Balaguer Guitars

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GOHOINC

GOHOINC

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I've seen some folks on here have a Balaguer, some with multiple. I've been playing in the online builder and thinking about an order. The bang for the buck seems pretty great. But are they any good? Based on the price point I can't imagine they could compete with the suhr or andersons so where do they fall in terms of fit/finish and possibly more importantly, playability?
 
I discovered BG over a year and a half ago… I’ve owned 8 so far and I have one more on order. I love the guitars so much! I don’t miss any of the suhr’s, music man’s or PRS that I owned… they are that good. I have had gas a few times for other brands, but either returned the guitars or sold them because I keep coming back to my BG’s. They all play great and sound fantastic

One of the best parts of BG is Joe Balaguer himself. He’s incredibly personable and takes care of the client. I’ve never had such a high level of custom service from any other manufacturer.

Full discloser… I became a brand ambassador for the company a few months ago. I don’t get paid at all, but I help spread the word and try to answer any questions that might come up on FB or different guitar forums. I wouldn’t put as much time into a company if I didn’t really believe in what they were doing.

Great people all around at BG.
 
they are amazing. i have 2, a thickett bb and the original hyperion prototype. great quality, really fun and easy guitars to play.
 
I’ve been assuming they’re on par with something like an Agile?

Agiles are pretty nice guitars. For low action (1 mm or so from the 12th with little relief), some professional fret work might be needed.

Is that right for a Balaguer?
 
I have played two Balaguers, the SD and the Hyperion. The fit, finish and sound were all fantastic. They were both very nice and one of the better sounding guitars I have played for certain.

The only negative for me was that I was not a huge fan of the C shape neck profile but that is kind of a personal thing. For me the Charvel necks are perfect and the Horizon is the absolute biggest I can ever go as a disclaimer.

Balaguer has a thin D type neck that is definitely on my list to try. From checking out the specs and seeing different discussions about them I feel that the thin D neck would be great for me but I have not got to try one yet.

A bit off topic but the pickups are great too. I replaced a BKP Miracle Man with Balaguer Ferals and the Ferals sounded WAY better once I got it dialed in to my liking.

As a personal opinion. I can also say Joe is a stand up guy and I would not hesitate to deal with him again. I don't know him close but I get the impression he believes in quality but also top notch service. He is a player too so I think he has seen the ups and downs of other small builders, is a smart guy and does things the right way.

I have been tempted so many times to get the Archetype Overlord but I am not really a 7 string kind of guy. One day I would like to get it anyway. :p

That is really all I can say. TL;DR Joe is an awesome dude and his guitars sound and are built really nice.
 
cardinal":23qc4r06 said:
I’ve been assuming they’re on par with something like an Agile?

Agiles are pretty nice guitars. For low action (1 mm or so from the 12th with little relief), some professional fret work might be needed.

Is that right for a Balaguer?
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Way above Agile IMO.

The only Agile I have played (and owned) was the Interceptor 727. It felt cheap and sounded really bad (maybe didn't have the right pups?).

The 2 Balaguer's I played felt solid and sounded very good. Just my personal experiences but I would never buy another Agile however, I would buy a Balaguer.
 
cardinal":2zq5an1x said:
I’ve been assuming they’re on par with something like an Agile?

Agiles are pretty nice guitars. For low action (1 mm or so from the 12th with little relief), some professional fret work might be needed.

Is that right for a Balaguer?
Click to expand...

Not at all. Joe has really high standards and he goes over every Guitar leaves his shop. I’ve played my fair share of agile’s and they are nowhere near the ballpark the Balaguer Guitars
 
Alright, thanks guys. Guess I’ll have to try them for myself.

BTW if you have the inside track: can you try to get him to offer a Strat shape? The Tele is cool and I could go that route, but I really just like Strats (7 string Strats!).
 
cardinal":316kneoo said:
Alright, thanks guys. Guess I’ll have to try them for myself.

BTW if you have the inside track: can you try to get him to offer a Strat shape? The Tele is cool and I could go that route, but I really just like Strats (7 string Strats!).
Click to expand...

Joe is always working on new stuff!!! I hope to see that shape soon as well.

The archetype is a cool offset Strat shape too
 
Yeah I have 1 now and my semi-custom is shipping in the next few weeks. These blow stuff like Agile out of the water. Fit and finish on my first one is excellent. I like the comfy C neck and I have his pickups in my Les Paul as well as both Balaguers.

As Mentioned, Joe is a stand up dude as well. He is very active on his various social pages and is quick to respond via FB/email. I was super skeptical until i got my first one. Had no issues dropping $1500+ on my Semi-Custom. The stuff at NAMM was fantastic. Felt on par with the couple ESP Standard Series stuff I have owned for sure.

I was looking at a Suhr Modern Satin but opted for the Balaguer after having my first one a few months. No regrets at all. It DID take me until playing a few to get over the country or origin but that's just because I am a total snob. Zero f*cks.

Also, even though my YouTube channel is by no means "huge" I am very guarded about what gear I will actually recommend to people especially as Joe's guitars really aren't cheap. You're in over $1,000 for most any of them. As of right now, they certainly get my stamp of approval, for whatever that's worth.
 
mystixboi":48ezsobj said:
cardinal":48ezsobj said:
Alright, thanks guys. Guess I’ll have to try them for myself.

BTW if you have the inside track: can you try to get him to offer a Strat shape? The Tele is cool and I could go that route, but I really just like Strats (7 string Strats!).
Click to expand...

Joe is always working on new stuff!!! I hope to see that shape soon as well.

The archetype is a cool offset Strat shape too
Click to expand...

I’ve played with the configurator (really cool feature) and would love to try one. But I also am a Strat/super-Strat shapes guy. The archetype is kinda close and I appreciate the effort to come up with new designs and spins. But I just don’t like any of the tele or LP type shapes.

I’d love to get a seafoam green little shredder built to my specs, I’d be on that.
 
Yeah, the Archetype is not really my thing. Really would love a true Strat-body option
 
cardinal":2rtsrgqp said:
Yeah, the Archetype is not really my thing. Really would love a true Strat-body option
Click to expand...


I’ll pass the message along!
 
mystixboi":3gz52u0k said:
cardinal":3gz52u0k said:
Yeah, the Archetype is not really my thing. Really would love a true Strat-body option
Click to expand...


I’ll pass the message along!
Click to expand...

:yes: A superstrat with really pointy horns :thumbsup:
 
mystixboi":2b3medub said:
cardinal":2b3medub said:
Yeah, the Archetype is not really my thing. Really would love a true Strat-body option
Click to expand...


I’ll pass the message along!
Click to expand...

Stainless steel jumbo frets would be great as well . I love the fact that do lefty versions at no up charge .
BTW what is the wait time on a semi custom build .
 
Agreed on needing a strat type
Also should adopt a 20% down to build (not 100%)
 
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