Are expensive guitars worth the money?

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Anytime somebody asks if expensive guitars are worth it, they get told there’s no point in spending above a certain threshold. Apparently, anything after that threshold is just “paying for the name.”

What’s the threshold, you ask? There isn’t one!

This threshold is entirely arbitrary, based on each person’s opinion and often formed from the most expensive guitar in their collection. The logic being “I paid $600 for this guitar and it’s great, so there’s no need to spend more than $600.”

This would be okay if the number was consistent, but it never is. Some say $600, others say $1,000, and I’ve even seen $300.

Of course, the only people who are in a position to accurately answer the question are those who have actually played (and, ideally, owned) guitars at different price points. If a player hasn’t experienced a guitar above $300 or $600 or $1,000, they can’t give an honest appraisal.

So today, we’re going to roll our sleeves up and dig into this question properly.

It’s not entirely straightforward to answer, not least because it isn’t specific with what it’s asking. What is the threshold for “expensive” and what does “worth it” really mean?

I don’t have a consensus on these questions, but in my experience I’ve concluded they usually have the following definitions:

Expensive: loosely applies to guitars over $2,000/£2,000, and certainly anything from a Custom Shop line.

Worth it: does it sound significantly better, and/or play significantly better.

As I said, these aren’t strict definitions, and you may have your own. But today, I want to share my experiences with “expensive” guitars, and make the case for why they’re worth considering.

Before we get into those points, I want to first look at why guitars can vary in price so much in the first place.

Why do guitars vary in price?

Without a doubt, we live in a golden age of affordable guitars. While cheaper guitars were always available, quality was inconsistent and the bad ones were terrible. Never have we had as many choices at so many price points as we do today.

One of the main reasons for this is overseas manufacture. The single biggest reason why companies opened factories in Asia was to cut costs. While this can be great for our wallets, it can also distort our views on price and value.

A guitar made in China under cost-cutting efforts can be a good guitar, but it should never be held up as an example of why an American-made guitar is overpriced.

And let’s not forget that looks can be deceiving.

Let’s consider Epiphone and Gibson for a quick comparison. At first glance, an Epiphone Les Paul and Gibson Les Paul look identical:

So what’s going on here? Why is there an approximate £2,000 price difference?

Let’s start with the construction:

• The Gibson has a rosewood fretboard, while the Epiphone has Indian Laurel
• The Gibson has a two-piece mahogany back and solid maple cap. The Epiphone is also mahogany and maple, but it can be multiple pieces of wood glued together, and the top that we see is actually a veneer to give the ‘flame top’

I’m not arguing that either of these things make the guitar sound or play better, but they’re certainly cost-cutting techniques. Gibson’s construction methods here are more expensive — because Gibson needs to use only two pieces of wood for the mahogany, they’re restricted to pieces of an adequate size. Likewise, the maple top needs to be book-matched because we can see it.

In comparison, Epiphone can glue multiple pieces of wood together, and the maple cap is hidden by the veneer on top. This allows them to use more off-cuts and choose less visually appealing tops because the buyer will never see them.

As a quick calculation for how the cost of parts matters, consider this: if any brand saves a dollar on a single component, and they ship a million guitars, they reduce their overheads by a million dollars.

So, if the strings are a dollar less, they save a million dollars with cheaper strings.

Now apply that to all other areas: tuning pegs, wiring harness, pickups, knobs, and the wood itself.

Now let’s consider the less visible costs. Because while you can look at the above and agree that the Epiphone is cheaper to make, you may also be thinking that it’s not £2,000 per model difference — and you’d be right!

But there’s more to the economics than just the cost of materials.

When you buy the Gibson, or from any American manufacturer, the price includes the following:

• American wages (and 401k, healthcare, sick/vacation leave, etc)
• American rates for rent and mortgage on each factory, plus company offices
• American taxes
• Every step of the supply chain. When gas prices increase, it costs more to get the wood to the factory.
• Cost of importing wood, including any regulatory costs
• Marketing

With the cost of living being higher in America, plus higher regulations and higher costs of business, the end product has to cost more. This is also why you’ll notice that Gibson isn’t being significantly undercut by any American guitar manufacturer. Fender guitars have an objectively simpler construction method, using bolt-on necks, flat bodies, and poly finishes compared to Gibson’s set-necks, carved tops, and nitro finishes, yet an entry-level Fender USA (the American Performer series) starts at £1,299.

So, yes, you can get an overseas guitar that looks the same as the American counterpart, but there’s much more than corporate greed to why the prices are so different.

There are other reasons guitars can be more expensive, too. These include:

• Supply and demand: if a manufacturer wants to slow demand, rising prices is a great way to do this (Custom Shop guitars do this a lot)
• Exclusivity: the more expensive a guitar, the less mainstream popularity it will have (Custom Shop guitars do this as well)
• Manufacturer output capability: while Fender and Gibson have huge workforces building high volumes of guitars, boutique builders may be just one or two people. They need to charge enough money to be profitable, without building a hundred guitars each day
• Rarity of material: this is less of a factor than the above, but occasionally there will be materials in the guitar that are very rare or expensive.

With that said, let’s look at some specific questions around higher-priced instruments.

