Monoprice Electric Guitars?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by maui_musicman, Nov 19, 2012.

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  1. maui_musicman

    maui_musicman Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Kihei, Hi USA
  2. KT88

    KT88 Senior Member

    It's probably safe to say the name doesn't start with F, G, or H... I really can't see why anyone would be interested. I've seen a lot of $100 guitars and even the ones by the majors are disappointing.
    -Bill
     
    HAmmer likes this.
  3. PhilBiker

    PhilBiker sh.tv member number 666

    Location:
    Northern VA, USA
    They're probably perfectly fine as beginner guitars. On par with the cheapest from Squier, Rondo/SX, etc.
     
  4. maui_musicman

    maui_musicman Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Kihei, Hi USA
    I was looking for my grandson, who says he wants to learn to play guitar.
    He's almost 11, so the perfect age. I don't want to buy him a Martin, Strat or a Les Paul before I know this isn't just a fad though.
    Most of Monoprice's products seem to be high value for the money.
     
  5. PhilBiker

    PhilBiker sh.tv member number 666

    Location:
    Northern VA, USA
    I don't know about monoprice's stuff, it's probably OK. Never tried it. On the other hand, I can heartily recommend from first hand experience the guitars sold by Rondo Music www.rondomusic.com without reservation. Try to talk him into bass guitar. :) Lots of fun.
     
  6. Burt

    Burt Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kirkwood, MO
    The quality of cheap (under $250, but over $150 or so) guitars has gone up dramatically: that said, what makes or breaks them as an instrument for new players is 90% setup. In an awful lot of small to medium towns there is not one place that can set up guitars really well and even a town as big as St. Louis only has two or three shops that will do it right consistently.And they can be funny about setting up guitars for non-regulars bought over the net.

    Get a cheapy that is 100% Fender compatible, for one. A Strat or Tele. Or a Gibson style guitar with a Tune-O-Matic and a stop tailpiece. Bolt on necks can always be shimmed.

    Most of these cheapies are built in a few plants for several different buyers, in Indonesia, China or South Korea. The Korean ones are often by Samick, and generally well made. The Chinese ones are all over the place, from decent to garbage.

    The very cheapest guitars are the ones sold in truck stops and souvenir stands and are a total waste of time. That's the sub-$100 guitar.

    It's also worth pointing out that if a guitar is already several years old and the neck is still straight, it probably will stay straight: therefore, buying used guitars is safer than buying them new. Plus it will already have a few dings and dents, meaning you won't get upset when it gets more. As it will.
     
    Dave and Koptapad like this.
  7. Koptapad

    Koptapad Forum Resident

    Agree with Burt.

    Fender only lists mfg in Cal and Mexico but my new Fender Starcaster is made in China so that private label China factory is cranking out cheap clones for lots of people. The quality is not bad at all for $100-150. I compared the photos on Monoprice with my guitar and I see a lot of identical parts and styles. I was surprised to see a three ply pickguard on the monoprice.

    For someone that young a shorter scale Mustang or Jaguar (24") could be less frustrating. I'll bet you could get one on Black Fri for $200 at Guitar Center.
     
  8. JohnG

    JohnG PROG now in Dolby ATMOS!

    Location:
    Long Island NY
    Just ordered one of the "Route 66" vintage honey burst solid electric guitars for the hell of it. I love monoprice products and its pretty cool they've decided to enter the very affordable world of guitars and amps.
     
    Billy Infinity likes this.
  9. williamjoel

    williamjoel Spins At 33 1/3 RPM

    Location:
    Orlando, FL
    What he said! Monoprice makes quality stuff at affordable prices. They're aces! I wonder if they'll have electric basses soon?
     
    stackswim likes this.
  10. JohnG

    JohnG PROG now in Dolby ATMOS!

    Location:
    Long Island NY
    Check out the YouTube video of monoprice at NAMM 2013 with people checking out the guitars.
     
  11. ggergm

    ggergm another spring another baseball season

    Location:
    Minnesota
    They look like Fenders.

    That would be La Cienega Fender and Body Repair. Used to be an Earl Scheib Paint shop - I'm Earl Scheib, and I'll paint any car, any color for $29.95. No ups, no extras. I still bet you can get the guitar in a metallic paint for that price.

