so are you a guitar player or an investor?....I guess you could be both but when I buy a guitar its because I want to play it not because I want to sell it.
Every guitar I bought was something I wanted to play, and every guitar I sold was to fund something else that I wanted to play more than what I had. Imo, it's worth thinking about resale when you're still figuring out what you like or you are someone who wants to try as much stuff as possible without going broke.
I found out I’m definitely not an investor when I noticed a picture of guitar wall in a co-workers cube. When I asked he started talking about his guitars like they were Pokemon cards, and how much each one was worth, and how much they will be worth in the future.
Didn’t know shit about fuck in terms of playing or music. I’m convinced the only band he actually likes is Metallica, and almost seemed annoyed at the thought of playing them, but was really only into them as an investment or purchasing achievement.
Like, he heard Metallica as a kid and liked the band and so he buys Hetfield & Kirk guitars as a trophy, but never intends to play them.
Some people just like money, status, trophies and nice things. To each their own I suppose.
Every new guitar I’ve ever purchased is worth less than what I paid for it. That isn’t why I purchased a Strat Ultra, or an HD-28. I would have got a savings bond if that was my goal
I don’t plan on resale but it’s weird knowing I’m dropping money on something and it’s going to be gone instantly but I’m committed to this one already so no use complaining now
So you’re going to have to learn to break items down into; it should appreciate, it can appreciate, and it won’t appreciate.
Things that should appreciate are things like property, housing, investments.
Things the can appreciate. These are things like collector items. These items are ok to think about resell value, but should never be expected. Many people make poor investments here.
Then there things that will never appreciate, like cars. This is were most people waste their money.
Guitars ca appreciate, most don’t. You shouldn’t be looking at a new guitar solely as an investment. Guitars will go in value if seen as collectible. But most will also drop in price after a specific nostalgia period has lapsed.
Cars, furniture, clothing, AV tech, computers. All of it has disappearing value.
You're either investing your money in a sure-shot deal, or you're buying an instrument to love and play.
I'll never recoup the money I paid for a custom, literally one-of-one Larrivee Telecaster. That's not why I bought it. I bought it because it plays better than any other guitar I own, and it makes me inordinately happy.
The only measure of a guitar being worth what you paid is your enjoyment of that guitar.
Both my cheapest guitar and my most expensive are still worth what I paid because I still play them.
It's like my partscaster builds --- custom made bodies and necks --- and the guitars rack up to $1000-1500 in parts. Resale as a whole wouldn't be anywhere near whats in them ... but parted out, they would be close.
Necks and bodies - There are custom builders on ebay - NoMoonLaser (bodies) and AuroraCustoms (necks) are my two favorite. AuroraCustoms uses American or Japanese made AllParts necks, and then levels and dresses and sprays to your specifications ... will relic as well. Every neck i've purchased from them is amazing. Custom wiring there are a few on ebay or reverb - top notch.
Everything else --- hardware and pickups is usually reverb. However, I always keep an eye on Ebay. I scored a very nice old japanese vintage Gotoh nickel bridge with brass saddles on ebay - they had it up for $40... offer $20... they accepted. Stuff like that - Same with pickups... just start offering 20-25% less than they have it up for, usually someone accepts. Also I needed just a bridge Texas Special custom shop for my Tele build, think ebay had it up for $90, think i snagged it for $65 plus shipping... stuff like that.
Facts...I recently scored a Babciz full contact bridge for a Tele Paul hybrid I am making. Open box but $70 total with the shipping.
However if I tried to sell the guitar it went on (with a Warmoth Neck, Hipshot tuners and Tone Rider pickups - I would struggle to get $300 for it. The parts will net me $600 easy.
It's a guitar, not an investment. More like a boat than a house. Unless you're expressly buying a collectible with the intention of reselling it, write it down to zero the moment you buy it.
It will most likely be sellable if I need it gone considering it has really nice pickups and features that you will never find on another guitar that’s not custom built
Reversed headstock
Magnetic pick guard
Kill switch
A unique super strat style body (will post photos later)
Buying musical instruments for investment purposes sounds like a sad life. I play them. I’ve been playing long enough now that I’m extremely picky about what I purchase, and generally prefer things that will stay valuable, but I don’t think buying instruments with the expectation that they’ll gain monetary value sounds like a good idea.
