Customer Kudos
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May 18, 2024
All-Star Gear Under $200
Budget Bangers for Any Musician
For musicians, affording quality gear doesn't always require a major label contract or brain surgery being your day job. In fact, there is plenty of time-tested, road proven gear that can be had for less than $200!
From a weekend warrior guitar rig to handy studio mics, headphones, and more, we've assembled this All-Star Gear list to showcase some of the best reviewed and most affordably priced gear that helps you perform your best. Shop the guide, read the reviews, and add a budget-friendly All-Star to your rig right away with our fast, free shipping on every order!
From a weekend warrior guitar rig to handy studio mics, headphones, and more, we've assembled this All-Star Gear list to showcase some of the best reviewed and most affordably priced gear that helps you perform your best. Shop the guide, read the reviews, and add a budget-friendly All-Star to your rig right away with our fast, free shipping on every order!
Epiphone Les Paul Special VE Electric Guitar
Only $199.00!
"I'm a total Gibson junkie, except for one Gretsch, and this guitar can hang with guitars that are much more expensive. It still has that Gibson/Epiphone tone, and with a quick setup was ready to play. Whether you have played for 20 years, or 20 minutes, this is a great choice."
- William in Huntington, WV
"This is the absolute best "cheap" guitar that a pro or a beginner could buy! Holds tune for years, humbucking pickups sound amazing, action out of the box is wonderful, finish is flat and paint is pretty."
- Pete in Stanhope, NJ
"The quality of the guitar is perfect for the price point, plays well, feels great. Just a quick change of the strings and it'll play amazingly."
- Jonathan in Euless, TX
"I'm a total Gibson junkie, except for one Gretsch, and this guitar can hang with guitars that are much more expensive. It still has that Gibson/Epiphone tone, and with a quick setup was ready to play. Whether you have played for 20 years, or 20 minutes, this is a great choice."
- William in Huntington, WV
"This is the absolute best "cheap" guitar that a pro or a beginner could buy! Holds tune for years, humbucking pickups sound amazing, action out of the box is wonderful, finish is flat and paint is pretty."
- Pete in Stanhope, NJ
"The quality of the guitar is perfect for the price point, plays well, feels great. Just a quick change of the strings and it'll play amazingly."
- Jonathan in Euless, TX
Sennheiser e845 Supercardioid Dynamic Handheld Microphone
Only $99.95!
"More clear, less "warm" than the Shure Beta 58A. I prefer the Sennheiser, hands-down. I primarily sing harmony, and find the clarity of this mic allows me to deliver harmonies without crowding the frequency space of the lead vocals."
- A Happy Owner
"With the EQ settings on the various mixers being flat and no processors; this mic is very clear, warm, and to me extremely even. Adjusting EQ is minimal to none at all! Vocals are natural as with mic'd acoustic guitars."
- A Happy Owner
"I don't sing, I just bring the stuff. I have two of these mics. Every singer that has used it tells me it is the best mic they've ever used."
- A Happy Owner
"More clear, less "warm" than the Shure Beta 58A. I prefer the Sennheiser, hands-down. I primarily sing harmony, and find the clarity of this mic allows me to deliver harmonies without crowding the frequency space of the lead vocals."
- A Happy Owner
"With the EQ settings on the various mixers being flat and no processors; this mic is very clear, warm, and to me extremely even. Adjusting EQ is minimal to none at all! Vocals are natural as with mic'd acoustic guitars."
- A Happy Owner
"I don't sing, I just bring the stuff. I have two of these mics. Every singer that has used it tells me it is the best mic they've ever used."
- A Happy Owner
Rode M3 Small-Diaphragm Condenser Microphone
Only $149.00!
"I absolutely love the sound of this microphone, it has a rich full sound when close miked. Plus it's very clear, I sing in restaurants and wine bars and since using this mic, the response has been great. It gives a nice airy lift to my vocals and makes it a real joy to sing. It sounds a lot more expensive then it actually is."
- A Happy Owner
"It has a certain airy quality that makes the high notes sparkle, and my guitars simply sound more like my guitars over this mic. For the price, you can't beat it."
