The Reverse Bbreaker Thread - Let's see your guitars YOU PAID TOO MUCH for and why?

[GAS Man]

This American Standard HH Strat. I paid full MAP for it of $975

Why? The color was being discontinued and I'd fallen in love with "chrome blue". I had tried to buy it from another dealer at a good price, but they were sold out. The offered me a silver HSS for $700 instead which I also bought. But I continued to chase after the HH in chrome blue, costing me $275 more than the HSS, just to get that color.

 

A Mexican Made Fender FSR Standard Telecaster. I've got $579 into this one.

 

I paid full MAP (no way was the GC dickering with me since this was the only one they had in the store - not even MF had them) so $499.99 + 9.5% sales tax, and I couldn't even get them to throw in a gigbag, so it was + $31.46 for a Fender gigbag later on from MF. That doesn't even include the 200 mile round trip I put in to go get it. Again why? The color (FSR Silverburst).

 

Now this one is debatable, but $800 + sales tax back in 1984 was a heckuva lot of money (about $1783 in today's dollars) and it is "Norlin era" quality. But that was $100 off their asking price. It has appreciated since I bought it, but not up with inflation. Maybe worth about $1300 now. But since it's from the first Custom Shop Edition run of the Les Paul Studio, I'm still fond of it. It's the oldest electric guitar that's still in my collection.

 

For quite a while, the street reference books didn't even recognize these guitars existed. They used to cite 1984 as the first Studios. Now you can find references to the 1983 Studio Standard (above) and the Studio Custom. The Studio Customs often have the coveted "Shaw" pickups. I haven't determined whether or not this one does. Regardless, I'd still like to upgrade it someday to some Duncan Antiquities.

Why this purchase? I didn't know much at all about electrics at the time. I could have gotten an American Strat and had coin to spare. But the store didn't carry new strats (only a vintage one with an even higher price tag on it). But for me this guitar was up on their display stage and it was lust at first sight. I got a bank loan and paid it off $50 a month. Those were the days. LOL

 

 

Let's see your lust over logic guitars!! Fess up!

[xrleroyx]

I had a studio custom that was sawn in 1/4ths at the kalamazoo plant. I bought it from a hippie who's dad made "clocks" out of old kalamazoo era Gibsons. Had a huge chunk out of the fretboard that was replaced, and the headstock was from an 80's SG. I think. It had antiquities in it. I bought it for $500. I spent another $600 getting the neck repaired, wiring done and a set of custom pickups put in it. I sold it to a friend for $1,500. the headstock is still being wonky. I'll have to look up how to put plugs in to make it more stable. I loved playing that guitar. One of the nicest I've ever played.

[LesPaulFetish]

Every guitar I own

[RedJamaX]

300 bones for this one... the second guitar that I ever owned (first was one of those Kramer starter kits). This picture was taken AFTER I fixed it.

 

Had a crooked bridge, crooked neck, and I "upgraded" the pickups to some BC Rich BSDMs... I bought it because I didn't know any better, I was just excited to get a guitar that had humbuckers, LOL. Although, I did learn a LOT about what to look for in a guitar after wasting my money on this one...

 

[ashtray]

Bought a parts-Tele off here last year. Had been searching for a black double bound Tele body for a build and couldn't find any except for people asking $500 for just the body on eBay. Bought the partscaster for $250. Turned out to be a $119 SX Tele that I didn't realize they made (wasn't on their main page) with a crappy replacement neck (and horribly bumpy/dirty homemade poly finish). It played terrible, felt terrible, sounded terrible. Couldn't salvage a single part from it. Ended up throwing it in the garage. Lesson learned. Went out and paid $1,400 for a mint used AVRI '62 Custom that was unplayed and had all case candy. That's the guitar I really wanted. Sometimes there's no shortcut - and throwing a couple hundred bucks at something that won't fit the bill is just money wasted.

[chuck1016]

When I decided to start playing electric again I went to a local shop with my mind set on a MIM or maybe even Squire strat. After playing 5 different strats I walked out with a Highway One for nearly twice what I originally thought I'd pay. I don't know, something about it just felt right compared to the rest. I've fallen in and out of love with that guitar many times, but I've had it for 7 years now and don't see myself ever selling it (which is saying something, I generally don't get attached to guitars).

[Canadian Jeff]

I'd love to play, but when I think about it, I got good deals on all my guitars.

 

Still, looking forward to the pic storm that should ensue

[Canadian Jeff]

I'd love to play, but when I think about it, I got good deals on all my guitars.

 

Still, looking forward to the pic storm that should ensue

[realtree71]

I decided to get back to my 80's pointy guitarish love so I had Carvin custom build this bad boy for about $1300

 

 

and then during my actual 80's pointy guitarish love I purchased this in 1983 for $832.67. It is a 1983 Korina Explorer in of course "Candy Apple Red"

 

 

heres another shot of it

 

[Zappa74]

$579 for the Silverburst Tele?

 

Damn, my local GC had theirs sitting there for months.

[bsman]

 

I paid $400 for this (basically dead mint) Godin LG-P90 last year. I figure I probably paid about $100 too much for it, but it's the lightest one I ever picked up and after the last boat-anchor LG I had that was enough to swing me.

[GAS Man]

$579 for the Silverburst Tele? Damn, my local GC had theirs sitting there for months.

 

Yeah, well that was the point of the thread. Gits you paid too dang much for.