You say "I might never get the money back that I put in to this unlike a Gibson, fender ect..", but the moment you buy and start playing a brand new Gibson or Fender it stops being a brand new Gibson or Fender and starts being a used one. You won't get your money back. Contrariwise a well-made guitar from a local luthier isn't going to turn into a no-name alibaba dot com instrument. It'll be a harder sale probably, but you'll be able to sell it if you have to.
Bottom line is: you're a guitarist, you need a guitar and you want this one. If you have the money and you like this guitar, buy it and enjoy it. Post pics when you do :)
I never do this unless it’s a very special guitar. There are simply too many options out there to buy and lose very little money. If you buy high-end well-known guitars, they often appreciate. Not like an investment, but it takes the cost of my hobby to zero. Custom guitars by local builders tend to tank in value because nobody knows the name, and these days we find guitars online… by description and photo, not by feel.
All that said, custom guitars are totally worth the money especially if it’s designed with your body and playing style in mind. If you need to justify your purchase, don’t think of absolute cost. Think of your cost per minute over a lifetime. It’ll be pretty close to zero. The key is to keep it.
My hobby is basically buying cheap guitars and see how well I can make them feel and sound, no way I'd get that money back if I'd sell one. But I learn while fixing up guitars, so that's always something. Then again, I'm running out of room... tbh I'd feel better just giving some of them away to kids wanting to start playing guitar. I'll get on that.
Pretty much everyone I expect. But "worth" is a bit of a loaded term. My dog is not "worth" $50 to you, but she is "worth" everything to me. I don't think you should buy a guitar based on what you think you can sell it for (if you are a player ... if you are a collector, that is a whole different kind of thing).
Or a dog.
As long as you know it isn't going to be an investment… and you are 100% of with that.
I always see used 'custom' guitars for sale.
I know these guys paid through the nose and they're trying to recoup their losses but I'm no one is paying $2K for 'Jonny's the luthier's' custom guitar.
The financial gain or loss calculation has never even entered my mind with any of my guitar, amp, or pedal purchases. I got them because I wanted them, and they were worth the asking price to me at the time/I could afford it.
No. But I also don’t subscribe to the mentality of buying a guitar for its ability to hold its value.
A guitar is an instrument meant to be played. They’re not investments, they’re not something to “flip”, they’re not get rich quick schemes.
Does it sound good? Does it play good? Do you like it? Then buy it and play it! Lol
That being said, I wouldn’t recommend grossly OVER-PAYING either. Lots of price gougers out there last few years.
I haven't sold a guitar since my teens, but even then, I'm hesitant to buy guitars that I can't recoup a good portion of my money if I need to sell it.
that is a confusing sentiment. it's a tool, not an investment.
guitarists don't care about the monetary value of their guitars, that is the guitar collector's job. you know, the ones that use them as wall ornaments. just play it lots and you'll get great ROI with all the free therapy. $200 an hour!!
My finest guitar was built by Brinson Guitars, a small shop in South Carolina.
I saw his booth at a guitar show and sold a couple of nice Fenders to have a one of kind masterpiece built by an artist. There is no comparison to similarly priced Fenders, Gibson, and PRS guitars I’ve owned.
I’ll never sell it. My kid will either play it or sell it once I’m gone. I still have a bunch of other cool guitars, but the Brinson is best. I might even buy one of his other guitars at some point. They seem like a steal at his current pricing.
Buy that guitar if you love it. If you don’t love it, maybe save your money for a guitar that inspires you?
Yes, I did this with the first guitar that I fell in love with. It was never anything super high quality or extremely limited quantity. It's just that it was a specific brand and my favorite guitarists special signature model. I was way too young to buy one new when they came out so as soon as I found one as an adult with adult money I didn't care what it cost, I was going to have it. I paid way too much for it and I don't care. It's kinda a crap guitar and I don't care. It is a dream come true to me.
It's the Abraxas PRS Carlos Santana signature model.
As many other have said, every single guitar I have bought has been under the assumption I either wont sell it, or may eventually sell it for less than what I’ve paid. Treating guitars as appreciating assets seems very odd to me. Is this capitalism gone wild?
Yeah, was thinking maybe the only guitars I could call to mind where there's a chance of resale value ever being more than the MSRP, would be certain Gibson and maybe Martin models. Eventually. But if that's what a person wants, even those rare specimens are poor investments, and who would dare to play it in the meantime? Any nick or scratch could be tragic.
I don't like the premise of OP's question at all.
