What Makes a Good Guitar?

What specifications, level of quality, and price range make a good guitar? This video discusses in depth what is key in defining what is practical in a useful tool to perform and make music.

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00:00 Intro
00:24 Not sponsored

Flashy Specs
00:30 Figured maple top and the importance of a guitar’s looks
01:12 Is it important to have binding and fancy inlays

Functional Design
01:29 Considering a functional body design
01:58 Tone and playability reducing features
02:29 Playability and historical design
02:50 Control scheme minimalism or versatility

Popularity of Specs
03:38 Polarizing functional features
04:33 How functional vs traditional should a guitar be?

Quality and Price
04:49 Scarcity and cost
05:11 Compromise between price, availability, and quality
05:40 Consequences and benefits of a budget guitar
06:04 Challenges of a top tier guitar
06:27 What level of cost savings vs quality is acceptable

Overall Thoughts
06:50 The balance of cost vs quality I prefer
07:10 What I like about the Ibanez RG5121 Prestige
07:33 Ibanez RG550 Genesis and compromises in specs
07:54 What I like about Solar Guitars
08:03 What matters to you?
08:16 Outro
08:33 Cat

[oatmeal]

3:33 something to keep in mind though is that tone pots sap treble out of the tone, so a guitar without a tone knob will always be brighter than one with, maxed out or not

[Consolous]

Many great factors make for the right guitar and it depends on the guitarist what they want to prioritize and depending on the uses for it. If someone just buys for decoration, then the most important thing is looks. If one wants to play, then other factors will be as important (though looks is always important so one is inspired to play it). Great video!

[ПоющаяГитара]

Hello ! I think all these guitars are very cool for playing - THANKS !! Have Happy Holidays !!!

[DarthCalculus]

Merry Christmas! Love can also come from investment. I have only a few guitars that I have spent years with. I can't imagine my own musical voice without them.

[iduncanw]

The neck is probably the biggest consideration for me - does it feel nice in the hand. Whilst I prefer a satin finish, I've got painted and clear lacquer necks that I enjoy playing. Guessing the quality of the last layer makes a difference as I don't like all painted necks.

After getting my first mid range guitar - an LTD MH1000 - the bug hit me and I tend to stay around or above that tier. The exception I made was an Epiphone SG Special with P90s which leads me to my next preference:

What does the guitar bring that's different to one I have. I like variety as I find the differences inspire creativity and variability in my playing.

Looks are also reasonably important as I like to have them out and I'm more likely to pick up something I like, plus it's nicer to look at things that appeal to you.

[marcoferrandi]

I've found that my sweet spot is with series 1 Solars and Ibanez Premiums, more or less like you! One day I will try a Prestige Ibby...

[davidepannone]

Merry Christmas.

That said my absolute must have in a guitar these days are SS frets (preferably jumbo) and locking tuners. These are MUST HAVE (meaning I won't consider even purchasing a guitar without these two features).

Preference wise but that are not absolute deal breakers are fixed bridge guitars (Hipshot style overall, not a big fan of evertune even tho I have a solar that has one). When it comes to pickups I generally prefer passives and humbuckers (at least in the bridge position, neck position a single coil is a decent alternative). Oh and a tusq nut.

The rest I really don't care about. Don't need to have a figured veneer/top, don't need to have a super slim neck or a super straight radius. Or a specific wood combination.

[oatmeal]

good fret ends, good tuners, comfortable body shape, regular maintenance, clean electronics, pickups you like and passion to play

[knbmta]

For me its very important that a guitar is well balanced and doesn't neck dive, makes it much more comfortable for both playing standing up and sitting down. At the same time i dont want it to be super heavy either like over 10lbs

[Crms-like-Crims]

#1 by far -neck profile/feel
#2 tuning stability
Stainless Steel Frets
Looks Cool
Locking Tuners

that's about it for my checklist of things I look for but only the first 2 are deal breakers as they're the only two that truly determine if a guitar is 'good'. The guitar has to stay in tune and feel comfortable in your hands otherwise there just isn't a point. My own experiences match yours in that the mid/high range has worked out the best & I don't have a strong desire to spend more.

This would be guitars like the Ibanez Prestiges or equivalents in the $1.5k~$2k range (new) that all have quality parts, higher QA, better fretwork etc.. After trying countless more expensive instruments than my RG5120, nothing has ever felt better in terms of playability. Some have looked amazing and been clearly great instruments but they've never felt any higher quality in terms of playing that would warrant the significant price increase versus the RG5120.

I think going beyond this level of guitar you're really only paying more for the uniqueness or the look. Nothing really related to the performance of the guitar anymore. No hate if people want to spend more on fancy tops or a custom experience etc., that's all rad as hell but I don't know if I could ever justify it. The diminishing returns are too great.

I love ritchlite…I didn’t know it was polarising feature 😔.

[nicholastotoro]

One that the cat approves. Done! 😂

Merry Christmas!!!

[WailingRaven]

If it's off the shelf guitar, it should stay in tune, having no defects that affects playability and be versatile enough, for gigging musicians that is in a pinch.

On a more personal level, a good guitar has to have a neck that is reinforced, synthetic fretboard to avoid staining, quality frets for longevity, versatility in tonal options, comfort and ergonomics.

The reason for the neck is because I live in Southeast Asia, our climate is very fickle and having no AC in my room. As for frets, Stainless would be nice. If not, then the Hosco Phosphor Bronze. They're marketed as being in between nickel silver and stainless, in terms of hardness. Not sure if they're on par with Jescar EVO Gold, but those are discontinued now.

As for versatility, I prefer a guitar that is very familiar feeling and not having to take care of too many guitars (also cost prohibitive, due to currency strength). Comfort and ergonomics is due to having broke my arm in my early teens (which could've affected my playing, not sure due to I started playing years after the injury) and having injured my back in my late teens.

[BingeV]

I would say a good guitar is the one you want to play

[MrFatPallasCat]

Get a Jackson Js series and do mods to it.

[derricklevi]

For me the criteria are dependent on the price range:

Under 500€ = stays in tune, looks nice (no shoddy finish work etc), sounds servicable

Under 1000€ = at least one brand name parts like pickups, bridges etc

Under 1500€ = stainless steel frets, most parts being brand name

Under 2000€ = expensive systems like a Sustainiac or high quality Floyds, manufactured in Korea, Japan or USA

[vintageswiss]

I have a Les Paul 60s Series Standard, and an ESP LTD F-2E...

Next purchase will be a Strat...

Cover all the bases 😂

[admireinspire]

So I've bought 2 electric guitar. I have a j custom and a 150 dollar jackson 7 string. The jcustom definitely calls me more and it's beautiful but the budget guitar is 95% the same if I close my eyes and play. And its over 20x the price. So I definitely think it's important to have something nice that you like but good enough is the goal and past that it's just about wants rather than needs.

[chadwickcore]

It’s all personal. I love a flat fretboard, but my dad can’t go above 10”.

[cincypiper]

I think it depends what you want to get out of the hobby. Owning a thing and using a thing are, welp, different things.