraction of the price
Now I don't play electric guitar, but I usually give decent advice, been playing acoustic for 20+years. I know for a fact all that matters is the action, and whether it buzzes as far as the non electrical components. Replace the electrical components and pickups or whatever, and if it has good action and the pegs hold their place without slipping, and it doesn't buzz on any frets, then it's EXACTLY the same as an expensive guitar. Trust me. You are using effects. Its kind of stupid to doubt me at this point.
Oh definitely. I hear you on that, which is why I stressed somewhere in the middle of the video that I, in no way, am discouraging modding for your own enjoyment and personalization. I’m mostly addressing those people who think that just because you pumped $400 (or $500, $600, etc) worth of mods into it isn’t going to make it worth way more when the times comes to sell it used …should that day ever come. In the eyes of a buyer, they know that these mods might serve as a perk. But nothing else. But if you’re someone who takes in guitars for your own enjoyment and loves to do some modding like I do, more power to you! Go full hog! 😂
Thanks for watching and commenting. I truly appreciate the input.
Also worth noting: I’m currently sitting here playing one of my heavily modded guitars. I love it. Then your comment came in, so I paused to respond.
But this PRS SE I modded is only original down to the wood and the paint. It’s so so good.
I should note that I agree with everything said in the video pretty much as far as how most people view the value of an electric guitar. How most people view value, sadly, determines actual monetary value these days.
@@11thFret full hog! Lol! You're awesome! Hey wanna make a band? I like you.
@@ryankrueger9444 Haha. Maybe one day. I have offers, but lack the time unfortunately. 😂
Basically to sum it up for those in the back:
Putting high-quality parts in a budget guitar for personal preference and improvement: 100% okay
Putting high-quality parts in a budget guitar to just resell it for a higher value: Dumb.
Bingo!
…I can tell you both watched the whole video and have been reading the comments. 😂
Thanks for reiterating, watching, commenting, and all the other awesome things.
I have some expensive guitars and some cheap ones too,electric guitars are just pieces of wood with pickup mounted on them, its not like a Martin where there is some amazing craftmanship and wookworking ,that said you don't have and shouldn't put six hundred dollars of parts in anything ,the main issue with cheap guitars is weak monophonic pups , you can buy replacement sets for under fifty dollars on ebay ,they won't be a name brand but they won't be monophonic just make sure they are potted and some cheap guitars have lousy tuners just replace them if you need too for another fifty or less ,those two are the main culprits ,as far as the premise "that they will always be cheap guitars" I don't know about that I have some that play and sound great and I have some name guitars that sound awful
I agree. I have a healthy mix of both, and even just carted home a wealth of new budget parts just now.
I don't have any issue with cheap/budget/affordable instruments either, as I even gave a good review of my Slick SL54 months ago. I also have more reviews to do as well of affordable stuff, with a Harley Benton review coming out soon. However, I'm most citing general perception in case you'd want to move on from your guitar. I obsess over classifieds services, and always notice when things get taken down and relisted, or even "renewed" - many times for months or years before it finally sells - likely for a fraction of their asking price. It's always the same stuff: Budget guitars "with upgrades". So it's not just my opinion. It's the masses who make these distinctions. Can a cheap guitar play better than a USA made instrument? Totally! But what people are willing to pay for either is the reality.
@@11thFret Good point
Agreed, doing mods does not pay off when reselling a guitar, unless you find a Gibson, Fender ect at a yardsale for dirt cheap, clean it up for zero dollars. You won't make any profit on eBay, Reverb ect. Too many fees, taxes now and people are smarter when buying do to good information online from guys like you! But doing mods is fun, just don't sell that guitar till you put the original crap back on and let the next person mod it over again!
Yup yup yup! I've landed quite a few obscenely low priced Fenders where I was able to turn a profit. I try not to mod flips unless its absolutely necessary to the function, but I always clean and set them up properly to add value to my existence in the process. I only use eBay and Reverb for those higher dollar items with hard-to-find audiences that require a worldwide reach. But everything else: I tend to stick to OfferUp and Craigslist to keep all those fees away.
