Your LEAST expensive great sounding/playing guitars

[Jonathan0996]

Hmmm.... Aside from my $200 Yamaha tele copy, I guess my best cheap archtop is the Washburn J-10 Orleans (sunburst). Very sweet guitar. I think I paid about $500 for it.

At the other end of the spectrum is my Holst. Also nice, but different. It's been getting most of my attention lately.

[citizenk74]

I had an Ibanez AF175T that was terrific. Billed as "turquoise" it was more a seafoam green. I ditched the Bigsby and installed a trapeze. Very comfy fully-hollow thinline with a fine range of useable tones, clean and otherwise. Killer slide tones.

Well south of $500 w/hsc.

[medblues]

My new Epiphone Joe Pass Emperor II PRO guitar ($700) and less new Epiphone ES-175 Premium ($800, wine red yum !) both sound sweet !

[entresz]

Not an archtop but I struck gold when I bought my Squier Bass VI - there was some crazy 40% sale on and I pulled the pin and bought one.

Sometimes I've had to sub as a bass player and it's sounded great doing that. A really vintage sounding electric bass - not as 'stiff' sounding as a full scale 'normal' bass. It's strung up with LaBella flatwounds.

It also sounds great for deep twangy sounds as a baritone guitar.

[John A.]

My Godin 5th Ave Kingpin is my biggest bargain - I got it in trade a with a forum member for some gear I'd had forever and hadn't used in years. So the cash cost to me was just shipping, less than 50 bucks (though the stuff I traded was worth some ducats in theory). I play the Kingpin all the time. My American Std strat was $425 brand new. Granted, that was 30 years ago, but even than it was a lot of guitar for not much money.

John

[Greentone]

Partscaster (Tele). Sounds and plays great.

[zcostilla]

My Godin fit the bill here. Bought the acoustic model under $400 on Amazon. Added a Charlie Christian pickup and went to flatwound D’Addario Chromes. I love this thing.

[DB's Jazz Guitar Blog]

I'm not sure the Ibanez FG 100 fits the criteria but my least expensive guitar is just that one. I own a blonde 1983 FG 100 and it's a fine axe. George Benson played one on tour in the mid 80s. They seem to be getting more and more expensive though over the years.

[lawson-stone]

This one's easy. I picked up a 2003 Epiphone Zephyr Regent Re-Issue for about $400-$500. Installed a Seymour Duncan Seth Lover pickup that I had in a box, added a decal, and loved it ever since. The guitar plays wonderfully, sounds great. Mahogany back and sides I think add something to the tone over all-maple versions of the typical ES1x5 style guitar. The neck is a shade slimmer than Gibson but not too shallow.

Here's a clip just for fun:

[mr. beaumont]

Gotta add one here, since my first post years ago, as this one is even cheaper than my kingpin!Cigano GJ-15. It's become my go to acoustic.

[mr. beaumont]

This one's easy. I picked up a 2003 Epiphone Zephyr Regent Re-Issue for about $400-$500. Installed a Seymour Duncan Seth Lover pickup that I had in a box, added a decal, and loved it ever since. The guitar plays wonderfully, sounds great. Mahogany back and sides I think add something to the tone over all-maple versions of the typical ES1x5 style guitar. The neck is a shade slimmer than Gibson but not too shallow. Here's a clip just for fun:

These are pretty much the most underrated budget jazz box ever.I actually think Epi/Gibson stopped making them because they were a little too good for the$.

[lawson-stone]

These are pretty much the most underrated budget jazz box ever.I actually think Epi/Gibson stopped making them because they were a little too good for the$.

Seriously. Put the split block inlays on the fingerboard and some epiphone inlay in the headstock and you have a heavy hitter. This is the guitar I often just pick up to try out an amp, or record something quickly. I didn't think the mahogany would make a difference on a laminate, but I think it does. Comparing it with the all-maple Epi ES175 (not quite directly comparable) shows a difference. This guitar likely won't get sold ever. I have some much nicer ones that likely will end up sold.

[John A.]

