Investments: How about a vintage Les Paul.

[harpinon]

I'm being serious here. I am selling a large chunk of land and I need to invest for retirement.
The stock market sucks the life out of my IRA. Cd's are paying 1-2%.
I am thinking that a valuable Les Paul would fare better over a 20 year period than gold or stocks.

Experts on vintage Pauls.... convince me I'm right and help me convince the wife.

[Zingeroo]

No.

[rokpunk]

buy a guitar to play, not as a part of your portfolio.

[will richardson]

Many Vintage dealers have realized that having a larger inventory of 2-5K guitars is easier to to liquidatn with high end piece is essentially that dragon slaying. i have had this discussion with dealers at some of the California guitar shows the past three plus years. The BiG dealers like Goergr G in Nashville have a waiting list for high high end items. But smaller gealers and pirviate collectors can move a Trini Lopez for 4.5 to 7.5 K easier. Of course the down side is you have to sell more pancakes if your inventory of 100 K of intruments is made of of 20 pieces.

I prefer swatting flies than killing dragans. In real estate typically more modest properties easier to unload than mansions. It does not mean u can't
make money on expensive items.

Hope this is thought provoking in a good way.

best wishes with your investments.

Keep on pickin'.

will richardson

[harpinon]

I am speaking about a 20+ year investment here.

[jackbart1960]

buy a guitar to play, not as a part of your portfolio.

This in spades!!! It's major value would be as a collectable. If you think the stock market is a fickle place try the collectable market. Having been involed in a collectable that 35 years ago was a fairly respected investment that is a now ghost town. Put it in the bank. You might need to eat later.
But if you have it to spend why the f%^k not. Peace. J.J.B.

[shg]

I'd buy shares in a tulip venture, no way you can fail there.

[Elmer]

The vintage guitar ship has already sailed. Buy guitars to play and if they happen to make a buck or two along the way, be happy. Wouldn't count on it for my retirement though.

[Zingeroo]

Personally, I don't see the prices going too much higher. I think they're going to hit a brick wall, especially in this economy.
Methinks the OP just wants to blow a chunk of cash on a guitar and is looking for a way to justify it with the old lady.

[harpinon]

Methinks the OP just wants to blow a chunk of cash on a guitar and is looking for a way to justify it with the old lady.


Score :drool:banana:bow:stir

[Stonesy]

Vintage players grade LP Juniors are almost selling for reissue prices.
If '50's and '60's Juniors continue their slide, the end is near.

[hearmecrybaby]

once all the baby boomers get old and die, nobody is going to give a shit about vintage les pauls. we didn't grow up idolizing les paul players the way you guys did. i think the fetish with old flametops is a river that's going to dry up with your generation's buying power.

[Scooter Burbank]

By no means am I an expert on investing (I usually sleep in the park, fergawdsake), but this sounds like a very bad idea to me. Why do you need to sell the land? Real estate seems like a pretty good bet over time.

[cugel]

i would not advise anyone to invest in a guitar.

[shg]

By no means am I an expert on investing (I usually sleep in the park, fergawdsake), but this sounds like a very bad idea to me. Why do you need to sell the land? Real estate seems like a pretty good bet over time.

Real estate is a good bet so long as it's land that someone will want one day.

[shane88]

once all the baby boomers get old and die, nobody is going to give a shit about vintage les pauls. we didn't grow up idolizing les paul players the way you guys did. i think the fetish with old flametops is a river that's going to dry up with your generation's buying power.
:agree old guitars in general - the vintage prices went thru the roof because of perceived mojo & a lot of snake oil - now custom shops can build something similar (if not better) - i wouldn't be putting $$ into old planks

remember the story about the strad and a new violin?

[LivingTheDream]

I'm being serious here. I am selling a large chunk of land and I need to invest for retirement.
The stock market sucks the life out of my IRA. Cd's are paying 1-2%.
I am thinking that a valuable Les Paul would fare better over a 20 year period than gold or stocks.

