Have you heard the scoop? Metheny + Manzer limited edition special model !!!

[guitarjunky]

Some exciting news that I just learned...

This is one of the most reknowned guitar match made in heaven...

Check this out!

http://www.manzer.com/limited/

[Flyin' Brian]

Exciting??? It ought to be for $32K. Yeah right out of my small change purse.
Wonderful guitars and he's a stellar player, but I guess I'll have to wait for the MIM or CIJ versions.

[arthur rotfeld]

LOL, Brian.

This is very interesting. She's a great maker and this is certainly a top notch instrument.

I wonder what's up though. She has had a waiting list for the waiting list. Could it be that the economy is affecting this biz? Defaults on orders?

[shallbe]

It is a lot of money, but it sounds like one of the only ways to get a great Manzer guitar in 2009.

[matte]

linda/pat wants to get cashed up. good for her/him. i've played her guitars and dug them, but for this kinda (vicariously based) loot i'd be looking hard @ a klein or scharpach.

[Glowing Tubes]

That's a LOT of loot!! Holy Cow.
I'd buy it if made me play like Metheny but I'd have to sell my HOUSE first.

[guitarjunky]

treat for the eyes

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3248/3043122611_8f5e0a4215_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3003/3043961722_2670e2c3f9.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3201/3043123421_6e4d7e5bb6.jpg

[DamianL]

That is utterly stunning..

I love the subtle yet genius design feature on the upper bout
( little thumb indentation to aid access...) :AOK

[stan p]

Clearly a collectors' item - it is marketted this way.

For those of us who do not have 32K there are old Larivee guitars from the TOronto shop and there are some guitars built by David Wren (no longer available) and William Laskin.

All are different by come from the same school and have some sonic similarities to Linda's outstanding guitars.

[MartinPiana]

LOL, Brian.

This is very interesting. She's a great maker and this is certainly a top notch instrument.

I wonder what's up though. She has had a waiting list for the waiting list. Could it be that the economy is affecting this biz? Defaults on orders?

I'm guessing that she can do those quicker and more efficiently, with something of an assembly line approach, than the custom orders, and that she sees it as a way to both better satisfy demand and be more efficient.

Bob Benedetto has hired a team to make his models, which he oversees, while he makes one offs - both custom and from his imagination.

[TaronKeim]

linda/pat wants to get cashed up. good for her/him. i've played her guitars and dug them, but for this kinda (vicariously based) loot i'd be looking hard @ a klein or scharpach.

Ditto... or a Somogyi (http://www.esomogyi.com/) or a Matsuda (http://www.matsudaguitars.com/) (having played both) would be my choice immediately for that kind of scratch.

I love Pat, but I prefer guitars made to my specs with just the builders name on it:)

_TJK*

[gitman]

i don't think she has the typical musician in mind but more like the affluent collectors out there... that kind of money is way beyond the means of most of us i dare say. i' d also say that it's beyond the actual quality of the instrument but that is intended with that kind of marketing. i hope she succeeds.

i would love to get my hands on one of them nylonstring cutaways she makes though....

[matte]

i don't think she has the typical musician in mind but more like the affluent collectors out there... that kind of money is way beyond the means of most of us i dare say. i' d also say that it's beyond the actual quality of the instrument but that is intended with that kind of marketing. i hope she succeeds.

i would love to get my hands on one of them nylonstring cutaways she makes though....ot, but have you have a chance to play a scharpach nylon string?

[studiodunn]

WOW, that a lot of coin for a production run guitar.

[guitarjunky]

I assure you that these guitars are not a production guitar... They are all hand made by Linda Manzer who has been working for a long time on them... We are just learnong about them.

[studiodunn]

I assure you that these guitars are not a production guitar... They are all hand made by Linda Manzer who has been working for a long time on them... We are just learnong about them.

I don't see how 30 identical of anything are not a production run.
Making something by hand and to an extremely high standard does not exclude it from being a production run.

I'm not knocking them in any way, just alluding to what others have said about wanting a 100% unique(for me), custom instrument for that type of money.

