When To Upgrade Your Guitar From Intermediate To Pro!

[@dlflash56]

Spot on! Being a collector, as well as a player, I can tell you from experience that some of my Epi's play and sound as good as some of my higher end Gibson's ( I've been collecting for 25+ years and have 49 guitars in my colection, as of now). That being said, for every type of Gibson or Fender that I own, I own a comparable Epiphone or Mexican Fender that I use to "play out" with. My reasoning is this: I play out locally with a couple of different bands and when I do, I prefer to take out my less expensive gear, because... well... drunks and thieves abound. I would hate to have any of my instruments damaged or stolen. However, if it were to happen... I can replace a $1k guitar much easier than I can replace a $5k guitar. Also, people are less likely to try to steal an $ 800 Epiphone than they are to steal a $2500 Gibson guitar. For instance, I have an Epi 2010 Tribute LP, based on the 1960 LP Standard . It came with Gibson '57 Classic's and all Gibson pots, wiring and switches. I bought it used, for $550. I would rather lose it, than my 2018 Gibson LP Traditional, that costs $2500. I also own an Epi LP Deluxe LTD. Ed. ($650) and a Gibson LP Deluxe ($2800). I own an original 1959 LP Special ($12k- $17K) and a 2001 Gibson LP Special ($800-1K). The same goes for my amps. I own Marshall's, Peaveys, Fender's, Sovtek's, Crate's, H/W Ceriatone's and Bugera's... I play out with my Bugera's ( which BTW, have never let me down), for the same reason. Let's face it, other than local "snob" musicians, the majority of your audience, in local bar's... can't tell the difference in gear Branding, anyway.... as long as it sounds good to their ears. Just something to take into consideration when playing out. Take care of your gear and it will last you a lifetime... abuse it and it will die a horrible death... or disappear from your life, completely.

[@Justaguywhowannaplayguitar]

I’m playing for 1 year now. After playing a squier acoustic I just recently bought a white bullet strat ( hss pickup and a tremolo) I play it without an amp or audio interface, man I’m broke 😂. Anyways awesome video as always.

[@guitarmore]

My non-trem Bullet HSS Strat I bought used for $80 is one of the best playing guitars I've owned. The fit & finish is also excellent. The only thing I replaced was the nut with a Zero Glide. No the pick ups aren't as good as my USA Strat but I love playing it.

[@leftyjack]

if you don't have the dough for a proper amp get yourself a headphone amp for about 50 bucks or multi-fx processor with a headphone jack for a bit more 😎

[@JackieRobinson24]

I feel that

[@jasoncurry207]

For a newer player without an Amp ID say look into something along the lines of the positive grid spark series the little spark go is around 80 dollars U.S and actually has fantastic sound for the price range it has all the pedals one would ever need and also works as an interface

[@lmavisl]

A year after I started playing i got an Ibanez Premium, no regrets still my favorite guitar lol

[@haribalsac1]

Both this video and the last video about beginner to intermediate guitars are both great!

[@dragan4658]

Dagans videos are always educational and entertaining. Ive got several Epi's, still want the roadworn gold! Thanks for sharing!

[@joshua5483]

My personal Take on the matter. The jump from Beginner to intermediate guitars in terms of quality, Look, Sound, playability, ect Is MUCH Greater in terms of value than the jump from Intermediate to “Pro” You don’t get nearly as much for your dollar, but you certainly pay lot more. I feel that upgrading an intermediate grade guitar with the proper pickups that suit you best as a player will work for thousands of players out there. However, there is absolutely nothing wrong with purchasing an expensive guitar. Nor is there a problem with playing an affordable one. Play what you love regardless of the price tag and what’s on the headstock Cheers Mates

[@darrell5228]

I love your your videos,you break it all in bite size morsels where everyone gets what you are explaining.

[@shanewalton8888]

11:07 "the way the headstock breaks.." with an emphasis on BREAKS! lol

[@JTB--]

For me it came down to the comfort of the neck regardless of the price. I had a Jackson, ESP, Ibanez, Schecter and the list goes on but never really felt comfy with them as the neck on those guitars made me work too hard. My most recent guitar purchases are a PRS CE 24 Semi-Hollow which plays like butter and showed me how hard I had to work on the earlier guitars I owned. And just because I wanted one... an EVH 5150 Series(Black)with PLEK that plays really nice. It took a while but the PRS Pattern Thin carve and satin nitro finish seems to be the perfect fit and finish for my smaller hands where I'm moving all over the neck effortlessly. This journey can take a while but when you find the right/speciall guitar it's a magical moment!! PS- I've got headphone Audio Gear made in China DACS(Gustard and SMSL) and HP Amps (SMSL) and they are excellent and a great bang for the buck. I've found in the HP hobby that paying more for something doesn't always mean it's better

[@chesterproudfoot9864]

The 'feel' is everything, right? It's what made me decide on an Epiphone Les Paul for my first electric. I'm relatively new to electric guitars, but luckily I have a friend with over 40 guitars who has no problem letting me try one out for a week at a time. Oddly, his Gibson felt burdensome though I loved the sound. Can't wait to try the Fender collection.

