When is price considered?

[Fineblend]

Do you guys ever consider the price before you buy or help you make a decision?

If the guitar is a replica, is price outweighed by the name, reputation (one in the same) and/or playability? Looks? Features?

If it is a custom guitar, do you pay attention to the originality and looks, or must you play it before you buy it? And how do you go about this if you live in an area where it is difficult to find the big names on these boards, would you go by the above; name, reputation before putting down the clams? Is innovation a big part as well? Features?

Whats considered an entry price point into the world of boutique guitar and what have you guys come to expect from these instruments (and even at times playable art)?

[Glowing Tubes]

Price is always considered. Used is always an option (great shopping here)
Most of the small builders here are so great you can get a used one and know you are getting an excellent product.
There are also some really good up and coming builders here that have great prices on their instruments.

When I see a guitar for $5000 and up, it seems just kinda nuts to me. No matter what the name on the headstock.

IMO

[Fineblend]

I was going to title this post "when is enough enough?" but that would kinda be pointing at the topic in a negative way, I say that there is nothing wrong spending however much you want (1000, 2000, 5000!) but what justified your purchase?

I guess I'll going along by saying that innovation and originality are the most crucial for me. So that would say to another member, well he won't get buying a well made strat copy from so-and-so, which is not entirely true, I would not purchase an SX copy because it's cheaper, but they cut corners to make it that cheap! So quality and playability will reflect that price point.

Some people will pay for quality, I think they term them as "cork-sniffer" which I kinda like! The price will most often reflect the craftsmanship and quality.

I recall a thread about the Languedocs and I got some sort of an idea, while most people bought them because of Trey, I'm sure somebody came across them and was like "Woah, I've never seen anything like it! $10,000!! Well at least nobody in a 1000 mile radius will have one like it! And no other luthier could even come close to matching it (replication, not quality!)!"

Anyone else in the same camp? Originality/Innovation > $$$?

[Zilmo]

Some people take pride in how cheap their gear was, and others in how expensive their gear was. And some on both sides of that equation look with degredation on the others.

But what does cost really matter if the gear makes you happy?

[Flyin' Brian]

I watch for good used things or something that I personally think is a good bang for the buck.

Examples:

I have a Victoria Regal II that I got used and it's the best gear purchase I ever made to date.
My Dr ZMaz JR is great bang for the buck as are my Heritage guitars and my Barber pedals.

I get nervous with a guitar over say $3K, same for an amp. That meets my personal return on investment.

[Bryan T]

I get nervous gigging with a guitar that costs more than $2,500.

Bryan

[Mister John]

Common sense tells me not to spend over a certain amount.Unfortunately I've ignored it a couple times and ended up disappointed each time.I don't think I could ever justify spending big money on a guitar ever again.Big money meaning over 2K.When I see price tags two,three and four times that amount I just shake my head.I don't care how good someone says it is.It's not worth it to "me".I could win the powerball tomorrow and wouldn't spend that kind of money on a guitar.I would have a $hit load of 1 thousand dollar guitars though.........:cool:

[Jerrod]

The low two-thousandish range seems like my limit, unless there are exceptional circumstances.

[Mister John]

The low two-thousandish range seems like my limit, unless there are exceptional circumstances.


Yeah like 10K for a 59 burst.Damn skippy....I'd fork out the dough.

[Jerrod]

Yeah like 10K for a 59 burst.Damn skippy....I'd fork out the dough.

That's a good example. ;)

[Peppy]

If the guitar is a replica, is price outweighed by the name, reputation (one in the same) and/or playability? Looks? Features?

If it is a custom guitar, do you pay attention to the originality and looks, or must you play it before you buy it?


First part above: I just bought my first replica...a Rory Gallahger Strat. Not for the name or even the total relicing...for the playability and the pickups' tone...an older-style Strat tone I have looked for over many years.

Second part above: I ordered a custom Anderson without playing it...after owning four Andersons previous I knew it would be great and it is.

[Topas]

Well, price is an important element but not the most crucial. Being from backwater Europe and not being able to check any shop in the states, the maker's reputation played the biggest role for me, as well as the reviews from folks here on TGP and harmony central. Also the availibility is important, I won't be able to wait 3 years for a DeTemple guitar, no matter how good it is. So I signed with Scott Lentz for a nice SSL, as strats always felt most natural for me and he had one of the ravest reviews ever to hear. Let's hope we will click together :-)
Btw, I don't get nervous with high priced gear. I treat my equipment nicely, but I bought it to serve me, not the other way around.

