THE DEFINITION OF VALUE

I am always amazed that you can buy a new S-style guitar (however bad it may be) for less than £100. So, at the other end of the scale, it is hard to get your head around boutique guitars with prices so high they have snow on them! My question to your esteemed reviewers is this: is there an optimum price point where quality and value for money coincide? Secondly, what new guitar have they bought that they feel gave them the most bang for their buck? I appreciate that value is a subjective matter, but it would be interesting to know your views. Graham Osborne, via email We have sympathy for smaller ‘boutique’ makers who have to support their whole business from the sales of a relatively small number of painstakingly hand-built instruments. In that sense, you are getting realistic pricing. Compare that with a major-brand factory in a country such as Indonesia where mainstream guitars are built in their thousands, labour is much cheaper and the company has invested in accurate, mechanised production lines, and you can see how decent entry-level guitars get turned out so cheaply. However, a custom shop or high-end maker will meticulously select the best tonewoods and use years of skill and experience to finely fettle each guitar’s tone and playability. Back on the production line, they will use effective but generic hardware, timber and quality control procedures. The upshot is that while it’s hard to buy a bad entry-level guitar these days, it’s unlikely you’ll get something truly outstanding.

Sweet spots? Well, from street prices of about £700 to £1,500 you’ll find production guitars that have a little extra finesse and could be used with confidence on a pro stage – Fender’s Baja Tele is a solid example of that breed. And, yes, you can find gem-like cheaper instruments, such as Gretsch’s recent Streamliner range, that punch well above their weight. For others, though, hand-built premium guitars are the summit – an eyes-open choice made after years of striving to find the perfect companion for a lifetime of playing.