[@briietsai1997]

I bought a charvel pro mod in 2020 as my intermediate guitar and I absolutely love it. just the other week and wanted to try the fender player Strats and man, I do not like them at all lol. im shocked. didn't feel right to me. charvel has a special place in my heart

[@TeaSniffer_]

Regarding upgrades...couldn't care less! I just like pretty colors. Which Is why my beautiful Gibson LP in ebony is going by the wayside when I 'upgrade' to a Squier Tele in Surf Green I need something pretty in the corner to guilt me into playing. Both are pretty and pretty sure having both stare at me from across the room will get me to play.

[@shanerose5348]

Kind of enamored with that blackstar. Some great sounds there!!

[@sparkyguitar0058]

I just realized that I have played American made probably 90% of the time. Started in the mid 70's and 1st guitar was a 74 hardtail maple neck Strat. And the only 1 I'm not sure about is a J B Player. But that 1 was a fully modded superstrat. Had a few other on the side guitars but nothing that stuck. Now I have 2 super cheap acoustic electric guitars 6 string $83- 12 string $129. Nothing great but I live at the beach and take 1 of these everywhere. Not worried about wasting these so just fun guitars. Even carry 5.8 wireless in case get to plug in somewhere.

[@jkwacker8225]

My beginner guitar was a ESP LTD. My intermediate upgrade was a Gibson '93 Les Paul Studio wine red, ebony fingerboard. Plenty of other intermediates I'd add from Jackson or an ESP E-II, but if I'm ever upgrading to a "pro" its a Gibson Alpine White Les Paul Custom.

[@richardwiltshire2995]

Love the content. It still makes me smile how tiny a Les Paul looks agains Dagan. Love the subjective comment, so true. As others have said, great video series

[@michaelgallegos8811]

Great video Dagan thanks man!🎸🎛🥁🍺

[@9cyrus540]

I've been playing on and off for a long time (35+ years). I'm not very good because of lack of practice. But the quality of guitars from Asia has gotten really good in the last 5 years. I own 8 top brands in the range of $800 to $1300. When I was a kid of 13, nobody wanted something from overseas, it had to be American made. It's definitely changed for the better.

[@karengayle9331]

Their are differences, when you practice they do sound similar. Old blues players started on used and hand me down guitars. Their idea of mo ing up was the cheapest mail order guitars. They did OK, their secret was three words practice practice practice. The local pawn shops probably knew them by name. They also used the cheapest strings possible.

[@rwm4738]

Oh man, it's so nice to know when my guitar enters that "pro" stage.

[@HotRailCo]

Burny/Fernandes are amazing instruments and for the price too!!

[@liamongarosmusicshtuff1464]

Ik I have one and am loving the shit out of it

[@nekkon1989]

My view is that it is worth upgrading from a "beginner priced" guitar to an "intermediate priced" guitar. From then upwards, you need to be making money out of the instrument to justify the huge jump in price

[@manny45629]

Been playing for 10 plus years now, I recently sold my epiphone Les Paul and bought a Gibson Les Paul. Very similar but when you play and hear it plugged it you can really hear and feel the difference. That being said for the price the Epiphone was really nice, and curious how a pickup swap would change it.

[@DrDespicable]

1. Yes, I *do* love my Epiphone(s). Amongst others, I have one of their SGs with a bloody brilliant neck that makes it a pleasure to play! 2. By the time I save up enough for the Gibson/Fender of my choice, my arthritis will be too bad to play, and my long, white beard will get caught in the strings (ZZ Top, notwithstanding).

[@craigreynolds5562]

I've been playing since the age of eight and in the 40+ years I have been playing I have learnt one thing that I will always pass on to any guitar player and that is no matter weather it's a Gibson fender or epiphone or squier it is how the guitar feels to you that matters most not how much it cost or where it was made my two workhorse guitars are a fender ultra strat that cost me £1900 and a parts caster Tele that cost me £500 they both sound and feel good but are at opposite ends of the price scale but they both do the same job ask Noel Gallagher the same thing he used epiphone and Gibson guitars never fall for the expensive is better hype they are really good affordable guitars out there

[@tobydavis6770]

What’s crazy is I live 60 miles from Nashville and 7,459 miles from China and STILL a Chinese guitar costs me less. CRAZY!!!

[@Metalwrath2]

sweatshops don't cost as much

[@laurenceede6881]

An RG550 is arguably a premium/professional guitar. Made in Japan by the same company that makes the prestige models 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@krumple4skin548]

The late 80s and early 90s models seem to be the best ones. Trying to get parts is a pain in the neck though.

[@real_fjcalabrese]

My Japanese made FGN Odyssey(t-style) Standard and Boundary models both came in at under $800. These are not prestige guitars. My luthier really loves them.