[XKnight]

I usually buy used. I really enjoy getting a quality used guitar that cost over $3000 new for around $1000 used. It makes me feel like I got a good deal. I have yet to spend over $1500 on any guitar purchase. I can afford to spend more, but simply choose not to.

[treeofpain]

I try to decide what I want first, then I try to find a fair priced example. If I find one that is really great for a bit more, I buy it, and I'm never sorry for spending more for a superior instrument.

[ford]

2000 on a guitar is pretty much my limit... I've played many guitars that have cost over that and they haven't felt better or had more tone than my guitars which have all cost less than 2 grand.

rock

bford

[alaskagrown]

It really depends on what you want and can afford. I've always played decent stock guitars (Gibson, PRS, etc) and I was ok with that for a long time, but I was NEVER completely happy with any of my guitars. I was always looking for something better. I always wanted to have something custom made for me, but I could never afford it.

So I just ordered a custom Soloway Swan... What finally did it for me were several conversations with people as or more broke than I am saying that a custom guitar is worth every penny. It made me realize that paying over $2000 is worth it for my favorite thing in the world to do. Luckily I can afford it right now because the prices on Travis Beans have gone through the roof, so I'm selling mine to finance it.

[alaskagrown]

If it is a custom guitar, do you pay attention to the originality and looks, or must you play it before you buy it? And how do you go about this if you live in an area where it is difficult to find the big names on these boards, would you go by the above; name, reputation before putting down the clams? Is innovation a big part as well? Features?


To expand upon my post, all of the above are considerations, but they were satisfied by my choice in custom builders.

Originality is important to me... As I eluded to before, I haven't had the best experiences with Les Pauls, Strats, or the most popular combination of the two, PRS. So when looking for a custom guitar, I wanted something different. I like how Strats play and how Les Pauls sound, and was looking for the right combination of the two...

The living somewhere else issue is solved with Soloway because he'll send you a demo guitar to try out, no matter where you are. I think this is genius because there's no way you can try out most custom guitars before you buy, even if you live in LA or New York. Other builders should take note of this.

Innovation and features were a big part of my choice, with the 27" scale as the innovation part, and being able to choose exactly what I wanted in features.

I have come to believe that every guitarist should have something custom built for them. Your ideal guitar is probably not being made by Gibson, Fender, or any other production company, so why buy them? Get something that is exactly what you want, and don't accept what is readily available to the masses.

[picnic]

I was amazed at the first unamplified chord I played on an Anderson Strat. Plugged in, it got sweeter. I was also amazed at the price tag. I never had spent over $800 for an electric. But there was something so different about the TA. Different league entirely. I jonesed about the guitar, research the line and called the store and bought it. Money was a major concern, but I went for it.

Buying my second TA two months later was much easier. Now I don't GAS over guitars. Well,,,,,maybe a little. I would have a real problem dropping 5K+ on a guitar. 2-3K is easier to justify.

[ghoti]

Depends on what you want. If you're a beginner/intermediate player, you want to play what's out there until you find what you like. Then you want to tweak what you have as much as you can until it matches what you like. Then you either decide to take the extra step and order your own from a good builder, or else you simply satisfy yourself with what you have.

Probably the majority of people on this board belong to that third group. I'm kind of still in the experimental and tweaking stage, but closing on the third. It's a little harder coming from a classical background because everything is usually more cut-and-dried...you're so used to trying instruments until you get something decent and there's such a premium on old stuff...hmm, on second thought maybe not so different after all.

[Izy]

Price is always a consideration as long as you belong in a group where you cannot drop USD5K without blinking an eye.

But i agree with ghoti as time progresses and you reach a ceratin stage, you'll start looking at the more high end stuff. I for one seem headed towards that track.

I'm thinning my herd and only buying guitars that i really like and want to play. Price is an issue of course but no longer as much as when i was younger and had less purchasing power. But i do limit myself to about USD4K. That's probably the maximum i'll go.......unless something so great comes along and blow my socks off......then i may go a biit higher.....how much is that??

