Is it worth investing in expensive guitars?

[metallica_00]

If you've been smitten by some high end stuff, it makes sense to wait/save and get it, because if you getting something cheaper and "almost" as good, chances are you will still want the grail.

 

If you can tell much of a difference, more power to you, and more change in your wallet for some other pursuit...

[mymindsok]

Well said - +1. I view it like wine. Is a $1000 bottle of wine going to be good? Yes. Can I also find a $25 bottle that is good? Yes. Is the $1000 bottle better? Generally speaking, yes (though there occasionally some really, really good bottles at low proces). Is it it 40x better? I don't think so, and neither does at least one well-known wine reviewer that I occasionally have dinner with. If you absolutely must have "the best", by all means spend your money on it and enjoy it - but don't get fooled into thinking it's some sort of great value. SNIP!

 

 

How many bottles of really expensive, fine wine have you actually sampled?

 

Just before I departed NYC I was invited to a wine tasting that was thrown by one of my bartender friends and during the course of the evening we sampled about 15 rare, extremely expensive wines. It was an experience I'll never forget and when I say experience, I mean EXPERIENCE!For the first time, I tasted wines that would start out tasting one way and then change as you sipped them, others would "bloom" as the liquid crossed you tongue and explode with fruitiness. Were the wines worth it? I'd say so, despite the fact that I could never afford to buy any of em and how can you put a price on a transcendental experience?

 

To me, a truly fine guitar is comparable to a fine wine, except that the guitar is usually more expensive and will last a lifetime compared to a wine lasting an hour or so. I own a couple of what some would call "expensive" guitars but to me, they're truly priceless and the sale price was simply the cost of having a wonderful, ongoing musical experience.

 

As always, YMMV...

[TunaNugget]

And guitars don't taste like rotten grapes.

[Spike Li]

Im gonna say "yes". In my experience, more often than not you do get what you pay for, but of course there are always exceptions to the rule. At the end of the day, buy and play what you like and to hell with everyone else

[sgt mukuzi]

gold is way to expensive at the moment, it was only 350 bux an oz a few years ago.


anyway, some will some wont

[StratGuy22]

you think your guitars are going to appreciate? Good luck with that.

Well, even by holding their value, I'm money ahead.



Twice!

[soundcreation]

Well, even by holding their value, I'm money ahead. Twice!

 

Not really. If they hold their value then it's no different than keeping cash under your bed. (If we are strictly talking about them for an investment). Gradual inflation will devalue your principle. Buy a guitar today for a grand and selling it in thirty years for a grand leaves you behind.

 

I really think that many of the people who got sucked in by that false vintage guitar bubble a few years back, and jumped on board all the new "custom shop" offerings as a potential money maker, are going to be in for a huge shock when in thirty years their guitars are virtually worthless. The market is just so flooded with those and the only people who are keeping the values at par are going to die soon. The generation behind them doesn't care THAT much and there are not enough people in that generation to keep it viable.

[billybilly]

The best way to make money on guitars is flipping them. Buy cheap and sell immediately for a moderate profit and do it a lot. USA fenders and gibsons always sell and can be found cheap if you look.

 

I did it as a hobby for about 3 years and made enough money to fly overseas every year and acquire nice gear at no cost (I kept what I really liked and selling others paid for them). Averaged around $4500 US a year.

 

I disclose this as I live nowhere near you guys, well, most of you are not from down here with me kangaroos.

[SteinbergerHack]

 

How many bottles of really expensive, fine wine have you actually sampled?

 

 

That would depend on your definition of "really expensive". I've gone well into the hundreds many times. I've never topped $500 for a bottle, though. I see the $2,500 bottles on the list and just move right past - I have too many other things to do with my cash.

 

 

Just before I departed NYC I was invited to a wine tasting that was thrown by one of my bartender friends and during the course of the evening we sampled about 15 rare, extremely expensive wines. It was an experience I'll never forget and when I say experience, I mean EXPERIENCE!For the first time, I tasted wines that would start out tasting one way and then change as you sipped them, others would "bloom" as the liquid crossed you tongue and explode with fruitiness.

