Highly praised guitars you dont like?

[Kwirk]

I've hated every Gibson I've tried. Absolutely hate where the pickup selector is on some of them.

 

[Fktpguitfiddle]

i used to hate any fender but lately i've been gassing for one.... weird how tastes change through time. one i still hate and i know half of the answers here are the same, gibson... i've owned gibson and owned epiphone and even owned a hondo II and they all played the same to me... to each their own though

 

[littledoc]

Mostly I'm just unimpressed by the common association that higher price or "made in Japan/USA" equals superior quality. I've seen USA guitars with all kinds of problems, and Korean/Indo guitars that were amazing.

When people talk about x guitar brand being oh-so-amazing quality compared to production guitars, notice the conspicuous absence of specific, quantifiable things. All but the most absurdly cheap guitars will at least have properly dried wood, stable necks, and level frets. I think any quantifiable quality tops off around the $700-$1200 range. The rest is marketing bullshit, cost of labor, rarity, and aesthetic appointments like exotic woods and inlays.

 

[Francis978]

I got a BFR (without getting pedantic) Rosewood necked JP6. I wanted to love the thing so bad but I just couldn't jive with the neck.

Agreed, I can play a BFR Jp7 though and feel comfortable, but if you give me a JP6 I can't stand it. I don't know why...

 

[icos211]

All Ibanez RG guitars ever. I have never, in my life, played one that I like. The necks are way too thin, and I do mean WAY too thin for my taste. What's worse is that most of them have a flat spot on the neck to accommodate the thinness. So very uncomfortable. Plus trems... I see no point to trems and all that they seem to do is jack up the price. Combine this with the most generic, uninteresting body styles, boring regular old dot inlays, ugly ass inline headstocks, reversed or no, and a million indecipherable numbers and letters in the name that do less than nothing to help me decipher what freaking guitar it actually is.

The green dot Universe is the WORST example of pretty much everything that I have said above, in my own opinion, at least.

Disclaimer: This is all my opinion and if you like them then I'm not one to judge. I absolutely love Schecters, and we all know the majority disposition towards those on this board...

 

[jephjacques]

When I was younger I hated, HATED superstrats and bolt-on necks.

These days 98% of my guitars are superstrats and half of them are bolt-ons.

OH GOD WHEN I HIT 40 I'M GOING TO TURN INTO A BLUES LAWYER WITH A $4,000 STRATOCASTER

 

[Syriel]

EBMM JP. 6, 7, doesn't matter. They just don't gel with me, despite every one I've held that oozed quality. But that's it. I just couldn't stand playing it. I felt awkward and uncomfortable.

ESP SC. I can't stand the middle pickup. It doesn't get it the way of my picking like some people that are annoyed by it, but I just really can't stand it.

PRS. I love them. I really do. Now only if they would do something about that awkward pickup selector placement that just kills it for me. I know I can rewire it and move it... But still.

 

[SummonTheAncients]

I can't get along with Ibanez 6 strings. Neck is way too small for me. 7 or 8 strings are fine.

Les Pauls are just plain uncomfortable to play for me in all aspects. Neck, weight, body shape, etc.

Blackmachines don't appeal to me aesthetically.

JP6/7. Played one of each, didn't care for either. Wasn't too much of a difference for me from any model of any brand half its price in any regard (sound, playability, looks, overall quality). fite me irl

Agile's neck carve makes me puke.

On the other hand...

I enjoy Schecter's neck carve. Much more than any Ibanez.

I used to hate PRS' heel thing but I got used to it. I very much enjoy PRS and Fender style necks (although those are very highly praised).

Dean USA's aren't bad. They don't ONLY make Razorbacks (unless you round up...).

I think that's it. May think of others later.

 

[jephjacques]

I think any quantifiable quality tops off around the $700-$1200 range. The rest is marketing bullshit, cost of labor, rarity, and aesthetic appointments like exotic woods and inlays.

Aaaaabsolutely not true. Fretwork, precision of craftsmanship, reliability of components and yes, quality of wood all go up the more money you spend (assuming it's a reputable manufacturer). And with good high-end companies, there's much less chance of any one guitar they put out being a lemon.

Does quality level off at some point? I'm sure it does. Are there amazing guitars in that lower price range? Absolutely! Does marketing and name recognition factor into prices? Capitalism 101. But there's definitely a quantifiable quality difference between my $1200 Ibanez Prestige and my >$3000 Anderson, for instance.

