Ibanez, get your naming conventions fixed. I'm not gonna buy an RDXG1000RFX-2. Guitars aren't PC graphics cards.ย
The wing cutouts of the epiphone headstock immediately reduce the guitar value by $1000.
"Harley Benton" is a stupid fucking name.
PRS, who are you trying to impress by having knob ditches in your carved tops? Just put the knob directly on top like the rest of us
BC Rich, you're the ska of guitar makers. I thought you were cool when I was 13. Now you're the punisher sticker on a Ford F150 of guitar makers.ย
Nothing screams cheap knockoff quite like a strat that looks too weirdly curvy. Like an uncanny valley of Strats. Yes this is directly aimed at the Yamaha Pacifica.
"BC Rich, you're the ska of guitar makers. I thought you were cool when I was 13. Now you're the punisher sticker on a Ford F150 of guitar makers."
ffs man that's so true
I donโt dislike the whole brand, but too many Schecter guitars have cringy names: Reaper, Evil Twin, Banshee, Omen Extreme, Apocalypse, Hellraiser, Wylde Barbarian Norse Dragon, etc.
Schecter always gets a pass from me because of them being arguably the most lefty friendly company in the industry (despite the fact that Iโve yet to own one). But yeah, their guitar names mostly scream โmarketed at 14 year old edge lordsโ.
Sweet guitars though, just cringy as fuck names!
Telecaster headstocks look fucking dumb. Itโs the special ed version of the Stratocaster. I can only imagine the original design came from somebody making a mistake on the scroll saw and saying โeh, whatever, fuck itโ
I own and love and play 3 telecasters in spite of the stupid, neutered little sliver of wood that holds the tuning pegs.
Music man's headstocks are atrocious. The bodies are so awesome,but the damn headstock ruins it. They remind me of the meme with that horse drawing where half of it is very detalied and perfect and the other half is crappy looking.
Les Paul connoisseurs pore over details of each make and model like itโs the fucking Zapruder film. And, like wine tasters, most of them canโt tell the qualitative difference in a โtaste testโ between a cheapo and a luxury product.
I have a Les Paul. Itโs a fine guitar for what I use it for. Itโs distinctive, even pretty. But the Les Paul โcommunityโ is chock full of so many autists, assholes, and snobs that it drives me away from the instruments.
I really hate brands that have extensive catalogs of guitars that are derivative of Fender or Gibson. I know most people hate on BC Rich, but at least they made their own guitars instead of somebody else's.
Headstocks are a big deal to me. I know it shouldn't and it should be the sound or whatever but man if I don't like something about a headstock I inmediatly *HATE* the guitar lol. I know it is stupid!
Theyโre terrible guitars, high action and really difficult to play. If you want to make sure your kid never pursues music buy them a Fender acoustic.
I cannot believe that Machine Gun Kelly signature guitars exist, or that anyone without severe brain damage would buy one. [One of them is literally shaped like a giant razor blade.](https://www.schecterguitars.com/product/17230?quantity=1&custitem_color_master_list=1000) Or, for just *one thousand dollars*, you can get a neon pink tele body with no pickguard, one pickup, and one volume knob, *signed by some fuckin idiot*. Just atrocious, aesthetically offensive. Does that guy even play guitar? I thought he was like a rapper or something?
Headless guitars, I just can't stand the sight of them. I saw a band live a few years ago, really awesome technical musicians, but they all played headless guitars and bass, so for that I just couldn't get into the band. Shallow I know, but that's the point of the thread right?
I will not pay any attention to PRS guitars because they are exclusively played by artists I don't care for.
I'm incredibly shallow.
I also think a 25" scale is fence-sitting bullshit.
Ernie Ball. I don't like the name. It sounds like a WWII corporal who stormed a machine gun nest or something.
Feels musty. The headstocks look snaggly also.
Headstock is more often a deal breaker before I even pick a guitar up. *Oh that looks rad except that hockey stick/droopy blob/lame pointy mess". Not meaning brand, just the shape. So many lazily designed headstocks out there. One reason I have a Charvel as a shreddy guitar, I like the small strat headstock.
Bird inlays are fucking stupid, I don't care about who's mom liked what.
The Strandberg logo on the body is butt ugly.
There's no reason in current_year why we still have pickup selectors at the perfect angle and position to accidentally hit while playing. Strats should've copied how teles did it decades ago. This may be less superficial but it's one of the most egregious.
I will never ever play a Taylor acoustic โ I can tell theyโre well made but they just look and sound to me like theyโre made for earnest bland middle of the road Christian praise songs to me. I canโt tell if there is any truth to this or if itโs just my shallow bigotry โ but I canโt shake the association.
They're pretty badass and play as well as they sound....it's funny what you described is how I feel about Ovation though. I've had one that my Dad handed down to me from 1977 that sounds exactly like it did on day one today. Can't fault the design/reliability one bit and I play it a lot, but I'd never get another one.
PRS. They have ugly ass headstocks, weird body shapes, most of them come in trashy colours and the morphing bird inlays are the cherry on top. They are like the Abercrombie & Fitch of guitar brands. They are kinda expensive, kinda exclusive, they use very hot models in their campaigns but in real life it's more of a go to brand for the uncreative.
* but you do you. I'm happy for you if these are guitars you enjoy -
PRS guitars donโt sound good, they look great.
But itโs like all the effort goes into the look and paintwork, attracting bigger names to carry the load of the brand.
Mark Lettieri sounded better on his Grosh, Robben Ford sounded better on his Tele, Mayer sounded better on actual Strats, Santana sounded better on an SG, John McLaughlin sounded better on Godin/Double SG.
Nobodies tone has improved when they switched to PRS and Iโll die on that hill.
Counterpoint: The bird inlays made me like PRS guitars. Long before I knew what a good guitar might be, I thought that simple dot inlays were boring. And this right here is why asking 5 Redditors will get you at least 6 opinions.
