Boyfriend's Birthday Gift... Late, and $100 Cheaper
This year I wanted to get my boyfriend something special for his birthday this year. He has been mentioning how much he wants a guitar every other second, so I figured that would be a good, useful gift to get him. But I know nothing about guitars. My only requirements were that it had to be electric and blue, and cost anywhere from $300 to $600.
With a little research I learned that decent guitars start out at $1200 (Fender American Strat) but as much as I love my boyfriend, I wasn't going to spend that much on his birthday gift. Instead, I did a little more research. I didn't want to buy him a crappo guitar, so I figured I'd spend $700 at most if I could find something decent.
That led me to the Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus. Knowing nothing of the difference between Gibsons and Fenders, other than the name, the price and reviews seemed right. I looked for it online and found it for $650 w/ free shipping and a one year warranty. I was sold. So I ordered it.
Something went wrong with my order and I'm glad it did. When I went back to reorder it, I found they put it on sale and it was $100 cheaper. Their loss, my gain. Spending $550 was much better than the original $650 pricetag.
The guitar is scheduled to arrive anyday now, but I'm worried I made a stupid move in buying such a pricey gift that may or may not be a good guitar for him. Granted, he's never played guitar before, but a guitar is such a personal thing and he really should go shopping for one. But he didn't want another gift certificate (how boring) and wanted to be surprised with an actual gift. I also didn't get him a Christmas gift so I could save up for a bigger gift for his birthday. And I'm sure he'll love it as far as concept and overall open impact goes, but the guitar may not be right for him.
I think I should have went with the Fender, even though it's like, double the price. He's more of a classic rock kind of guy and upon watching some videos on YouTube about the Fender versus Gibson/ Epiphone, the Fender sounds right for him. Ugh. Well, I guess we can return it (shipping it back will be a bitch though) and he can trade up to the Fender if he wants.
Do any of you know about guitars? Is the Ephiphone Les Paul Standard Plus a decent purchase for a newbie player who likes 60s rock?
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3 comments:
I might have gotten an acoustic, if he's never played before… much cheaper and easier to learn on. I definitely wouldn't have gotten the Fender… it would be one thing if he's been playing for a long time, but maybe he won't even stick with it and you'll just be out the money. I hope that it works out though, I'm sure he'll be psyched!
$600 is a lot of money for anyone's birthday gift if you're a freelance writer trying to empower other women to take control of their finances.. Honey, you might want to slice the boyfriend gift budget at least by half if you're trying to be true to yourself and your finances...
@Anon While I agree $600 is a lot for a birthday gift / late Christmas gift (it's by far the most I've ever spent on a gift) getting my bf something he'll love makes me happy, and that's important to me. Plus, I failed to mention that my boyfriend pays for dinner about 8 times out of 10, so I owe him in a sense. Also, I'm not a freelance writer (anymore) - I have a full time job now that pays fairly well ($60k) and I also freelance on the side ($250 - $500 per month) so I feel ok spending that much on his gift. We've been together almost 3 years now and will prob end up getting married eventually, so whatever I buy him will end up being half owned my me anyway. :)
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