 

 

Sure. However, I would suggest that the single most important factor in wine is the manner in which it is served. You can take a bottle of Opus One, chill it to 38 degrees, serve it in a paper cup, and you'll find it nearly indistinguishable from a $4 bottle of Shiraz. Take that same wine, serve it at the proper temperature, in the proper glass, properly decanted, with the appropriate food accompaniment -and WHAM! you have an incredible experience. My point is that there are quite a few bottles in the $20-50 range that would fare very well in comparison, if they got the same treatment in serving. That fact that they rarely do get presented in the best light results in those less expensive wines not being perceived as being as good as their more expensive cousins.

 

In fact, the friend I noted above (who is the wine critic for the largest newspaper in a major city), has told me stories of true-blind taste tests that the wineries will never allow to be published - because they showed that a single wine could get RADICALLY different ratings from the SAME tester, simply by slightly changing the environment.

 

 

Were the wines worth it? I'd say so, despite the fact that I could never afford to buy any of em and how can you put a price on a transcendental experience?

 

 

The experience is the point.

 

 

To me, a truly fine guitar is comparable to a fine wine, except that the guitar is usually more expensive and will last a lifetime compared to a wine lasting an hour or so. I own a couple of what some would call "expensive" guitars but to me, they're truly priceless and the sale price was simply the cost of having a wonderful, ongoing musical experience. As always, YMMV...

 

 

I won't argue that point - not at all.

[-=Pennywise=-]

call me a cheap bastard or anti-cork sniffer, but I can't justify myself buying any guitar priced over $1000. I had chances to, but with my building experience and mechanically inclined mind and knowing what I want and like in a guitar, I can easily take that $1000 or less and turn it into a $3000 guitar in terms of playability, sound, and looks.... all in that order.

 

funniest thing is the guitar I'm most comfortable on cost me less than $400 in total since buying/modding it.

 

 

To each his own, if someone has the cash and wants an expensive instrument to play on, I won't rag on his parade. Kudos to him.

[RaVenCAD]

I used to be a fan of the cheap imports, but then one day I woke up and started looking at the human cost in getting those guitars into this country. Labor practices in most Asian countries are frightening. Yes, America has labor problems too, but not to the same extent. So I make it a point not to buy cheap imports anymore. There are a lot I'd love to try out, but I avoid them and stick with American made stuff. At least I know the people that made the American stuff were free to choose whether to work that crappy guitar factory job or not. So from that perspective, to me, it's worth it.

[alfsboy]

 

I used to be a fan of the cheap imports, but then one day I woke up and started looking at the human cost in getting those guitars into this country. Labor practices in most Asian countries are frightening. Yes, America has labor problems too, but not to the same extent. So I make it a point not to buy cheap imports anymore. There are a lot I'd love to try out, but I avoid them and stick with American made stuff. At least I know the people that made the American stuff were free to choose whether to work that crappy guitar factory job or not. So from that perspective, to me, it's worth it.

 

Not sure about this .Most working people dont have the luxury of choice these days .Working in a guitar factory may well be utter hell to many people.While most Asian factorys WERE below western standards ,they may well be up to scratch compared to some western factorys that rely on import labour anyway .Early Fenders were certainly made by Import labour and many were far from loyal to Leo who was just another guy on the make using the cheapest labour he could get.You think I ma joking .I went for a job in Norwich last year .All the signs were in Polish ,not English .The girl interviewing me was also Polish . I didnt get the job .Cant think why.The human cost of cheap labor is worth comparing to the human cost of no job at all .its aquandary certianly

on the subject of guitars for investment ..forget it ,also all the toy collectors ,train dealers ,plate sellers,teddy bear peddlars .All crap .

[Help!I'maRock!]

i don't buy guitars to invest in. i buy them to play. great if their value increases, but that's not my primary goal. there are far better investments than the guitar market.