[stan p]

ot, but have you have a chance to play a scharpach nylon string?


i d love to. i love the idea of a string decaying into pitch.

[aram]

beautiful guitar- i'm sure it sounds amazing.

one thing i've never understood though is having the name of the artist on your guitar.

I've always felt weird about that, whether it be with an Eric Johnson strat or a Eric Clapton martin.

this must just be me, as there's clearly a huge market for this sort of thing.

[dr.morton]

beautiful guitar- i'm sure it sounds amazing.

one thing i've never understood though is having the name of the artist on your guitar.

I've always felt weird about that, whether it be with an Eric Johnson strat or a Eric Clapton martin.

this must just be me, as there's clearly a huge market for this sort of thing.

It is not only you...

[dr.morton]

Three generations of players seem to have had no problem with the Les Paul signature guitar.

Know I know why I never got to like them...

But seriously IMO the Les Paul is an archtype (or at least became one) while most signature guitars are...I do not know what they are...just signatures.

[gitman]

ot, but have you have a chance to play a scharpach nylon string?


no, not a nylonstring guitar. i know Theo's work since circa 1987 and have played a few steelstrings and electrics and some that he worked on so i have an idea of what can be done....

[aram]

Three generations of players seem to have had no problem with the Les Paul signature guitar.

You got me!

:roll

maybe that's the reason why i prefer my tele to my les paul.

[Dave Orban]

I'm sure it'll be a world-class instrument.

That said, the inlays don't do much for me.

[clemduolian]

For that kind of $$ for a flat top steel string, one should also play/consider guitars by Jeff Traugott, Boaz Elkayam and Stephen Sobell. Sure they won't have the Pat Metheny designed inlays....but IMHO that's a good thing.

[stan p]

Three generations of players seem to have had no problem with the Les Paul signature guitar.


They thought it was the brand name :)

[Jim S]

Ludicrous


.

[57gold]

For that kind of $ you'd think you would get premium woods?

[Strung Up]

Everybody pisses and moans about gear that's two or three clicks above their price points. Round heah' 1.5K to 2.5K or so seems to be generally 'approved' for a classic bolt-on (and watch the sparks fly if the price gets much beyond 3K), but there's many great gigging players with bills that wouldn't let them dream of those axes.

OK, now, off my soapbox . . . for that kind of money I want Metheny to come play it at my place twice a year for the rest of my life.

[Pa'ani]

Wow! The Metheny/Manzer Limited Edition are stunning and gorgeous, and no doubt great sounding and playing guitars.

[pickaguitar]

She's well respected and makes a heck of a guitar. I'm a Manzer fan however 32k is a little much.

[stan p]

She's well respected and makes a heck of a guitar. I'm a Manzer fan however 32k is a little much.

Can you comment on differences between Linda's guitars and Laskin and old Larrivee guitars?

Also what should be the adequate price for a nylon string classical cross-over?

[Jim S]

Has anyone actually listened to the music on the web page for this guitar? Does it matter?
At that price...:cool:

[jimfog]

Everybody pisses and moans about gear that's two or three clicks above their price points. Round heah' 1.5K to 2.5K or so seems to be generally 'approved' for a classic bolt-on (and watch the sparks fly if the price gets much beyond 3K), but there's many great gigging players with bills that wouldn't let them dream of those axes.

Thank you for typing my thoughts exactly.

[stan p]

Thank you for typing my thoughts exactly.

But what does it prove? A gigging player probably would not want a guitar like that for most dates. Now ... take him to the studio and give him this guitar and now we are talking:)

[Jim S]

I think it's always very special when a guitar sounds that good, regardless of the price.

We can agree to disagree. :)

...."regardless of price" just isn't in my lexicon.

[clemduolian]

When you listen to music, is your first thought really about how much the instrument cost or is it about how good the music sounds? If it's the cost, then I honestly think you're really missing something.

