I have a problem. If a guitar is less than $50, and I see the ad for it, and have even the slightest interest, I tend to buy it.
However, some of my favorite guitars I play have come to me this way. A couple years ago I bought a used Yamaha FG-JR1 3/4 scale kids guitar for my travel guitar. And I kind of got hooked on knocking that thing around and putting it in the overhead bin of the Denver to St. George UT flight I'm on quite a bit.
Well, I found a Mitchell (Guitar Center's store brand) 3/4 scale solid spruce top MDJ-10 for $10 that a local early 20 something was selling. Had Ron-Jon surf shop, Van's stickers on it, hand painting etc. I bought it. It fit the baby taylor case I had picked up for the Yamaha. After lots of elbow grease cleaning it, it sounded like 3 times better than the Yamaha. Sold the Yamaha.
Then I found a 1970 Sears & Roebuck (atomic logo) equivalent of a Harmony Stella for $20. Saddle piece was some kind of dyed black basswood - strings had cut through it like cheese. I fashioned a compensated saddle from a Home Depot Hickory flooring sample (cut the tongue end off the sample, and a little chiseling and you can make a crap Harmony guitar sound really nice and intonate just fine.
Then another guitar came up for 6$ and I went and checked it out. It was another S&R but this one was made in Japan, 1969. I told the lady that it might be worth more.
She wanted it gone.
Then my guitar closet came to overflowing. Time to sell. I put the Stella S&R up for sale for $125 and after some waiting a local slide blues player paid that straight up. I told him I had the other S&R (which was in not so good shape, but it had a sort of banjo-like honk to it that made it pretty rock and roll) and he said he wanted to check it out. He strummed it for just 15 seconds or so, said 'Hell yes!' and handed me another $125.
Latest is a $25 very beat up body Squier Bronco bass. This is a 30" scale bass with a crappy single coil pickup in it. The neck on it is get this: solid maple and probably the nicest neck on any guitar I own. It's also very light - solid Agathis body. As an aging player, I made a decision that I was going to turn this into my main 'playing out' bass. So, the Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder P-bass pickup that I had in my former gigging bass came out and is going to make a new appearance in the Bronco. I'm thinking of adding a belly cut and forearm cut in this body but I want to play it so bad. I had to fashion a new pickguard and I've had a stack of HPL samples that I wanted to try making pickguards out of so I picked the wildest one I had. Note to others - HPL is a pain to work with. Anyways, here's a picture of tonight's work on it which was doing a full shielding fit of some sheet copper.
What guitarist hasn't got GAS? I figure it's an occupational hazard.
Before COVID-19, I'd cruise the local pawn shops, but never got deals like you! I was mostly looking for spare instruments, so I'd have something I could leave at church that was playable.
At this point, I really don't need much of anything, other than to start playing what I've got.
I've got two short scale basses - a Bronco and an Mikro. They're both fun to play, but I like the Mikro a lot more. It seems to have more oomph than the Bronco.
The key takeaway here is that your account of the collection included the word "SOLD". I buy them but never sell them. I bought a Yamaha Pacifica (which doesn't fit the "cheap" aspect at $300) and it sounds good and plays really well right from the box. I will probably do some buffing on the frets but other than that it's fine. I also bought a Roxio Blueburst Strat from Monoprice, JUST because it's pretty. It is also sounds and plays acceptably, though it will eventually get a tremolo upgrade and better tuning machines.
The fun one now is a no name Strat I bought for $60 from a Craigslist guy. He painted it purple for his grandkid but the kid lost interest in like 47 seconds. I am currently stripping it to bare wood and will get some gel stain that comes close to matching the yellow-ish stain on the fretboard. And here's the fun part.
In order to get my name and identity off of Facebook, I created a parody account named "Dick Steubig" after a character from a mid 90s video game, and then deleted my real account. I then found a guy who makes water slide decals, so the formerly purple Strat will proudly the bear the name "Steubig" on the headstock, a guitar made just for me, by my people!!
It's easily explained: "one man's trash is another man's treasure". This is great, there's always someone to look after and cherish something, long after the previous owner has lost interest. Nothing wrong with that, ever.
BIAB & RB2025 Win.(Audiophile), Sonar Platinum, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M Monitors, Pioneer Active Monitors, AKG K271 Studio H'phones
I have a different project guitar that I will get to after this bass. It’s a Squier strat, full thickness body, that I’m turning into a two lipstick pickup Danelectro type guitar. Using a telecaster wiring kit with a 4 position switch (4th position puts both pickups into series wiring). The big surprise on that one is that I made a sort of varitone circuit with a big 6PST rotary switch with a bunch of different tone caps wired in.
