£50 for a guitar and amplifier

[sambo]

Tough question(s) to answer Feline.

One thing I will say is that ULTRA-cheap guitars, (which are usually terrible in terms of playability, holding tune, and construction quality), not only give beginners a hard time of playing the damn instrument, but also give a false impression of what it costs to get a good guitar. And of course, being a beginner and not in the know, this could well lead to ignorance as to what a decent instrument is and how much it's worth.

If anyone sees what I'm saying there?

Although of course you can look at it from the other angle and say that a flood of cheaper guitars will lower the value of instruments as a whole, meaning cheaper guitars for everyone!

I'm not too sure!

[Crazy_Joe]

Tescos and Asda are not going to be looking for the likes of me which is just as well as I never go to supermarkets anymore.

Bit off topic, but how do you eat?!

[indysmith]

you can get food in other places. in the olden days folk used to go the bakers, then the green grocer, then the butcher...blah blah blah

[noodleplugerine]

We allways get our food delivered here.

Sainsburys online <3

On the guitar subject - Squire's are great. EVERYONE nowadays learns on a Squire, anything cheaper should be burned to the ground - cos frankly, Squires are awful guitars. But they're still great.

That being said - Cheaper guitars are, more people that are playing it - Which is in overall a good thing. But no parent is going to say ok to a £50 guitar and no to a £130 surely?

[dave_mc]

i'm no fan of the big supermarkets. But they've been doing this for years to bakers, butchers etc. etc. anyone with any sense won't buy a guitar from tesco, basically. and if it gets someone interested, for cheap, it might expand the market.

also, guitars have been consumer products much more so than other instruments. Could you buy a decent euphonium for £200?

[indysmith]

i think supermarkets have their place, but their place is food. cheap, bland, every day food.

[sambo]

Tescos and Asda are not going to be looking for the likes of me which is just as well as I never go to supermarkets anymore.

Bit off topic, but how do you eat?!

Maybe 38th leaves the shopping to Mrs.Beatle Joe.  :)

[Crazy_Joe]

Tescos and Asda are not going to be looking for the likes of me which is just as well as I never go to supermarkets anymore.

Bit off topic, but how do you eat?!

Maybe 38th leaves the shopping to Mrs.Beatle Joe.  :)

lol ahhh, wise choice haha.

By the way Dave_mc i can play a Euphonium haha.

[Henk]

On the other hand, the first guitar i bought was one of the first cheapo fender copys ever, one of those italian cardboard guitard from the 70's. I bought it of a friend for 20 pounds which was all i could afford at age of 13, then after alot of searching i found a beatup overdrive pedal and i wired up my dads old stereo to play trough. Total cost a mere 25 pounds!

No matter how bad it sounded or that i cut my fingers everytime i played, or even that we could not afford to get me guitar lessons. Probably this has made me much more fanatic and willing to spend money on a good guitar. I still have that bloody B(&^%# of a guitar, going to ritually burn it one day, damn i was happy when i got an Aria for my 16th birthday.

So maybe it wont be all that bad eventually, and i also think since the quality of mayor guitar brands is dropping like crazy, small builers could benefit if they only are able to reach a large enough clientele, because on the net thats what its about i guess.

[Crazy_Joe]

Also, just to try and contribute to the discussion, the supermarkets target audience is beginners, they are not trying to be a guitar store, beginners don't have a $%&#ing clue about guitars (like what's good, what makes what kind of sound etc.) so it's a smart move by them to offer cheap bundles because they know people don't want to shed out loads at a guitar store for a beginner guitarist.
And tbh if you go to a guitar store (unless you have a really nice store) when you ask them about what you should get they will just try and make you buy the most expensive stuff possible, so for a beginner why not go spend £50, they might not even carry on playing so you would be a fool to spend that much at a guitar store.

[38thBeatle]

To clear up the concerns about our purchasing habits, like Indy says, we go to small  shops and I can say that the quality is better and the prices are not that much more. We know a local butcher, baker and also a nifty outlet for candles     .Mrs 38th has a small shop and as such, we support other small businesses. Good to see you about Sam btw.

[Crazy_Joe]

Ah right, well yeh it's alright if you've got the money and time to do all that. Supermarkets are just easier and cheaper. Though i do agree that butchers and all that have better quality.

[38thBeatle]

We are both busy all the time Joe, I am gigging in two bands  plus I have a full time job and I help out in the shop on Saturdays-Mrs 38th works at least 6 days a week but we make time.To go to a supermarket would have to be a special trip and frankly the places depress the hell out of me.  Mrs 38th and I buy wisely and only use fresh stuff-no packaging and I would say not much more expensive at all-but we are straying from Jonathan's original subject somewhat. I think that the likes of Argos, Tescos, Asda will try to sell anything and guitars are a popular buy for teenagers and hence they move in. No doubt, if they aren't already, they'll be flogging funerals before long.

[dave_mc]

By the way Dave_mc i can play a Euphonium haha.

interesting. first instrument that came into my head.  :)

[_tom_]

My first guitar was a £17 argos acoustic  8)  :lol: I later sold it for £25.