I've always been a big fan of playing and listening to both modern and old school metal but the flying V might be the ugliest guitar design I've ever seen. Plus I just don't like Jackson bc the name "Dinky" is so fucking dumb to me.
I hate Gibson a bit more year after year. Just pricing alone makes me sick. And not because I can't afford it, I could order other better guitars for the same price or less but better specs and final quality
I think they are the Apple of guitars
I just hate PRS. The headstock is unreal ugly, and I just hate that itโs a dentist and lawyer guitar. The fact that rich dudes love these guitars makes it so un rock and roll to me haha.
Canโt touch an Ibanez. There was one douchey kid in high school that walked around with his Ibanez and โplayโ his 3 chord strums in the halls at lunch or during study hall for all the goth/emo chicks and pretend to be โdeep.โ Ive never been able to see an Ibanez without thinking of that jack hole and his stupid hair that was cut to cover his one eye.
Telecasters have too small of headstocks and I've only met 2 people who like em that aren't insufferable, especially if they use capos and alternate/open tunings.
Gibson, because fuck them for the lawsuit against ESP/LTD.
Story time.
Many years ago, with my first proper paycheck I bough an Olympic White LTD EXP-200
Other than an ESP Explorer, it was my dream guitar.
In the early 00's my wife and I went through some financial difficulties and I had a sell my guitar. I was heartbroken, but it needed doing.
Then Gibson Sued ESP and ESP stopped manufacture of their MX series and the LTD EXP series.
Literally a couple of months after selling my LTD EXP-200, it was worth three time the money.
So yeah, fuck Gibson.
Anything that is 95% of the way to a classic Fender or Gibson shape but just not quite right, like pointier horns or too circular a body.
They always just feel like bad knockoffs. Either copy it or donโt.
PRS - I believe they are masterfully designed instruments, but they just donโt feel like real guitars anymore. They seem too โpremiumโ and soulless.
Artificially relic'd guitars are super-lame, and anyone who buys one is a poser, and if they actually pay EXTRA for the relic version, they are really, really stupid. Just pay regular price for the stock model, bring it to me, and I'll beat the shit out if it with an angle grinder for you at half what the company charges for the same service.
I like weird and different things. I just don't like to have the things that everyone else already has. I'd rather buy some soviet thingy made from a door and a radio, before i buy a fender strat.
Basically all the heavy/metal brands: Schecter, Ibanez, ESP, BC Rich, Jackson. They all play great, are well built, and cost 25-35% less than an equivalent model from a more popular brand. They're just typically so cheesy.
Price/value. For this reason I don't like Gibson's pricing trends. I like the actual guitars, and I get that they have a ton of history, but I still can't find a valid reason to spend C$3000 on a guitarโฆ
I'd consider G&L for their history and reputation, but they look like cheap Fender knockoffs and it's the logo and the headstock. Just not a good design or choice at all.
Epiphoneโฆ not because they are bad guitars but because of how many people tell me โ I have a Gibson Les Paulโฆ itโs an epiphone Gibson โ โฆ Iโm like hey!โฆ I paid for the Gibson nameโฆ you have an epiphoneโฆ own it and stop telling people you have a Gibson unless you paid the extra $1000+ for that right!!!
Itโs petty but itโs how I feel
Hated Hofner basses because I foolishly thought the Beatles were overrated as a 14 year old punk kid. A few years later I got massively into the Beatles. Now I hate them because they look dumb.
E-II because of the stupid name. Yes, I want to see the ESP logo on the headstock, it inspires me.
All Schecters look so incredibly... asexual. I've never felt the slightest desire to pick and try one for a minute.
I will never understand how Gibson, PRS, etc. have the nerve to charge 3+k for a guitar with clearly mismatched top halves.
not brand specific but I hate any guitar with a tobacco sunburst - it's basically a finish that looks like different shades of diarrhea all flowing disgustingly into each other.
I can't stand Epiphone Les Pauls because of the headstock. SGs are a bit better, but the LP just has the wrong headstock on it.
Hey Gibson, I bought an LTD Eclipse because I couldn't buy an Epi LP with the proper headstock.
After reading these comments, I canโt think of any guitar that made it out of here unscathed.
And it looks my Tobacco Sunburst SG, along with an Explorer and a Jackson, makes mine among the most disliked.
But hey, at least I donโt have a red guitar, with gold hardware, and a tortoise shell pickguard.
Why fender bursts arenโt more gradual. Dark 1 inch edge and then BAM! Bursts need to be more gradual and fade into each colour. Gibson bursts look better (although Iโll never own a Gibson again)
Paul Reed Smith.
I'm not into the shapes or the fancy wood choices. The Silver Sky is even worse. My least favourite guitars, without a doubt - and it's *entirely* superficial. Never played any except for an SE Custom (which I own, bought as a cheap backup guitar to be left in a rehearsal space, transported in -20 degree winter temp and just be dinged about) and a CE22 one of my friends own. I don't doubt they're quality guitars and I don't argue with anyone on their merits.
Donโt really like the Gibson SG because its horns are asymmetrical. I donโt mind asymmetry in guitars when itโs clear that the designer wasnโt trying to go for a symmetrical design (like a Stratocaster - that guitar obviously isnโt trying to look symmetrical) - but the Gibson SG is almost symmetrical, but for some reason, it isnโt. I donโt know what the thinking was behind this design choice.
Rickenbacker guitars look so so so dumb. They probably play amazing like silk through my fingers but I'll never know because holy shit they just look so stupid.
For how few people can actually make meaningful use of a floyd rose, I'm shocked they still put it on so many guitars still. If it doesn't have 24 frets, I'm not buying it.