Agreed. Any recording by Yo Yo Ma, Itzak Perlman or the numerous other players fortunate enough to play and/or record with Strads or Guarnerris or...a prewar Martin or Lloyd Loar mandolin or '59/'60 Les Paul or 50's Strat, Tele or Esquire...or any Steinway or Bosendorfer. Its not about what the instrument costs (high or low)

At the end of the day, all that matters is the sound(s) the instrument makes and performance/passion/emotion that the player brings to make it happen. The Manzer/Metheny certainly seems capable of producing and inspiring phenomenal music.

[daddyo]

Who cares what we think here at TGP. This is a very special project between Linda Manzer, Pat Metheney, and those successful enough to afford $32K for a guitar. The rest simply don't matter. Guys here gush over bolt on guitars costing $8K-$12K or solid body set necks costing $12K -$20K, why not $32K for an acoustic blessed by Pat Metheney?

[splatt]

same old issues:
jealousy, entitlement.
entitlousy, jealement.
and,
the harsh judgments based thereupon.

it is clearly possible to create great music
with cheap, inexpensive or "moderately"-priced instruments;
it is also possible to create great music with
instruments made from the same perspective of
those who strive to create great music, ie:
expensive instruments.

neither possibility obviates the other.

as well,
the creation & distribution of
great, time-, research- & materially-intensive
instruments does, indeed,
raise the bar for the quality
of instruments of lesser cost.
imo.

dt / spltrcl

[jaimo]

If I had 32K, it would take me exactly 2 seconds to order one of these guitars.
To think, I had a shot at a Manzer baritone 3 years ago..and passed on it!! Arrgh!!

[KRosser]

I don't know what your favorite records are, so I have no idea if that's true or not, but I know that lots of rock records are made with vintage Fenders and Gibsons that are easily worth that amount (and much more). I listen to lots of jazz records recorded with hand built archtops that are over $20,000 and most of the really outstanding contemporary acoustic instrumental recordings are made with small builder guitars that may not sell for $35000, but they certainly cost a lot more than anything in the acoustic room at Guitar Center.

Yeah - I wonder what Segovia's old Hauser or Django's Macaferri would go for...

Or consider that Derek and the Dominoes was recorded on a guitar that just sold for very close to a cool million...

What was that story about Yo Yo Ma's $3 million 'road cello' being accidently left in a taxi trunk once? I know he recovered it....

[Avenger]

I always find threads like this fascinating. I enjoy all the opinions here.

To me, though, the price of this guitar is entirely irrellevant in the same way that the price of a Ferrari is irrelevant. I couldn't afford either at 1/20th the price. I do, however, appreciate the craftsmanship of this quite apparently wonderful instrument.

My Taylor works wonderfully for me in the same way that my slightly reliced six year old car gets me to work each and every day. I wouldn't know how to drive a Ferrari to its potential. A professional driver, however, could create a kind of poetry with a car like that. I certainly wouldn't know how to use this guitar to the extent that Pat Metheny or other accomplished musicians could. But, as Mr. Soloway points out, just listen to Metheny.

[stan p]

So what are we debating? Does the guitar have the right to exist? Does it have the right to exist with this price sticker? Should someone jump on it and while they last?

The guitars exist and time will show if these guitars are timeless:)

Maybe a collector in 2089 will be reading the history of the guitar after winning the auction at 3.2 M $s and wondering why this then famous piece was sold at pathetic 32K in its time! :)

I wonder what the TGP forum will say then? SOme kid will write that his dad could easily afford this guitar with three quarters of his annual salary but chose to pass:)

[Jahn]

but my point is none of these examples are comparable to the guitar in question

do you think if some cat built a limited run of Derek and the Dominoes guitars right now they'd fetch a million bucks a piece? and wasn't that thing off the shelf?

but they might score $27500.

http://www.jacksonsrareguitars.com/gibson-les-paul-jimmy-page.html

And that EVH copy by fender went for $20k+ didn't it? The point is, those older guitars are worth that much because someone played them and became iconic, and so the guitars by association did as well. reputation is key. even never copies of those older guitars are pricey. so here's metheny and manzer, both already built their reps, and they're putting out a pricey guitar, not one with a history yet, but that's up to the player to make (that includes Metheny). sounds about right to me.

