I've been looking at various Ibanez guitars recently, and I am struck by the extreme difference in prices between their standard models and the Prestige series.

To take a specific example, the RG370DX is a double-cutaway H-S-H guitar with a tremolo and a rosewood fingerboard. MSRP: $530. A very similar guitar, in the higher price class, the RG3570Z has MSRP $2000.

Mind you, there are differences in components. Edge III tremolo vs. Edge-Zero. DiMarzio pickups vs. INF3/4. Three-piece neck vs. five-piece.

Even so, the difference in price seems large. Where does the money go?

Same as buying a Chevy Vs a Cadillac. Not much more money to manufacture, but the hype of the higher class item makes for higher prices (because of the hype)

Ibanez seems to have well-made, reliable and freakin PRETTY guitars for not much money, if you`re okay with rock machines. I don`t know how they do it, in fact I was so curious about it that I tried one of the top-end ones for the heck of it, not sure if it was a Prestige and as far as remembering their model numbers forget it. Anyway sure enough it was stellar, sang out like it was carved from solid obsidian-in fact it was TOO good for a rock guitar-like you wouldn`t be pounding on this axe just to get cool feedback.

Oh yeah, the point-Ibanez probably has a bigger price gap between their
economy guitars and the top shelf models than a lot of other companies.

lower priced Ibanez guitars are made in Korea and use lower priced labor. the high end Ibanez guitars use premium woods and hardware.
it is similar to how Epi Les Pauls are priced compared to a real Gibson Les Paul.
at first glance the price diff isn't obvious.

No Ibanez experience but I can tell you the difference between a MIM Strat and American Deluxe is huge. Keep in mind as a lefty I don't have much of a crop to pick from, but I wold generally assume that you gits whatcha pays for.

I have a 2004 Ibanez AX220QM which is about as low end as they get. I paid $250.00 for it, on clearance at my local music store. The only problem I had with it was the stock pickups were very dull sounding. I replaced them a set of Seymour Duncan Hotrod Pickups and the guitar came to life.

But other than crappy pickups, the fit and finish is perfect. And it was made in Korea.

MY Ibanex RG321 was made in Malaysia. Had to file the frets and re solder the capacitor but after that was done, it has been stellar for 4 years now. Cost to me $272 shipped insured. In fact it is one of my all time favorite guitars.

All guitar makers pretty much have high end and low end models...you just gotta find which one works for you and consider your budget...and/or customizzzzzeeee....don't forget set-ups as many times a guitar has a better sound and feel if it's not set up right...there are vast differences in electronics and feels on American made Strats (without considering MIM's etc.) yet they all look pretty much the same....

Also no Ibanez experience...but I buy a lot of guitars!;)

The difference between an entry-level guitar is usually the result of an accumulation of many small changes.

Those seemingly tiny differences can sometimes cost a lot more, and as those things accumulate, the price of the guitar skyrockets.

1) Handmade vs Assembly Line: While an assembly-line guitar may actually have more overall uniformity, its also more likely to have some kind of little defect that a master-craftsman wouldn't let slip by.

2) Laminates vs low-end woods vs high-end woods vs synthetics: Each has its merits, but generally, high-end woods and certain synthetics are both better sounding and rarer, and thus, more costly.

The same holds for other materials- acrylic inlays vs mother of pearl; steel vs nickel vs chrome vs gold-plated hardware, etc.

3) Cost of labor: labor is simply cheaper in Korea than it is in the USA, and that translates into higher costs.

4) Quality of parts: A more expensive tuner, nut, bridge, pickup or trem might not seem like it should cost more, but they'll tend to last longer, need fewer repairs, and will simply work better than cheaper models.

These factors all affect the guitar as a whole. By that I mean that the sound quality will be different, but also its durability. My first guitar was a cheap Alvarez. I played it to death in just under 3 years- I took it in for repairs once and the tech (at Charlie's Guitars in Dallas) said it would cost more to repair than to replace.

My next guitar was an Ovation Elite that cost 4x the price of the Alvarez. That baby has lasted me 19 years and still counting.

Part of it is ego and human nature...charge more for something and many people automatically assume it is "better". It may be "better", but a $3000 guitar is not going to be 6 times better than a decent $500 model, or even 2 times better.

You're paying for a name if you pay more than $800 for a guitar. You get the bragging rights for owning the "cool" guitar of the moment, and all the "Cool Guy Factor" bennies that go with it. For some people, it's worth it.

I wish I could say I've found strats consistent enough to make this kind of generalization.

I can set most things up to be usable and fit the reason I'm buying them (which is that I want a certain sound for something), and the things I can't fix up I know people who can if it's worth the cost. So, cheap is what I look for... something decent or better for a bargain. I like to call it "post-materialism."

As someone pointed out here (I believe) in another thread:

"Jeff Healey preferred Squier strats... I guess being blind he couldn't judge the nametag like the rest of us so he had to go on sound and feel."

and Leo Fender, when asked about his thoughts on Mexican Fenders:

"Son, Mexicans made the original Fenders..."

Personally, I judge a guitar based on how it sounds when I play it, not its "cool factor."

However, I can virtually guarantee you that most $3K luthier's guitars will sound better than the sub-$200 Alvarez I started out on.

(I know, because I've lived it.)

Materials and craftsmanship make a difference, and most of the time, that costs money.