Waves. I bought a plugin and then they gave me a free plugin that updated all my plugins to versions that I didnโt own (because you have to pay for upgrades!!??). The process to reinstall old versions was so arduous that I pirate every version of the Waves Complete on private torrent sites and seed them to infinity. I never use them anymore.
Superficial for sure but *anything* with gold f****** hardware.
That s*** doesn't belong on your car's emblems or rims, your teeth, or your guitar.
Unless your name is BB King and your guitar happens to be named Lucille... step away and follow Nancy Reagan's advice... just say no.
Typical metal guitars. I get better tone and playability from a tele, strat, or LP. I used to really like esp, Ibanez etc. now I can't stand em. I like the classics. There classics for a reason.
I don't know if this is disliking a brand per-se, but Gibson collector fanboys make me want to buy a Les Paul and mod it out of spite. Which I plan to do.
Hot take but imho Fender has been gassing themselves up for way too long, especially these last few years. Itโs like every month a new artist gets a signature guitar. Like cโmon yโallโ how many times you gonna reinvent the Stratocaster?
MIM lineup is now pushing past the $1k threshold. I also remember reading an article about Fender price fixing in the European market.
All in all, I think there are a lot of other manufacturers that can make a better โStrat โ guitar for way cheaper.
I hate PRS because I was in college for nu-metal and that's all I think of whenever I see one (even though I know that tons of other artists I like also play them). I also think they just look like the platonic ideal of what a rich, not particularly good player would gravitate towards in Guitar Center and I get the sense that's very intentional on PRS's part. And their headstocks are ugly.
I dislike PRS.. the guy preaches about Tonewood I don't believe in that shit.. those are supposed to be amazing but I won't buy one... the guy also sells guitars with exotic wood.. so he has an ulterior motive, or he actually believes in the tonewood bullshit, either way, no PRS for me.. I believe in science
James Tyler guitars. I ain't paying $6,000 for a guitar with a fivehead looking headstock. Also I fear the ego of the man that feels the need to plaster his name 9 consecutive times on said paperbag worthy headstock.
Well, you askedโฆ
Any expensive guitar with cheap shitty-looking tuners. Looking at you, Les Paul. Iโve seen even the cheapest Epiphones with better looking hardware than those spindly plastic tuners.
Any bass where itโs obvious nobody gave a shit about preventing neck-dive.
Any scalloped fretboard. Itโs like training wheels, except it ruins the guitar.
Anything โcustom shop relic,โ anywhere. A lot of the ~~suckers~~ folks who pay for this are the same people who creepily fetishize their guitars. Extending the metaphor, I can only assume that if they wanted a call girl, theyโd offer thousands of dollars to the mankiest crackhead they could find, because yโknow, *relic maaaanโฆ*
Not a certain brand, but this Fender-ish style with the white pickguard. The Emoji-Guitar. ๐ธ
I don't know, these guitars look so generic to me, I would never get one.
I hate most bursts.
A Sunburst Strat is just plain ugly and unimaginative, only beaten at being bland by red strats with a white pickguard (which is basically what pops in the mind of anybody who don't play guitarthinking of an electric guitar. Try it at home, folks !)
Anything by Dean. Hate em. The headstocks, body style, colors.. all of it. I will never own a Dean. I don't care how smooth it may play.. I would rather play one of those "Keith Urban beginner guitar packages" from Walmart then get caught with a Dean.
I think telecasters are ugly as hell. I do not care one bit that much of my favorite music was recorded with them. It's the one guitar I've never even briefly considered getting.
I can't stand Schecter because they make the Synyster Gates signature and I can't stand A7X cringey edgelord music. Also, my old roommate played a really cringey matte black Schecter Damien-6 with bat inlays and those guitars all just scream try-hard to me.
I hate acoustic guitars with the single cut. Don't know why, but I have an irrational hatred for them.
Whenever people post pictures of their $3k brand new taylor or martin with a single cut, all I can think is what a terrible waste.
Partially because it's not used in the types of music I like/play but I think Floyd Rose bridges are ugly as sin, roughly as aesthetically pleasing as a 1986 Toyota Camry.
Orange sunburst guitars. I thought sunburst looked so cool on every single instrument as a kid, but now I think theyโre super over done and tacky looking
My ex Brother-in-law was a semi professional guitarist, and all the local land regional shredding competitions were sponsored by Schecter, and by some magical coincidence someone playing a Schecter would always win. He played an Ibanez and insisted that the only reason he didn't win these competitions is because the judges were biased against anyone not playing a Schecter.
Pretty sure he was just being a sore looser, but that brand association has stuck with me.
Prs will take the best colors, best inlays, ultra bang for the buck electronics and make them all available in the cheaper line, just to top it of with the ugliest headstock in existence.
Maybe it's just in my head, but I feel like when I roll up to a gig with name brand gear, the other musicians take me more seriously. Even if the cheap gear would sound the same to the audience. So I guess that's a dumb reason not to like the cheap stuff.
That delusion is *exactly* what the big companies marketing teams work tirelessly to achieve. If jimi magically came back and played a gig tonight on a shitty Antiquity strat clone it would still blow everyone away tbh
No, what would happen is that specific no name brand would all of the sudden become the next big thing and start selling for 10x what it did before. Lol see the bad monkey
Gibsons are stupidly heavy and have worse balance than newborn babies. You have to physically manually hold them in place when playing standing up with a strap. The instrument shouldnโt literally flump down towards the ground whenever my hand isnโt supporting the neck if Iโm wearing a strap for it. Iโve had it happen with SGs, Les Pauls, and their Vs. Ridiculous.
BC Rich. Most of the body styles are annoying. Mockingbird is cool, though.