Experts on vintage Pauls.... convince me I'm right and help me convince the wife.

Have you seen what the stock market has been doing over the last few months??? Sell the land; invest back in the market. Then next year use the proceeds to buy whatever you want. I have enough in dividends this year alone to buy almost any guitar I want. The market has been on a tear!

[shg]

once all the baby boomers get old and die, nobody is going to give a shit about vintage les pauls. we didn't grow up idolizing les paul players the way you guys did.

this, times like... a million.

[Stonesy]

Buy silver instead of gits.
Silver is gonna break $50/oz in 2012.

[Zingeroo]

Land... They're not making it anymore.

[Rockledge]

I think the entire fascination with western made guitars is probably nearly over. Most of that fascination was rock guys, and what is left of that generation is dying off.
The next fad with guitar collecting out of reminiscence will likely be 80s music instruments, such as Ibanez.
My guess would be that the days of insanely over inflated values being placed on "vintage" instruments is likely over and done with for good.
Kinda like depression glass. 30 years ago it was priceless. Now you can't give it away at a yard sale.

[rmconner80]

You are getting out of real estate - one of the most stable investments - and into a vintage guitar - one of the most volatile and short term investments - with your nest egg money?

That's nuts. Might as well spend it all on powerball tickets.

[mark norwine]

you could corner the market on vintage nintendos....

When "those kids" hit their 60's, they'll be longing for the good old days of their youth via those games!!

[kidding, obviously.....but that's what the guitar craze was all about, and it's just about over]

[guitarz1972]

I am thinking that a valuable Les Paul would fare better over a 20 year period than gold or stocks.



With all due respect OP, there is absolutely no real good basis for making a statement like that and making your intended life plans with it. Sorry to pile on here, but if you want to invest, get with an investment strategist in your area and invest in tried and true investment vehicles; if you want to play and own a vintage instrument, then buy the guitar. But don't just play games with that kind of capital, it's a lot of money.

Cheers.

[2HBStrat]

By no means am I an expert on investing (I usually sleep in the park, fergawdsake), but this sounds like a very bad idea to me. Why do you need to sell the land? Real estate seems like a pretty good bet over time.

Indeed!

Land... They're not making it anymore.

I think it was Will Rogers who made that line famous!

[Ruraltom]

Sounds like you should sit on the land you have, no sure bets out there. Otherwise, buy more real estate...

[jtm622]

The price of vintage guitars is akin to the content of that pink cotton candy you buy at the circus - it is made up mostly of "imagination"...

[Cuthbert]

I hope the OP is getting the drift here. I once bought a guitar as an investment. I didn't take their advice. However with the whole Brazilian rosewood thing I would think that a nice Les Paul should hold it's value.

[tommc]

During the 20+ years you are holding the vintage guitar, hoping it's value will increase, your return on investment will be zero. There are better things to do with $100k.

[Ruraltom]

Vintage players grade LP Juniors are almost selling for reissue prices.
If '50's and '60's Juniors continue their slide, the end is near.

This is incredibly and sadly true....

[Jim S]

No.
:agree

Guitars are speculative and not investments.

[Lublin]

The vintage market is slowly and steadily tanking. Expect it to get even worse. Invest elsewhere.

[Dog Boy]

Many Vintage dealers have realized that having a larger inventory of 2-5K guitars is easier to to liquidatn with high end piece is essentially that dragon slaying. i have had this discussion with dealers at some of the California guitar shows the past three plus years. The BiG dealers like Goergr G in Nashville have a waiting list for high high end items. But smaller gealers and pirviate collectors can move a Trini Lopez for 4.5 to 7.5 K easier. Of course the down side is you have to sell more pancakes if your inventory of 100 K of intruments is made of of 20 pieces.

I prefer swatting flies than killing dragans. In real estate typically more modest properties easier to unload than mansions. It does not mean u can't
make money on expensive items.

Hope this is thought provoking in a good way.

best wishes with your investments.