 

[Guitar Heel]

Anything I've sold in the past two years that I didn't also buy in the past two years... Used prices are pretty low right now, and it's a buyer's market.

[twisty571]

I have basically broke even on everything,sometimes I have made a little and some I lost a little for extra shipping or paypal fees.

[iamjethro]

T-60. Not sure if this story fits here or not. Got it free (gift from my dad). He bought it at a pawn shop and knows nothing of guitars, he had just heard me say I wanted one. So, needs a refret, no one around here does that. I send it off, guys health goes bad and he sends it back. Shipping both ways on a T-60 isnt cheap. Another guy on a board I am on says he can do it, so I ship it to him. Keeps it a while and finally says he has it done but the frets keep pulling out., I had already paid money for it and it gets sent back. More shipping, still unplayable. Send it off again. Gets fretted finally after a new fretboard is put on. Just sent neck this time and it is returned. Then I pay for set up and leveling. he reports after it is done that it took extra work as the neck is messed up and one side is not aligned with the other for setting heights. Debating sending it off again to guy who says ignore this setup guy nothing is wrong with the neck. He can do somne other stuff I would like done to the guitar and will set it up. I trust this person for a lot of reasons. So ,anyway, just what I have in it is more that what they sell for now, I have had it almost 6 years and I still have not played it for more that an hour.

 

 

But Dad gave it to me and the intent was right. t may become the most expensive wall hanging I have ever bought. Thing is I really like the neck, so I want it to play.

 

[BydoEmpire]

The only guitars I think I paid too much for are the ones I've sold or traded later. They were whim purchases (mostly from Guitar Center). It wasn't that they were overpriced, it's that they weren't the right guitar for me and I shouldn't have bought them in the first place.

[Doctor Morbius]

I feel I have too much in a few of my partscaster Strats. I try to rationalize the extra expense by claiming they are "keepers" and over a 10 year period the extra cost will amount to chump change, which is true. If I were to buy a single Coke out of a machine (at work or practically anyplace) for $1 each, 5 days per week for 50 weeks (the typical American work week) that would come to $2500 over a 10 year time frame. That's about twice as much as I have in my most expensive piece of gear.

 

Back when I used to drink I'd spend an easy $50 a week. That's $26,000 over a 10 year period. Thankfully I never smoked.

 

Just for 2012 I've already spent $2869.61 on various household repairs, such as plumbing, and yard work! And the year isn't over yet. Since I've bought this house in 2009 I've spent about $10,000 on new lawnmowers, light bulbs, painting supplies, plumbers, tree removal, gardening tools, yadda yadda. Home ownership ain't cheap!

[Zappa74]

Yeah, well that was the point of the thread. Gits you paid too dang much for.

 

Yup and I'm acknowledging that you did a good job

 

It is a cool guitar though. I snagged one of the Copperburst ones that was out at the same time and I love it.

[GAS Man]

Yup and I'm acknowledging that you did a good job It is a cool guitar though. I snagged one of the Copperburst ones that was out at the same time and I love it.

 

You don't know how very close I came to also chasing after that FSR Copperburst. It actually rolled out just after the Silverburst. I remember Fuzztone posting the Copperburst here and me going "Dang!"

In retrospect I wish I had, that was pretty unique, more so than the SBs. And now most of my obsessions with Silverbursts is over. I ended up with a Les Paul, SG, Explorer, Telecaster and Gibson V (for my son) in Silverburst before my SB-lust subsided. Let me know when you want to swap Copper for Silver. According to the commodities market, you'd be coming out ahead.

 

P.S. I also A/B'd my MIM Tele against my Am. Special and the tone came very very close IMO. The AM Spc has just a tad bit more vibe to it, but it took me a few back-and-forths to even be able to perceive it. Fender's doing a good job IMHO on their MIMs these days.

[jhorne]

My '03 Gibson Les Paul Custom in Silverburst.

 

Paid full MAP + tax at Sam Ash because, at the time, the Silverburst Custom was a limited run for Sam Ash only and it was the only place to get one. And for some reason, I convinced myself that day I needed to have one.

 

Had I known within a year or so Gibson was going to reissue Silverburst as a standard color for the Customs (and put out a Silverburst version of just about every model they make), I probably would have waited and got a better deal down the road.

 

On the upside, MAP for a Custom in '03 was about $2500 and not the $4k that it is today...

[Bbreaker]

 

OK..............how much did I pay for my 1993 Gibson Lonnie Mack Flying V?

It was the first one made out of the original 188 batch per Walter Carter.

When I bought it, my wife and I ran out of the store as if we were bandits.

This is a reverse of the OP's thread.

[GAS Man]

 

Fess up, you have any representing poor timing or lack sound judgement?

[Bbreaker]

Fess up, you have any representing poor timing or lack sound judgement?

 

 

I've let go some gems at a ridiculous price.

But no, even in my pangs of lust, common sense got the better of me.

 

To make you feel good, I have less than $2k total in all the gear in this picture.

 

[Woody_in_MN]

My Made in USA Squier Strat. I paid as much as a MIM Fender Strat for it. But I played it against a G&L Tribute and took the Squier. So maybe I did not pay too much for it...

 

[Flintc]

For reasons I will probably never come close to understanding, I spent $3500 for THIS! Which didn't even come with a case. I bought a coffin case for it, and they now keep a coffin-shaped spot on my attic floor from getting too dusty.