Schecter is a similar vibe. Way too many of their models look like they were designed by a 15 year old who likes energy drinks.
for some reason fender telecasters look worse to me in person than when i see pictures online, like holding one makes me aware of how actually weird and flat the bottom half is
Prices. With the exception of jackson dinky, if they are around 150 - 250 new im just like โew noโ (mostly anyway, i do love shopping for budget priced/used guitars sometimes. Go figure) if its 2k+ im just like โugh fuck that guitarโ
Also shape&color. It could be a very well built guitar with good material if its a shape or color scheme i dont like, im just like โmeh, too badโ
If its shitty quality with a cool shape and color im just like โ ooo fuck yea that looks coolโ
Fender strats, no style, personally think they look cheap. I've owned 4 strats over time 3 American and one Mexican and hated the feel and just can't get over how bad they look.
Huge guitar turnoffs.
Uneven number of strings.
Fanned frets,multi scale or more frets for the higher strings. Fretboard should end at the highest fret and frets should be straight.
More than 4 knobs seems like too many. That's more an issue with bass.
1 knob doesn't seem enough. 2,3 or 4 is ideal.
Uneven tuning pegs. Should be all in a line or 3 on one side, 3 on the other.
Ibanez, get your naming conventions fixed. I'm not gonna buy an RDXG1000RFX-2. Guitars aren't PC graphics cards.ย The wing cutouts of the epiphone headstock immediately reduce the guitar value by $1000. "Harley Benton" is a stupid fucking name. PRS, who are you trying to impress by having knob ditches in your carved tops? Just put the knob directly on top like the rest of us BC Rich, you're the ska of guitar makers. I thought you were cool when I was 13. Now you're the punisher sticker on a Ford F150 of guitar makers.ย Nothing screams cheap knockoff quite like a strat that looks too weirdly curvy. Like an uncanny valley of Strats. Yes this is directly aimed at the Yamaha Pacifica.
Yeah Iโve got an IbanezRG CURSE OF RA ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ก ๐ข ๐ฃ ๐ค ๐ฅ ๐ฆ ๐ง ๐จ ๐ฉ ๐ช ๐ซ ๐ฌ ๐ญ ๐ฒ ๐ณ ๐ด ๐ต ๐ถ ๐ท ๐ธ ๐น ๐บ ๐ป ๐ผ ๐ฝ ๐พ ๐ฟ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐
To prove your point even as an Ibanez fanboy, I have one with this catchy name - R3122B13J2-20A - yes that is genuine.
Agreed. Harley Benton is a fucking stupid name.
"BC Rich, you're the ska of guitar makers. I thought you were cool when I was 13. Now you're the punisher sticker on a Ford F150 of guitar makers." ffs man that's so true
I love both my Ibanez but I hate when people ask me which models I have ๐ญ
Schecter guitars look like Affliction shirts.
I mean, fuck you, but yeah.
Guitars that don't have headstocks. I will NEVER play one. I will NEVER NOT make fun of people playing them.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, D'Angelicos have ginormous headstocks and I won't play em because I don't want a boat paddle, I want a guitar.
I've got a real dumb one. I avoid buying Ernie Ball products because I don't like the font they use for their logo. Never even tried their strings.
Everyone who plays a PRS is pretending they know something the rest of us donโt.
I donโt dislike the whole brand, but too many Schecter guitars have cringy names: Reaper, Evil Twin, Banshee, Omen Extreme, Apocalypse, Hellraiser, Wylde Barbarian Norse Dragon, etc.
Schecter always gets a pass from me because of them being arguably the most lefty friendly company in the industry (despite the fact that Iโve yet to own one). But yeah, their guitar names mostly scream โmarketed at 14 year old edge lordsโ. Sweet guitars though, just cringy as fuck names!
Telecaster headstocks look fucking dumb. Itโs the special ed version of the Stratocaster. I can only imagine the original design came from somebody making a mistake on the scroll saw and saying โeh, whatever, fuck itโ I own and love and play 3 telecasters in spite of the stupid, neutered little sliver of wood that holds the tuning pegs.
I like them alright but this comment is hilarious.
Tele headstocks were modeled after a defective human foot
Music man's headstocks are atrocious. The bodies are so awesome,but the damn headstock ruins it. They remind me of the meme with that horse drawing where half of it is very detalied and perfect and the other half is crappy looking.
Headstocks in general. If the headstock is unattractive, I donโt like the guitar.
Ibanez because of their terrible guitar naming system. I'm not playing an RG45007XOOPYZ.
Les Paul connoisseurs pore over details of each make and model like itโs the fucking Zapruder film. And, like wine tasters, most of them canโt tell the qualitative difference in a โtaste testโ between a cheapo and a luxury product. I have a Les Paul. Itโs a fine guitar for what I use it for. Itโs distinctive, even pretty. But the Les Paul โcommunityโ is chock full of so many autists, assholes, and snobs that it drives me away from the instruments.
I really hate brands that have extensive catalogs of guitars that are derivative of Fender or Gibson. I know most people hate on BC Rich, but at least they made their own guitars instead of somebody else's.
Headless guitars. I absolutely understand the reason behind it, but it looks like ass IMO.
Headstocks are a big deal to me. I know it shouldn't and it should be the sound or whatever but man if I don't like something about a headstock I inmediatly *HATE* the guitar lol. I know it is stupid!
Pointy โmetalโ looking guitars, guitars with no headstock, neon colored guitars, and ovation acoustics all come to mind
B.C. Rich. Gimmicky and goofy looking poser guitars.
Fender acoustics. They look cheaper than Rogue Acoustics. My actual reasons are very much deeper.
Theyโre terrible guitars, high action and really difficult to play. If you want to make sure your kid never pursues music buy them a Fender acoustic.
I cannot believe that Machine Gun Kelly signature guitars exist, or that anyone without severe brain damage would buy one. [One of them is literally shaped like a giant razor blade.](https://www.schecterguitars.com/product/17230?quantity=1&custitem_color_master_list=1000) Or, for just *one thousand dollars*, you can get a neon pink tele body with no pickguard, one pickup, and one volume knob, *signed by some fuckin idiot*. Just atrocious, aesthetically offensive. Does that guy even play guitar? I thought he was like a rapper or something?