- A Happy Owner
"With a switchable 10dB and 20dB pad and a high-pass filter, this mic has everything you need. What's more, it can run off phantom power or a 9V battery! What more do you need?"
- A Happy Owner
"I absolutely love the sound of this microphone, it has a rich full sound when close miked. Plus it's very clear, I sing in restaurants and wine bars and since using this mic, the response has been great. It gives a nice airy lift to my vocals and makes it a real joy to sing. It sounds a lot more expensive then it actually is."
- A Happy Owner
"It has a certain airy quality that makes the high notes sparkle, and my guitars simply sound more like my guitars over this mic. For the price, you can't beat it."
- A Happy Owner
"With a switchable 10dB and 20dB pad and a high-pass filter, this mic has everything you need. What's more, it can run off phantom power or a 9V battery! What more do you need?"
- A Happy Owner
Orange Micro Dark Terror Mini Guitar Amplifier Head
Only $199.00!
"There is near infinite amounts of tonal options you get from this amp. Turn down the gain and raise the volume, I hit the full potential of what the Micro Terror gave me. Crank up the gain and I get all the distortion and punch I want."
- Kenny in Miami, FL
"Most choose the Dark Terror for hard rock/metal tones but this thing really does it all! I highly recommend for pedal users (it has a built in effects loop) as well as anyone who needs a variety of tonality in a small compact package."
- KC in Forney, TX
"Don't be fooled by 3 knobs. This amp is very versatile. Between the amp's tone and gain knobs and the volume on my guitar I'm able to get most any sound."
- Andrew
"There is near infinite amounts of tonal options you get from this amp. Turn down the gain and raise the volume, I hit the full potential of what the Micro Terror gave me. Crank up the gain and I get all the distortion and punch I want."
- Kenny in Miami, FL
"Most choose the Dark Terror for hard rock/metal tones but this thing really does it all! I highly recommend for pedal users (it has a built in effects loop) as well as anyone who needs a variety of tonality in a small compact package."
- KC in Forney, TX
"Don't be fooled by 3 knobs. This amp is very versatile. Between the amp's tone and gain knobs and the volume on my guitar I'm able to get most any sound."
- Andrew
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Headphones
Only $149.00!
"Bass like you wouldn't believe and super clear mids and highs. Also they come with 3 (yes three!!!) different types of cords which are removable. Very comfortable for hours of mixing without fatigue."
- James in Shillington, PA
"I can hear the vocals so clearly and hear exactly what's happening with echos, adlibs, and effects. Overtones and differences in the amounts of reverb are very distinct too."
- Miles
"From podcasting to recording music, these are perfect! You literally can hear every single detail of a song."
- Scott in Shinnston, WV
"Bass like you wouldn't believe and super clear mids and highs. Also they come with 3 (yes three!!!) different types of cords which are removable. Very comfortable for hours of mixing without fatigue."
- James in Shillington, PA
"I can hear the vocals so clearly and hear exactly what's happening with echos, adlibs, and effects. Overtones and differences in the amounts of reverb are very distinct too."
- Miles
"From podcasting to recording music, these are perfect! You literally can hear every single detail of a song."
- Scott in Shinnston, WV
Hercules DJControl Starlight DJ Controller
Only $99.99!
"Pretty well made considering how cheap it is. Pads are the hard clicky variety but are accurate. Sounds decent plugged into a small set of speakers. Could go into a small Mackie mixer out to a PA system in a pinch if your main rig self destructs. Highly recommended!"
- A Happy Owner
"This little guy is packed with features and is very convenient. Makes an excellent backup or for small gigs. Or in my case, a nice little addition to mix it up on my karaoke gigs without carrying my main controller."
- A Happy Owner
"Pretty well made considering how cheap it is. Pads are the hard clicky variety but are accurate. Sounds decent plugged into a small set of speakers. Could go into a small Mackie mixer out to a PA system in a pinch if your main rig self destructs. Highly recommended!"
- A Happy Owner
"This little guy is packed with features and is very convenient. Makes an excellent backup or for small gigs. Or in my case, a nice little addition to mix it up on my karaoke gigs without carrying my main controller."
