Signature guitars for cheap?? HUH??

Hey,

Okay, today I put a guitar on lay away. Before I get to that, I'd like to state that this is the ONLY music shop I've ever visited. They sell mostly guitars and piano/keyboard equipment, but they have used concert band instruments, but not nearly as many.

Now, The first guitar I bought off of them was a Dean Dimebag Darrell tribute guitar. However, it only has 22 frets and no Floyd Rose whammy. It was only $300, but I didnt think anything of it at the time. I looked at Musiciansfriend.com for it, but couldnt find it for a picture or real price.

The guitar I put on lay away today is a Kirk Hammett Signature. It has EVERYTHING like the musiciansfriend.com guitar does. however, the price on musiciansfriend.com is $2000+, and the price I'm paying... $500. WHAT GIVES???

There's something fishy going on, there just HAS TO BE!! The thing is, I PLAYED both guitars BEFORE buying, and have been BLOWN AWAY BOTH TIMES!! It just doesn't add up how these signature guitars are so damn cheap at this place? Is it possible that these signature guitars are not authentic, and perhaps some sort of cheap replicas?? thats the only thing going through my mind right now.

I'd just like to know, if I've been ripping myself off with "fake" guitars... Thanks Guitar Tricks for any input at all.

It can only be that they are fakes.. there's no other answer really. It's like buying a pair of Reebok/Nike sneakers in Thailand for $5.. I wouldn't buy them to be honest because they are either stolen or fakes.. meaning that by buying them, you are supporting a black market operation and undermining the legit makers of fine musical instruments.

There are a few lower-priced models of the Dime tribute guitar that are in the $300 range (here's one: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Dean-Dimebag-Blade-Tribute-Guitar?sku=512929). There are several different levels on the Hammett that all look essentially the same and have essentially the same features. There are differences in the materials used, and the higher end models have a neck-through construction, while the cheaper one has a bolt-on neck. One of them is in the $400-$500 range, but it's branded as an LTD, not an ESP. Is this the one you bought: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ESP-LTD-KH202-Kirk-Hammett-Signature-Electric-Guitar?sku=516639.

Both could be legit budget models.

Hey GT,

Light487 - I really DO want to believe that they are some kind of "fakes", but what I dont understand about that concept, is that this place is now celebrating its 30th year anniversary of legitimate business. Had I joined Guitar Tricks about a year ago, I could show you their website, but it looks like it no longer exists, and I'm thinking for real legitimate reasons, probably maintenance costs. The MAIN real-deal guitar player that REALLY sells the place (not the official owner) has actually been featured in Guitar World years ago, so I really like to think he wouldnt risk his reputation helping a business sell fake bs guitars. If they're selling fakes, isnt that illegal, and they should have been shut down LONG AGO?

Spychocyco - That's not exactly the same Dean Dimebag Tribute I've got, but you've got the right idea. Mine is all black, with two Humbucker Pickups instead of just the bridge one. Just for reference, can you tell me what that bridge type is? Here's my guitar:

I REALLY want to say that the Kirk Hammett Model I bought is INDEED an LTD, but I'm not positive. I'll be going back up there in a week, so I can verify then. It makes sense, though. However, forgive me if I'm wrong later on, but I believe the headstock is different. Instead of having all six tuners on one side, i believe there are 3 on each side of the head stock. Other than that it looks EXACTLY like the legit KH model and plays great. So, can someone tell me what the difference between the LTD and ESP kirk hammett models are? Because, now I see no point in paying $2000+ for literally the same guitar that just has "different" materials.

Thanks Guitar Tricks for your time.

Does the Dime model say anywhere that it is a Dime model? I can't really tell from the small photo, but it looks like it could be the regular ML model, which is the design that the Dime guitars are based on, but a bit cheaper. Either way, it's probably got a tune-o-matic bridge, and I suspect it's probably legit.

As for the Hammett, "materials" do sometimes make a difference. I haven't played any Hammetts, so I can't make comparisons between sound, but these are the basic differences:
-- LTD KH-202 ($400-$500): bolt-on neck, basswood body, ESP pickups, licensed Floyd, flat neck contour
-- LTD KH-602 ($1100): Neck through body, alder body, EMG pickups, original Floyd, U-shaped neck contour
-- ESP KH-2 ($2100): Adds Gotoh tuners instead of ESP tuners. Honestly doesn't look much different from the $1100 model to me, with the exception of the tuners (which shouldn't add that much), the ESP logo and the Hammett signature on the headstock. They say it's "the exact guitar made to Kirk Hammett's specifications," but I don't really see any difference in components from the model that's $1,000 cheaper. Could be made from better grades of wood, i suppose, or you could be paying a grand for the logo and the signature. Maybe someone else knows?

I don't know of a Hammett model with a 3+3 tuner set up, but a lot of the LTD models have 3+3 setups.

there are a ton of kirk hammet and dime customs ive nvr seen a dime that cheap but its entirely possible and the cheapest kirk i can find is a decent one for $450

Spychocyco - right above the nut, at the beginning of the headstock it says DBD T. I was playing some other guitars before the KH, so I probably got the headstocks mixed up, so Its probably got all six tuners on one side.

The dean guitar you've posted the pic of is a Dean Dime Bag Tribute - retails for about $299 by the looks of it.

Presumably the KH model is the one that retails for around $500. The stores have a healthy markup, but the guy isn't a magician.. and nor is he likely to be a charity. The main difference between the ESP and LTD at a glance is that the ESP has higher spec 'proper' EMG pickups (which I'm personally not a fan of) and a better bridge. Construction is also likely to be better generally, and finish will be flawless on a $2000 instrument, where you might get the odd rough edge on the $500 version.

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is....

Is there a serial # anywhere on the guitar? I bought a new, mint,Brian Moore guitar on Ebay for something like $3-$400 brand new with tags and everything; this guitar normally retails for something in the $8-$900 range. I was wondering if I got scammed, so I called up Brian Moore Guitars, and they verified for me that I did in fact have a legit guitar.

As others have said, you may have a lower end model of a line of guitars (I wish guitar makers would stop doing this- makes things confusing; for me, anyway.)

Originally Posted by: Guitardude61951Hey,

Okay, today I put a guitar on lay away. Before I get to that, I'd like to state that this is the ONLY music shop I've ever visited. They sell mostly guitars and piano/keyboard equipment, but they have used concert band instruments, but not nearly as many.

Now, The first guitar I bought off of them was a Dean Dimebag Darrell tribute guitar. However, it only has 22 frets and no Floyd Rose whammy. It was only $300, but I didnt think anything of it at the time. I looked at Musiciansfriend.com for it, but couldnt find it for a picture or real price.

The guitar I put on lay away today is a Kirk Hammett Signature. It has EVERYTHING like the musiciansfriend.com guitar does. however, the price on musiciansfriend.com is $2000+, and the price I'm paying... $500. WHAT GIVES???

There's something fishy going on, there just HAS TO BE!! The thing is, I PLAYED both guitars BEFORE buying, and have been BLOWN AWAY BOTH TIMES!! It just doesn't add up how these signature guitars are so damn cheap at this place? Is it possible that these signature guitars are not authentic, and perhaps some sort of cheap replicas?? thats the only thing going through my mind right now.

I'd just like to know, if I've been ripping myself off with "fake" guitars... Thanks Guitar Tricks for any input at all.

Sorry to burst your bubble.... Both those guitars have two different kinds. You got the ESP KH-200 which is actually worth around 400. The Dimebag Darrel is probably worth what you paid for it too.