Keep on pickin'.

will richardson

Yep. I grabbed a few Les Paul Jrs while they were in the 2 to 3k range. They are pretty easy to sell in the 4k range now. I see em going up too. I did the same with some 345s and 355s.

OTOH guitars can tank pretty easily...look at pre CBS strats. Evryone took a breath and saw how many there really were, not that rare at all.

[sshan25]

Twenty years from now everyone who gives a shit about vintage guitars will be dead. 59 bursts will probably go for $49.99 (that part's being facetious but I stand by my original point). Edit: I see someone else made the same point earlier. I'll leave this up as a concurring opinion.

[kimock]

I'm pretty much a bottom feeder in terms of guitar acquisition, and I'm not a collector or investor. Get that out of the way. . .

From down here, it looks to me like the middle fell out of the market, not the top or bottom.
You can still get Magnatone lap steels for next to nothing, and 100% original examples of rare instruments continue to increase in value.

[firefitz65]

no way

[lpsunburst]

Funny, I am considering selling some vintage guitar to invest in real estate....

[pb641]

I'd buy shares in a tulip venture, no way you can fail there.


In my opinion, we having several tulip pursuits going on right now. In the end, we'll make the 1700 dutch look like geniuses.

[pb641]

I'm being serious here. I am selling a large chunk of land and I need to invest for retirement.
The stock market sucks the life out of my IRA. Cd's are paying 1-2%.
I am thinking that a valuable Les Paul would fare better over a 20 year period than gold or stocks.

Experts on vintage Pauls.... convince me I'm right and help me convince the wife.


Buy a vintage whatever and tell the wife that it will hold its value as well as anything right now, and that much is probably true. Appreciate in value? That's a crapshoot.

Perfect example. In 1999, I owned a 1980 Les Paul Pro Goldtop with P90's, non weight relieved. It was killing my lower back. I had the guitar about 14 years. I struggled with the idea, but finally sold it on ebay for $1,400. Today, that guitar would go in the range of maybe $2,300 to $2,600 tops, and was in 9 of 10 condition, perfectly collectible. Now, do the math, and it doesn't even quite keep up with inflation for the time period.

One last example; amps. In the 90's as a hobbyist, I started restoring and fixing old 60's Fender amps. Back then, I was lucky to find a Super Reverb for less than $1,200, with work, parts, ebay expenses, etc. I would get $1,600 to maybe $1,750, clearing maybe $200 - $300, after labor, about $15 / hour. The same is true for today, but I buy them at $500 to $700 and sell at around $1200 to $1300. Here is the scary part. If I had bought, invested in, restored, and kept those amps for 15 years, I would have lost my a$$, because they have fallen out of favor. Factor in the opportunity cost of money, inflation, and realized loss in capital investment, and it comes out to a major loss per amp. Thank god I didn't do it, but I think it illustrates the point.

Buy what you love and keep the stuff because you want to play, but I would never recommend buying for an anticipated appreciation over time that just seriously might not happen.

[Gasp100]

I'm being serious here. I am selling a large chunk of land and I need to invest for retirement.
The stock market sucks the life out of my IRA. Cd's are paying 1-2%.
I am thinking that a valuable Les Paul would fare better over a 20 year period than gold or stocks.

Experts on vintage Pauls.... convince me I'm right and help me convince the wife.

Find a better financial advisor. Gear as investment? Please... maybe 40 years ago.

[germs]

okay, let me put it to you this way:

in 20+ years, i'll (hopefully) be in a position in life to have some funds free for a major instrument purchase. having played guitar for many years, and knowing my stuff (and the market), i'm going to evaluate a major purchase very carefully.

1. you older guys are at fault for inflating guitar prices. period.

2. even IF i had, say, 100K+ to put into a guitar - i'd spend it elsewhere. they're gonna be making more guitars. i figure the manufacturing process on land and precious metals is pretty much played out...