[RaVenCAD]

Not sure about this .Most working people dont have the luxury of choice these days .Working in a guitar factory may well be utter hell to many people.While most Asian factorys WERE below western standards ,they may well be up to scratch compared to some western factorys that rely on import labour anyway .Early Fenders were certainly made by Import labour and many were far from loyal to Leo who was just another guy on the make using the cheapest labour he could get.You think I ma joking .I went for a job in Norwich last year .All the signs were in Polish ,not English .The girl interviewing me was also Polish . I didnt get the job .Cant think why.The human cost of cheap labor is worth comparing to the human cost of no job at all .its aquandary certianly on the subject of guitars for investment ..forget it ,also all the toy collectors ,train dealers ,plate sellers,teddy bear peddlars .All crap .

 

 

I wasn't alive when Leo started Fender, so I don't care what he used or who made them. Everyone working in America today has a choice about that job. Work it or walk. No law in this land says "you will work this job until such time as we allow you to leave" It simply doesn't work that way here. In a lot of Asian factories, that's not always the case. I've read of factories that have been very close to slavery, especially in the more rural parts of China. Frankly, I want no part of that nor anything produced there. If you're "not sure about this", then that's your problem. I can choose not to buy Asian imports if I want. And don't start on the whole "where was the computer you're typing on made?" crap.. If there was an American made option, I'd take it. Sadly, this country sold its soul to China years ago, and now all the out of work people spend their wellfare checks on more Chinese landfill material, thus continuing the cycle of dependancy.

[Ratbatblues]

WOW.., this thread has made a crazy turn.

[SteinbergerHack]

 

WOW.., this thread has made a crazy turn.

 

 

Welcome to Harmony Central.

[Roy Brooks]

Here is a true expensive guitar buying story. In the mid to late 1970s I was really into very old school acoustic fingerpicking blues. And I got myself a then new Dobro Model 33D brass bodied resonator guitar with a Hawaiian etching on the back. But I sold the Dobro in the 1980s. About five years ago I was at Elderly Instruments in Lansing, Michigan. And in one of their acoustic rooms they had a nice selection of brand new National and Beltona metal bodied resonator guitars. I played all of them for a few minutes each. All of them were very nice, played well, and sounded good. They all were expensive though not incredibly expensive. But none of them sounded like the Dobro I had in the 1970s. I went to the counter and asked the man there if they had any other metal bodied resonator guitars. He got out a 1934 National Style O. Once I had it in my hands and played the first note I heard that sound that I remembered from owning the Dobro in the 1970s and from Blind Boy Fuller records. It also felt better in my hands than the new Nationals maybe due to the wider fingerboard. So I played every note on every fret to make sure the guitar was a good playable instrument. It was. Absolutely nothing wrong with it. And it was the National that was right for me. It cost a few hundred dollars more than the most expensive new National. I bought it. Here it is in the Elderly Instruments photo of the guitar I bought.

[McCain]

gold is way to expensive at the moment, it was only 350 bux an oz a few years ago.

I remember when a bottle of coke was $.05
http://maxkeiser.com/

[tim gueguen]

I wonder how many people actually read the original post.

[McCain]

I wonder how many people actually read the original post.

Yes but both the question and answer were in the OP.

[mygolfcart123]

This is probably a really stupid question... but lately I've just keep finding myself trying out moderately priced guitar (~$400~800) and higher end guitars (~$1000~$2000) and honestly, I can't really see the point of investing in an expensive guitar especially when playing metal in a live mix. Everything I play, they sound really different on the clean channel but once you start running high gain (my amp's gain is usually on 5 or less so I don't get washed out) then add another guitar player , then add in the bass player, then add the drums, the difference of the starting guitar all tend to sound the same at the end result when playing through the same amp.

 

 

 

To tell you the truth I have only seen this topic come up very frequently on HC Guitar Forums and NOT on other guitar forums.

 

I really don't know if the people posting about this can't afford one and want to bash them or if they honestly think they are unnecessary. But as far as metal goes, you can just about get a cheap ESP and because of the way the effects cover up a lot of things, no, you cannot really tell a difference.

 

Now try something on clean like jazz music and it is a whole other ballgame.