I've got two short scale basses - a Bronco and an Mikro. They're both fun to play, but I like the Mikro a lot more. It seems to have more oomph than the Bronco.
Originally Posted By: dcuny
Looks like a fun project!
What guitarist hasn't got GAS? I figure it's an occupational hazard.
Before COVID-19, I'd cruise the local pawn shops, but never got deals like you! I was mostly looking for spare instruments, so I'd have something I could leave at church that was playable.
At this point, I really don't need much of anything, other than to start playing what I've got.
I've got two short scale basses - a Bronco and an Mikro. They're both fun to play, but I like the Mikro a lot more. It seems to have more oomph than the Bronco.
Yeah the pickup on the Bronco is lightweight. But the neck! Oh man it’s perfect. Solid maple with spot on fret work. I have some pretty expensive acoustic guitars and the neck on this Bronco is the best in my fleet of stringed instruments. Fretwork is absolutely amazing. To buy a neck that is this nice from Warmoth or elsewhere would be several hundred dollars.
I buy mostly from Facebook Marketplace. In a city the size of Colorado Springs, there’s usually a couple guitars that are posted with something like ‘Needs a string’ in the description. Those are the ones I go for. Missed out on a Squier with an SG body last week for $20. Those are supposed to be pretty solid guitars for Frankenstein builds
Yes, for many years I acquired a lot of guitars. Not all were bargains.
Then I got a Tom Anderson. Certainly not cheap but not as much as I payed for a vintage Les Paul.
All my guitars set in the case except for the Anderson. I could have never imagined what I was missing before I got the first Anderson.
I do sometimes play the Les Paul because nothing else sounds like it. Trouble is it is like pulling the anchor on my boat...way to heavy for a old guy like me...lol
These "addictions" are problems of prosperity...lol If we had grown up in the former Soviet Union we would have been overjoyed to have any playable guitar!
I must say the best acoustic I ever had my hands on I got in a pawn shop for $35 dollars. Just a nothing guitar from Holland. I think everything just fell in place and the stars aligned when that guitar was made. It is seriously better than any high dollar Martin I ever played. After some years of playing it I gave it to a pro musician friend of mine because I wanted it to be in the hands of someone who could bring it's value to life.
So, buying $50 guitars could turn out to be something exceptional.
Cheers,
Billy
Last edited by Planobilly; 08/12/2004:21 AM.
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig? “Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
I'm a bottom feeder. I have a number of inexpensive guitars. I have a few SX guitars, a SX bass, a Hadean acoustic 12 string, and a Valencia nylon string acoustic all from Rondo music. I have a couple of old Kramer guitars.
I got some great deals on a Danelectro 12 string, a Dean acoustic bass, a Squire P bass, and a couple of other acoustic guitars. I have a Jay Turser and a Harley Benton jazz boxes.
But more importantly I have a wife who doesn't object!
Last edited by MarioD; 08/12/2005:17 AM.
I got banned from Weight Watchers for dropping a bag of M&Ms on the floor. It was the best game of Hungry Hippos I've ever seen!
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
I recently bought what is probably a Kay 6 string. Previous owner modified the label to say Kay. I am thinking a Kay Truetone. Oddly, the strings fold down under the saddle.
With the guitar came a 1950s Wizz Comicbook with an early appearance of Captain Marvel.
I am very happy with the whole purchase. And, I have no interest in the comicbook except for resale.
This is my latest find. A 1930's Regal dobro for $30.
Over the last 50 years I've had some stellar finds but they aren't less than $50.
I'll mention the absolute once in a life time best find I've made. In 1974 I read an ad in a local paper regarding an old Gibson guitar for sale. I get to the house and the guy pulls out a tweed case from under the couch. That sets off all my alarms. He cracks it open and I see the pink plush lining -- oh man! And he pulls out one of the 90 odd original Gibson Fying V's. Yes, really. I buy it for $300 and sell it a year later to a vintage dealer in Atlanta for $5000 thinking I made out like a bandit. Eventually Stephen Stills ends up owning it ... so I was told. I know he has one. Today? $200,000 or more. Regrets? Yeah, but I would never have held on to it for 45 years. Or at least that's what I tell myself. I have some Martin stories too but I'll spare you. Suffice it to say Janice plays a 1943 D-18! Those were THE days for old instrument hunting.
Bud
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos are here on our website.
Well..... not really. I mean, yeah I like buying guitars as much as anyone but.... they have to be decent guitars.
I have bought a few cheap guitars through the years. Kinda wish I still had my first electric harmony guitar. No truss rod and I sold is to a neighbor when I got my Gibson SG and he left it out in the backyard shed where moisture got to it and the neck looked like a bow you could shoot arrows on.
