How many of us

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Inspired by this thread https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/205135/handmade-vs-mass-made#latest

How many of us would buy, or even be prepared to look at, a guitar without a famous brand name on the headstock?

So do you see the instrument on its own merit or just the perceived value ?
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  • dazzajldazzajl Frets: 5653
    It’s all about the instrument and it feels for me. Mostly I’m drawn to one offs and things from the small builders. The nearest I’ve got to actually buying such a thing a new was a Gordon Smith, not sure if they’re small enough to count as a small builder?

    It’s definitely twice the quality for half the money compared to any Gibson I’ve played. 
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  • LooseMooseLooseMoose Frets: 908
    Depends on what motivates you - if the name on the headstock is part of what drives you to pick it up in the first place, nothing else will cut it.  Realistically I fear I’m in this camp for guitars at least, despite dressing like a tramp so it doesn’t follow that brand snobbery translates to other aspects of my life!
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  • WhitecatWhitecat Frets: 5378
    edited April 2021
    I’ve got stuff from the big guys and I’ve got stuff from luthiers very few people have heard of and loads of in-betweens too. If a guitar is cool it’s cool and if it speaks to me I’ll buy it. 
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  • SassafrasSassafras Frets: 30273
    Depends whether you're a serial flipper or not.
    I never sell anything so I don't care about resale value.
    I just care about how a guitar plays and sounds.
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  • carloscarlos Frets: 3426
    Inspired by this thread https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/205135/handmade-vs-mass-made#latest

    How many of us would buy, or even be prepared to look at, a guitar without a famous brand name on the headstock?

    So do you see the instrument on its own merit or just the perceived value ?
    Resale value is important :(
    Having said that, I'm not far from ordering a custom instrument. I've played enough other guitars to know what I'd like.
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  • stickyfiddlestickyfiddle Frets: 26743
    I have 3 with my own name on them, so I’m clearly not wedded to a name on a headstock. 

    That said, most small builders put out terrible designs often in weird colours; those ones simply don’t do anything that designs from the big guys don’t already achieve better, imo. 

    But I’d have absolutely no issue buying something from the likes of Ivison, Probett and Bartlett - those are all makers to aspire to 
    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71951
    I don't care about a brand name, my favourite guitar has one on it that most players wouldn't look twice at.

    But I prefer "mass produced" instruments - I like accurate, repeatable, machine-made things, assembled by hand with care. I don't really like hand-made things. I also think most people are unaware of the amount of hand work that goes into a lot of "mass produced" products and how much machine work there is in most "hand made" products, so the difference is often more one of production volume and marketing/buying snobbery.

    I haven't commented on that thread because it's not what it's about really, although I was going to say exactly this when I saw the title...

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • earwighoneyearwighoney Frets: 3489
    ICBM said:
    I don't care about a brand name, my favourite guitar has one on it that most players wouldn't look twice at.

    But I prefer "mass produced" instruments - I like accurate, repeatable, machine-made things, assembled by hand with care. I don't really like hand-made things. I also think most people are unaware of the amount of hand work that goes into a lot of "mass produced" products and how much machine work there is in most "hand made" products, so the difference is often more one of production volume and marketing/buying snobbery.

    I haven't commented on that thread because it's not what it's about really, although I was going to say exactly this when I saw the title...
    Do you come across many classical (or flamenco guitars)? For the latter, mass production instruments don't really exist.

    I own a few single luthier made guitars and cheap MIC guitars, things in between. 

    A good guitar is a good guitar. 
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  • Philly_QPhilly_Q Frets: 22515
    edited April 2021
    I'm a rubbish player, never likely to be seen playing a guitar in public so any notion of brand-name-coolness is entirely for my own benefit.  And I won't say I'm oblivious to brands. 

    However, rubbish or not, I have owned a lot of guitars and I now know what I like.  With any off-the-shelf guitar, no matter how good it is there's always something I wish was a bit different - not things like pickups or hardware, which are easily changed, but neck profiles, width at the nut, an obtrusive neck joint, uncomfortable body contours, finishes...

    So yes, I absolutely would buy something from a little known (or unknown) brand if I could get a "perfect" combination of features.  I'm not bothered about resale value but on the other hand it's not a case of "money no object" - guitars have become so expensive lately that it's putting me off a bit although I suppose I could, if I wanted to, pay more than I have up to now.
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  • guitars4youguitars4you Frets: 14029
    tFB Trader
    I did buy a PRS Guitar before they barely had any presence within distribution and certainly before who they are today

    I own a Feline - I'm interested in one of Neil's Ivison Guitars 

    But i do admit that most guitars I have owned are from a big company 

    But any guitar that I have owned, or still do own, is for one reason only - And that is because it plays, feels, sounds like I want to own/treasure it etc 
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  • DeeTeeDeeTee Frets: 764
    There are another couple of elements to the brand on the headstock:
     - it affects resale value if that's an issue for you.
    - it provides some degree of reliability, which is useful if I don't know enough to be sure about the quality of the thing I'm holding. If I'm a new player and don't know what I need to look for, I am a lot less worried if it's got Fender on the headstock.