@@11thFret amen brother!
Well I think if you're gonna mod a guitar to suit you than you should never sell it and if you do sell it you're gonna take a loss on the parts because mods don't increase the value but alot of people would take the parts out too put the original parts in it. Although I also think that you should never resell a budget guitar anyway shit you'd be better off giving it to your son , a nephew or a friends kid or something. I'm not one to really sell my instruments though. I think alot of people mod their guitars and start with a cheaper guitar to get used to modding and messing with their guitar. For someone who is trying to learn to be a luthier.... or work on guitars it's a good idea to do it on a cheaper guitar instead of your most lofty guitar so I think this guy is missing the point of why alot of people do it.
204 subscribers from now
Oh yeah, 204 is still small potatoes compared to these older, more established channels. But up is up, and I like that direction a lot. 🤘🏻
Mmmm for experience individuals.. not all budget guitar are the same.. just as not every name brand is good..few are great..
I play a Douglas baritone LP copy.. yes very cheap, but it feels good and there is a special bond as it lays in bed next to me. Oh I won't sell (more value in my hands) and I don't think there made anymore..
Yes many modifications and made for me to play..
But if your looking to make money, we'll make your own brand and build from scratch.. otherwise enjoy playing and f money...
Those Douglas (/Rondo) guitars are killer! Glad you love it and do all the mods you find necessary.
Thanks for watching and commenting! 🤘🏻
So, keep your parts that you take off. If you want to sell it, put the old parts back on. Problem solved. Enjoy playing your modified guitar, bet it plays and sounds great. Parts can be put on several guitars.
I 100% agree! One hilarious example of where someone was very mistaken about this was on the trolleys guitar show. He showed a listing recently of a zakk wylde guitar that had the bull’s eye torn off and the pick ups replaced. Definitely a great video to check out,
czcams.com/video/_Gc3YynNQnY/video.html
Once again a great video, keep ‘’em coming!
Ha. I have this Trogly video in my save for later list actually. So I should probably get around to watching that one. While having not seen it beyond the first minute yet, Sometimes a guitar can be so used, so patina'd, or "so loved," that it can become a disservice to restore it back to factory. I can't say for certain that's what happened here. The gold hardware on that Les Paul looked heavily patina'd, implying its heavy use. So there might be reasons. It looks awesome though.
My wife, who grew up elsewhere in the country that has an abundance of little 'peanut butter stuffed chocolate balls', wanted me to say to you:
O-H...
@@11thFret Haha I-O
Haha. Okay, she figured as she always notices your comments. The plan is that we'll leave Burbank, CA to move back to Ohio (Cleveland area) around the next 4 years. She wants to live close to her family again, and I'd love to live in a place that isn't as insanely expensive like Los Angeles has become.
@@11thFret Oh nice! Ohio is definitely one of the underrated states. While it is mostly corn and beans, you still have to make quite an effort to not have fun!
So true, and so important...
you can buy 200$ squier bullet stratocaster ... it's squier, it's a good guitar. it's not 300$ Chibson
I'm known for obsessively checking various buy-and-sell classifieds services, and I always see someone new to the game who lists their Squier Affinity Series Strat "with upgrades," and charging for all those upgrades. Long story short: Years later, and no traction, they've wasted so much of their money in lost time alone, yet they're still trying to get that big payday on their cheap guitar. A Squier will always be a Squier. An Epiphone will always be an Epiphone. A Firefly will always be a Firefly. 🤣
@@11thFret true If I'm looking for a $ 100 guitar Im not going to pay $ 300 for an upgraded guitar. I'm willing to pay $ 200 for everything, if the upgrades are worth $ 200 new! And I'm interested in these upgrades.
it's a hard sell ...I almost bought a guitar like that, and the seller was willing to lose - It was Custom Shop Texas Special + 4 ....
