Originally Posted by: PonyOneI haven't played a contemporary Washburn in the $100-200 range that even approached most of the Fenders I've played... I've played some of the more expensive ones that have been nice but the cheap ones are, IMHO, down there with the Squiers and other throwaway guitars...

[font=trebuchet ms]I wouldn't expect to get a 'lifetime' guitar from any company for that price. I paid about CDN$640 for my first Yamaha SBG1000, bought new in 1984. My second 1984 SBG1000 cost me about US$600 two years ago. Lately, they seem to go for about US$800 - US$1000. My Yamaha RBX350 bass cost me CDN$250, very used. I bought my used Washburn A-20CS 6 years ago for CDN$400. The A-5 re-issue was about US$300 before I changed all the hardware. My Washburn 12-string was about CDN$500 used. I spent about CDN$1000 on my used 1965 Yamaha SA30 12-string, but that's a rare axe, and I wanted it bad. So even buying used, I spend more than $200 or $300.

I think you have to match price-ranges to get a decent comparison. My first 1984 SBG1000 is the only one I bought new that I still own. But I bought that axe because it was a much better guitar than a similar Gibson Les Paul Custom that cost twice as much.

I have never seen a $500+ Yamaha guitar on the racks that didn't show great quality. But I'm not the only one who knows that you have to pick through the Gibsons to find a good one. I've owned several Fenders over the years, but the only one I bought new was a MIJ '62 re-issue Strat. It was good 'out of the box', and I still miss it sometimes. But I picked that one out of almost a dozen Strats on the rack. Once you get over $500, you should not have to sort through the pile to find a good one. They should all be 'good ones'.[/font]