Budget Vs. Name Brand

It all really depends. The probability of getting a great, out of the case playable guitar by spending $1000 is pretty damn high.

But on the other hand, buying (say) a Xaviere Strat that is modeled after the black Gilmour Strat (can you tell I been looking?) and then replacing some hardware and maybe even the neck, you might have the same damn guitar, or at least passable as so, for a fraction of the cost when it's all said and done.

All I can say for certain is that I've played many Epiphone LPs and none of them have compared to the Agile black beauty I have. But some have been better than the honey one I have. So just with all things, it's just the luck of the draw.

But I'd rather get the $1000 one if I could afford it. :p

Agree with these guys. A high end guitar is almost guaranteed to be geat/good.

What upgrades are you going to want on a top of the range guitar?

I always buy both. I have a high end Laguna but I have a Les Paul clone that plays just as good. It really depends on the manor, I guess, at which the company cares for the instruments. BC Rich has some great budget guitars. Depends on taste s well

No, you pay to have it made just for you at that point.

this is the squier affinity i had



it was a good guitar for the price.  it set up nicely, and played better than one might expect.   i liked it when i had it.  i could have put a bone nut on it, swapped on a new pickguard loaded with better parts, upgraded the trem. it woulda made it as good as any mexi i ever played. 

this is my 06 american standard.  nothing unique or special about it. 



i paid $700 used with the fitted case. (prices are higher up here than the states)  this guitar feels different right off the bat. the satin finish on the neck is silky smooth and never gets sticky.  the tuners are smooth and precise. the bridge is very stable for a trem, and is perfectly intonated.  it's not a7/8 scale guitar (like the squier is), so every aspect of playability is different.  i dont know what the pups are but they sound nice, and the pots and caps are nice, and it's wired with a tone bypass for the bridge pup.  the squier played great. this am std plays great too. in strictly those terms, the guitars are very similar. the difference is all the little details. they add up.  some guitars  one can justify the difference in price by citing this.  but there are other makes who's products dont come anywhere near making up for the difference in price.  so it's not that the name brand is flat out the better guitar it's the details. oh, and also the branding that allows you better resale vale, vs the agile which although a great guitar, the resale value is shit.

They're still cut with CNC machines.. Unless It's a custom shop. The only real difference is the number of slabs of wood used to build the body.. And 90% of guitarists will honestly be heart pressed to hear the difference. My MIM Strat was an early 00. It's only a 3 piece body. I paid less than I would have getting a similar MIA Strat.. And that includes the money I dumped into it, modding it.