Yamaha is solid, Ibanez is solid, Solar is decent for the money if you get a model with stainless steel frets for under 1k, but there’s also a myriad of smaller Chinese/Malasian/Indonesian brands cropping up on Amazon in the $500 and under range that are honestly kinda crushing it in terms of value.
Modern CNC processes have really leveled the playing field. At this point I’d trust a brand with 3 good reviews for a particular model from independent sources over just a name on a headstock.
Yamaha is solid, Ibanez is solid, Solar is decent for the money if you get a model with stainless steel frets for under 1k, but there’s also a myriad of smaller Chinese/Malasian/Indonesian brands cropping up on Amazon in the $500 and under range that are honestly kinda crushing it in terms of value.
Modern CNC processes have really leveled the playing field. At this point I’d trust a brand with 3 good reviews for a particular model from independent sources over just a name on a headstock.