I stopped at a yard sale where I glimpsed a case laying on one of the tables. It was a puke green something or other. Had a bunch of switches and knobs and 3 pickups and came with a case for $20. I thought cool... this is gnarley. Took it to the gig that night and used it for 2 songs.... put it down and played my Gibson the rest of the night. As soon as I turned it up, it went to howling with high pitched feedback. Cheap pickups. I sold it that night to the sound guy for $25.
At a customer's home, they were having a yard sale and in the corner was a red strat copy.... I asked and they actually gave it to me. It's essentially unplayable due to the neck... I guess I could open tune it and use a slide.... action is waaaaay to high to try to fret it comfortably. I tried adjusting it. Nope.... sounds halfway decent otherwise. Currently, it is wall hanger art in my studio.
Everything else I own is a quality instrument. I like what Bud said..... I like buying expensive guitars cheap.
If you are on Face Book... there is a group called Awesome Cheap Guitars ...specifically for people who love the cheap stuff and the yardsale finds.
Last edited by Guitarhacker; 08/12/2008:09 AM.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
Many moons ago I served as import agent for Kiso Suzuki Instruments of Japan famous for their violins ( The Suzuki Method ) and they made fantastic copies of Gibson guitars. I put a lot of miles on a Hummingbird copy and a Dove 12-string. Both excellent instruments. However, they couldn't make a spider and cone assembly to satisfy Dobro player Mike Auldridge' discerning ear which left our joint venture stillborn.
You wonderful folks have probably heard, ad nauseum, that I jammed regularly with Bob Zimmerman ( Dylan ) in HS in the late '50s. Bob didn't have a guitar at that time. We traded off playing my arch-top, f-hole Sears Silvertone which played like a fencepost and sounded worse.
We’ve expanded the Band-in-a-Box® RealTracks library with 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 449-467) across Jazz, Blues, Funk, World, Pop, Rock, Country, Americana, and Praise & Worship—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Blues & World (Sets 449–455):
These RealTracks includes “Soul Jazz” with Neil Swainson (bass), Mike Clark (drums), Charles Treadway (organ), Miles Black (piano), and Brent Mason (guitar). Enjoy “Requested ’60s” jazz, classic acoustic blues with Colin Linden, and more of our popular 2-handed piano soloing. Plus, a RealTracks first—Tango with bandoneon, recorded in Argentina!
Rock & Pop (Sets 456–461):
This collection includes Disco, slap bass ‘70s/‘80s pop, modern and ‘80s metal with Andy Wood, and a unique “Songwriter Potpourri” featuring Chinese folk instruments, piano, banjo, and more. You’ll also find a muted electric guitar style (a RealTracks first!) and “Producer Layered Guitar” styles for slick "produced" sound.
Country, Americana & Praise (Sets 462–467):
We’ve added new RealTracks across bro country, Americana, praise & worship, vintage country, and songwriter piano. Highlights include Brent Mason (electric guitar), Eddie Bayers (drums), Doug Jernigan (pedal steel), John Jarvis (piano), Glen Duncan (banjo, mandolin & fiddle), Mike Harrison (electric bass) and more—offering everything from modern sounds to heartfelt Americana styles
And, if you are looking for more, the 2025 49-PAK (for $49) includes an additional 20 RealTracks with exciting new sounds and genre-spanning styles. Enjoy RealTracks firsts like Chinese instruments (guzheng & dizi), the bandoneon in an authentic Argentine tango trio, and the classic “tic-tac” baritone guitar for vintage country.
You’ll also get slick ’80s metal guitar from Andy Wood, modern metal with guitarist Nico Santora, bass player Nick Schendzielos, and drummer Aaron Stechauner, more praise & worship, indie-folk, modern/bro country with Brent Mason, and “Songwriter Americana” with Johnny Hiland.
Plus, enjoy user-requested styles like Soul Jazz RealDrums, fast Celtic Strathspey guitar, and Chill Hop piano & drums!
With your version 2025 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Or upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!
These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!
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The 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 33 new RealTracks and 65+ new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 29 new RealTracks and 45+ new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 20 new RealStyles.
Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana
Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes
MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano
Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7
Playable RealTracks Set 4
RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark
SynthMaster Sounds and Styles (with audio demos)
128 GM MIDI Patch Audio Demos.
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyles,
FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster,
Instrumental Studies Set 23: More '80s Hard Rock Soloing,
MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster
Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8
RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Mac!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Mac!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Windows!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Windows!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: VST3 Plugin Support
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® now includes support for VST3 plugins, alongside VST and AU. Use them with MIDI or audio tracks for even more creative possibilities in your music production.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Macs®: VST3 Plugin Support
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: Using VST3 Plugins
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