@@The..Butterfly..Effect Add-on’s like part upgrades, cases, and other accessories are definitely real sweeteners. I do pay a little more for those, with the idea I’ll pull them out, restore the guitar as close to factory as possible with suitable parts, and sell back out for the same amount (while keeping all the goodies that came with it). My friend and I will call these buys “case grabs,” “pickup grabs,” or whatever suitable noun fits best. I’ve acquired a load of stuff through that system alone.
@@11thFret I'm currently considering something similar. I found a nice looking set neck partscaster that someone installed Hipshot locking tuning machines on. Worth a bit over $60 on their own (and something that I'd never buy for myself, because I like to dink around with cheap stuff like First Acts), so they're about half the value of the whole guitar. 😂 I was thinking he should swap them out for something way cheaper to sell it.
I also just bought a "used" cheapy guitar, which looks brand freakin new and came in the original packaging, that I wanted to check out for giggles. The seller had it listed with a couple of pedals. I don't care about the pedals, but I figure if I can sell them for about half their retail value, it makes the guitar about a $20 purchase. I tried to get the seller to separate the guitar and take about $20 off, but they wouldn't. Poor planning for them means a better deal for me. It's like having a mail-in rebate back in the day. Pay now, but get most of it back later, and keep the thing that you actually wanted in the first place.
@Sean Thompson Oh yeah, all you said dives into the methodology and theory behind collecting and flipping. Sometimes buying things you don’t need just to get something else in the lot is a good way to go. I do that all the time, including today for that matter where I bought a giant bin of parts, necks, bodies, and tools for $145. The necks alone, which included an unused quartersawn All Parts Strat neck, is worth about as much as the entire lot I bought. But here’s where it can get fun: Sell off what you don’t need just below a fair price, but more than a ridiculously low price. In many instances, you’ll be into the parts you wanted to keep for next to nothing. Sometimes in my case, I’d have profited on the entire lot with just the things I sold off. Which means that I’m into the parts I kept for less than zero. If that neck is priced low, is a recognizable (and favored) brand name, plus includes those Hipshot tuners: buy it, strip the tuners, then sell the neck back off …assuming you don’t need that neck. You’ll then have scored a set of Hipshot tuners for cheap if not nothing. Same goes for low priced guitars with good cases, pickups, etc.
Sooo..? What you're really saying is "Who the _ cares! Lol! Yep! I agree! But it's still fun to fix um up! Informative! Thanks !
In many senses of the phrase, yup. “Who cares” that your $150 Firefly has $500 worth of parts in it and is being sold for $700. “Who cares,” besides you, if you pump tons money into your own instrument for your personal/professional use?
As for the Firefly example, there’s a dude locally around me who’s been relisting his FFLP (Firefly Les Paul) with upgrades for $490. Months and months and months go by, and this person keeps relisting it with no interest …because it’s an FFLP at the end of the day. No one is saying they’re bad. But also most people accept it’ll always be viewed as a budget guitar, no matter the mod performed. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@@11thFret yep! That's why I just do it for myself! Like you I'd take out stuff before selling it! But it's fun fixing them up! Thanks!
frankin strat clones go for good money
Great point! While the average partscaster isn’t usually worth a whole lot on the used market, I’ve seen Frankenstrat clones/tributes actually sell for quite a bit.
I will add this. It's NOT the gear! Ever!
Stop stealing my thunder! ;-) Haha, just kidding. Thanks for watching and contributing your take in the comments.
...Your comment is actually a future video I've had loosely written out. Perhaps I should finish it.
Here's my thought on this: the value of my creative tools should not, can not and will not be allowed to rule the decision making. Does the pickup upgrade of my 480€ INCREDIBLE endless sustain neck-through Tele copy improve the sound? Yes, massively! Does it improve the value? Who gives a 🦆! There, end of discussion.
Sure, you can let monetary value figure somewhere in the holistic picture of these decisions, but If you're basing these kind of decisions mainly on monetary value, you're not in the business of making music; you're in the business of selling instruments, in which case: don't modify anything ever, and don't lower their value by playing on them!
