Why would anyone

335clone

335clone

Living the dream
pay more than say, $1500 for any guitar?

Even that price is way beyond my means, but it still seems within the bounds of reason.

But we all look at these 3k, 4k, 5k + guitars daily, and it doesn't seem like any of us are willing to fork over that kind of money for novelty booteek bullshit. So why do we see so many listed? Who is buying this crap?

I can see the allure for a vintage piece, that rare find. Maybe occasionally there is a guitar worth that kind of money. Rarely.

What do you guys think?
 
I think I totally agree and share your curiosity.

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I paid more than $1500 because I wanted something that was made just for me all special like.

I don't really see the point in complaining about what other people buy. Buy what you can justify to yourself and don't worry about what other people have, it's a waste of time trying to figure out why people buy certain objects.
 
IamSeaDevil said:
I paid more than $1500 because I wanted something that was made just for me all special like.

I don't really see the point in complaining about what other people buy. Buy what you can justify to yourself and don't worry about what other people have, it's a waste of time trying to figure out why people buy certain objects.
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Also agreed.



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I can tell the difference in high-end guitars, they are worth it. They feel better in my hands and I think I play better on them. If a <$1000 ax feels just as good to you, great. I have some cheap guitars (like <$300), I like them, but I don't kid myself into thinking they are better than more expensive, higher end ones.
 
It's a question of priorities and disposable income for me. If I ended up with a 2K+ spare, it's going to go on a holiday for the family, towards a new car, or doing up the house etc, before it goes anywhere near buying an expensive guitar. If I get £200 spare, it isn't going to do that much on those sort of tasks so the chances of spending it on something purely for me rather than looking after my family are higher (should probably say not as low really as they're still not high).

If my income and ability to support my family was based on my guitar playing that would be a different matter as it would be an investment in my tools of the trade.
 
I spent about $1300 on my SG, after taxes, case, cab fare, etc...worth every penny.
not something I'm likely to do ever again, though.
apart from my basses and the SG, I don't think I've paid over $400 for anything I currently own.
 
why do people spend 30k on a watch? you can get one that tells time for 5-10 bucks.

why do people spend 60k on a car? you can get one that drives fine for 20k.



I don't have any really expensive guitars but it doesn't bother me that they are out there and people are buying them. doesn't make you a better player, you still have to know how to play.
 
I would pay more than that for a totally custom job that I've always wanted and can't find or partscaster somehow. But for a "normal" instrument I wouldn't be able to justify it at all.
 
telecaster911 said:
A new strat deluxe is $1700 these days. I always say, buy the best instrument that you can that fits your budget.
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^This. I'd buy higher priced guitars if I could, but need to balance real world expenses like bills, health and home repairs, etc.

Besides, I suck equally with $300 or $3000 guitars. :facepalm:

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It's all relative. The number is different for everyone. As for me, I own a few guitars north of 1500. I've spent as much as 3000 on a guitar, and I can hardly play. :) At the same time, I go over to the PRS page on Vintage Rocker and I'm appalled at the money that these guys spend. One member there, honestly, probably owns 40 private stock PRS guitars, each well over 10K. Even buying one of them just floors me, but that's because I can't afford it. But I wouldn't think twice at spending 1.5K, as long as I had something to sell (I haven't spent "new" money on gear in more than a decade, so every time I buy something I sell something). There's a guitar at Willcutt right now that's 4.3K, and I wouldn't hesitate to buy it if I had the funds. My magic number is probably 6K, just off the top of my head, but I never really thought about it.

And then, of course, there's the whole law of depreciating return and all that. So, after around 2K, the build quality might get marginally better, and you're pretty much paying for aesthetics.
 
I have one guitar that cost more than $1,500, being the 1990 PRS Custom that I got when I graduated high school. My 1994 CE-22 maple top was around $1,200. My 1996 ASAT Special with their wide fat neck option was $650. My 1990/91 Am Std Strat was $550-600. My 1991/92 MIJ '69 Thinline Tele was $550. My 1996 Tak Ltd was about $1,200. My other Tak (2002 or so) was $800. My Godin A5 bass was about $750.

These were all bought new. The current price on many of these is much closer to the $1,500 than what I paid. I'm not sure of this is part of what you're getting at 335, but as a result of the prices I paid for all of these various killer guitars I have a hard time paying double, triple, or more for newer versions. I also have a hard time spending equal amounts of cash on new imports. I've generally finished my big spending on guitars. The most expensive electrics that I covet and will look to acquire is the Godin Session Custom and the A6 Ultra (both street at about $700) and I'd definitely go north of $1,000 for an acoustic. Anything above these price points I dismiss off hand.

As others have stated, however, were I a professional musician I would view it differently. In the world of professional grade instruments, guitars and basses (at least bass guitars) are still among the cheapest of instruments, even with the required amplification. High end horns and stringed instruments are commonly vastly more expensive.
 
I played an almost 3K Gibson Les Paul that I had a hard time seeing where it was worth 2.5k more than my Epi Les Paul. Even the finish wasn't that much better.

That said, I do think the PRS Guitars are worth that kind of cash, Maybe even the Fender Custom Shop models. I've played a few CS guitars and could tell the difference with those.

If I had 2.5 to spend on a guitar, these are the ones I'd probably get:
- An Ibanez Jem
- A GJ2 guitar
- A Fender Strat CS model. I've got a '62 reissue with Fender Fat 50s in it, and that's pretty close to a CS model for my tastes.
 
Its all what the experience is worth to you. I feel like I can justify a $3000+ instrument because I play for a living, but lately I tend to get my job done with much cheaper instruments. I actually might sell my Suhrs this year if this continues.
 
Mark Wein said:
Its all what the experience is worth to you. I feel like I can justify a $3000+ instrument because I play for a living, but lately I tend to get my job done with much cheaper instruments. I actually might sell my Suhrs this year if this continues.
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And though I may never play out in my life, I can justify a 3000+ instrument because I work my ass off. :) I could certainly get by with one inexpensive guitar and a reasonably-nice amp, but what's the fun in that?

oh, and dibs. :grin:
 
Guitar Heel said:
And though I may never play out in my life, I can justify a 3000+ instrument because I work my ass off. :) I could certainly get by with one inexpensive guitar and a reasonably-nice amp, but what's the fun in that?

oh, and dibs. :grin:
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Watch this space in April :embarrassed:
 
Guitar Heel said:
And though I may never play out in my life, I can justify a 3000+ instrument because I work my ass off. :) I could certainly get by with one inexpensive guitar and a reasonably-nice amp, but what's the fun in that?

oh, and dibs. :grin:
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While I get your meaning, it's not really about working your ass off, it's about how much you earn doing so. As a librarian, even being an academic one at a rather prestigious university, I don't earn enough to justify $1,000.00 instruments, let alone $3,000.00, but I put in a lot of work. Mark busts his butt teaching and playing, but he likely can't drop $3-5,000.00 on a sweet hollowbody that he might lust after.

That said, we're talking about the price of instruments, their use, and what we're willing to pay. 335 has a limit that some understand and others think may be too low. There's got to be a few folks on here that make some decent scratch, but don't see the value in expensive gear when they can have their needs met with significantly less expensive stuff. I know when I had loftier musical aspirations the gear I had, acquired, and wanted was well above my means, but the intention was the investment in professional quality instruments to last a lifetime and beyond. Many are still around and were well worth it, but I couldn't build that collection again today. I'd gladly buy some of the great affordable guitars and amps available today.
 
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