What I really enjoy about this site!

Coralkong

Coralkong

Alien
I have yet to see (nor do I want to) a thread about balsa wood and spit branded guitars, and how they are just as good as _____________.

Thanks mwglforums. Thank you very much.
And I really mean that.
:thu:
 
i've played two of the lower end offerings from balsa wood and spit. they played like $100 instruments. which is what they cost.
 
Yeah, that whole thing gets old. I played a couple of agile guitars over the last few years, and anyone who thinks it is the same as an gibson LP standard, but $2300 bucks cheaper, is insane. Pretty much the same mentality goes for sx as well, but I never played one of those before. I just don't get the logic.
 
They are a good value for the money. Just like Xaviere and several other makers. Not too be compared with the real thing....
 
Hate to say it, but I agree with you and have caught a lot of flack over the years for saying the same thing.

There's nothing wrong with them, but I never understood the need to put a lot of misinformation out in order to try to make yourself feel better about something you own. The whole point of a review should be an impartial opinion....if I wanted unmitigated praise and a sales pitch I can go the manufacturer's website and get plenty of it. :lol:
 
Something else to mention - the jerks and the drama queens are absent here! Thanks Mark! :) I still lurk on occasion on that other site to answer questions, and man! the rudeness is still there! It's one of the biggest reasons why I was already spending less time there before the Jive fiasco.

Oh yeah, and what do you mean balsa wood and spit guitars aren't giant killers?!! :eek: :grin:
 
My main guitars are 2 epi's and a MiM strat...all 3 cost more than the top end rondos...they are all quite adequate for my needs, but you will never hear me claim that they are as good or better then the high end fenders and gibsons...I'm not that delusional...

...I should also add that they have all been modded to some degree, which HAS improved them and made them fit MY needs...but again, the mods don't make them AS GOOD as...

people really need to get a grip...
 
jelloman said:
My main guitars are 2 epi's and a MiM strat...all 3 cost more than the top end rondos...they are all quite adequate for my needs, but you will never hear me claim that they are as good or better then the high end fenders and gibsons...I'm not that delusional...

...I should also add that they have all been modded to some degree, which HAS improved them and made them fit MY needs...but again, the mods don't make them AS GOOD as...

people really need to get a grip...
Click to expand...

see, but i could say the same thing about my MIM 50's Classic Telecaster or MIM Standard Precision. i bought both used and modded them. with the upgrades, the tele is the best i've ever played at any pricepoint. so doesn't that signify that it is "as good" as a $3k custom shop? my Precision definitely feels like a $500 guitar, even though i only have about $325 into it. the upgraded bridge and pickup make it as good or better than many of the MIA Precisions i've tried. and considering the significant price difference, a bass would have to knock my socks off to get me to spend the extra $1k on it to replace this one.

so if we turn these experiences over to the balsa wood and spit vs. the world debate, shouldn't the same hold true?
 
Help!I'maRock! said:
see, but i could say the same thing about my MIM 50's Classic Telecaster or MIM Standard Precision. i bought both used and modded them. with the upgrades, the tele is the best i've ever played at any pricepoint. so doesn't that signify that it is "as good" as a $3k custom shop? my Precision definitely feels like a $500 guitar, even though i only have about $325 into it. the upgraded bridge and pickup make it as good or better than many of the MIA Precisions i've tried. and considering the significant price difference, a bass would have to knock my socks off to get me to spend the extra $1k on it to replace this one.

so if we turn these experiences over to the balsa wood and spit vs. the world debate, shouldn't the same hold true?
Click to expand...

OK...

...I think it all depends on what you consider "as good as"...if you a re only going on playability then yes, it is as good...but overall quality of materials and construction varies...top end instruments DO use much better grades of hardware, but more importantly (to me) they use higher grades of wood, and better finishing products...the Rondos anf xaviers have ridiculously thick polyester finishes, many of which are applied by dipping the instrument rather than spraying...they also use inferior grades of wood and often substitute luan for mahogany, and other such woods...

My MiM strat is one of the best playing strats I've ever had, but there is some heartwood on the neck, and there is almost no figuring on the body...both pieces are obviously cut from the "BAD" end of the lumber pile...the pickups are cheap ceramic generics, and the bridge is pot-metal chromed...but it still plays like a dream...
 
also howie...you did say "at this price point"...did you maen "at ANY pricepoint"?
 
Last edited:
jelloman said:
OK...

...I think it all depends on what you consider "as good as"...if you a re only going on playability then yes, it is as good...but overall quality of materials and construction varies...top end instruments DO use much better grades of hardware, but more importantly (to me) they use higher grades of wood, and better finishing products...the Rondos anf xaviers have ridiculously thick polyester finishes, many of which are applied by dipping the instrument rather than spraying...they also use inferior grades of wood and often substitute luan for mahogany, and other such woods...

My MiM strat is one of the best playing strats I've ever had, but there is some heartwood on the neck, and there is almost no figuring on the body...both pieces are obviously cut from the "BAD" end of the lumber pile...the pickups are cheap ceramic generics, and the bridge is pot-metal chromed...but it still plays like a dream...
Click to expand...

most of the upgrades on these guitars are hardware and pickups. the question becomes whether the money you sunk into it actually makes a difference or if it's just putting lipstick on a pig. there is definitely a feel difference between different finishes, but does that actually play into how it sounds? i say no, it doesn't. but it certainly feels different and looks prettier. and that's what you're spending the extra money on.
 
Agreed guys. Even a pickup change will only make a marginal change to a guitar's basic sound. It will only transform the sound IMO, if the original pickups are just plain awful. Unfortunately, with the fallacy that you can totally transform your guitar's sound with just a pickup change, having been pushed for the past 35 years or so, it's ahrd to convince some players, that you can't always make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. The mentality worked in the 70s & 80s, because so many stock guitars (including the higher end guitars) had mediocre pickups. But then it it went overboard, with claims being made that you could make your Strat sound like a Les Paul, with a pickup change. People have realized that isn't true, but many players still believe, that just a pickup change will make thier SX into a be-all-end-all guitar-wise.

I don't argue with people's "why would you buy anything other than a <insert favorite cheapo brand>?" metality on HCEG anymore. It's not worth it. Some cheapos are pretty cool (my Squier Stagemaster 7, has an absolutly killer neck on it), but some are dogs, that you can't fix anything on. And, some just can't be substitutes for the real deal (sorry, putting GFS Retrotrons in a cheapo hollowbody isn't going to be the perfect substitute for getting a Gretsch fix).
 
Help!I'maRock! said:
see, but i could say the same thing about my MIM 50's Classic Telecaster or MIM Standard Precision. i bought both used and modded them. with the upgrades, the tele is the best i've ever played at any pricepoint. so doesn't that signify that it is "as good" as a $3k custom shop? my Precision definitely feels like a $500 guitar, even though i only have about $325 into it. the upgraded bridge and pickup make it as good or better than many of the MIA Precisions i've tried. and considering the significant price difference, a bass would have to knock my socks off to get me to spend the extra $1k on it to replace this one.

so if we turn these experiences over to the balsa wood and spit vs. the world debate, shouldn't the same hold true?
Click to expand...

So where would my Tokai fit into this? In my world it gets equal play time with my Suhr strat....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top