Do expensive guitars make you play better?

This, I believe, is one of the main things people mean when they ask if expensive guitars are worth it.

The standard answer is “No, more expensive guitars don’t make you play better.” How could they? They’re not going to improve your finger speed or picking accuracy, or enhance your musical knowledge.

Yet, at the same time, I do think they make you play better.

This can be for a few reasons:

If you have saved for a long time to buy that guitar, you’ll probably want to play it as much as you can. The extra playing will help you to improve.

If the guitar is more comfortable, you’ll want to play it more.

You may find it easier to play, which can most definitely make you play better. A neck carve might be perfect for your hand. Aged guitars feel “broken in” right out of the box, which can mean the neck is more comfortable or the body doesn’t slip on your lap, for instance.

The expensive guitar may sound a lot better, which not only makes you a better player through increased practice, but also improves the sound of your playing.

There’s one other factor to this as well: investing in a pricier guitar can make you want to improve, to justify owning something so expensive.

Do expensive guitars feel or sound better?

My opinion on this question is this: guitars can be exceptional at any price point, so not every expensive guitar will be better than every cheap guitar. However, the best guitars at a higher price point are likely to be better than the best guitars at the cheaper end of the spectrum.

In other words, there will be expensive guitars that you don’t like the feel or sound of, and the price tag certainly doesn’t guarantee an individual guitar will be amazing. But if you find one that you fall in love with, you’ll probably prefer it to anything else.

There’s also a good reason that despite having access to any guitar they want, the musicians you see on stage almost always play a guitar that isn’t from the budget section of the store.

Of course, opinions on this will vary. If you believe an electric guitar is nothing but the sound of the pickups, you won’t feel the need to spend money on an expensive guitar, you’ll just get those pickups and put them into whatever model you want. If you have an inexpensive acoustic that you could never part with, you may not see the value in a Martin.

Guitar playing is a very personal thing.

Expensive guitars can work out cheaper than cheap guitars

I know, I know… you’re probably scratching your head at that heading, right?

I hadn’t considered it myself, but when I purchased my Gibson Custom Shop, I realised that it was so good I would no longer find myself on “guitar safari” (guitari?) buying additional guitars on a regular basis.

And that was precisely what I had been doing. From the end of 2021 to early 2023, I purchased half a dozen guitars. My collection reached 14, which was when I decided to downsize. I sold four guitars and bought the Gibson with the proceeds.

I love it so much, and it’s so comfortable and so versatile, that I don’t feel like I need to buy more. I don’t miss the guitars I sold to help me fund it, and I almost feel guilty for not playing it.

You might have already paid for an expensive guitar — without an expensive guitar to show for it

A couple of paragraphs ago, I mentioned that I sold four guitars to fund the Custom Shop. In other words, I had already spent the money, but it’s more palatable (and easier to overlook the total) when it’s £600 here, £1,000 there.

While a lot of people will scoff at the idea of spending thousands on a single guitar, they won’t scoff at having lots and lots of guitars — even though the total outlay might be higher and it’s more likely that some of them don’t get played very much.

I ask you, what’s worse: £3,000 in one guitar that gets played all the time, or £3,000 spread across six guitars, of which only two get played regularly?

Do you need an expensive guitar to learn or be proficient?

This is a resounding “no”. I see it like driving: the majority of new drivers learn in a cheaper or older car, and don’t need to buy a BMW to develop competency behind the wheel.

A more expensive car might have additional safety features or be more reliable, or generally more comfortable. But both will serve the purpose of getting you to your destination. Both will have four wheels, a radio, and the same basic features.

Upgrading is ultimately a luxury. Yet, at the same time, there can be tangible benefits. The more expensive car is probably quieter, enhanced comfort will help you avoid aches and cramps and fatigue on longer journeys, the infotainment system is likely to be more advanced, and it probably handles and drives better. All of which adds up to an overall superior car and driving experience, even though cars at all price points serve the same basic functions.

This is similar to expensive guitars: they aren’t different products at all, and may not be two or three times better, but they can be better in multiple ways that add up to an overall nicer guitar.

Should you feel forced to upgrade?

I’ve come to believe that a lot of the resistance to higher-priced guitars comes from a place of insecurity — if somebody feels that they’re being told their guitars are too cheap to be good, or they need to buy an expensive one, they’re likely to push back. Especially if they love their guitar(s) or don’t have the money to buy something that costs thousands.

So it’s important to be clear: while expensive guitars can be better, it doesn’t mean that cheaper guitars must be bad.

If a guitar has been properly set up, it can be very good. And as I said earlier, we’ve never had so many viable options at lower prices.

And just like the new driver can become proficient in a cheaper car, newer guitarists shouldn’t worry about “upgrading.” Nor should any player who is happy with their existing guitar.

The expensive guitars are there for those who want them, for whatever reason. They may inspire you more, you may prefer the sound or feel of them, but they’re by no means essential purchases.

If you can’t play an Epiphone, you won’t be able to play a Gibson. If you don’t know how to play the major scale on a Squier, you won’t have that knowledge or ability on a Suhr.

These guitars don’t unlock the door to proficiency. They’re there for players who find additional value in them.

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