Do Expensive Guitars Sound Better? – Cheap vs Expensive Guitars

Last Updated on September 19, 2023 by Teemu Suomala

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When searching for a new guitar, you will see some instruments that cost $200 and some that cost $2000. Moreover, they might even be the same model and look pretty similar!

Thus, the question arises: Do expensive guitars sound better? Is it worth spending the money to get the expensive model?

Well, you’ve come to the right place. After playing guitar for almost 3 decades and working at guitar stores for another handful of years, I can tell you a thing or two about the topic. I’ve owned, played, tested, and rocked most guitar models and brands available today.

Expensive guitars tend to sound better than cheap guitars. This is not because of a specific difference but an overall quality disparity. This contrast involves everything from tonewoods to pickups. In a nutshell, most expensive guitars sound better than their cheaper counterparts.

That was the short answer. But, we’re about to go into the topic thoroughly and determine the answer to that question in every element of guitar making. Plus, we’ll divide the subject into electric and acoustic guitars so you can better grasp this difference.

We’re about to tackle a myth that has been going strong in the musical instrument world for decades.

Are you ready? Let’s do this!

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Cheap vs. Expensive Guitars

Let’s start this journey by defining which areas we’ll consider in comparing cheap and expensive guitars.

Don’t worry, we will crack the code together so you can understand the role each of these components has in the resulting sound. We will explore and compare both electric and acoustic guitars.

Consider this as a guide to reading guitar specs. You will learn what all the weird mumbo jumbo actually means.

We will explore and compare the role of:

• Tonewoods. 
• Hardware.
• Accessories.

Hopefully, we’ll cover any doubts that beginners might have and the deeper questions of the intermediate and advanced players.

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Cheap vs. Expensive Electric Guitars

To begin with, let’s not divide this by guitar brands. Let’s focus instead on the characteristics of electric guitars in general.

Tonewoods

Much of an electric guitar’s anatomy is made of hand-picked, precious tonewoods. For Fender, the choice of woods affects the resulting sound, even in electric guitars.

Yes, according to Fender, although pickups pick up (duh!) the string vibration, there’s an important interplay between the wood in the body and neck and the strings’ vibration. This is called resonance and varies significantly between wood types.

Let me illustrate this with an example. The first time I had a swamp ash PRS guitar in my hands, I was amazed at the midrange coming out of the amplifier. If you’ve ever tried a regular PRS, you’ll know that they usually have a mahogany body with a maple top instead of a swamp ash one.

The combination of mahogany and maple, like a Les Paul, gives you an instantly rocking bottom-heavy sound, like Santana. With swamp ash and a maple neck, the NF3 (similar to the new PRS NF 53) I tried was closer to sounding like a Fender than a Gibson.

In conclusion, tonewood defines the sound of the instrument. On expensive guitars, you can find original premium tonewoods such as: 

• Mahogany. 
• Maple. 
• Alder. 
• Ash.
• Swamp ash. 
• Rosewood. 
• Koa.

These tonewoods are usually crisper, more transparent, and more defined than their replacement alternatives. Moreover, they dye the instrument’s audio with a tone that you’re very familiar with since they have been used for guitar construction for decades (or centuries).

On cheaper guitars, you usually see alternative species. Does this mean they sound worse? Although basswood will never be as defined and snappy as alder and laurel will never have rosewood’s sweetness, alternative woods can also take you to new tone experiments.

Hardware

Hardware is a complex topic to discuss because you can find top-notch replacements for most pieces, from tuners to pickups. On the other hand, replacing necks or bodies is infinitely more expensive and complicated.

That said, the high-quality hardware on higher-end guitars is mostly absent from cheap guitars. This also influences price, performance, and especially sound and tone.

If you’ve ever tried one of those thin-sounding, noisy generic Strats with a piercing high-end, you’ll know it’s far from a real Stratocaster. If you put good pickups on the copy, you’ll improve the sound immediately.

Yet, tonewoods will play their part, too, and that piercing high-end squeal will not go away.

In the same vein, cheap saddles and nut will also affect tone. For example, you can’t compare the warmth of brass saddles with cheap alloy saddles on a Telecaster. However, you can install steel saddles on a guitar with a basswood body, for example.

You can expect R&D departments to try countless combinations on expensive guitars until they find the perfect pickups to match the guitar. Some brands, like PRS, design and build specific parts for their guitars. Finally, brands like Schecter, Jackson, and ESP only use premium third-party parts (Floyd Rose tremolos, EMG pickups, etc.) on high-end instruments.