IOW: there is NO WAY i'm going to pay an appreciated value on a 70+ year old instrument that i can't - in turn - enjoy. ya'll are really the guinea pigs in this experiment/market. if it were me, i'd be liquidating.

by the way, what do you think is going to happen to market value when these older collectors start kicking off in the next few years? you think the family is going to value and cherish the dead guy's stuff? doubtful. it's gonna get dumped on the market at a significant loss.

i wouldn't do it, keep the land or buy more elsewhere. YMMV.

[clint]

Top-tier pristine unmolested flamey ones will always be desirable if you have the big bucks to spend IMO. Lesser ones with issues or stories? Risky.

Would you enjoy owning one since it has to be safeguarded and kept pristine?

It would be interesting if you posed this question in the Vintage Les Pauls section of the Les Paul Forum.

[newi123]

Really interesting question.......... this depends entirely on what you classify as ´vintage les paul´- this seems now to range from 59 burst to anything pre 1980.......

My own personal feeling is that is you are talking about a really super rare guitar - like a nice condition 59 burst -then the value will still increase. Why? well it´s simple supply and demand. Much like land ´there not making them anymore´ haven´t since 1959 infact!

I don´t buy this ´younger players won´t be interested´ pitch either. A bit like saying in the 16th century that this year nobody will be interest in this daVinci dude anymore....... there will always be collectors. Just don´t confuse a guy buying a 59 les paul with a TGP member (usually). They are not bought as a good value, players instruments, they have become a commodity - just like no one buys 100 year old wine to drink it.

So - in 59 they made how many les pauls? (I really don´t know this - 200 seems to ring a bell?) - no matter how bad the economy gets affecting you and me on an every day basis, there will ALWAYS be collectors with money. There will always be people at the top of the tree buying multi million dollar houses, boats ferraris and private planes whilst you and I struggle. So with a finite number of collectable guitars, with presumably fewer and fewer changing hands, I think they will go up in value! Over 20 years - certainly!

But would I base my whole retirement plan around this - er no - of course not. And I certainly wouldn´t try and explain it to the wife............ but nor would I base it solely around real estate. Like anything in life good investment is about balance! Cash, property, mutual funds, stocks, and of course guitars :rotflmao

[JPigz]

Les Pauls don't pay dividends or generate income for retirement. I enjoyed the tulip bulb references lol

[BlackNight]

I can only see this being worthwhile if you find a notorious guitar used by a famous musician. An actual famous musician that's close to being a household name. If you have to explain in 20 years who they are they aren't famous enough.

Not a signature model.

Not a recreation.

The exact one they had their grubby paws on.

[Flogger59]

Really interesting question.......... this depends entirely on what you classify as ´vintage les paul´- this seems now to range from 59 burst to anything pre 1980.......

My own personal feeling is that is you are talking about a really super rare guitar - like a nice condition 59 burst -then the value will still increase. Why? well it´s simple supply and demand. Much like land ´there not making them anymore´ haven´t since 1959 infact!

I don´t buy this ´younger players won´t be interested´ pitch either. A bit like saying in the 16th century that this year nobody will be interest in this daVinci dude anymore....... there will always be collectors. Just don´t confuse a guy buying a 59 les paul with a TGP member (usually). They are not bought as a good value, players instruments, they have become a commodity - just like no one buys 100 year old wine to drink it.

So - in 59 they made how many les pauls? (I really don´t know this - 200 seems to ring a bell?) - no matter how bad the economy gets affecting you and me on an every day basis, there will ALWAYS be collectors with money. There will always be people at the top of the tree buying multi million dollar houses, boats ferraris and private planes whilst you and I struggle. So with a finite number of collectable guitars, with presumably fewer and fewer changing hands, I think they will go up in value! Over 20 years - certainly!