 

I own very expensive gear now and I have also owned very cheap gear when I started out on guitar and later on moved up to more expensive gear, so I have been on both sides of the fence.

 

But what I can attest to, is the fact that for me, I WOULD miss my expensive stuff if I had to start all over again.

 

Don't know if that helps you or not, but there it is.

[soundcreation]

 

I really don't know if the people posting about this can't afford one and want to bash them or if they honestly think they are unnecessary.

 

 

My opinion of HCEG is that it is 9 times out of 10 the former. Cheap snobs run rampant here.

[Muddslide]

1. Nobody but you and other gearhead geeks know or care what brand you are playing or what substance the bridge is made from or what wood it's built with. 99% of any audience is certainly not going to know or care. They wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a vintage Gibson 335 and an Asian cheapie Strat. And again, they wouldn't give a {censored}.

2. With the ability to use EQ, modelers and and endless array of effects, you can make a plywood Chinese single coil sound like a '59 Les Paul. (I agree the difference in things like wood's affect on tone, etc. is much more pronounced if you are playing acoustic guitar, or playing as clean as possible with nothing in your signal chain, or perhaps playing completely solo guitar pieces.)

3. As long as it is comfortable to you, can be set up with decent action, intonates well and holds tune, it's a player. Doesn't matter how much it cost, where it was made, what it was made out of, what label is on the headstock. And you can find plenty of players that have the above qualities without spending a bundle.

All that said, people should feel free to purchase and own and play anything they want to.

[fretmonster]

Is it worth investing in expensive guitars?

 

I'd rather just invest in good guitars myself. By that I mean guitars that fit my needs - tonewise, ability-wise and playability wise. I feel that some guitar players cheat themselves by making cost their main priority but just as many cheat themselves by making cachet their main priority. I'm personally not interested in hanging a fifteen pound vintage trophy around my neck, regardless how much mojo it has or who played it. Just as the most talented people are not always the most successful, the most expensive guitars are not always the best instruments. Style and image play at least as big a role in guitar sales as the actual musical quality inherent in the instrument. And how many around here equate quality solely with fit and finish? Truthfully, you are the only one that knows the sound you're looking for and the playability criteria you are looking for and the only way you are going to find it is by personally plugging them in and finding out - trial and error.

[soundcreation]

 

1. Nobody but you and other gearhead geeks know or care what brand you are playing or what substance the bridge is made from or what wood it's built with. 99% of any audience is certainly not going to know or care. They wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a vintage Gibson 335 and an Asian cheapie Strat. And again, they wouldn't give a {censored}. 2. With the ability to use EQ, modelers and and endless array of effects, you can make a plywood Chinese single coil sound like a '59 Les Paul. (I agree the difference in things like wood's affect on tone, etc. is much more pronounced if you are playing acoustic guitar, or playing as clean as possible with nothing in your signal chain, or perhaps playing completely solo guitar pieces.) 3. As long as it is comfortable to you, can be set up with decent action, intonates well and holds tune, it's a player. Doesn't matter how much it cost, where it was made, what it was made out of, what label is on the headstock. And you can find plenty of players that have the above qualities without spending a bundle. All that said, people should feel free to purchase and own and play anything they want to.

 

 

1. Is a strawman argument. What other people think from an outside perspective has nothing to do with what the player thinks about his own gear.

 

2. Doesn't matter either. Yes..you can "doctor" sound from a {censored}ty guitar. That still doesn't change the fact you are playing a {censored}ty guitar. It's not all about the sound.

 

3. Maybe those "qualities" keep improving with higher quality guitars? Nobody is saying cheap guitars are unplayable. But just because cheaper guitars play "decently" doesn't mean that other guitars don't play better.

 

The problem I have is not with the cheap guitars in and of themselves...I own some that I like a lot....it's when the cheap crowd try to convince me there is no difference between a low end guitar and a high quality one. No set up in the WORLD is going to make my 150 dollar Aria Strat ever play as well as my high end Seymour Duncan strat. And while I can play all the same stuff on both, the Seymour Duncan is far more enjoyable to play in every conceivable way. It's simply just a better guitar.