On cheaper guitars, you can expect brands to cut corners in this department more than any other. So, jumpy tuners, low-quality bridges, plastic nuts, generic pickups, and cheap pots are all part of the banquet. Fortunately, all those can be replaced at a fraction of the price you’ll pay for high-end instruments.

Origin

If you’ve ever had a Gibson guitar on your hands and grabbed an Epiphone one right after, it feels like a world of difference. Indeed, you’re also talking about 5 or 6 times the price in most cases.

But why do these guitars feel, play, and sound so different?

In the case of Gibson vs. Epiphone, the flagship guitars are made in Gibson’s legendary factories in Nashville, TN. These facilities employ only the highest-skilled luthiers and craftsmen with the best materials. They give the instruments the human touch needed to become a Les Paul, SG, ES-335, or any other iconic, legendary guitar.

Epiphone’s facilities in China (GQ and EQ factories) also take pride in making quality instruments. For example, the average tenure of a quality control employee is 12 years. Moreover, the GQ factory employs 3 quality control assurance agents per line worker, ensuring a 100% testing rate before guitars leave the factory.

However, the legacy of over a hundred years of making quality instruments can’t be compared to a plant opened in 2004. Nevertheless, Chinese Epiphone guitars are improving, and those of us who played earlier Chinese models and current ones know China has come a long way.

Sound Quality

As we’ve seen in this expedition through what makes a guitar’s price tag, we’ve tackled materials, labor, and build quality. We’ve also seen how these characteristics combine to give you a definite sound quality.

So, whether it’s Fender, Gibson, Squier, Epiphone, or any other brand, all these factors play a massive role in the sound coming out of the speakers. The best cheap guitars will be the ones that, despite the limitations, can sound close to the real thing.

What’s not correct is asking cheap guitars to sound like guitars ten times their price. What’s accurate to say is that cheap guitars can sound better or worse in their own league or price range. This translates into saying not all cheap guitars sound bad.

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The Ultimate Expensive Vs. Cheap Electric Guitar Comparison

I know what you might think: “You’re not doing any justice to a $200 guitar comparing it to a $2000 guitar.” You’re right, but this is not a comparison, this is an explanation.

Let me give you my take on the subject, and also suggest a couple of great comparison videos by Paul Davids and Darrell Braun. In these videos, these players play different tiers of Stratocasters back-to-back. 

You can watch those and draw your own conclusions.

I did my own testing with my Custom Shop Custom Telecaster and a friend’s guitar, a Mexican-made Tele. Let me tell you what I found in terms of sound plugging straight into a Deluxe Reverb ’65 reissue:

• My Telecaster’s bridge pickup sounded round, full, and ringing. My friend’s guitar in the same position was too shrill for both of us.
• My Telecaster’s neck pickup gave us instant bluesy tones to play with. My friend’s guitar sounded more muddy and less defined.
• My Telecaster’s volume knob retained the highs as I rolled it off, cleaning the sound. My friend’s guitar lost a little character and some of its chimes.
• My Telecaster has a faster transient response (you can read Cory Wong talk about transients), translating into a quicker pick attack and the chance to play tight funk or punk with it. My friend’s guitar wasn’t so fast, and the notes and chords lost clarity.

After playing both guitars plugged in, I did the test I always do: I put both guitars against my chest and played an E major. The difference in resonance between a 2-piece and multiple-piece body was enormous.

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Why Buy Expensive Electric Guitars?

Before we start, I want to tell you that I’m not trying to convince anybody to spend their hard-earned pay on an elite instrument. I have done it, and I’m here to tell you about the benefits of a high-end guitar.

The counterpart to my argument is that, of course, price tags are bulky.

Pleasure

My first point is that playing a high-end guitar that feels, looks, and plays like a dream is a pleasure. Of course, driving a Lamborghini Aventador must be pleasurable compared to a Ford Festiva. But believe me, some mornings when I can stop writing and plug in my Custom Shop Telecaster, it takes me places other guitars don’t.

Tone

Tone is my second point. Tone-wise, everything is there when you pick up a high-end instrument. Moreover, as you go up in price, you can become more and more specific about what you want. 

For example, if you buy from the Jackson Custom Shop, you can build the dream axe to shred on. You can choose the woods, pickups, shape, and every tone element you can think of.

Inspiration

Inspiration is my third point. Playing a high-end instrument is so effortless that you dare to take chances. As a player, that is as good as a guitar gets.

Durability

High-end guitars are made with premium materials and perfectly polished processes. Thus, they age very well. In 2090, somebody will pick up my Telecaster as a vintage piece, and it will still sound amazing. But beyond that, all premium parts are considered premium because of their tested-and-true performance and endurance.