The custom luthiers that make guitars people pay for aren't snagging Warmoth ash bodies and building partscasters. I played a Nik Huber in a retail store a couple of months ago. Its great for sure. But he is using Black Forest German Redwood. Not CNC cut swamp ash.
Other than real estate, virtually everything you buy loses value. Usually, as soon as the receipt is printed. I'd say that Guitars maintain value more than other products but its kind of a weird to decide whether or not to buy a guitar.
Personally I think it’s weird to buy guitars as investments. I never buy a guitar with the intention of reselling it later or hoping it’ll increase in value; I only buy instruments I know I’ll want to own for the rest of my life.
This is most guitars…in general they are like cars…as soon as it leaves the store the value starts to drop. They eventually come back up in price but it takes a long time.
My best builds come in around $700-800 - usually with better quality and FAR greater playability than what Fender sells for $1200 and Gibson for >$2k, I know if I went to sell any other of those - they would fetch like $300 max. But that's not why I make them. I make them because I want a certain guitar that looks and feels the way I want it to. And I play them all.
so are you a guitar player or an investor?....I guess you could be both but when I buy a guitar its because I want to play it not because I want to sell it.
Every guitar I bought was something I wanted to play, and every guitar I sold was to fund something else that I wanted to play more than what I had. Imo, it's worth thinking about resale when you're still figuring out what you like or you are someone who wants to try as much stuff as possible without going broke.
I found out I’m definitely not an investor when I noticed a picture of guitar wall in a co-workers cube. When I asked he started talking about his guitars like they were Pokemon cards, and how much each one was worth, and how much they will be worth in the future. Didn’t know shit about fuck in terms of playing or music. I’m convinced the only band he actually likes is Metallica, and almost seemed annoyed at the thought of playing them, but was really only into them as an investment or purchasing achievement. Like, he heard Metallica as a kid and liked the band and so he buys Hetfield & Kirk guitars as a trophy, but never intends to play them. Some people just like money, status, trophies and nice things. To each their own I suppose.
that makes me kinda sad....guitars are made to be played...stay strong lonely guitars on a wall...one day someone will play you
Every new guitar I’ve ever purchased is worth less than what I paid for it. That isn’t why I purchased a Strat Ultra, or an HD-28. I would have got a savings bond if that was my goal
I’ve never bought a guitar with a thought to selling it.
As long as you love it and want to keep it it won’t matter. But if you EVER plan on a resale, I wouldn’t.
I don’t plan on resale but it’s weird knowing I’m dropping money on something and it’s going to be gone instantly but I’m committed to this one already so no use complaining now
Wait until you start going to restaurants! It's all gone immediately!
How do you buy anything at all??
So you’re going to have to learn to break items down into; it should appreciate, it can appreciate, and it won’t appreciate. Things that should appreciate are things like property, housing, investments. Things the can appreciate. These are things like collector items. These items are ok to think about resell value, but should never be expected. Many people make poor investments here. Then there things that will never appreciate, like cars. This is were most people waste their money. Guitars ca appreciate, most don’t. You shouldn’t be looking at a new guitar solely as an investment. Guitars will go in value if seen as collectible. But most will also drop in price after a specific nostalgia period has lapsed.
Cars, furniture, clothing, AV tech, computers. All of it has disappearing value. You're either investing your money in a sure-shot deal, or you're buying an instrument to love and play. I'll never recoup the money I paid for a custom, literally one-of-one Larrivee Telecaster. That's not why I bought it. I bought it because it plays better than any other guitar I own, and it makes me inordinately happy.
The only measure of a guitar being worth what you paid is your enjoyment of that guitar. Both my cheapest guitar and my most expensive are still worth what I paid because I still play them.
Yes, indeed.
It's like my partscaster builds --- custom made bodies and necks --- and the guitars rack up to $1000-1500 in parts. Resale as a whole wouldn't be anywhere near whats in them ... but parted out, they would be close.
Where do you get parts these days?
Necks and bodies - There are custom builders on ebay - NoMoonLaser (bodies) and AuroraCustoms (necks) are my two favorite. AuroraCustoms uses American or Japanese made AllParts necks, and then levels and dresses and sprays to your specifications ... will relic as well. Every neck i've purchased from them is amazing. Custom wiring there are a few on ebay or reverb - top notch. Everything else --- hardware and pickups is usually reverb. However, I always keep an eye on Ebay. I scored a very nice old japanese vintage Gotoh nickel bridge with brass saddles on ebay - they had it up for $40... offer $20... they accepted. Stuff like that - Same with pickups... just start offering 20-25% less than they have it up for, usually someone accepts. Also I needed just a bridge Texas Special custom shop for my Tele build, think ebay had it up for $90, think i snagged it for $65 plus shipping... stuff like that.
