It Came From Under the Stairs...part I

I know...I told this story on the Squier forum, so please bear with me if you have seen this before. It is just too good a ¢heapo Guitar story not to tell again.


I dropped my Wife off at the mall a few weeks ago, and took the opportunity to stop into one of my local guitar shops. This place is the local proshop so I was simply wasting time drooling over high priced new Jags and custom shop Teles. One of the things I like about this shop is that they have a "wall of shame" under the stairway where the ¢heapo, traded in guitars dwell. There is always something interesting under there, even if it is just due to its wonderful junkiness.

Today, there was a hollow body guitar. Now, I am a sucker for ¢heapo guitars. If the ¢heapo is a hollowbody, then the ¢heapy goodness is multiplied. This sparkle black guitar appeared almost new with the exception of the headstock logo. The previous owner must have been embarrassed about owning it as the logo was scribbled/painted over with a Sharpie!. I tried the guitar out through a Fender Blues Jr and really cranked on it to see what it could do. I was frankly impressed. The clear channel gave me a nice bright, semi hollow sound, and when over driven I got some pretty great, if a bit thin crunch. The guitar felt great to play, and the sound was OK, but lacked oomph. I was however impressed with the neck, which was pretty shallow for a ¢heapo guitar. The bolt on neck was straight, and the action was low. The best part was the price: $99! Here is the kicker: This was a Delia by First Act.


I picked up my Wife from the mall and burted out: "I found a guitar that I really liked, and it was only $99!" Now, I presently have 6 guitars and basses, and my Wife has told me before that 6 is enough. To my suprise, she said: "Do you still have that $75 VISA card you won as a bonus from work?" I said, "Yeah".... She went on: "Well then, the guitar will only be $24 then, right?" I said "Yeah!!"  We drove back to the shop, and I brought it to the counter. The shop owner said, "Wait, this has a case." Huh?... I was sure it would be a soft guitar bag, but he came back with an Ibanez hardshell case.


Cheapo guitar and a hardcase for $24 out of my pocket. What a great day!