Resonance

One of the things that most electric players overlook is resonance. Yet, it’s a significant component of tone. So, high-end guitars painted with nitrocellulose instead of polyurethane and made of fewer pieces will resonate more than cheaper, multiple-part (or even laminated) bodies painted with thick, glossy paint. It should be noted that the resonance mostly only affects the unplugged sound of an instrument.

Playability

High-end guitars tend to sound fantastic out of the box. If that’s not the case, all it takes is a setup service by a trusty technician, and they’re good to go. With a cheap instrument, you can take several trips to the music store and the luthier on cheap guitars to overhaul the instrument.

Resale Price

Since high-end guitars age so well, you might consider that purchase as an investment. For example, John Cruz’s SRV Number One replica sold for $10,000 in 2003. If you’re lucky enough to find one, they go for five times that price (and it’s only been 20 years!).

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Common Cheap Electric Guitar Problems

Let’s divide the problems cheap electric guitars commonly have into two parts: materials and build quality.

Materials

The materials needed to make a guitar include tonewoods and hardware.

• Multiple pieces or laminated bodies: Guitars with this kind of construction don’t vibrate evenly. They lack the resonance, depth, and character of one-piece or two-piece guitars.
• Faulty necks: If the wood on the neck didn’t properly dry, it might warp. You can’t play a guitar with a warped neck. It doesn’t sound terrific because it can’t be tuned properly.

Build Quality

Simply grabbing a guitar is enough for a seasoned player or a connoisseur to check build quality. But you might be asking as you scratch your head with a pick: “What is build quality”? Well, I’m glad you asked.

When we talk about a guitar’s build quality, we mean putting together the materials needed to make a guitar. Yes, you can have the best materials on the planet, but if your luthiers, industrialized processes, and quality assurance team are not top-notch, the instruments will not be either.

Finally, build quality also affects electronics. Poor build quality can result in:

• Static. 
• Unwanted noises. 
• Faulty pickup switches. 
• Unusable pots.

Cheap Electric Guitar Common Tone Improvements

• Have the guitar professionally set up.
• Replace generic tuners with locking tuners.
• Put fresh strings on the guitar.
• Replace a plastic nut with a bone nut.
• Replace a generic set of pickups for some high-end third-party ones.
• Take the guitar to a seasoned tech and have them isolate the electronics and rewire pots, pickups, and switches.
• Change generic pots for CTS ones.

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Cheap vs. Expensive Acoustic Guitars

We all know Taylor and Martin for being the best acoustic guitar brands in the world. They make guitars with generous volume, massive sound projection, impeccable craftsmanship, and superb-quality materials.

But what if we can’t afford either of those brands and need an inexpensive Fender CD-60 or an entry-level Ibanez. Does that mean we’re throwing our money away?

Well, the answer is no. Although the best Martin and Taylor guitars are undoubtedly musical masterpieces, they’re not a place to start. Instead, that’s where you get to after years of honing your craft.

But what justifies the price difference between high-end and entry-level acoustics?

Let’s break it down.

Laminated vs. Solid Wood

The first thing you need to know about an acoustic guitar is whether it’s made of solid wood or laminated wood. This has a significant impact on sound and price.

Laminated wood is made of several pieces glued together. This combination of smaller pieces doesn’t vibrate or sustain the sound like a solid piece would. Yet, it’s much cheaper to produce and can withstand weather conditions better. Furthermore, although it doesn’t age as well, it can take a beating.

Solid wood guitars are more expensive to make, but tend to vibrate evenly, releasing natural harmonics. Also, solid wood gives every note sustain and depth. These characteristics translate into a full and round bottom end absent from laminated guitars. That being said, solid guitars are also more fragile and susceptible to weather conditions.

Tonewood

As we have seen, tonewood plays a significant role in electric guitars. However, it plays an even bigger role in the sound of acoustic guitars. 

You can think of tonewood as an acoustic guitar’s natural amplifier. Thus, if the guitar is built with a mahogany back and sides and a solid spruce top, you’ll have the best of both worlds. Mahogany will bring the low-end, while spruce adds the top-end to the sound.

Cheaper tonewoods like ziricote, redwood, okoume, myrtle, pau ferro, and cocobolo make a good alternative to the originals but don’t sound quite as clear, full, or powerful as the real thing. However, swapping precious, high-priced tonewood with alternatives is a recipe to keep prices down without sacrificing solid wood construction.

Bracing

Martin invented modern acoustic guitar bracing by the end of the century before the last. Yes, that means the late 1800s. Martin’s recipe is called X-bracing. The company still uses today.