If on the other hand you want to be creative and make art, don't waste your time on irrelevant things like the monetary value of your tools.
I 'feel like' you haven't watched the video all the way through. I never said there's anything wrong with modding your instrument for your own personalization. If you want to pump $600 worth of mods into a used Squier you picked up for $100, that's totally cool. Especially if it makes you a better musician, tech, songwriter, etc. I've done it myself. I own many modded guitars with tons of money worth of parts. But they're for me, tailored to my own liking. But never expect, as some do, to get anything close to that total value in parts back should you decide to move on from the instrument. A Squier Affinity Series Strat with $600 in mods listed for $600 is not equal to a used Fender USA Highway One Strat in stock condition listed at the same price. I don't know about you, but I'd always choose the stock USA Strat.
Thanks for watching the video and commenting.
@@Herfinnur But that’s not what I said. The buyers dictate the value …I don’t, nor do you. Let me take it a step further. You’re right: Brands don’t really matter. I never said they did, unless you want to sell your gear for top dollar so you can buy your next instrument, to which - again - the shoppers dictate the value. Yes, the music that flows from one’s fingers matters most, and you’d have heard me say pretty much that in the video. So if you don’t care about getting the most for your used gear because it’s really not that important to you because the music matters more, then you have my respect. 🤘🏻
@@11thFret Ok, I wasn't precise enough in this reply. Let me do a bit of proper writing and culling (I do ramble a LOT!) and get back to you
@@Herfinnur Haha, you and me both share that rambling trait. 😂 But I hear you.
@@11thFret Also, I realized I was being the more belligerent party in the conversation, and that shit doesn't feel good 😬
You shouldn't do it because some random dude on CZcams said so
I’d certainly hope that no one is that programmed to obey a stranger on CZcams. 😂
phew, I put in $400! I'm good then 😛
I lucked out and came in just under the wire at $586.83. 🥳
Your 6 string electric fckn guitar is yours and yours only!!! !FTW!
Also, when I buy a guitar that I beat and bang the hell out of when I tote it around with no case cause it's a dam guitar, I never expect getting half my cash bck when I get a payback loan from cash america pawn for a 8ball of herion from my drummer in south Nashville...
1 more thing!, why would you buy a 1st act out of all the other pos brands. You could've got one of those new 6 string Yamaha's that resemble the old Pevy guitars that are expensive as shit now on ebay
Had those too. I’ve actually had 100’s of guitars. The First Act was just different. Plus, they’re so poorly valued that it’d probably be cheaper for me to throw it in the trash than to sell it. I was just trying to make that one work, and I actually have. I truly love the damn thing.
@@11thFret I was just kidding with ya buddy. I gave my neice a mini pink explorer look like 1st act about years ago and now her lil sister has it playing the heck out of it. They ight just doesn't stay in tune too much after 8 years
@@11thFret also, thnks for that video. Thats exactly how I felt about that question
Hmm, I've never thought of any of my guitars as an investment, they are instruments to make sound.
Is this modern economic theory molesting musicians perhaps?
I couldn't care less what my guitars are worth, I only care what they sound like when I play them. Some of the best guitars are not expensive to buy if you know where to look and do your research.
It’s good that you don’t think of them as investments. That’s the fun in modding, which I loosely mentioned in one way or the other in the video. But there are those “flippers” or aspiring techs/luthiers that think they can pump $400 in parts to a cheap guitar and sell it for that inflated price …plus labor. I’ve purchased USA Fenders for next to nothing, and I’d always choose one of those over a budget instrument - especially if, for example, a modded Squier Affinity Strat is the same price as a USA Fender Highway One Strat. If and when the time comes you’re unhappy with the guitar and want to move on, you’ll likely get way more money from a USA Strat vs a heavily modded Squier Affinity Strat.
At the end of the day, whatever makes the player happiest is the right option. But more often than not, at least through my experiences, most shoppers don’t care about mods. It’s not a rule, but is rather the reality one must contend with no matter their beliefs on which is actually better.