    Don't get me wrong, I'd personally like something made exactly for me in the future, but I totally see why a person may want the safety of a name brand. Horses for courses, and all that.
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  • SambostarSambostar Frets: 8745
    I like a one piece Honduran mahogany Dinky body with a Charvel USA Pro Mod neck, a single bridge humbucker like a JB, or maybe a SC as well for the neck, decent tuners, a non recessed floyd and a decent volume pot that is not in the usual Jackson or Fender Strat place as I accidentally hit it with my spade hand and turn it down all the time.  That'll do me for most styles of stuff.  The only reason Charvel (FMIC) is on the headstock is because, compared to what I paid for it years ago, it would cost me a lot more to try and make or have made a quartersawn neck to that spec.  Still haven't totally put it together but if it sounds good and pays well, which I'm sure it will, I'd happily let go of some Charvels.  Not a thick polyurethane-painty fan anymore and have become a big fan of natural finishes, or thin nitro at most.

    I think that and the '60's Strat mutt with the Jap neck that I had refretted and a good tele of some description will do me.  Brand names are meaningless these days anyway.  With so much owned by FMIC or Fender. Charvel, Jackson, Kramer..etc.

    Backdoor Children Of The Sock
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  • scrumhalfscrumhalf Frets: 11262
    I suppose it's dependent on the level of fame of the brand.

    I'm one of several on here who own and love their Westbury guitars. Is that famous?
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  • TDubsTDubs Frets: 704
    I’m usually a big brand head. But recently I was looking for something quite unique and vintage from a big brand but it was proving difficult/impossible to source in the UK and would have been risky to import. So I then started the process of trying to replicate the vintage guitar with a custom order from the same big manufacturer. Being a custom order I was quite excited but the whole process was proving to be impersonal and unenjoyable so I canned it and commissioned a UK luthier to build the guitar. Dealing with the UK luthier has been infinitely better and im glad I didn’t throw my money at the big guy this time.

    This has opened my eyes slightly and I do have a hankering for a vintage Gibson Les Paul Double Cutaway. I’m not sure if I’ll ever have the budget to get one and after the episode above I may look at Ivisions version rather than a Gibson reissue.
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  • stratman3142stratman3142 Frets: 2176
    edited April 2021
    Perceived value is irrelevant to me. I haven't sold a guitar since my 20's (~40 years ago), and I don't plan to sell any guitars in the future - just accumulate more  

    Probably the main reason I've purchased guitars over the years is seeing players getting a sound I like, then trying that type of guitar to see if it works for me (i.e. on its own merit). That's just happened to lead to a collection comprising famous brand names, but I wouldn't rule out alternatives.

    It's not a competition.
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  • I only care about how it feels and plays.

    I have almost all self build partscasters and they're great. My only brand name guitar is the les paul - and it's great!

    My next guitar will likely be another gspbasses partscaster - I reckon an explorer, or perhaps a v. 
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  • LodiousLodious Frets: 1942
    Inspired by this thread https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/205135/handmade-vs-mass-made#latest

    How many of us would buy, or even be prepared to look at, a guitar without a famous brand name on the headstock?

    So do you see the instrument on its own merit or just the perceived value ?
    I'm totally ok with whatever name is on the headstock (I bought a KLine when they were a pretty small operation) but I do want to try the guitar before I buy it. I don’t like the idea of specifying a custom guitar and having it built to order, as if you don’t like it, it’s gonna be painful.
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  • I have two hand built guitars. One is a very Early Fylde Oberon from the 70s which I bought from maker Roger Bucknall as a 2nd (unsuitable for normal sale due to blemish) when I visited Fylde's former workshop at Progress Mill in Kirkham. 

    The other I bought on e-bay about 6 years ago. Its a Fingerbone 'Strat'. It was made by luthier Paul Richardson in W Sussex in the 80s. Its unusual in that its made entirely from maple (other than ebony fretboard). The body is one piece & flamed all over. This does make it heavy though at 9lb.

    Yes I value them both and have enjoyed them greatly. However, I intend put up the Fingerbone for sale at some point this year.

    Are they head & shoulders better than mass produced guitars. I would say no. Certainly, both are built with no expense spared from traditionally seasoned woods etc. They also provide the comfort feel that only one or two pairs of hands have fashioned it. However it is possible to find excellent mass produced models too. They may play just as well, and sound just as good despite (perhaps) having cheaper materials and hardware. Examples (of mine) would be a midrange FujiGen built 'T' type and a Rickenbacker 650. 
    I sometimes think, therefore I am intermittent
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  • HarrySevenHarrySeven Frets: 8017
    Sassafras said:
    Depends whether you're a serial flipper or not.
    I never sell anything so I don't care about resale value.
    I just care about how a guitar plays and sounds.
    This. 100%


    HarrySeven - Intangible Asset Appraiser & Wrecker of Civilisation. Searching for weird guitars - so you don't have to.
    Forum feedback thread.    |     G&B interview #1 & #2   |  https://www.instagram.com/_harry_seven_/ 

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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71951
    Sassafras said:

    I just care about how a guitar plays and sounds.
    This. 100%
    Pull the other one! You only care about whether it's cheap :).

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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