 

[Toxin]

ebmm's neck is a no no for me
sounds great though

 

[Church2224]

Aaaaabsolutely not true. Fretwork, precision of craftsmanship, reliability of components and yes, quality of wood all go up the more money you spend (assuming it's a reputable manufacturer). And with good high-end companies, there's much less chance of any one guitar they put out being a lemon.

Does quality level off at some point? I'm sure it does. Are there amazing guitars in that lower price range? Absolutely! Does marketing and name recognition factor into prices? Capitalism 101. But there's definitely a quantifiable quality difference between my $1200 Ibanez Prestige and my >$3000 Anderson, for instance.

Agreed. There is a reason why my ESPs have cost between 1500-2000 dollars, and LTDs cost much less. Craftsmanship is FAR superior on the MIJ ESPs. Same with why Suhrs, Thorns and Andersons cost the way they do. You ever play those beauties? AWESOME guitars.

 

[RZKSpieler]

Indeed. The quality of an ESP is far superior to that of an LTD. The quality of wood, the craftsmanship, the fit and finish, is all top tier. You get what you pay for.

 

[-42-]

I absolutely cannot deal with the necks on Schecter 7s. My puny hands are no match. I also cannot deal with the necks on Ibanez 7s, just because my thumb ends up in an awkward place.

 

[potatohead]

Anything with a neck angle just kills me, Les Pauls and ESP Eclipses etc, I just can't do it. I do have two Carvin CS's on order though which have no angle and a recessed TOM. I just can't handle the TOM being so high up off the guitar, drives me bonkers.

 

[rjnix_0329]

Man, I am really surprised to see so much distaste for Les Pauls, but I am on that bandwagon! I thought I was the only one! To me they all sound just miserably dark, heavy, and clunky: kind of like how they look! Also my hands are too big for that short of a scale length.

 

[littledoc]

Aaaaabsolutely not true. Fretwork, precision of craftsmanship, reliability of components and yes, quality of wood all go up the more money you spend (assuming it's a reputable manufacturer). And with good high-end companies, there's much less chance of any one guitar they put out being a lemon.

That's exactly my point though about non-specifics. If the frets on a guitar are properly leveled (which they damn well should be if you drop a grand on a guitar), that's that. You could maybe toss in an upcharge for a Plek job or something, but a straight edge is a straight edge. Paying a grand more isn't going to magically make frets more level. And when you say "quality of wood", what does that even mean? Is it more resonant? Could you tell a difference blindfolded once the guitar is plugged in? Is it supposedly less likely to warp or crack? If so, based on what evidence?

And while it's true that limited quantities make for a lower probability of a lemon, it's also compartively harder to resolve an issue with a rarer axe. Something's not right with your Ibanez Prestige or high-end LTD, you send it back to the store and get a replacement because there are thousands being made.

I'm not saying there's no difference. But the difference tends not to be in functional areas of the guitar.

Man, I am really surprised to see so much distaste for Les Pauls, but I am on that bandwagon! I thought I was the only one! To me they all sound just miserably dark, heavy, and clunky: kind of like how they look! Also my hands are too big for that short of a scale length.

Hear hear! My bro has a USA Les Paul, and is quite proud of it. I thought it was terribly uncomfortable with atrocious upper-fret access.

 

[acauseforpatric]

Everything Gibson. Ever. I loathe them. Also someone said ukuleles and I could not agree more.

 

[engage757]

So are we just talking aesthetically?


if we are talking about instruments we have ACTUAL EXPERIENCE with, newer, Non Custom shop GIbsons and fenders. Too hit-or-miss. Recently, a Nik Huber. It was everything I wanted it to be, and perfect, but the neck was too much for me. I wanted it to be a keeper, but I just couldn't get the neck to work for me.

 

[fps]

Bah Les Pauls are awesome if you get a good one, you either "get it" or you don't with those guitars, my 92 Studio is magic very inspirational to write on and great sound.

Anyway, Ibanez 7 strings, I can't get on with the necks and the looks are very utilitarian to my eyes, so I don't feel very inspired when writing on them. Quite like the RGs that used to come in very bright colours in 6 strings, and actually can get on with the neck in 6 string form.

 

[lawizeg]

Flying Vs and Strats.
Strats just seem bulky to me and the neck is not my up of tea. I just have a JP50 and it is so much more playable then any strat I've encountered..perhaps the other Fender neck profiles are better to me.

And I just think Gibson shapes are dumb or not personally appealing.