    Crack the neck? Fix it with bondo!

    :nyah:
     
  12. mj_patrick

    mj_patrick Senior Member

    Location:
    Elkhart, IN, USA
     
    JohnG likes this.
  13. mj_patrick

    mj_patrick Senior Member

    Location:
    Elkhart, IN, USA
    You beat me to it :)
     
    JohnG likes this.
  14. mj_patrick

    mj_patrick Senior Member

    Location:
    Elkhart, IN, USA
    I'm kinda open to having a budget guitar like these simply for general abuse and carting around everywhere without having to worry about nicks or theft.

    Some of the best guitars I've owned were found in pawn shops for around $100 though... it pays to look!
     
  15. JohnG

    JohnG PROG now in Dolby ATMOS!

    Location:
    Long Island NY
    I agree. They look like fun and for that price, I can't resist.
     
  16. williamjoel

    williamjoel Spins At 33 1/3 RPM

    Location:
    Orlando, FL
    Looks like they have keyboards and mics too!
     
  17. action pact

    action pact Music Omnivore

    I get the F and G, but what does H stand for? Harmony?
     
  18. KT88

    KT88 Senior Member

    That would be as nice as a Chinese guitar but H stands for Heritage.
    -Bill
     
  19. action pact

    action pact Music Omnivore

    Ah, I wondered if that's what you meant. Don't forget "R" for Rickenbacker (still proudly made in the USA)!
     
    RickH and Rickchick like this.
  20. Sneaky Pete

    Sneaky Pete Flat the 5 and That’s No Jive

    Location:
    NYC USA
    I don't know how they can make money at those prices. The labor must be close to free.

    I just got a set up and repair on my old tenor. I decided to try a new guy. He told me flat out that I could get a brand new tenor from China for less than the cost of a refurb on my 50's vintage horn. Of course it would not be the same but it would be servicable for a student. He was was just being honest in case I was someone that was going to take sax lessons for six months then give up. It does undermine the student instrument market for established makers.
     
  21. action pact

    action pact Music Omnivore

    With respect to guitars, thanks to CNC routing and Asian sweatshop labor, the quality of entry level guitars is astounding compared to what was available in the '60s and '70s, or even the '80s. The current crop of Squiers are almost pro-quality, and with some easy mods can often compete with the full-price Made in USA Fenders. The main difference comes down to the quality of the wood.
     
    PhilBiker likes this.
  22. dhoffa85

    dhoffa85 Well-Known Member

    some of the malden guitars look pretty cool and they are very reasonably priced.
     
  23. KT88

    KT88 Senior Member

    That's not been my experience. The cut of the wood is Ok but as you note, the composition of the wood can be horrible, typically plywood or some laminate which is roughly sanded and the finish is not very nice. Even for what appears to be solid woods used on more transparent finishes, it can be of pretty poor quality. That isn't even the bother really. The real issue is the fret installation and finishing, which is typically of very low quality, with sharp edges in some cases and even irregular height or placement in others. It's not as if the final assembly is CNC; it's all done by hand. Then the electronics are generally pretty lame as well. If you were to replace the neck and the electronics on one of these China shop Squire guitars, you'd have more invested in it than just buying a Mexican made Fender.
    -Bill
     
  24. Sneaky Pete

    Sneaky Pete Flat the 5 and That’s No Jive

    Location:
    NYC USA
    I remember the terrible no-name, off-brand electric guitar I tried to learn on back in the 60's. If the guitar had been a little better I might not have given up. :laugh:

    The sax market is the same as guitars. The best of the cheap Chinese Horns are getting scary good for the money. Every year they improve; nice intonation and very easy action makes them very playable. Lots of guys are buying them as "back up" horns. You know they are poised to take over if the big names topple.
     
  25. action pact

    action pact Music Omnivore

    A few years ago I would've agreed with you, but I recently bought an Indonesia-made $299 Squier Jaguar, and aside from a basic set-up and new strings, it really needs nothing. No fret tang or any other funny stuff, the neck is straight and true, no dead spots - perfectly fine. Not custom shop quality, of course, but dang fine for short bread.
     
    gingerly likes this.
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