I don't know. Only time will tell. Hopefully i never have to be tested like that.

[enharmonic]

For me, it was being able to spec an instrument that addressed my wants/needs as a guitarist, and to get an instrument that would make me want to play as often as possible.

For practical reasons, I can only afford to spend about $4k on a guitar, and even that was a stretch for me...but at the end of the day, i am glad that I made the decision. In reality, I spent a LOT more than $4k trying to get the same results out of other instruments over the years...but I wouldn't trade that experience for the world. It was the only way to arrive that this...

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f6/robwesterman/Belaire/Belaireside.jpg

There are luthiers I love, and would love to work with. I get GAS on this board every day. It comes down to who can do the type of things that I need them to do for the money that I have available. well, that...and it's gotta be sexy! :D

Without turning this into a plug, Mark Fuqua was great to work with, and produced an instrument that rivals anything I have ever owned or played. He learned from two of the best in the industry (our own Terry McInturff and James Trussart), and it definitely shows in the quality and craftsmanship of his offerings.

I'll have clips of this one coming around the first of the year. :dude

[willhutch]

Here's a rule I go by: I only buy gear for which I have the cash! I never use credit to buy gear - which is a depreciating asset (unless you buy vintage).

I try to buy the best guitars that I can pay cash for without jeopardizing my marriage. For me, at this point in life, that would be around $4K.

Once I narrow the candidates down to a few choices within my budget, I start doing comparisons. Price is one of many considerations. I compare along the following lines, roughly in this order of importance:

Playability
Tone
Tuning stability/intonation
"Personality" (intangible element)
Price
Fit and finish
What capabilities the guitar adds to my collection
Versatility
Appearance
Weight, balance, comfort

[Jon Silberman]

But what does cost really matter if the gear makes you happy?
As Rodney Dangerfield used to say:

"I met this babe who told me she could take me 'around the world.' Then she told me how much a trip cost and I told her, 'Baby, you and I are in different worlds!' "

:)

[VinceV]

I seem to like guitars in the 2k range, even though I have had/have guitars that cost alot more than that. I always try to keep in mind what I can get for a guitar if I would end up selling it, I know I will lose money, but I try to keep the loss to a minimum.

I bought a boutique guitar a few years ago for alot of money and after a few months realized it just wasn't for me. I might as well given it away for the hit I took on it when I sold it I couldn't even get half of what I paid for it, lots of "oohs awesome guitar", but no one actually wanted it. Since then I kind of have shied away from gear that is "fancy" for lack of a better word.

In all honesty anything over the $2500 is all about cosmetics I've yet to play a 5k guitar that was that much better than a $1500 guitar. I may have looked nicer, but that's about it. Yet I still spend over $1500 on guitars, so I am a fool for a purty guitar.

[wstsidela]

I'm looking for passion, skill, & vision but price is always a consideration.

[soldano16]

If the guitar is a replica, is price outweighed by the name, reputation (one in the same) and/or playability? Looks? Features?



My world is the world of LP replicas although I have owned 30 Gibson LP's including 5 historics.

There seems no question that a Max replica will bring a premium over any other builder. There is an overall pecking order by builder and prices vary accordingly.

People prefer nice tops and that applies in the replica world also. The nicer top by the same builder will get more money.

Original parts can be worth much more than the actual replica, even a Max.

Features? 59 flametop replicas should all have the same features.

Entry level cost of a replica by a well known builder? My guess is $5-$6K.

A used 59RI by Gibson will cost you less money.

[stan p]

always ...

supply demand works as always. If your requiremets can be satisfied by what is available on the general market wheter new or used, you get it relatively cheap. If you need something very unique or something marketted as 'high-demand-short-supply' the price goes up significantly. Many custom guitars that have astronomic build prices, have terrible resale value. This creates a pool of very affordable high end guitars, that however may be not exactly what YOU are loking for, so there is a risk built into what seems to be the low price.

For example I know that I will not find a used or of-the-shelf spruce top seven string with flat board and a wrap bridge... this definitely will be over 2K.

[Jerrod]

Choices also make us weird sometimes. Knowing that I COULD get a new Anderson Hollow T Classic with a big-vee neck means that I turn my nose up at any used Anderson Hollow T Classic that doesn't have it. If it wasn't an option, I would just buy any old dang HTC.