[@real_fjcalabrese]

Why people make purchasing decisions is often subjective rather than objective, and that's human nature. My last guitar purchase was a Heritage H535. Yes, it has better build quality than a comparative priced Gibson. My other reasons included: I like the smaller headstock. I prefer the jack being side mounted. You don't see Heritage guitars everywhere Being made in the original factory, makes them more "authentic." Gibson irritated me with many of their corporate shenanigans. Looking at this list, buying the Heritage was a subjective decision.

[@TL-_-Edits]

Im late to the party. But I’ve never bought an expensive guitar I just keep upgrading my old squier which is pretty beat up but plays better than any fender I’ve tried

[@chesterproudfoot9864]

A lot of info to get into 15 minutes, but useful. I just started with an Epiphone Les Paul SL (low end, eh!) 8 months ago and am enjoying it immensely, but I'm already thinking of trying to find a Fender or knock-off Strat brand. Is Squier a good option? Around here we've got Tagima, but I don't like their feel or sound.

[@TrymYoutubeMainChannel]

how much in Price difference is there between beginner guitar and intermediate guitar, I do own a Epiphone Lt Studio (LesPaul lookalike), Jim Root Squire Telecaster, Ibanez GIO seven stringed guitar

[@christophergray42]

Guitar is a guitar to me nowadays. But a Pro Amp.. 😍🤩🥳 Nothing would be better or more inspiring than seeing a Billy Gibbons Magnatone sat in my living room.. a PRS into a plug in just don't do it for me... 🤔🤷🤘🍻

[@robbyrobby7721]

My Epiphone sg was ok new, updated everything and had fret work. It screams

[@callumhalloran1782]

Yes lad

[@andrewbecker3700]

Words like pro and high end are in almost every case, about cost. I think the differences in playability, feel, and specs is subjective. A mid priced guitar with some mods can be a much better option for most people. The idea that as you get better you need to spend more on your gear is ridiculous. Modding the guitars you already have is almost always a better choice. The more you pay for a guitar the more you'll lose when you sell it, period. Why do people keep saying inexpensive guitars lose more value? Buy wisely and it won't matter.

[@faethe000]

How do you get over being scared to gig a pro-level guitar? I end up leaving my $3k guitar at home to practice on and instead take a $1k guitar because I'm always afraid it'll get stolen or damaged.

[@sydguitar99]

Best upgrade a guitarist can make imo is going from solid-state to a tube amp. That's where you'll find the biggest difference

[@robertgladstein]

I totally agree..tubes are the way to go

[@grommile]

I hear the right speaker, in the right cab, will do far more for your guitar's sound than any other upgrade you can make to your equipment.

[@ricochetjack7579]

Having an expensive guitar is nice but in reality, Jimmy Page will sound like Jimmy Page if he's playing a 200 dollar Squire or a 5,000 dollar Gibson Custom Shop.

[@tgunmusicchannel1973]

Intermediate instruments are pro usable quality nowadays.

[@hamburgerhelpertastesbad]

What about beginner to intermediate

[@pat_rick2419]

they have a video on that already

[@moboei]

I went from an Ibanez Gio too now owning an epiphone es335, two tokais (LP and tele) and a squire miI strat I love how my tokais fell and sound

[@gund2281]

I know you said no "not gonna buy made in China" but I'm going to add something here that I think you might have missed. I don't do my best to avoid products made in China because they're lesser quality or don't work, I do it because they're an evil country. Why anyone would argue with that is beyond me. No it can't be avoided in all cases, but that doesn't mean the principle is defunct. I bought my Gibson LP Studio specifically because it had the "Made in USA" on the headstock. And because I've always wanted a "real" one. Nothing wrong with Epiphone as far as function, just morals.

[@garyatkins4479]

Time to give china the middle finger just like Russia .. not supporting

[@leftyjack]

You aren't supporting a Country's government thru buying a product from a private company located in that country. Along with your comment even when it's possible to spend your money elsewhere, the labor standards in China are by no means worse than any other country where we find cheaper import goods.

[@antoonhermans8953]

Hats off for Dagan , this ( mostly american trump voters i guess : ) hate for made in china products is stupid , reality is such that most ptoducts we use in every day live are made in asia , and guitarbrands like estman and FGN make topnotch guitars btw .

[@MrDracolucassos]

To be honest- if you get something like LTD EC-1000 it's "pro" enough for me :D and I think like 99% of peoples does not need more that highmedium guitars ;D

[@Blaze-xe8gt]

"CHINA!" - DJT 😅

[@keithhalvorson2086]

Guitars, homes, cars, tools, toys - all the same. Buy the best you can afford, AND JUSTIFY, and you'll be fine. Great vid.

[@mangomango6746]

Quality can be judged and measured in resell value. You can have all the Epiphone SG variants, colours and modifications possible but it will never feel, sound, smell and play as good as a Gibson SG. American made Fenders or a Gibson is a top reward for guitarists or musicians dedication to playing, learning and achieving

[@martinhensley2377]

The headstock breaks all the time on the Gibson.

[@jockojohn3294]

Upgrade the guitar is easy......put better hands on the guitar and better knowledge guiding the hands on the guitar.......

[@fretboarder4752]

When you can afford one..