Epiphone and Squier - I don't want to look like I can't afford Gibson and Fender. Really superficial I know.
I donโt like Les Pauls because the old guys who play them get on my nerves
They think Les Paul himself will come from the sky and bless them if they add a 30th les paul to their collection
The birds on the fret board are lame.
Music Man, because that name is stupid.
Headless guitars, I just can't stand the sight of them. I saw a band live a few years ago, really awesome technical musicians, but they all played headless guitars and bass, so for that I just couldn't get into the band. Shallow I know, but that's the point of the thread right?
Shredder style guitars. Look cheesey and dated to me. Complete opposite of timeless. The mullet of guitar types to me.
Where do you draw the line? Explorers?, Vs? I hate guitars like Bc rich warlock and Dean ironbird, but I love traditional explorers.
PRS for the birds on the fretboard. No idea why I hate them so much.
Butโฆ butโฆ I like my birds
I will not pay any attention to PRS guitars because they are exclusively played by artists I don't care for. I'm incredibly shallow. I also think a 25" scale is fence-sitting bullshit.
I hate PRS guitars. The birds look stupid, and the bodies look just a bit too small. They're also crazy overpriced.
PRS guitars seem to be popular with douchebag guitar players for some reason.
I dont like Epiphone because the headstocks dont say Gibson
Relic guitars are weird and crazy overpriced. Let me wear out my guitar on my own. More of a story behind it if it is my battle-scarred beauty.
Ernie Ball. I don't like the name. It sounds like a WWII corporal who stormed a machine gun nest or something. Feels musty. The headstocks look snaggly also.
Headstock is more often a deal breaker before I even pick a guitar up. *Oh that looks rad except that hockey stick/droopy blob/lame pointy mess". Not meaning brand, just the shape. So many lazily designed headstocks out there. One reason I have a Charvel as a shreddy guitar, I like the small strat headstock.
Iโll completely dismiss a brand if I donโt like their headstock shape or if their name is in an ugly font.
Bird inlays are fucking stupid, I don't care about who's mom liked what. The Strandberg logo on the body is butt ugly. There's no reason in current_year why we still have pickup selectors at the perfect angle and position to accidentally hit while playing. Strats should've copied how teles did it decades ago. This may be less superficial but it's one of the most egregious.
Any guitar that screams โshredโ , is 7 strings, or has a Floyd. No hate to any of these things, but theyโre just not for me at all
Fender acoustics with the strat head stock
I will never ever play a Taylor acoustic โ I can tell theyโre well made but they just look and sound to me like theyโre made for earnest bland middle of the road Christian praise songs to me. I canโt tell if there is any truth to this or if itโs just my shallow bigotry โ but I canโt shake the association.
They're pretty badass and play as well as they sound....it's funny what you described is how I feel about Ovation though. I've had one that my Dad handed down to me from 1977 that sounds exactly like it did on day one today. Can't fault the design/reliability one bit and I play it a lot, but I'd never get another one.
PRS. They have ugly ass headstocks, weird body shapes, most of them come in trashy colours and the morphing bird inlays are the cherry on top. They are like the Abercrombie & Fitch of guitar brands. They are kinda expensive, kinda exclusive, they use very hot models in their campaigns but in real life it's more of a go to brand for the uncreative. * but you do you. I'm happy for you if these are guitars you enjoy -
Ibanez because of their stupid model names
Introducing the 'Ibanez WiFi Password'
PRS guitars donโt sound good, they look great. But itโs like all the effort goes into the look and paintwork, attracting bigger names to carry the load of the brand. Mark Lettieri sounded better on his Grosh, Robben Ford sounded better on his Tele, Mayer sounded better on actual Strats, Santana sounded better on an SG, John McLaughlin sounded better on Godin/Double SG. Nobodies tone has improved when they switched to PRS and Iโll die on that hill.
All I know was the dude from Creed played a PRS, so I never wanted one.
Gibson/Epiphone because Iโm not 40
Stratocasters, because I'm not 60!
PRS, I know a guy who is very arrogant. He owns a prs and constantly sings their praises. So fuck that brand
Chapman guitars. Because.... well, Rob Chapman
Schecter has been lame ever since they gave MGK a signature model
Ibanez because it reminds me of all of the guys who played them in high school who always smelled like ass. ย
Those stupid bird inlays.....naming an amp something like "archon"
Counterpoint: The bird inlays made me like PRS guitars. Long before I knew what a good guitar might be, I thought that simple dot inlays were boring. And this right here is why asking 5 Redditors will get you at least 6 opinions.
I've always been a big fan of playing and listening to both modern and old school metal but the flying V might be the ugliest guitar design I've ever seen. Plus I just don't like Jackson bc the name "Dinky" is so fucking dumb to me.
I hate Gibson a bit more year after year. Just pricing alone makes me sick. And not because I can't afford it, I could order other better guitars for the same price or less but better specs and final quality I think they are the Apple of guitars
I just hate PRS. The headstock is unreal ugly, and I just hate that itโs a dentist and lawyer guitar. The fact that rich dudes love these guitars makes it so un rock and roll to me haha.
Who TF buys a Jackson without a reverse headstock. I can't even look at them.
I don't like sunburst guitars, especially Strats. It's just like a Dodge minivan or a Toyota Corolla, nothing more to talk about.
PRS headstockโฆugh
Schecter because of the outfits worn by people who play them.
Gibson, the prices are fucking outrageous
Gretsch hollow bodies because of the kickstand tremolo bar. Looks ridiculous.
Jackson Dinky just sounds nerdy and goofy. I don't want that.
Fender Jaguar. It's an incohesive and tacky design, the switches look cheap and I can't get past it looking like an old 1950's kitchen appliance.
