Confessed gear addict Slash might have enough electric guitars to warrant a full-length Gibson documentary and a book, but he believes there are plenty of benefits when it comes to more affordable instruments.
Discussing his own storied guitar collection with MusicRadar, Slash warned players against splashing the cash for a name on a headstock, or a certain model from a certain year.
“Spending too much money for something is just absolutely not worth it,” he relays. “There is a line there that you cross where you are just spending money for the sake of the name or the label, or whatever it is. So I figured you have to spend a little bit of money for quality. But you don’t have to spend exorbitant amounts of money for it.”
Instead, he emphasizes the importance of buying a guitar purely because it works for you, rather than being romanced by a manufacturer’s esteem or a famed production run.
“People who buy a million-dollar guitar, are the same people – mentally, anyway – as people who buy Rolls-Royces,” he continues. “There’s a point there where you’re buying it for the year, the value that it has accrued over time…
“If you’re not going to use it, if it doesn’t give you whatever it is that you are supposed to get out of an instrument, for that much money, then it just doesn’t make any sense.”
Building a connection with a guitar, he goes on to admit, can take time. He bought an ES-335 for Velvet Revolver's second album, Libertad, but it was only when he began work on his blues-honoring solo record, Orgy Of The Damned, that he learned to love the guitar for what it was, and not mold it to a preconceived idea.
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“I honestly believe that you can get an excellent – as good as you’re ever going to need – guitar that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg,” he adds.
There have been countless examples of pro guitarists grabbing cheap guitars over the years. From Prince's $30 Madcat to Eddie Van Halen's budget Teisco guitars and many beyond, they've helped prove that even the most affordable instruments can shine on the biggest stages.
Another avid gear collector, Joe Bonamassa has previously gone on record to share a similar sentiment on the quality of budget gear.
“Some of the greatest sounds were created on junk,” he told Total Guitar earlier this year.
“Most of your favorite rock ’n’ roll sounds from the ’70s were created on the Les Paul Customs that were modern for back then,” he notes. “Watch videos of The Old Grey Whistle Test and they were playing ’72 Customs through ’72 Marshalls and it sounded like God!”
Further still, Scott Poley of tribute act Rumours Of Fleetwood Mac played a 113-date arena tour with a $40 Harley Benton Strat copy. He said only a few minor adjustments were needed to get it stage-ready.
