OFF FOR LESS THAN $350
Rock history has proven time and time again that where electric guitars are concerned, you don't have to break the bank to bust onto the charts. Certainly, a fair share of hit albums have been recorded with instruments that cost more than most used cars, but a remarkable number of legendary discs have also been tracked with extremely inexpensive instruments that produced equally stunning results.
Edward Van Halen, for example, recorded his most memorable work with an axe thrown together from leftover and discarded parts. Kurt Cobain owned (and destroyed) a few fine vintage Fenders, but he spent most of his time playing sturdy, burly imported Strat copies. James Hetfield stormed through Metallica's garage days equipped only with a no-name flying V copy. There's no doubt about it: cheap gear can produce great sounds.
Of course, it would be untrue to say that many inexpensive guitars wouldn't be better off being recycled as kindling (the same is true for man high-ticket six-strings), but as manufacturers have learned to beef up the quality control and manufacturing techniques in such places as Taiwan, Korea, Indonesia and Mexico, the number of perfectly suitable low cost instruments being produced has skyrocketed.
There are certain areas in which inexpensive axes fall short of their more costly brethren: the woods used are less expensive and the bodies are often made of three or four pieces instead of one or two; the hardware (especially the tuning machines) is usually not top notch and the pickups do not yield the same tonal complexity that one would expect from those in more expensive guitars.
But this roundup of six electric guitars listing for under $350 proves that there are inexpensive instruments out there that can get the job done with flying colors. They're not toys, nor are they fretted mockeries suitable only for green beginners who don't know any better. These are serious guitars, producing serious sounds-at seriously affordable prices.
Dean Avalanche One ($299)
Some guitars bring out the best in you, and the Korean Dean SS One did just that for me. I had no idea that I could still play those sweep arpeggios, but the Dean's superb playability, fast rosewood-capped maple neck and hot-rod feel just brought it out of me. Maybe it was the glint of the mother of pearl pickguard, or the freaky duckbill headstock or the transparent red finish over the solid (and heavy) basswood body. Maybe it was the convincing crunch of the bridge humbucker or the hot sizzle of the neck and middle position single coils. Who knows?
For any number of reasons, the SS One is worth a serious look, as it combines high quality parts (Grover tuners, a floating tremolo and superior pickups) into one screaming little package. This is a winner, pure and simple.
June 1998 -- Guitar World