You’re Overpaying for LIES: The UGLY Truth About Expensive Electric Guitars

🎸 Electric Guitar & Bass Buying Guides — zero bias, zero affiliate links, just honest advice. Information and prices updated for 2026: https://onetoneguides.com/ You’re Overpaying for LIES: The UGLY Truth About Expensive Electric Guitars Modern guitar prices have climbed sharply, but has build quality kept pace? This video breaks down what actually changed inside a mainstream Fender or Gibson over the last two decades: the switch from ten-day nitrocellulose lacquer to UV-cured polyurethane, the 2017 CITES rosewood restriction that pushed manufacturers toward substitute fretboard woods, the shift from alnico to cheaper ceramic pickups on budget models, and how CNC routing and Plek fret-leveling technology only deliver on their precision when a factory has the time and staffing to use them properly. We also dig into who actually owns these companies now, including Gibson's 2018 bankruptcy and its private equity ownership under KKR, and what that ownership structure means for where investment dollars go. Plus: why a small handful of contract factories in Indonesia build guitars for a surprising number of "competing" brands. If you've ever wondered whether that price increase on your favorite guitar reflects real quality gains or something else entirely, this one's for you. #guitar #fender #gibson #stratocaster #guitarplayer #guitargear #guitarcommunity #guitarist #electricguitar #guitarshopping #fenderguitars #guitarmanufacturing