Is it wrong..

[Mr Grumpy]

to prefer your cheapo guitar to the most expensive 'best' one. Just spent ages with my bargain basement peavey generation EXP tele, completely standard and my one of a kind, handmade Gordon Smith. I just gravitate, every time, to the tele, into my Fav setting (AC15) on the AD30 it just...dunno, sounds BETTER. Cant put my finger on it. It feels better, sounds great and just works for me, so much so I want another Peavey (triple single this time). Ive tried Fender Teles and they dont feel as good to me. Anyone else come across this?

 

[birv2]

You'll sound better playing a guitar that "feels right" to you. I think it's part confidence-boosting (psychological) and part how much a guitar's string spacing, fretboard, frets, etc., match your hands and playing style.

And, as most here will attest, you can still get a good guitar w/o paying a lot.

Get to know that guitar, give it some love, and it'll repay you!
Bob

 

[thearabianmage]

It ain't wrong at all, I don't reckon. It just feels that way because the GS is expensive and the EXP isn't. I recently bought a '96 Squier Strat and put a chromacaster in it, and since I've done that, I've played that little Squier 10x as much as my 'preferred' guitar, 'Poop' - a Jackson DKMG with active pups and a Floyd Rose with 24 frets.

On paper, 'Poop' is nicer than the Squier in every way (apart from the tonal variety of the Chromacaster offers) but sometimes it just doesn't come down to that kind of thing. You know?

 

[Katastrophe]

Nope, not at all... "Feel" is a very subjective thing, and will change over time. I haven't played my ESP in over a year, because my MIM Strat "feels" better in my hands now. If you had posted this 10 years ago, you wouldn't have been able to pry the ESP from my hands with a crowbar.

It's a good thing that a less expensive guitar feels right to you. That way, you can afford more!:rockon:

 

[just strum]

You really have to define bargain basement guitars.

I think my selection of lower end guitars has been a wise choice. Personally I would not say they are better than the higher end that they imitate, but I think they compete well when you look at the price difference.

Here is how I rate mine:

Tele triple single - competes pretty well against a Fender MIM, but a good Fender MIM selection would win.

Squier Strat Deluxe: Completes very well against a Fender MIM, but loses ground when I compare it to my Fender Strat. However, I can spend a lot of time enjoying it because of what it can offer.

Epi Dot: I have a friend that has a Gibson 335 and a beautiful one at that and playing the two I noticed little difference. Again, the 335 was better to a degree, but not enough to jutify the cost.

Epi Wildkat: Still getting aquanted with it, but I guess it would be a poor mans Gretsch or maybe a Gibson Duane Eddy Signature model - so for now the jury is still out.

Fender American Strat Deluxe (Mod) - not a budget guitar, so can't really compare it, or at least I can't. Bought used, so I feel I got a budget price.

So when comparing my own collection to your statement, for the most part I would have to agree with you.