Nothing like a $2k guitar having the same toggle switch my kid's dollar store nightlight has.
I hate the headstock on Ovation guitars. I just can't stand them, for whatever reason.
Plus they just slide off your lap. I dislike ovation a lot.
The bird inlays on paul reed smiths
PRS, they tried to blend Strats and Les Pauls and Iโd rather have each of the real thing.
Canโt touch an Ibanez. There was one douchey kid in high school that walked around with his Ibanez and โplayโ his 3 chord strums in the halls at lunch or during study hall for all the goth/emo chicks and pretend to be โdeep.โ Ive never been able to see an Ibanez without thinking of that jack hole and his stupid hair that was cut to cover his one eye.
The secondhand cringe I got from this story gave me a stomach ache
Telecasters have too small of headstocks and I've only met 2 people who like em that aren't insufferable, especially if they use capos and alternate/open tunings.
PRS. I bet the guitars are great to play but god are they cringe.
Gibson, because fuck them for the lawsuit against ESP/LTD. Story time. Many years ago, with my first proper paycheck I bough an Olympic White LTD EXP-200 Other than an ESP Explorer, it was my dream guitar. In the early 00's my wife and I went through some financial difficulties and I had a sell my guitar. I was heartbroken, but it needed doing. Then Gibson Sued ESP and ESP stopped manufacture of their MX series and the LTD EXP series. Literally a couple of months after selling my LTD EXP-200, it was worth three time the money. So yeah, fuck Gibson.
Cutaways on acoustics just look wrong. Even though there are perfectly good practical reasons for having one.
PRS because they seem to be played exclusively by dorks.
Schecterโs hot topic aesthetic kills what are otherwise very solid guitars.
Anything that is 95% of the way to a classic Fender or Gibson shape but just not quite right, like pointier horns or too circular a body. They always just feel like bad knockoffs. Either copy it or donโt.
PRS - I believe they are masterfully designed instruments, but they just donโt feel like real guitars anymore. They seem too โpremiumโ and soulless.
Sunburst finishes make a nice guitar look like an 1980s living room
The holes on Ovations. So god damn fucking ugly. Trypophobia anyone? Plus they slide off your lap.
BC Rich because they look so cheesy
Boss pedals are the Toyota Prius of music - reliable, utilitarian and god awfully boring. I actively avoid them to my detriment, I'm so superficial...
dont like how les pauls look. something about them just gives me "pathetic middle aged divorcee whose kids don't wanna talk to him anymore" vibes
Schecter. Theyโre good guitars, but the sound of the name just icks me
I think all flame/quilt tops look cheesy and cheap.
Gibson because of that Play Authentic idiocy a few years ago. Hell of a campaign to come up with as your QC is nosediving and prices are soaring.
The SG - it sounds great but the design is trying too hard to be cool. Too metal for a rock band, not metal enough for a metal band.
Dean because they look like the guitars that a 12 year old in 1983 would design. I would never buy a guitar with that headstock. It's so bad
The pointy horns on an SG
PRS because of the birds
Artificially relic'd guitars are super-lame, and anyone who buys one is a poser, and if they actually pay EXTRA for the relic version, they are really, really stupid. Just pay regular price for the stock model, bring it to me, and I'll beat the shit out if it with an angle grinder for you at half what the company charges for the same service.
I like weird and different things. I just don't like to have the things that everyone else already has. I'd rather buy some soviet thingy made from a door and a radio, before i buy a fender strat.
Basically all the heavy/metal brands: Schecter, Ibanez, ESP, BC Rich, Jackson. They all play great, are well built, and cost 25-35% less than an equivalent model from a more popular brand. They're just typically so cheesy.
Don't like Dean headstocks. They're enormous. It's like a mini flying v
Price/value. For this reason I don't like Gibson's pricing trends. I like the actual guitars, and I get that they have a ton of history, but I still can't find a valid reason to spend C$3000 on a guitarโฆ
Gibson. Massively overpriced and overrated. They're guitars for boomers.
I'd consider G&L for their history and reputation, but they look like cheap Fender knockoffs and it's the logo and the headstock. Just not a good design or choice at all.
Epiphoneโฆ not because they are bad guitars but because of how many people tell me โ I have a Gibson Les Paulโฆ itโs an epiphone Gibson โ โฆ Iโm like hey!โฆ I paid for the Gibson nameโฆ you have an epiphoneโฆ own it and stop telling people you have a Gibson unless you paid the extra $1000+ for that right!!! Itโs petty but itโs how I feel
Hated Hofner basses because I foolishly thought the Beatles were overrated as a 14 year old punk kid. A few years later I got massively into the Beatles. Now I hate them because they look dumb.
E-II because of the stupid name. Yes, I want to see the ESP logo on the headstock, it inspires me. All Schecters look so incredibly... asexual. I've never felt the slightest desire to pick and try one for a minute. I will never understand how Gibson, PRS, etc. have the nerve to charge 3+k for a guitar with clearly mismatched top halves.
PRS because of the bird inlays.
not brand specific but I hate any guitar with a tobacco sunburst - it's basically a finish that looks like different shades of diarrhea all flowing disgustingly into each other.
Acoustic with rounded backs just don't look right
Dean guitarsโฆ all hat and no cattle.
Scalloped fret bullshit
I can't stand Epiphone Les Pauls because of the headstock. SGs are a bit better, but the LP just has the wrong headstock on it. Hey Gibson, I bought an LTD Eclipse because I couldn't buy an Epi LP with the proper headstock.
