Best value ultra-cheapie guitar

[mjet]

Long story that I won't bore you with, but a friend has just returned to town with her 10-year old son after a messy split-up with her ex-husband. The kid is very cool and misses playing dad's (electric) guitar. Beyond the culture shock of being in mom's native country for the first time in his life (and trying to turn the few words of Czech into enough to speak with people in his new school - ouch!).

Wow - I started boring you with it! 

I'd like to buy him a guitar to give him something to focus on. Unfortunately all of the stuff that I have is either too valuable to lend out, or purchased with re-sale in mind (usually over 500 EUR average, so again, not something I'll lend to someone who might lose/drop it). I was looking at something that I could just buy and give to him. I was thinking of the OLP Music Man copies (which can be gotten for as low as USD 150). The cheaper models of the Squier series (Bullet) seem just a bit too junky.

If I was made of money, I'd just get a project short-scale Musicmaster or DuoSonic, fix it up and give that to him. That would be something with some character and mojo and he would surely really treasure such a guitar. But alas, this is me:



Any ideas, perhaps in the $100-$150 range? US-located options ok, as I have someone coming over who can bring it (provided it's not neck-through).

[idiotbear]

Squier strat. Unbeatable. I still have mine: it was my first guitar, it's 10 years old and I still really like it.

Admittedly, I've swapped out the pups since then, but it was still a great purchase. A second hand one will cost you chicken feed.

[mjet]

The Japanese Squiers are very good, that's for sure. What series is yours? If it's 10 years old it's not likely one of the new Chinese-made or Indonesian-made models that I have seen.

[i love sharin foo]

I agree with the Squier suggestion 100%. A Telecaster could also be a good option. There are also the Squier Musicmasters though that aren't bad at all. A local shop had one a few years ago (one of the Vista series with a matching headstock). It was pretty cool and played real well. They were asking $150USD or so for it at the time. I don't think they go for any more now.

Justin

[mynameisjonas]

+1 on the squier telecaster, but the standard version, not affinity. back when teles were my main guitars i actually preferred the squier over my fender 60s classic.

[chrisjedijane]

I'll +1 on the standard series Squiers. The affinity series are pure rubbish.

I've had a standard series Jagmaster and HH strat for years now and they've survived many a drop (apart from the Jag, but that was kinda deliberate...)

[aen]

I'd have to disagree on the affinities being rubbish.  The butterscotch blonde ones are top drawer.


Squiers are just great big ads for Fender anyway, they have to make them well enough so when you can afford a new guitar you buy a Fender.

[mjet]

I'd love to get him a Vista Jagmaster - the build quality is great and the shorter scale might suit him. But the word is out on those and they usually go for $300+.

[DarrelT]

What did his dad have?

[mjet]

No idea - some junker, most likely.

[Orang Goreng]

That $139 Mosrite copy Doug mentioned in another thread might be cool...

[idiotbear]

Actually, my Squier is an earlyish Chinese one.

I really like the neck, it's built really solidly, and it's still going strong after a decade. Pretty cool. Admittedly, the SD pups put it in a different league from an off-the-peg, but it's still a really nicely made, cheap, reliable guitar.

[ohm-men]

Well, the Stagg's are really not bad guitars imo. I played a few and all seams well. Could do with a good set up though. IMO just as good as today's (Chinese?) Sqiuers. They also have a pretty nice Jaguar/Jazzmaster guitar. I recently passed one up for $ 100. (The CAR variant) It hast a strat set up with trem and a cool JM alike body. a bit smaller body and full scale. They even have Alder bodies.

I also have a DIY tele that uses a Stagg Tele neck, pretty good neck.(very nice 60ties profile)

I think the cheapest stagg's are in the 80 buck erea.
I know a lot of people bash the Stagg brand, but hey...they now got a Bigsby tele for just 180 Bucks.....And that's a damn fine guitar.
A lot better then the Cheapo 70ties junk I had when I was learning how to play....

[idiotbear]

does anyone remember the Sunn Mustang? A cheaper-than-cheap Strat-a-like that I used to see a lot of as a kid, when I first started playing. They used to say "by Fender" on them, but I don't know how true that was...

[fullerplast]

They used to say "by Fender" on them, but I don't know how true that was...

It's true. Fender already owned the Sunn and Mustang names, and they outsourced these $trats from India and later, China.

They were the bottom of the line, below Squier even. I don't think they were around long, although they seem to surface fairly often. From what I've read, they were marketed in Europe, though they occasionally show up in the US. I wonder if they are the same as the India-made Squier II from that same period, sold in the U.S. The plywood looks the same, lol...