I'm new here, and really like the great flow of ideas and exchange of info!

I wonder if your point applies even on the high end? I think sometimes in the marketplace that items at the high end of the spectrum are priced where the name is actually included in the price. I am not saying that the high end guitars don't include top quality (expensive) materials, but I would suspect the equation may shift a bit. I would guess that high-end guitars are also hand-made to higher degree?

Originally Posted by: 2gross4uAs you posted a year ago, it would be interesting to hear what choice you've made. If you haven't made any yet, then, in my opinion, the best guitar out there at the $300 price point is the Schecter Omen-6 ($299.99) Diamond Series.
One thing always to consider when purchasing a guitar. At least half of the guitars price is "profit". So if youe looking at an Epiphone Les Paul Special II at $170.00 then $85 of that is "profit" meaning all the materials, electronics,hardware,labor etc. only amount to $85 (roughly the actual cost to make the guitar). This is not to badmouth the Epiphone Les Paul Special II, it really is a pretty decent guitar for the price. We've had two of them, I sold mine but my daughter still has hers. I just want to get you thinking about the actual cost of what actually goes into the guitar. This is true for any brand, manufacturer or retailer-the name of the game is "PROFIT".