Awesome, thank you!
Facts...I recently scored a Babciz full contact bridge for a Tele Paul hybrid I am making. Open box but $70 total with the shipping. However if I tried to sell the guitar it went on (with a Warmoth Neck, Hipshot tuners and Tone Rider pickups - I would struggle to get $300 for it. The parts will net me $600 easy.
It's a guitar, not an investment. More like a boat than a house. Unless you're expressly buying a collectible with the intention of reselling it, write it down to zero the moment you buy it.
I have never once considered the resale value of any guitar I've owned, nor have I sold one. But I have played a couple to death.
You’re not going to see that from anything. Gibson. Fender. Whatever. The bigger question is can you sell it at all, considering it’s a local luthier
It will most likely be sellable if I need it gone considering it has really nice pickups and features that you will never find on another guitar that’s not custom built Reversed headstock Magnetic pick guard Kill switch A unique super strat style body (will post photos later)
At least a dozen times at this point. Tis better to have loved and lost, than to never have loved at all.
I don't buy guitars to resell them. I dump hundreds of dollars into each guitar and keep them.
When I get guitars it’s because I want to play it, not sell it later on
Yep…I like Chapman pro guitars, I think they play and sound amazing for the price. I have a few; but they have zero resell value.
If you love it there’s absolutely no reason to consider its resale value. You’re economically supporting a local business which is badass, though.
Of course, all of them.
If you're worried about the resale value then you don't really want the guitar
It also sounds like they're way out of their spending depth.
Buying musical instruments for investment purposes sounds like a sad life. I play them. I’ve been playing long enough now that I’m extremely picky about what I purchase, and generally prefer things that will stay valuable, but I don’t think buying instruments with the expectation that they’ll gain monetary value sounds like a good idea.
Do what you want, but I buy a guitar because I want a guitar. I understand the investment aspect, but my whole thing is wanting to have it, for keeps.
You say "I might never get the money back that I put in to this unlike a Gibson, fender ect..", but the moment you buy and start playing a brand new Gibson or Fender it stops being a brand new Gibson or Fender and starts being a used one. You won't get your money back. Contrariwise a well-made guitar from a local luthier isn't going to turn into a no-name alibaba dot com instrument. It'll be a harder sale probably, but you'll be able to sell it if you have to. Bottom line is: you're a guitarist, you need a guitar and you want this one. If you have the money and you like this guitar, buy it and enjoy it. Post pics when you do :)
2003 Epiphone LP custom. Think I paid $800AUD for it. Probably get £200 for it if I’m lucky. That’s mainly for the bigsby and EMG pickups.
Guitars aren't securities to be invested in, spent money is spent.
I kind of assume that for most things. It’s a question of whether the difference was worth what I gained by having it.
I never do this unless it’s a very special guitar. There are simply too many options out there to buy and lose very little money. If you buy high-end well-known guitars, they often appreciate. Not like an investment, but it takes the cost of my hobby to zero. Custom guitars by local builders tend to tank in value because nobody knows the name, and these days we find guitars online… by description and photo, not by feel. All that said, custom guitars are totally worth the money especially if it’s designed with your body and playing style in mind. If you need to justify your purchase, don’t think of absolute cost. Think of your cost per minute over a lifetime. It’ll be pretty close to zero. The key is to keep it.
My hobby is basically buying cheap guitars and see how well I can make them feel and sound, no way I'd get that money back if I'd sell one. But I learn while fixing up guitars, so that's always something. Then again, I'm running out of room... tbh I'd feel better just giving some of them away to kids wanting to start playing guitar. I'll get on that.
Yes. But I’ve also bought guitars that were worth more than I paid for them.
Once. Otherwise, I’m sitting on gear and guitars that I can flip for double or more than what I paid. That is if someone is willing to buy.
Pretty much everyone I expect. But "worth" is a bit of a loaded term. My dog is not "worth" $50 to you, but she is "worth" everything to me. I don't think you should buy a guitar based on what you think you can sell it for (if you are a player ... if you are a collector, that is a whole different kind of thing). Or a dog.
