You might want to keep an eye out for FGN too. https://fgnguitars.com/
I’ve got an Iliad. Absolute top quality.
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Oh yeah, FujiGen is awesome. Very famous, can get them all over the place.
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Yeah they are top notch. Great basses too.
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Oh, someone got the guitar bug @howard 
I own a Pacifica 311, which is the “little sister” of the 611. It´s a really good guitar, nothing to complain about besides maybe the looks…it’s not actually super cool or “vintage”…but the value for money is outstanding in my opinion. Yamaha seems to be the Honda of the guitar world. Not always super sexy but extremely well made and totally trustworthy.
I think the Pacifica 611 would be a good deal and I would prefer that guitar before buying a squier strat (And I say that as someone who owns a Squier bass and loves it!)
The PRS is really cool and they seem to offer some guitars in the more affordable pricerange nowadays. I can remember about 10-15 years ago when PRS guitars used to be really expensive, like Les Pauls…or maybe I remember things wrong…
There is another option that might be interesting as a direct competition for the Squier Strats:
Not a competitor for the Yamaha or the PRS, but I think more interesting than the Squier Strats. Lots of tone options. On Youtube you can find lots of reviews.
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Nice! This one looks really well made. And I like Telecasters. 
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Oh I love Pacificas, I actually think they look fantastic- more my style than Fender at any rate. I owned a Pacifica 112VM as my first guitar. Sold it earlier this year and now regret it 
The 311 and 312 look good too for sure.
curse you Ikebe
New, so way too much for my budget. But damn.
Hmm. I still have $30 in points there, glad I looked. Maybe need to get some strings - good time to pick up some NYXL’s
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Hmm, looks like Shijie realized how much their stuff was worth. The STE is well over $1k now.
Still a bargain; it’s as good or better than a $2500 Fender.
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I got in when they were just starting out importing into the US. It was a gamble as they were hardly any other independent reviews (I watched Darrel Braun’s video and was impressed) but I think I paid $650 as part of the first introductory batch. They even included a really nice padded gig bag. I know I’m never selling it.
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That’s just super awesome. You got a strat that is literally better - higher quality, better hardware, and better made - than any Fender under $2500, for $650.
And it’s probably as good as the $2500 ones.
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Dammit. Now I’m GASsing pretty hard. I knew this would happen.
Even worse, the used prices aren’t so good at the moment.
It’s probably going to be a used PRS or Pacifica, or a new Revstar. Discovering I still had some points at Ikebe did not help.
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Anyone have a PRS SE Custom or Standard 24 solid body? Kind of interested in how much they weigh.
Sweetwater has a Custom 24 at 7 pounds 14 oz and a standard at 8 pounds 2
So looks to be around ,8 pounds on a small sample
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Cool, thanks. Was worried they might be Gibson-heavy.
Apparently Revstars are pretty heavy.
Did you ever consider 7 strings @Howard?
Ha ha famous last words!
I sold the Strat today. It’s a goner!
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I sometimes think about some of the stuff I have bought and sold over the years and wonder if I shouldn’t have sold whatever it was.
The only thing that haunts me is selling my vinyl record collection just out of college in the early 90s. Over 2,000 albums and I now wish I had every last one of them back.
Other than that I can’t think of (or remember) anything I got rid of that I rue over at all. There are some things I wish I hadn’t bought, or bought a different one, etc, but that is mostly from years ago. Now, I would rather wait for the right one than fill the hole with the wrong one.
I have never sold an instrument that I regretted selling afterwards.
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Nope, my hands are more than full with 6, lol.
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It’s funny because I am really glad I sold all my vinyl and CDs. I miss some of the music but the media itself was hot garbage (despite the current vinyl resurgence audiophile fad.)
So glad to be rid of physical media for music.