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What is the most you have paid for a guitar? What would you pay today?


Dr. Scottie C

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In 88, I bought a 1400.00 Gibson showcase edition black /silver burst les paul with EMG'S. I still have it. In 2007 I paid 1600.00 for a 5 pound +/- rocking Sunburst Les Paul. New the guitar was 2600.00. It was never played and needed a setup with new nut. Paid 200.00 more.

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Well, I put out 45 bills for a new Gibson LP Standard '59 Reissue. The street price was around $6k so not a bad discount, but they do have a lot of margin to play with.

 

Only reason I'm answering this thread and divulging that much personal info is because it's worthwhile to say, "yeah, I'd probably not do that again".

 

The guitar does indeed sound and play great. But I bought it to be the "be all end all guitar" or a GAS killer. Well that didn't happen. As a gear whore I like to paw the tramps about as much as the debutantes, but I'm also more comfortable with a sub-grand guitar in my hands. The debutantes are kept safe, with the tramps I can get all sweaty with them and they'll take a knock or two without ruining my relationship with them.

 

Point being, you gotta know yourself. If you're the type of person that can buy a new Mercedes and park it as close to the front entrance of WalMart as you can get and not worry about door dings, then go for it. But if you're the buy a subcompact Kia type and you still park at the far end of the lot (that's closer to me) then you need to caution yourself from buying pricey case candy. Yeah, the quality of tone goes up, but it is a diminishing return.

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Bought my 1964 Gretsch 6117 Double Anniversary for $750 in '94. Bought my Hallamrk Johnny Ramone a couple years ago (used) for $690 shipped. The rest of the flock were nowhere near as pricey. I always figured a variety of inexpensive guitars is more fun than one big $ one. -Adam

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$1700 for a Gibson Les Paul Traditional Plus. I was running out of room for all my guitars. I saw a thread about a guy selling off a bunch of lesser guitars to fund one really nice one. That sounded like a good solution to my storage problem so I sold five guitars to buy this one and I have not regretted it one second. I know they're not for everyone but this lester has cured my GAS. I have since added one Tak EF341SC for a grand total of only three keepers now (kept/ semi retired my 80 LP Standard).

 

The amount I would pay for one guitar is limited only by my budget which is currently miniscule but I could see paying as much as maybe $15K for some old wood somewhere down the road maybe.

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~~$550 is the most I’ve spent so far for a guitar, which happens to go for $800 right now (via Fender price increase years ago).

 

I’ve gotten much cheaper guitars before and since, and I don’t think I’d pay that much again.

 

Finding deals (closeouts and such) I have guitars from $150 to $400 that are awesome looking and playing.

 

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$5000 for a Goodall with Big Spruce top. Back in 2004 during the tech boom. Rarely play it. Actually I'm even afraid to own it. Electric, $2100 for a Wildwood 10 Seafoam Green strat. Evenso, I think $1200 is the sweetspot for playability and comfort of ownership. I'm really diggin the Reverends these days.

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Bought a Gibson MIII Standard back in 1992 for $1200. Still have it tucked away in a case in the closet, and I haven't even opened the case in 5 years.

 

Nowadays pretty good guitars are relatively plentiful. I probably wouldn't pay more than $700 unless it was a huge deal.

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I think I paid around $3500 for my Tom Anderson when I ordered it back in 2003, but there were a bunch of upgrades in there (eg: solid rosewood neck, etc).

 

If it was lost or stolen I'd pay about the same to replace it.

 

Out of curiosity, why would you buy a guitar for that much money only to "upgrade" it? I'd expect a perfect guitar for that amount.

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Out of curiosity, why would you buy a guitar for that much money only to "upgrade" it? I'd expect a perfect guitar for that amount.

 

Don't you think it was ordered with the upgrades?

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The most I ever paid was $5k. That was for a special R9. Today,with the prices so inflated, I wouldn't even consider buying another LP, or for that matter most other Gibsons, or Fenders of the type I would consider playing. I found two European companies, whose guitars are built to higher standards then both Fender and Gibson, and are less expensive.

For USA guitars, I recently found a luthier who builds teles for some of the hottest Nashville players, and his prices are so reasonable that I ordered a pair of them. I was looking into Fender Select teles, but that would still be only a stock production guitar, and from the reviews I have read by buyers, they are only so-so..

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So far, $750 for a like-new honeyburst LP Classic. Can't say what I'd pay in future since that hasn't happened yet. I was actually making considerably less then, even adjusted for inflation, so I would think I would consider at least that much again. But it'd have to be for a really great deal.

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The guitar does indeed sound and play great. But I bought it to be the "be all end all guitar" or a GAS killer. Well that didn't happen. As a gear whore I like to paw the tramps about as much as the debutantes, but I'm also more comfortable with a sub-grand guitar in my hands. The debutantes are kept safe, with the tramps I can get all sweaty with them and they'll take a knock or two without ruining my relationship with them.

.

 

I'm glad someone else has this affliction.

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1700 sold for double, would pay more if the value is there I can see, it always pays to buy the best as long as you do not over pay.

I am in the numismatic business and know there is always a buyer for the finest known specimens. I do not know enough about guitars to buy the real guitar rarities but it seems that the prices are sky rocketing there even in a soft economy.

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Most I've paid was SGD $2369 (just under $1900US) this April for an American Deluxe Strat. I wasn't even thinking about buying a guitar but I happened to be in the shop buying something else and a guy was trying this guitar. He was playing Dawn Market pretty badly so I couldn't resist showing off.... twenty minutes later the guitar was mine.

 

I don't worry about money so if cost were the only concern I'd have dozens of guitars. I try to limit myself to instruments that I'm going to play regularly and if I buy another guitar it has to replace one that I already have.

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The most actual cash was a Schon from the original Jackson run $1200 in around 2001( 1of 3 that were NOS ). But I traded a 67 SG Custom and $700 for a Late 60's Black EDS1275 With a Bigbsy in 1976. Now I don't buy anything unless it's a deal . My last guitar was a 84 Fender Flame Standard $500 a month ago.

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