I give up: can't save money

I've tried "saving up" to buy a really top-notch acoustic, something small-bodied, all-solid, angel-voiced, hand-made. . .you know. Every month I stick a c-note or three in my "guitar can", and I figure I'll need $3-4,000 to be able to walk in ready to buy the right instrument.

Sometimes my stash gets up to seven or eight hundred dollars, but it never gets any higher than that. Something always comes up, at home or with one of our kids (they're adults, but they need our help sometimes), and I need to raid the can. At those times I'm glad the money is there, but at this rate I'll never have the money for that Collings or Ehlers or Martin.

My bluegrass Tak is a great guitar, and I'm lucky to have it (now that I mention that, I feel the same way about the home and kids). I guess I'll stop chasing after something better and just enjoy it.

Split your stash. keep half of it as untouchable for guitars, and the other half as a /use only when necessary' stash.

Win - win.

that being said, i stink at saving it as well. I always talk myself into 'you know, the $500 will be just as good, and you can have it right now!'

Or, give the Eastman, Blueridge, & Recording King brands a go.

I would love to have a Bourgeois OM, but the Eastman OM's are looking real good on paper and I am going to give some a try hopefully tomorrow.

Second vote for the Recording King stuff. Very, very impressed with mine so far.

Umm..
Yep, know the feeling..
Sounds like $700 -800 is what you are comfortable with...

1. You can get into a nice Martin for that...there was just a thread about a ooo-15 NGD I belive it was purchased in the 1k range, you could certainly get one used one within budget.
I recently played a 1960s nylon strung Martin, it was just as you describe, angelic.
Mint condition $900 asking price, from a shop

2. Yamaha makes some stunning low production small bodies in the L series, a little hard to find but they are very fairly priced. The Ls 16 might be worth a look
All solid, grand aud body, @ 800 w/ Hsc..they also make some soild top models which is something Yamaha excels at so they sound excellent...

3. Simon & Patrick is doing some nice work in that area also, they make a all solid parlor selling for $700-800, depending on finish.

Do you have any "extra" gear you could put into the pot?
I found that after I got my Sheneandoha D-28 squared away, I played a lot less electric..a nice acoustic will tend to back burner your other guitars, I only have one electric these days.

^^^ Yup, no need to spend more that $1000 for a quality, great sounding/playing acoustic. Have played some great Blueridges and Eastmans, Larrivee D-3 (an all solid "D-28" style for $800) etc.

Second vote for the Recording King stuff. Very, very impressed with mine so far.

+3

You'd be surprised. I could never see myself paying 3-$4,000 for a guitar. :shock:

Commission a custom build. The builder will want a down payment and a payment upon finish. This is always negotiable.

Ask them (kindly, of course) about sending them 200-300 at a time and I bet they will be glad to accommodate you. Then in a year or so you will have that treasure. This works.

Just start saving again. A bit of desire and aspiration is healthy.:wink:

I've been there. Something more important will ALWAYS come up. That's life. Keep doing what your doing, but it's a good thing you have that money when something serious comes up. High end guitars for non professionals are not that serious when you put it up against real life issues. At least your priorities are straight.

Here's what has worked for me in the past (and present). If you have an actual need for the acoustic guitar, buy a used version of something nice (but cheaper) to use in the mean time. I say buy used because the plan is to sell it down the road, and if you find a good enough deal on an instrument that sells decently in the used market, you won't lose any money at all. In addition to that, when it comes birthday or christmas time, and people are asking me what sort of thing I might like for a gift, I tell them I'm trying to save for a really nice instrument, and while it's not the most fun gift to give, since they're asking, the best gift I could imagine would be money towards the cause.

Put that in a different coffee can. Wait a couple of years. In a year or two, you might find if you add that money up, with the addition of selling your other acoustic, and perhaps selling a couple of other pieces of gear that has been laying around (unsused amps, effects, pickups) you might be ready to buy a USED version of the top shelf guitar you've been wanting. Done. If you insist on buying a new one, just repeat the process again down the road and sell your used top shelf when you're ready to trade up.

Saving $3000 is really really hard for regular middle class people. But inching your way to say, $2000 over the course of a couple of years by saving, geting cash gifts, selling other gear....that's not that hard to do if you're patient and are willing to part with other stuff.. I have a nice $2500 Gretsch, only I payed $1700 for it used (it's in dead mint condition). If I had to come up with the full retail amount, I'd still be waiting....

"Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans."
John Lennon

One of my buddies has a bunch of high-end acoustics and he tells me the Blueridge guitars are fantastic and a real value. I'd like to try them myself.

don't put the money in a jar.

make it harder to get.

usually 700-800 doesn't solve problems, it just staves them off... the problem is still there...

Save 3K and solve a problem, save 3K again and solve another real problem, then save 3K and buy your dream guitar.

You can do it. You know you can, you just need to commit and execute. You can do it.

I wanted a Martin EC model, but since getting a Silver Creek T-170 with virtually the same specs, I have no desire to toss away $3K for the Martin. Haven't played them side-by-side, but I've played the Martin in GC, then came home and played my SC, and I swear my SC sounds better, and feels identical (wide mod V neck is identical IMO). Put some open back Wilkinsons on the SC and it's a great guitar!

Recording King and Blueridge are both excellent choices as well (better quality than the SC in general), and have the full range of models.

Thanks, everybody, for all the replies.

Really, I'm not complaining here. Actually, I think I've come to a better perspective about what I'm doing, where guitar is concerned. I've bought several guitars along the way, gaining that perspective. I have learned, through all my buying and trying, many things about guitars: what I like most, and what I like least. I am pretty sure my collection will shrink a bit in the future, and when it grows, any additions will be carefully chosen.

teleamp, Arbiter, Warm Gums, Chiogtr4x, kec!, Lowbassnotes, and tap4154, I appreciate what you're saying about "great guitars for the money." I'm a Takamine nut for exactly that reason. I might actually scratch that smallbody-wideneck itch with just one more good used Tak, while I'm waiting. :oops:

Brendo and Sean65, I'll keep feeding the savings can. After all, the money did come in handy, several times, and if it hadn't been in the guitar can. . . ?

And getbent, your suggestion shows again a fine and well-disciplined mind. M'own, fine or not, too often lacks discipline, but I understand the idea, and will try to attack real problems first, when I do manage to put aside larger lumps of money, because of course if I did that, I'd have an easier time coming up with guitar money. I'll try to make my savings less accessible, as you said. I had already done that, in a way, by deciding not to buy any more amps, teles, or lesser guitars, but the can's in pretty easy reach.

I think I will someday buy a real gem of a smallbody (Brian blaut, a used one is a definite possibility, and donh, I like your idea very much), but I have to stop pushing so hard toward someday. It's just that it's not time yet. If I die having just the guitars I have right now, or even just my one or two favorites among them, I'm still a lucky man. I'd be that with no guitars at all.

You can get a used Martin D18 for around $1500. Just check it out well before buying and compare it to the photos and specs on the Martin website. Like fake Fenders, there are lots of fake Martins out there. Do your research!!

BTW, I sold a Martin D1 for about $500 last Summer, so there are good sounders out there for short money.

You can get a really nice gtr. for less than 3000.00, 1500.00 will get a real nice gtr. I prefer to play my less expensive gtrs. when I"m not in my home.