But would I base my whole retirement plan around this - er no - of course not. And I certainly wouldn´t try and explain it to the wife............ but nor would I base it solely around real estate. Like anything in life good investment is about balance! Cash, property, mutual funds, stocks, and of course guitars :rotflmao

Total production of sunburst Standards for 58-59-60 was less than 1600 instruments. That said, the market for "issues" guitars and ones with plain tops is very, very soft. To the point that easily finding selling prices online is almost impossible, no one wants to let the cat out of the bag. the mint/flame monsters still sell for big bucks, but if you're not part of the club, it's easier said than done.
Mt 58 TV Special flirted with a value of $20,000 four years ago, now they're going for $9-12k.

[Bluzeboy]

Let me put it to you this way...

If someone posts a picture of a 1959 Les Paul on this forum you have 1/3 of the people saying it's real, 1/3 of the people saying it's fake and 1/3 of the people drooling and don't really know one way or the other..

Which 3rd are you in ?

IF you don't know what you are doing when it comes to "vintage" and are better at determining real from fake than most of the folks out there a fool and his money are soon parted.

[daveanto21]

I have watched the instrument market peak and fall just as bad as the stock market. I would look into buying city municipalities. They average a 5% yearly return and are tax free as well. But be cautious and do your homework because cities can go broke or bankrupt too.

[harpinon]

Keep in mind, guys. I am not an expert in investments OR guitars.
I asked the question on TGP to get the going opinion. I believe its getting clearer now.
Bad idea. But I would have loved to have one, you know?

Anyway, thanx for the thoughts thus far.

[hearmecrybaby]

I think the entire fascination with western made guitars is probably nearly over. Most of that fascination was rock guys, and what is left of that generation is dying off.
The next fad with guitar collecting out of reminiscence will likely be 80s music instruments, such as Ibanez.
My guess would be that the days of insanely over inflated values being placed on "vintage" instruments is likely over and done with for good.
Kinda like depression glass. 30 years ago it was priceless. Now you can't give it away at a yard sale.

if any guitars are going to go up in value its the old cheap funky ones from the 60s and 70s. Airline, supro, etc.

[guitrr]

As a boomer, I heartily agree that the appreciation for late '50's Les Pauls is going to decrease drastically after we're gone. Sometimes I look at the cult-like fascination with those things, and I just don't understand it at all. Aside from the "Happy accidents", most of those guitars are not better than merely as good as the top gear being made today.

I think if you asked most guitar builders about that, they would concur that never in history has it been so easy to buy a truly outstanding guitar as it is today.

I also concur that if you're losing your shirt in the stock market lately, you need a new investment counselor.

Kane

[DrumBob]

I have been buying and selling guitars for years, and I would say look to put your money elsewhere. In 2008, when the economy took a dump, so did the collectibles market in general, not just guitars. I have friends who are sitting on valuable oil paintings and other collectibles until things loosen up. I don't know if they ever will. I will eventually get a nice chunk of inheritance money, and when that comes in-it's all in stock now-I'm cashing the stock out completely, converting it into cash, and it's going into savings accounts first, and eventually into safe muni bonds and investments that will make money over time. Certainly some real estate. I may just put a five-figure sum of cash into the safe deposit box and leave it there.

I promised myself one really nice, killer vintage guitar, maybe an old ES-335 or a pre-CBS Strat. Not sure yet, but I'm not buying vintage guitars as investments anymore.

[kimock]

I am thinking that a valuable Les Paul would fare better over a 20 year period than gold or stocks.



Only if the rich get richer, what are the odds of that?

[wundergussy]

Tortoise shell picks.

[mudster]

Bad move.
You will pay much of your appreciation to a dealer to broker the sale. You aren't going to land a $200,000 face to face deal.
There isn't the greatest future for vintage gear moving forward IMHO. It will always be in some demand, but the peak years are gone. The baby boomers have largely done their playing. Now you are into my generation, who shouldn't even be lumped in with the boomers but still are, and we are aging too. Most people who want a great vintage 60's bit of gear have it, or will never have it. -Their major playing years are fading fast or gone. The only 2 LP's that are just smoking cool that I've ever seen advertised have sat for years with no buyer. When you are retired, you won't have the luxury of waiting for years for the right sale; you'll need money when you need it.
If you really want to invest in guitars, which I don't personally recommend as a core retirement strategy, buy vintage Brazilian Martins and early to mid Brazilian Collings. Those will continue to appreciate and their appeal is not based in nostalgia.

