Why Professionals Buy $600 Guitars

The PRS SE DGT Sale

Mike Cole recounts selling his PRS SE DGT on Facebook Marketplace for $550. The responses included low offers and bizarre trades that would have required him to hand over the guitar and pay extra.

He eventually met a buyer in a Kroger parking lot—and discovered the man was a touring guitarist for a successful country artist. The buyer already knew the SE DGT and said that even though he often played much pricier Gibsons, he kept finding himself drawn back to the PRS.

That conversation got Mike thinking: What actually makes a sub-$600 guitar professional-worthy?

What Makes a Guitar Professional-Worthy?

Mike considers three factors:

• Build quality and playability: Materials and finish matter, as do fretwork, tuning stability, and whether the guitar feels comfortable and enjoyable to play. Mike notes that the first review guitar he received had issues, so quality can vary.
• Durability: A less expensive guitar can be reassuring on tour, where bumps and scratches are hard to avoid. Some players don’t mind wear on costly instruments; others protect even inexpensive guitars carefully.
• Tone: “Good” sound depends on the player and the situation. Mike compares a Sterling Cutlass with its much more expensive Music Man counterpart. They don’t sound identical to him, but he argues that in a huge concert venue, almost nobody in the audience would hear the difference.

Takeaway

The point isn’t that expensive guitars are pointless. It’s that “budget” and “professional” aren’t opposites: an affordable guitar can be entirely suitable for serious playing, depending on the musician’s needs and preferences.

Personalities Mentioned or Appearing

• Mike Cole, host
• An unnamed touring guitarist who bought the PRS
• Jack White, mentioned as an example of a famous musician who plays inexpensive guitars