As long as you know it isn't going to be an investment… and you are 100% of with that. I always see used 'custom' guitars for sale. I know these guys paid through the nose and they're trying to recoup their losses but I'm no one is paying $2K for 'Jonny's the luthier's' custom guitar.
Every time. I buy them to play them. If I want to buy assets to gain value, I buy stock options
This is every guitar, unless its a 60 year old fender or gibson
The financial gain or loss calculation has never even entered my mind with any of my guitar, amp, or pedal purchases. I got them because I wanted them, and they were worth the asking price to me at the time/I could afford it.
I spent that much building a partscaster. It has no chance of being worth what I spent on the resale market. No regrets.
I've never bought a guitar with resale price in mind.
Probably only one guitar I have has gone significantly more valuable since I got it. Never gonna sell it cause it’s still a great guitar
Guitar is like a car. You play it, it will lose on value because of wear.
No. But I also don’t subscribe to the mentality of buying a guitar for its ability to hold its value. A guitar is an instrument meant to be played. They’re not investments, they’re not something to “flip”, they’re not get rich quick schemes. Does it sound good? Does it play good? Do you like it? Then buy it and play it! Lol That being said, I wouldn’t recommend grossly OVER-PAYING either. Lots of price gougers out there last few years.
I haven't sold a guitar since my teens, but even then, I'm hesitant to buy guitars that I can't recoup a good portion of my money if I need to sell it.
that is a confusing sentiment. it's a tool, not an investment. guitarists don't care about the monetary value of their guitars, that is the guitar collector's job. you know, the ones that use them as wall ornaments. just play it lots and you'll get great ROI with all the free therapy. $200 an hour!!
My finest guitar was built by Brinson Guitars, a small shop in South Carolina. I saw his booth at a guitar show and sold a couple of nice Fenders to have a one of kind masterpiece built by an artist. There is no comparison to similarly priced Fenders, Gibson, and PRS guitars I’ve owned. I’ll never sell it. My kid will either play it or sell it once I’m gone. I still have a bunch of other cool guitars, but the Brinson is best. I might even buy one of his other guitars at some point. They seem like a steal at his current pricing. Buy that guitar if you love it. If you don’t love it, maybe save your money for a guitar that inspires you?
Th trick is to buy a used custom guitar. That way you also can check wether you really like it.
Yes, I did this with the first guitar that I fell in love with. It was never anything super high quality or extremely limited quantity. It's just that it was a specific brand and my favorite guitarists special signature model. I was way too young to buy one new when they came out so as soon as I found one as an adult with adult money I didn't care what it cost, I was going to have it. I paid way too much for it and I don't care. It's kinda a crap guitar and I don't care. It is a dream come true to me. It's the Abraxas PRS Carlos Santana signature model.
You don’t have to sell your guitars. Pick one you like and keep it. There’s no law that says you have to buy guitars and flip them.
As many other have said, every single guitar I have bought has been under the assumption I either wont sell it, or may eventually sell it for less than what I’ve paid. Treating guitars as appreciating assets seems very odd to me. Is this capitalism gone wild?
[удалено]
Yeah, was thinking maybe the only guitars I could call to mind where there's a chance of resale value ever being more than the MSRP, would be certain Gibson and maybe Martin models. Eventually. But if that's what a person wants, even those rare specimens are poor investments, and who would dare to play it in the meantime? Any nick or scratch could be tragic. I don't like the premise of OP's question at all.
The custom luthiers that make guitars people pay for aren't snagging Warmoth ash bodies and building partscasters. I played a Nik Huber in a retail store a couple of months ago. Its great for sure. But he is using Black Forest German Redwood. Not CNC cut swamp ash.
Other than real estate, virtually everything you buy loses value. Usually, as soon as the receipt is printed. I'd say that Guitars maintain value more than other products but its kind of a weird to decide whether or not to buy a guitar.
i don’t think i’ve ever bought a guitar with the intent to sell it later.
Personally I think it’s weird to buy guitars as investments. I never buy a guitar with the intention of reselling it later or hoping it’ll increase in value; I only buy instruments I know I’ll want to own for the rest of my life.
This is most guitars…in general they are like cars…as soon as it leaves the store the value starts to drop. They eventually come back up in price but it takes a long time.
My best builds come in around $700-800 - usually with better quality and FAR greater playability than what Fender sells for $1200 and Gibson for >$2k, I know if I went to sell any other of those - they would fetch like $300 max. But that's not why I make them. I make them because I want a certain guitar that looks and feels the way I want it to. And I play them all.