[Jon C]

I am speaking about a 20+ year investment here.

look in your crystal ball

what does it say?

ah ... nothing.

This is a speculative investment, period.

Neither you nor I know if it will be a hit or a bust and it could well be either. I can't give you the answer you want to hear, this is not where I'd put anything but purely discretionary funds (i.e., money I can afford to lose or have underperform any other benchmark).

Buy it because you want to play it. Anything more is gravy.

[Jon C]

Buy silver instead of gits.
Silver is gonna break $50/oz in 2012.

since he has a 20 yr. focus the obvious question is .. so what? what's it going to be worth in 2032?

We have no idea.:huh

[harpinon]

since he has a 20 yr. focus the obvious question is .. so what? what's it going to be worth in 2032?

We have no idea.:huh

I remember hearing all the "buy gold now" radio spots about 15 years ago when it was $200 an ounce.

[BKL71]

i would not advise anyone to invest in a guitar.

:agree

[kimock]

buy vintage Brazilian Martins and early to mid Brazilian Collings. Those will continue to appreciate and their appeal is not based in nostalgia.

That's good advice, although generally, I would only ever use consensus here as a warning sign.

[jtm622]

I remember hearing all the "buy gold now" radio spots about 15 years ago when it was $200 an ounce.

Yes, but you could've invested in just about anything short of shares in "Consolidated Buggy Whips" and showed a profit over a 15-year time span... :)

[harpinon]

Yes, but you could've invested in just about anything short of shares in "Consolidated Buggy Whips" and showed a profit over a 15-year time span... :)

Yes, and that was my thinking on buying a 1950's les Paul now and selling it in 2022.
I guess the problem is this: in 25 years will there be any rich guitarist who would pay $65,000 for one. After I thought about it ...... guess I doubt that myself.
Who knows. Maybe the guitar itself will be an instrument of the past like a harpsichord.

[rickcard71]

Land... They're not making it anymore.

Close the thread, this says it all. That land will go up in value more than any guitar.

[Rockledge]

Close the thread, this says it all. That land will go up in value more than any guitar.
To play the devils advocate, I have yet to pay property taxes on any guitars. If you can't sell a guitar it doesn't cost you to keep it.
You get stuck with a piece of land that is in a school district full of board members that want to live like rock stars and you are SCREWED.

[whitehall]

Dateline 2032 : Scene- outside a pawn shop.
Kid1-Wow look at that , it's one of those old wood guitars.
Kid2- Yeah the kind you had to plug in. My grandpa had one,you needed this cord thing to make it work.

[Chris Scott]

I'm pretty much a bottom feeder in terms of guitar acquisition, and I'm not a collector or investor. Get that out of the way. . .

From down here, it looks to me like the middle fell out of the market, not the top or bottom.
You can still get Magnatone lap steels for next to nothing, and 100% original examples of rare instruments continue to increase in value.


Astute observation

[dysorexia]

I will sell you a epiphone les paul for $250,000.

[newswede]

There will be demand for quality acoustic guitars for decades to come. Electric guitars, I'm not so sure about (investment wise).

[DRS]

The question isn't whether or not a good 59 LP will continue to increase in value, it probably will if you are buying now, it's will it increase in value more than other investments. And you have to allow for inflation also. That's if you are categorizing your LP as an investment. Will a 59 LP double in value in the next 10 years? Unlikely. There is a greater chance you can pick more conventional investments that will double in value in the next 10 years and they would also be considerably more liquid. Not to mention if your LP falls of the stabd and breaks the headstock - you lose $50K.

[guitaristanyc]

Something bothers me about arthritic, drooling rich retirees hoarding all these beautiful instruments for their investment portfolios, when they should properly belong in the hands of vibrant, young musicians.