But what does bracing do for our guitars? Well, it affects sound and durability. Bracing is part of an acoustic guitar’s anatomy that is just as important as the top, sides, or neck.

Sound-wise, bracing helps with projection and volume. In high-end guitars, you’ll find bracing is made of specific tonewoods. On cheaper, laminated guitars, the bracing is laminated as well. So, a top-notch bracing job will keep your guitar ringing and projecting loud and proud.

Durability-wise, bracing plays a big part in keeping your guitar’s soundboard (AKA top) in one place while you strum, pick, and abuse your guitar. However, bracing isn’t so critical on guitars with laminated tops since glue keeps the wood in one piece regardless of how mean you are to your guitar.

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Common Cheap Acoustic Guitar Problems

Let’s look at a few pitfalls you can encounter with your cheap acoustic guitar.

• Low volume: One of the characteristics of solid-wood guitars is that their soundboard resonates as you play, giving the guitar more volume. You’ll find your guitar lacking volume regardless of strings or playing style when playing a laminated top.
• Dull tone: Another direct consequence of laminated woods is a dull tone. By dull tone, I mean tone with no depth, no natural harmonic overtones, and a shrill top-end.
• Warped or faulty necks: As happens with electric guitars, if the wood used for the necks or fretboards isn’t dried or stationed enough, it might continue to move after it is turned into a guitar. The result? It’s likely a guitar with a warped neck that can’t be tuned or intonated.
• Cheap hardware: Cheap tuners tend to be jumpy and hold the tuning poorly. Similarly, a plastic nut and saddle can also be tone killers.

Before finishing, I would like to add that, especially for beginners, a guitar that doesn’t stay in tune well or that can’t be intonated can do more harm than good. This might cause you to stop playing out of frustration with the struggle and the lousy sound.

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The Ultimate Expensive Vs. Cheap Acoustic Comparison

I’m fortunate because besides owning a Custom Shop Telecaster, I also own a US-made Martin D15M mahogany guitar. My friend didn’t just bring the Telecaster home but also his Ibanez mid-priced acoustic guitar.

Let me illustrate the differences:

• Both guitars have solid tops. However, my guitar also has a solid back, sides, and neck. As a result, the volume and definition difference between the instruments was huge.
• My guitar has a bone nut and saddles, while my friend’s has the stock plastic ones. My guitar transferred vibrations better, translating into more sustain and natural harmonics. In other words, my guitar was ringing longer and more musically than my friend’s.
• We did a test playing our guitars for an entire hour without tuning them back to regular pitch, and my guitar held its tuning for almost 45 minutes while his was out of tune within 15.

Don’t just take my word for it. You can watch and hear Mary Spender comparing an entry-level acoustic and a USA-made Martin.

Also, for those who want to take it to the extreme, here’s Brandon Acker trying guitars from $200 to $200,000.

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Cheap Acoustic Guitar Common Tone Improvements

Because of their construction type, the number of changes you can make to your acoustic guitar’s tone is not as big as with electrics. 

Yet, let me give you two pieces of advice:

• Get a pickup: We already established that tonewood affects tone. The best way to reduce the gap between cheap and expensive acoustic guitars is to add a pickup to the cheap one. Indeed, piezoelectric crystals are installed in the bridge, which means you can spare the tone of the guitar’s body.
• Get a professional setup and new nut, saddle, and tuners: Putting fresh strings on a guitar is a no-brainer tone experiment. Yet, overhauling it with new bone nut, bridge saddles, and new tuners can turn your mid-priced instrument into a workhorse to play every night.

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Conclusion – Do Expensive Guitars Sound Better?

At the end of our journey to differentiate between expensive and cheap guitars, you should now know that:

• Tonewoods have an immense impact on the sound of both electric and acoustic guitars.
• Solid wood guitars are always more resonant than laminated or multiple-piece guitars.
• You can do a lot to overhaul a low to mid-priced guitar, but you can’t solve structural problems such as warped necks and non-resonant bodies.
• There is no single quality that makes expensive guitars sound better than cheap ones. On the contrary, it is always the result of the interplay between factors such as pickups, tonewood, hardware, etc.

So, our answer to the question, “Do expensive guitars sound better than cheap guitars” is yes.

After saying that, cheap, entry-level, and mid-priced guitars are necessary to grow our sensitivity and ears as players to truly enjoy the nuances of high-end guitars. Plus, cheap guitars are sometimes the only option for beginners or players on a budget.

Do you agree with me on this? What’s your take on the topic? I would love to know if you’ve had some similar experiences and agree with my choices, so please don’t hesitate to leave me a comment below.

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