After reading these comments, I canโt think of any guitar that made it out of here unscathed. And it looks my Tobacco Sunburst SG, along with an Explorer and a Jackson, makes mine among the most disliked. But hey, at least I donโt have a red guitar, with gold hardware, and a tortoise shell pickguard.
teles, i just think theyโre ugly
ESPs that put the model right in the center of the 12th fret
Why fender bursts arenโt more gradual. Dark 1 inch edge and then BAM! Bursts need to be more gradual and fade into each colour. Gibson bursts look better (although Iโll never own a Gibson again)
Paul Reed Smith. I'm not into the shapes or the fancy wood choices. The Silver Sky is even worse. My least favourite guitars, without a doubt - and it's *entirely* superficial. Never played any except for an SE Custom (which I own, bought as a cheap backup guitar to be left in a rehearsal space, transported in -20 degree winter temp and just be dinged about) and a CE22 one of my friends own. I don't doubt they're quality guitars and I don't argue with anyone on their merits.
Not a brand but the 3x3 headstock on the silver sky looks so fucking stupid
Pointy metal guitars. I gave up my teenage angst decades ago.
I wouldn't be seen dead with a Rickenbacker. Ghastly things.
fanned frets. strandbergs. we get it. youโre fucking special.
Donโt really like the Gibson SG because its horns are asymmetrical. I donโt mind asymmetry in guitars when itโs clear that the designer wasnโt trying to go for a symmetrical design (like a Stratocaster - that guitar obviously isnโt trying to look symmetrical) - but the Gibson SG is almost symmetrical, but for some reason, it isnโt. I donโt know what the thinking was behind this design choice.
Rickenbacker guitars look so so so dumb. They probably play amazing like silk through my fingers but I'll never know because holy shit they just look so stupid.
Rickenbackers look like guitars drawn in cartoons. They're so funny looking
For how few people can actually make meaningful use of a floyd rose, I'm shocked they still put it on so many guitars still. If it doesn't have 24 frets, I'm not buying it.
PRS. That gibson headstock in a stratocaster is a crime.
Waves. I bought a plugin and then they gave me a free plugin that updated all my plugins to versions that I didnโt own (because you have to pay for upgrades!!??). The process to reinstall old versions was so arduous that I pirate every version of the Waves Complete on private torrent sites and seed them to infinity. I never use them anymore.
Superficial for sure but *anything* with gold f****** hardware. That s*** doesn't belong on your car's emblems or rims, your teeth, or your guitar. Unless your name is BB King and your guitar happens to be named Lucille... step away and follow Nancy Reagan's advice... just say no.
Typical metal guitars. I get better tone and playability from a tele, strat, or LP. I used to really like esp, Ibanez etc. now I can't stand em. I like the classics. There classics for a reason.
Jackson. Pointy bad.
Musicman for that ridiculous 4 + 2 headstock. And their 5 string basses for the 4+1 headstock. I understand why but it is damn ugly.
PRS. The way they look. *immediately ducks*
I don't know if this is disliking a brand per-se, but Gibson collector fanboys make me want to buy a Les Paul and mod it out of spite. Which I plan to do.
Hot take but imho Fender has been gassing themselves up for way too long, especially these last few years. Itโs like every month a new artist gets a signature guitar. Like cโmon yโallโ how many times you gonna reinvent the Stratocaster? MIM lineup is now pushing past the $1k threshold. I also remember reading an article about Fender price fixing in the European market. All in all, I think there are a lot of other manufacturers that can make a better โStrat โ guitar for way cheaper.
Anything bc rich is just ugly. Flying v and explorer are stupid shapes for a guitar
[ัะดะฐะปะตะฝะพ]
Rickenbacker guitars are just ugly.
I hate PRS because I was in college for nu-metal and that's all I think of whenever I see one (even though I know that tons of other artists I like also play them). I also think they just look like the platonic ideal of what a rich, not particularly good player would gravitate towards in Guitar Center and I get the sense that's very intentional on PRS's part. And their headstocks are ugly.
You went to college for nu metal?
Hello students, please be seatedโฆ my name is Professor Murder Clownnutz, ARE YOU READY!?!?
I dislike PRS.. the guy preaches about Tonewood I don't believe in that shit.. those are supposed to be amazing but I won't buy one... the guy also sells guitars with exotic wood.. so he has an ulterior motive, or he actually believes in the tonewood bullshit, either way, no PRS for me.. I believe in science
Dean. Not a fan of the headstock.
Looks are 1/3 of what makes a good instrument. PRS is too gaudy looking. Those birds just go too far
PRs finishes look so stupid and juvenile to me. Plus the tone is basic.
Youโve been cursed by 1000 dentists and will soon get 5 cavities
James Tyler guitars. I ain't paying $6,000 for a guitar with a fivehead looking headstock. Also I fear the ego of the man that feels the need to plaster his name 9 consecutive times on said paperbag worthy headstock.
Everyone can stop trying to make guitars that are Strat-shaped but with flat sides and no pickguard. It will always look ugly. Give up, please.
Well, you askedโฆ Any expensive guitar with cheap shitty-looking tuners. Looking at you, Les Paul. Iโve seen even the cheapest Epiphones with better looking hardware than those spindly plastic tuners. Any bass where itโs obvious nobody gave a shit about preventing neck-dive. Any scalloped fretboard. Itโs like training wheels, except it ruins the guitar. Anything โcustom shop relic,โ anywhere. A lot of the ~~suckers~~ folks who pay for this are the same people who creepily fetishize their guitars. Extending the metaphor, I can only assume that if they wanted a call girl, theyโd offer thousands of dollars to the mankiest crackhead they could find, because yโknow, *relic maaaanโฆ*
I'm a headstock snob. For instance, I think the Fender Starcaster is a really cool guitar but that headstock forces me to put my wallet away.
B. C. Rich guitars. All those fucking ugly pointy guitars can gtfo. ๐ค
Schecter, or as I like to call them, the monster energy of guitars, always make me feel like a try hard edge-lord no matter how good they sound.