- A Happy Owner
Cloud Microphones CL-1 Cloudlifter Mic Activator
Only $149.00!
"The CL-1 took my existing pre-amps, added the levels I needed, and improved the sound. I'd say the price is worth that sort of performance! Dynamics like an SM57 and SM7 are brought to life. Not to mention any passive ribbon mic! Do yourself a favor and grab one."
- Eric Stoltz in Brooklyn , NY
"This is a great product if you are trying to boost the headroom of your dynamic mics. There are no bells and whistles, no dip switches, just gain."
- JW
"The CL-1 took my existing pre-amps, added the levels I needed, and improved the sound. I'd say the price is worth that sort of performance! Dynamics like an SM57 and SM7 are brought to life. Not to mention any passive ribbon mic! Do yourself a favor and grab one."
- Eric Stoltz in Brooklyn , NY
"This is a great product if you are trying to boost the headroom of your dynamic mics. There are no bells and whistles, no dip switches, just gain."
- JW
Gretsch G9500 Jim Dandy Parlor Flat Top Acoustic Guitar
Only $189.99!
"Mine was quite playable out of the box and was difficult to put down. Sounds great to my ears especially for bluesy stuff. Sounds cool with a slide as well."
- Sean in Woodstock, MD
"This guitar has a great tone for blues. The set up was dead on and it plays so easy. I never expected it to play so good and sound so sweet for this price!"
- Gunner in Tooele, UT
"This thing stays in tune better than any other guitar I own...and I've got quite a few. I can't say it enough. For $150 you can't go wrong!"
- Christopher in Rockville Centre, NY
"Mine was quite playable out of the box and was difficult to put down. Sounds great to my ears especially for bluesy stuff. Sounds cool with a slide as well."
- Sean in Woodstock, MD
"This guitar has a great tone for blues. The set up was dead on and it plays so easy. I never expected it to play so good and sound so sweet for this price!"
- Gunner in Tooele, UT
"This thing stays in tune better than any other guitar I own...and I've got quite a few. I can't say it enough. For $150 you can't go wrong!"
- Christopher in Rockville Centre, NY
Dunlop Cry Baby 535Q Wah Pedal
Only $169.99!
"This thing is literally a Swiss Army knife. It can do nearly any wah tone you've ever heard. The volume boost is quite a bit too! the Q control really gives you control on how much wah is in your wah."
- Steve in Miami, FL
"The 535Q is a great versatile wah with a nice boost switch to really feed your amp a fat wah wah sandwich. The adjustability allows for some great expression in music creation."
- James in Morrisville, PA
"I've owned this pedal for about a month now and it sounds great on any setting for any style. Really bright sounds on a clean channel and good sound on drive channel."
- A Happy Owner
"This thing is literally a Swiss Army knife. It can do nearly any wah tone you've ever heard. The volume boost is quite a bit too! the Q control really gives you control on how much wah is in your wah."
- Steve in Miami, FL
"The 535Q is a great versatile wah with a nice boost switch to really feed your amp a fat wah wah sandwich. The adjustability allows for some great expression in music creation."
- James in Morrisville, PA
"I've owned this pedal for about a month now and it sounds great on any setting for any style. Really bright sounds on a clean channel and good sound on drive channel."
- A Happy Owner
Korg Volca Beats Analog Rhythm Machine
Only $159.99!
"The Korg Volca Beats is a joy to use. The analog tones - kick, snare, toms, and hats - really are the heart of this little machine. They sound so fantastic and their control is minimal but covers a wide range of tonal shaping possibilities. The hats are the standout."
- A Happy Owner
"Small, simple, intuitive beat making machine. Amazing analog warmth. Can make giant sounding beats or thin distorted DAF/Malaria! style. Awesome."
- A Happy Owner
"The Korg Volca Beats is a joy to use. The analog tones - kick, snare, toms, and hats - really are the heart of this little machine. They sound so fantastic and their control is minimal but covers a wide range of tonal shaping possibilities. The hats are the standout."
- A Happy Owner
"Small, simple, intuitive beat making machine. Amazing analog warmth. Can make giant sounding beats or thin distorted DAF/Malaria! style. Awesome."
- A Happy Owner