[Tweed335]

once all the baby boomers get old and die, nobody is going to give a shit about vintage les pauls. we didn't grow up idolizing les paul players the way you guys did. i think the fetish with old flametops is a river that's going to dry up with your generation's buying power.


Dude, you are waaaay wrong! The Les Paul, Strat, and Tele, will always be sought after. I guarentee if someone approached you with whatever your dream guitar is, and a Burst, and you had to pick one, 75% or more would pick the Burst.

And if, in the slightest chance, you are right, I'll be first in line to buy up all of the vintage Paul's for cheap. I bet there'll plenty more people behind me buying them up too. There will always be a vintage market, maybe there'll be times where it's weaker than others, but people will always be chacing yester-year.

And despite your broad generalization that nobody nowadays idolizes any Les Paul players, some one will inevitably come along and re-popularize it again, similar to what Slash did back in the '90s. Although, I think you are wrong, because Jimmy Page will continue to influence generations to come.

Remember your post when, in a few years after you mature a bit, and are shopping for your first Les Paul. There's always a market for Kick-ass!!

[subtomic]

Les Pauls don't pay dividends or generate income for retirement. I enjoyed the tulip bulb references lol

Was going to say this myself if nobody else did.

The only way I would recommend someone "investing" in gear is if they lived in New York or Los Angeles and planned to open a gear rental place. That's the only way I could see a gear collection will make money over the long term, and even that could be a crapshoot (how many bands really want to budget this in anymore).

[jtm622]

Why do so many folks believe that "raw" land is a great place to invest money?

:)

[Rockledge]

Dude, you are waaaay wrong! The Les Paul, Strat, and Tele, will always be sought after. I guarentee if someone approached you with whatever your dream guitar is, and a Burst, and you had to pick one, 75% or more would pick the Burst.

And if, in the slightest chance, you are right, I'll be first in line to buy up all of the vintage Paul's for cheap. I bet there'll plenty more people behind me buying them up too. There will always be a vintage market, maybe there'll be times where it's weaker than others, but people will always be chacing yester-year.

And despite your broad generalization that nobody nowadays idolizes any Les Paul players, some one will inevitably come along and re-popularize it again, similar to what Slash did back in the '90s. Although, I think you are wrong, because Jimmy Page will continue to influence generations to come.

Remember your post when, in a few years after you mature a bit, and are shopping for your first Les Paul. There's always a market for Kick-ass!!



Most of them would probably rather have an Ibanez or some other useful superior instrument than to have some middle of the road relic whose value is based on nostalgia.

[ski_fast]

Stock market=roll the dice. I had some stock go from $95 a share to $5. I would have been better off buying a $20,000 guitar. At least I would have the guitar. If you bought a early Les Paul I cannot see that being a bad investment unless you bought it from a retail super premium dealer.

I guarantee you if Greece doesn't get their financing in order things are going to crash. Bet on it.

[tylerfreak]

Hey, at least you wont have to pay property tax!

[Bluzeboy]

Something bothers me about arthritic, drooling rich retirees hoarding all these beautiful instruments for their investment portfolios, when they should properly belong in the hands of vibrant, young musicians.

I will be happy to let mine "properly belong in the hands of vibrant, young musicians". All it takes is cash and they can be yours.

[Charlie48]

I would look into buying city municipalities. They average a 5% yearly return and are tax free as well. But be cautious and do your homework because cities can go broke or bankrupt too.

On the one hand, I agree with this completely. Smart advice. But, and this is really important: don't take investment advice from a guitar forum. And, even more important, DIVERSIFY!!!

[tylerfreak]

On the one hand, I agree with this completely. Smart advice. But, and this is really important: don't take investment advice from a guitar forum. And, even more important, DIVERSIFY!!!

This is why you buy STATE MUNIS, and preferrably GO, not Revenue based. 5% double tax free is pretty nice these days.