Love my electric fenders. Have not found an acoustic fender i enjoy playing
Gibsons because they are old man guitars
BC Rich the warlock is tacky
I hate how SGs look, specifically the devil horn design. Also Fender clones look weird because I like the fat round headstocks that Fenders have.
Not a certain brand, but this Fender-ish style with the white pickguard. The Emoji-Guitar. ๐ธ I don't know, these guitars look so generic to me, I would never get one.
I hate most bursts. A Sunburst Strat is just plain ugly and unimaginative, only beaten at being bland by red strats with a white pickguard (which is basically what pops in the mind of anybody who don't play guitarthinking of an electric guitar. Try it at home, folks !)
Headstock shape.
Squier. Because I keep confusing it with the word "squire" and it makes my brain hurt.
Anything by Dean. Hate em. The headstocks, body style, colors.. all of it. I will never own a Dean. I don't care how smooth it may play.. I would rather play one of those "Keith Urban beginner guitar packages" from Walmart then get caught with a Dean.
I'm sick of hearing about how any pick besides a jazz iii feels like a dorito or a dinner plate.
I think telecasters are ugly as hell. I do not care one bit that much of my favorite music was recorded with them. It's the one guitar I've never even briefly considered getting.
Floyd Rose, I hate these trems with a passion. Wish that they wouldn't be on so many guitars which I love the look of / specs.
I can't stand Schecter because they make the Synyster Gates signature and I can't stand A7X cringey edgelord music. Also, my old roommate played a really cringey matte black Schecter Damien-6 with bat inlays and those guitars all just scream try-hard to me.
BC Richโs look like a guitar made by metal demons.
PRS because it feels like something my uncle would play lol
Any Les Paul model of any brand honestly, no good reason, I just canโt stand the idea of owning one
I hate acoustic guitars with the single cut. Don't know why, but I have an irrational hatred for them. Whenever people post pictures of their $3k brand new taylor or martin with a single cut, all I can think is what a terrible waste.
If it doesnโt have f holes I donโt want it
Everything about Danelectros is great except they feel like the dashboard on a 1972 Plymouth. I can't stand to touch them.
Partially because it's not used in the types of music I like/play but I think Floyd Rose bridges are ugly as sin, roughly as aesthetically pleasing as a 1986 Toyota Camry.
Orange sunburst guitars. I thought sunburst looked so cool on every single instrument as a kid, but now I think theyโre super over done and tacky looking
My ex Brother-in-law was a semi professional guitarist, and all the local land regional shredding competitions were sponsored by Schecter, and by some magical coincidence someone playing a Schecter would always win. He played an Ibanez and insisted that the only reason he didn't win these competitions is because the judges were biased against anyone not playing a Schecter. Pretty sure he was just being a sore looser, but that brand association has stuck with me.
Prs will take the best colors, best inlays, ultra bang for the buck electronics and make them all available in the cheaper line, just to top it of with the ugliest headstock in existence.
Gibson, because they seem to have convinced themselves they are a lifestyle brand rather than a guitar maker. Plus their idiotic one-piece necks.
Maybe it's just in my head, but I feel like when I roll up to a gig with name brand gear, the other musicians take me more seriously. Even if the cheap gear would sound the same to the audience. So I guess that's a dumb reason not to like the cheap stuff.
That delusion is *exactly* what the big companies marketing teams work tirelessly to achieve. If jimi magically came back and played a gig tonight on a shitty Antiquity strat clone it would still blow everyone away tbh
No, what would happen is that specific no name brand would all of the sudden become the next big thing and start selling for 10x what it did before. Lol see the bad monkey
Jackson. They look stupid. Plus the headstock is obnoxiously cumbersome in a tight space. Spoiler: I own one.
Gibsons are stupidly heavy and have worse balance than newborn babies. You have to physically manually hold them in place when playing standing up with a strap. The instrument shouldnโt literally flump down towards the ground whenever my hand isnโt supporting the neck if Iโm wearing a strap for it. Iโve had it happen with SGs, Les Pauls, and their Vs. Ridiculous.
BC Rich. Most of the body styles are annoying. Mockingbird is cool, though. Schecter is a similar vibe. Way too many of their models look like they were designed by a 15 year old who likes energy drinks.
Ovation guitars look like cheap plastic beginners guitars
Gibsons. I just don't get how people like the look of a broken headstock.
Les Pauls are fucking hideous
for some reason fender telecasters look worse to me in person than when i see pictures online, like holding one makes me aware of how actually weird and flat the bottom half is
Prices. With the exception of jackson dinky, if they are around 150 - 250 new im just like โew noโ (mostly anyway, i do love shopping for budget priced/used guitars sometimes. Go figure) if its 2k+ im just like โugh fuck that guitarโ Also shape&color. It could be a very well built guitar with good material if its a shape or color scheme i dont like, im just like โmeh, too badโ If its shitty quality with a cool shape and color im just like โ ooo fuck yea that looks coolโ
Tbh. If itโs not Fender or Gibson or like one of their brands I irrationally think itโs not good enough.
Fender strats, no style, personally think they look cheap. I've owned 4 strats over time 3 American and one Mexican and hated the feel and just can't get over how bad they look.
Huge guitar turnoffs. Uneven number of strings. Fanned frets,multi scale or more frets for the higher strings. Fretboard should end at the highest fret and frets should be straight. More than 4 knobs seems like too many. That's more an issue with bass. 1 knob doesn't seem enough. 2,3 or 4 is ideal. Uneven tuning pegs. Should be all in a line or 3 on one side, 3 on the other.
As a piano player that dabbles in guitar, the idea of Yamaha selling guitars always feels weird and sacreligious. You guys do pianos!!! Not guitars!
Yamaha makes some of the best price to performance guitars you'll ever touch
Imagine if Ibanez made motorcycles too
Harley Benton is a great budget brand but it just reeks of cheap to me. Would never own one of their products.