[dr.morton]

This discussion not only leads into nothing...it is also boring as hell!
Thankfully the debate about the Benedetto Worm guitar seemed to come to an end...please let this RIP as well...

[Flyin' Brian]

This discussion not only leads into nothing...it is also boring as hell!
Thankfully the debate about the Benedetto Worm guitar seemed to come to an end...please let this RIP as well...

Really good point. The value of a guitar vis a vis the selling price is very simply a personal choice.
Based on the way Manzer guitars sound, I'd consider buying one of I could afford it.
That said, I might pick it up and hate the way it plays, so all bets would be off.
In the end, this discussion is in fact useless because there isn't nor should there be 100% agreement.
This is not a debate, it's a "dammit why won't you agree with me?" session.

[KRosser]

As investment instruments go, this is probably a really good deal...

[purestmonk]

i wonder how much incremental value will this guitar fetch?

Taking annual inflation to be at 6% which is what that is in Singapore, would this guitar fetch more than 6% per annum?

I strongly agree that this guitar is so expensive because of metheny's name.

[Jim S]

fixed As speculative instruments go, this is probably a really good deal...

[Avenger]

...I strongly agree that this guitar is so expensive because of metheny's name.

I'm sure that is part of it, but Linda Manzer has several guitars for sale on her site that are not much less expensive. Here is one for $20K.

http://www.manzer.com/guitars/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=1&category_id=1&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=35

It does not have the inlay and some of the other features of the Metheny guitar. So, among Linda Manzer guitars the Metheny guitar is not particularly expensive. As an investment I'm pretty sure it would do better than the stock market has done over the last year.:crazy

Here is another bit from the site discussing the value of Manzer guitars:

"Why Acquire A Manzer Guitar?
(http://www.manzer.com/guitars/index.php?option=com_mailto&tmpl=component&link=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5tYW56ZXIuY29tL2d1aXRhcnMvaW5kZ XgucGhwP29wdGlvbj1jb21fY29udGVudCZ2aWV3PWFydGljbGU maWQ9MTp3aGF0Z29lc2ludG9ldmVyeW1hbnplciZjYXRpZD0xO m5ld3MmSXRlbWlkPTE0)

If you’ve never owned a handmade guitar, you are in for an acoustic treat. Talented (and famous) guitarists have said that playing a Manzer Guitar has inspired them to discover new musical vistas. A Manzer Guitar sounds good from the first chord and, like only the finest instruments, the sound actually improves as it opens up over time.
Manzer Guitars come with a serious price tag because they are serious instruments. They look beautiful. They sound wonderful. And they have proven to be a solid investment, in good times and bad."

I have no idea whether this is true, but it is interesting nonetheless.

[57special]

I like the thumb thingY A LOT... I've been wondering about a feature similar to that (not the same), and will do it sooner or later on a guitar. I find that the limiting factor in comfortable upper fret access on many guitars is where the thunm can be placed, whereas most builds i've seen concentrate on the back of the heel or the depth of the cutaway.
I know a fiend of mine was talking to her at one of the guitar shows and expressing the same thing to her.
Has anyone else seen this feature before, or something like it?

[Jim S]

"Why Acquire A Manzer Guitar?
If you’ve never owned a handmade guitar, you are in for an acoustic treat. Talented (and famous) guitarists have said that playing a Manzer Guitar has inspired them to discover new musical vistas. A Manzer Guitar sounds good from the first chord and, like only the finest instruments, the sound actually improves as it opens up over time.
Manzer Guitars come with a serious price tag because they are serious instruments. They look beautiful. They sound wonderful. And they have proven to be a solid investment, in good times and bad."
I have no idea whether this is true, but it is interesting nonetheless.

I can say nearly the same thing for guitars costing far less. I don't know about the investment part.

[stan p]

Matheny / Manzer accoustic sound is a reference point for many people I know.

Reference sound comes at co$t. I would love to play that 14K jazz nylon.

For now I am sticking with my 77 Larrivee classical that serves me some unbelivably good sounds, but it's no Manzer.