Well the `cool factor` tends to apply to a guitar that is popular with top-shelf players-often what you are paying for-you could argue all day about where that price point is-is an instrument by someone who is NOT that well known, doesn`t make a lot of guitars and doesn`t farm out any of the work. To me, aside from just sounding and feeling right, that has a lot more appeal than a guitar that`s cool because whatzisface plays one.
But there is a point where-the difference betwen AAA and AAAA grade wood-well one may look a little nicer but is that going to affect the sound-probably not.

Is there a difference between high end handmade guitars and bottom end production line jobs? You betcha. No denying it. I'm strumming a '91 MIM strat right now and there's a lot of details about it that are shitty... but the drunks I play it in front of don't hear the difference.

As much as I love looking at Fano guitars, for instance, I wish I could deduct a grand off of the cost of one if he didn't spend all that time relic'ing it (I do a great accidental job of that myself).

It's where that premium money goes these days that's kind of whack. I won't spend a lot of money on an acid washed guitar with holes in the knees already.

The New Orleans guitar company makes a neat boutique guitar, and I said that once around some guitar snob types who said "yeah, but would you ever be able to sell it?" So, that's the angle with bespoke guitars and amps. The quality doesn't matter as much as the popularity and visibility to most people. All part of the screwy thing of these instruments becoming commodities rather than tools.

I have a very good friend, he and his partner keep my stuff running, who makes very popular boutique amps. I use one from time to time, they are incredible. He keeps nudging me to buy one... it costs more than the truck I drive at the moment, but I guess I could sell the 5 amps I have now and buy one. But then I'd have to get rid of the cheap to middling guitars that sound good through those amps and get 1 or 2 high end guitars who don't have their inadequacies exposed by such a high end amp, then all my crappy old effects have to go... and finally I should probably play better music, and not so sloppily...

eh, I'll stay in the gear gutter for now...

But I will say the fact that people pay $1000 + for late '70s Gibson firebrand Pauls and SGs, or old Fender Musicmasters and Mustangs... hilarious crap to me. Spending that on two PRS SEs is a much better decision.

It depends on your reasons behind buying...

I agree, I'd rather spend the money on a new PRS then and old SG. However, those old classics continue to raise in value at an alarming rate. If you are buying, from an investment standpoint, then the old SG is a much smarter decision.

At some point you run into diminishing returns. Any idiot could recognize the difference between a $100 guitar and a $450 guitar. Someone with a keen interest in guitars could recognize the differences between a $450 guitar and a $1000 guitar. But almost no one could recognize the differences between a $1000 guitar and a $2000 guitar.

Most of what you pay extra for is details and quality control. If I had a Squier Strat with cold solder on the wiring harness, I'd fix it and say "God Bless the Chinese". If I found cold solder on a $2000 American Standard Strat, I'd be angry about it.

I agree... but I was talking about the "firebrand" models... which were cut rate jobs.



Those were new "affordable" models when I was a kid starting to play, and I spent my $650 in saved job money as a 13 year old on a set neck Yamaha that was built beautifully instead (worth nothing now that I know of, and outdated looking in a 1980 way, but if I hand it to someone the remark about how well it's built every time).

I mean, I think they were called firebrands because "Gibson" is burned into the headstock. I see the appeal of a total barebones walnut guitar with minimal trim or anything, but they don't play or sound exceptional and to see them pop up for ever increasing amounts cracks me up... but what do I know...

On the other hand, I do have a '65 SG special I bought for $300 that has appreciated nicely... but it's hardly the best playing or sounding guitar I own.

I guess this is a bit more about what makes something valuable, really.

The guitar I posted above was a bottom of the line instrument, during the dark ages of that company, devoid of any appointments, churned out with very little attention to anything on an assembly line. They're hardly the worst instruments in the world, they're playable, but are they special? Is $1000 a fair price for one?

If so, why?

I'll take an American made Strat or Tele any day over a MIM or a Squire...not just because of the "cool" factor but because there is a big difference....in the right hands any of them will sound great...it's a matter of budget and taste...if you're blind and hear better and prefer a Squire then I say good on ya...if Leo says Son the 1st Strats were made in Mexico, then by all means go buy one...for me, the American Deluxe model rules, the American Standard comes in second...and if you go Signature Custom Shop you're gonna pay through the nose but that baby will be one you'll never give up...anyway, this goes for all Strats and Teles IMHO...

the 1st strats were built "by Mexicans," not "in Mexico," I think Leo was standing up for the heritage of the people who built those guitars for him, and we can very safely assume if he was their boss and handling motivation, morale and quality control things from there would be as good as early Fenders.

I can appreciate your sentiment. I've just used some brand new American strats and teles from different periods over the years that just didn't make the cut and some Squiers and MIJ and MIM that were pretty good, of course with some Squiers (there's a cult around the serial numbers that the good ones will have) and a lot of MIMs that were disasters. There's a lot of crappy electronics in MIJ Fenders but they usually play well in my experience.

I do have to say that while I think the Roadworn thing is kinda lame those guitars are pretty good, and they're made in Mexico.

Just like today's "American Standard" Strats!

Yes, I think some merciless mockery is in order. Having an old instrument that still plays well is kinda cool. Heck, even having a recently-made reissue of an old instrument is respectable. But an instrument made to look older than it is, suggesting a depth of experience that simply isn't there is, as you said, lame.

can't agree more, road worn and relics are like taking a chain saw and a bottle of acid to a perfectly good guitar...but some guys like 'em or just want to look "cool"....

Well someone posted here recently with an original design `relic`d` guitar that I have to admit looked really cool. But it was vastly more interesting from a technique standpoint-obviously this person had some potential do really stunning original designs without getting into that stupid `roadworn` crap.