I'm not sure the Ibanez FG 100 fits the criteria but my least expensive guitar is just that one. I own a blonde 1983 FG 100 and it's a fine axe. George Benson played one on tour in the mid 80s. They seem to be getting more and more expensive though over the years.

That's a great sounding guitar.

John

[Tatayoyo]

Best inexpensive played recently: second version Gibson Es165 with electronic removed, a purely acoustic laminate with incredible tone for less than €1000. It's louder than Eastman 805 or Peerless Monarch with a doublebass kind of feeling on the E string (flat 56). Very vibrant with clear upper range. A very good surprise, affordable but I'm uncertain about the pup to install if I buy it (a Mccarty ??).Perhaps I'm totally off-topic as usual.

[Al Br.]

1974 Tradition MT750. Got it for $600. Like new. Pretty much play it over everything else. Well built, great tone, very comfortable to play. Solid Spruce top.

[Sam Sherry]

Back in 2014 this was The $100 Challenge Jazz Guitar. (I failed the test by incurring $112.00.)




Epi Wildkat husk, completed using parts from the drawer. Please note the artful use of a 3/8" lag-bolt to fill the former master-volume hole.

I gave it to my son as a graduation present. He's still got it!

[mad dog]

I think "cheaper" would be more accurate ... I partway traded into this 750 dollar Ibanez AJK95, sold here by Rolijen. He upgraded it in every way you might think to upgrade it. Including Seth Lover p/us and electronics, new tailpiece, bridge, tuners. That sort of thing. You can find them cheaper used. I've not seen another one so thoroughly and sensibly upgraded.

Robert said it was something special. And that it is. These p/us are so sweet with the lam spruce top. Plugged into another affordable classic - Quilter OD200 head, using the clean channel with gain up, master down, through a ported 1x12 - the sounds are endlessly fascinating. Clear and rich, with held notes sustaining to just short of feedback at medium volumes. Very thankful I decided to try this one.

[arielcee]

1974 Tradition MT750. Got it for $600. Like new. Pretty much play it over everything else. Well built, great tone, very comfortable to play. Solid Spruce top.

Looks lovely! 16" × 3"?

[Al Br.]

Not sure but I believe 16 x 3 is pretty close.

[neuroscan]

I just picked up an Ibanez AF105 with dual humbuckers. I have a couple of 25-1/2" scale archtops, a Triggs San Salvador and a D'Angelico EXL-1, but I finally had to admit I can't manage the scale length. The Ibanez is a "me size" guitar with a smaller body and 24-3/4" scale. The neck is great, kind of reminiscent of an early mid-60s Gibson and the smaller body is very comfortable. But for the life of me I can't tame the excessive brightness, and this is using the neck pickup only. I've lowered the pickup nearly as far as it will go, swapped the tune-o-matic for the included wood bridge, fiddled with the volume and tone controls every which way, and currently have my amp EQ'd a bit on the extreme side for me, with the treble rolled off, the presence nearly all the way down, the mid boost on, and the parametric EQ set to even things out. It's still bright!!! Pity, really, because it's a decent instrument, not a Triggs of course, but eminently playable. I don't think I'm going to replace the pickup – doing so may wind up an exercise in futility. I'll probably just play it a while longer and then return it under the vendor's return policy.

I briefly owned the AF105 and had the same problem - overly bright sounding. At the same time I also owned the lowly AF75, and felt that in direct comparison, it had the better (fatter) tone.

[buduranus2]

I briefly owned the AF105 and had the same problem - overly bright sounding. At the same time I also owned the lowly AF75, and felt that in direct comparison, it had the better (fatter) tone.

Funny you would mention that. I'm kind of leaning the same way. As I recall, the AF75 had a slender neck, kind of an early '60s Gibson profile?

[christianm77]

AF85 into a Tech 21 FlyRig into a PA?

Peavey classic would be my choice for cheap(ish) amp

[christianm77]

Af85

[Little Jay]

My DIY JazzTele El Cheapo without a doubt!
All parts acquired for around €150:

[arielcee]

My DIY JazzTele El Cheapo without a doubt!
All parts acquired for around €150:

Here I am lusting after a tele, and I see this! Nice!