GVCG. Question

[Brass Saddles]

Folks: Need advice on purchase?
I have opportunity to buy a 59 Reissue Datika Red with maple neck. I believe Lollar pickups. Guitar plays great, but is it worth $2500.? I have owned a bunch of real vintage and relics Teles, but not sure if I want to pull the trigger.
I believe it's a parts guitar, relic'd beautifully.
I would appreciate input.
Thanks
Brass Saddles
Boston, Ma

 

[superbadj]

Parts guitars, when great, are great. I have several and love them.

Are they worth $2500? Hell no!

You can have custom made for less than that. You can roll your own for way less.

 

[Tele_Audiodemon]

I concur

Parts guitars, when great, are great. I have several and love them.

Are they worth $2500? Hell no!

You can have custom made for less than that. You can roll your own for way less.

I agree with superbadj regarding the price/value.

 

[Timo]

Apparently these are great guitars, and fairly rare. FYI, there's a GVCG Tele at Lark Street music in New Jersey and they're asking $3350.00- so maybe $2500 isn't so bad.
It depends what moves you.

 

[Ricky D.]

Parts guitars, when great, are great. I have several and love them.

Are they worth $2500? Hell no!

You can have custom made for less than that. You can roll your own for way less.

GVCG instruments were custom made to order. Greenwich Village Custom Guitars is no longer in business. The guitars have a stellar reputation and command high prices. You can do a google search and see for yourself. From what I've seen in 5 minutes of checking, the OP's deal is priced below market.

 

[lewis]

Parts guitars, when great, are great. I have several and love them.

Are they worth $2500? Hell no!

You can have custom made for less than that. You can roll your own for way less.

A real Fender is nothing but a parts guitar.
It can be argued that makers like Yaron, Hahn, GVCG, Lentz, Vinetto, Rice, etc. refined the details of those parts to make consistently better instruments.

 

[superbadj]

A real Fender is nothing but a parts guitar.
It can be argued that makers like Yaron, Hahn, GVCG, Lentz, Vinetto, Rice, etc. refined the details of those parts to make consistently better instruments.

I don't disagree here. I wasn't aware with CVCG guitars, so I was going off the "parts guitar" note. And I agree about Fender. There is no special "magic" there. There are some great Fenders, no doubt. I love Fender. Especially Fender Japan.

But I rate a guitar based on its merits, not its pedigree. A guitar, to me, is worth what it's worth based on how it plays, sounds, feels, and looks. And yes they all matter (in differing amounts).

Still....

I don't think any guitar is worth $2500. Not if it is being valued purely as an instrument to make music with. I have several frickin' fantastic telecasters/esquires, and none cost me anywhere near that price. I've played a bunch of excellent vintage teles that were really great guitars...but not better than what I have.

I'm not talking "market value". That includes how collectable/known/desired/marketed something is, etc....and that changes things of course. Because it can be an instrument you play, as well as a financial investment that you wanna make money on. "Partscasters" typically are a bad investment....unless you're Ron Kirn or Fender or a known brand making that partscaster. Because there is perceived (and sometimes real) value in that for a potential buyer.

If you know what you're doing, for well under $1000 you can create your own telecaster that is every bit as nice sounding, playing, feeling, and looking as anything that exists. Period.

Way under $1000 if you do everything from scratch. Somewhat under $1000 if you buy top-shelf parts and piece them together smartly.

Still with the right love and effort, a good setup, good selection of parts, etc.....you can have a world-class guitar for under $1K.

If you don't know what you're doing and can't do that....or if your time is valuable enough that you'd rather pay someone else for their labor, well, then your equation will be different.

That's my $.02.

 

[gmann]

A real Fender is nothing but a parts guitar.
It can be argued that makers like Yaron, Hahn, GVCG, Lentz, Vinetto, Rice, etc. refined the details of those parts to make consistently better instruments.

A parts guitar made by a group of investors that bought the company name. Anyway, to the OP's question. GVGC's are very well made and highly sought after guitars. All the ones I've seen have gone for much higher prices than this. Actually I'm wonderin' why this one is goin' so cheap. I would buy a GVGC at that price.

 

[allen st. john]

I saw a GVCG that was a mix of "real vintage" and relic parts, and for the life of me I couldn't tell what was an actual vintage part and what was a repro.

And I know my way around a vintage Fender, and more to the point it was at Lark Street where I had been playing any number of five-figure real vintage pieces.
Really cool guitar and one that had more in common with a $20,000 vintage piece than a $1000 newer Fender.

And, of course, you can buy a cheaper guitar that looks, sounds and plays fine.

But I have to say that $2,500 is actually kinda cheap for a GVCG. I recall them selling for more, but I haven't been in that market for a while.

 

[KC]

I think the GVCG name is well-known enough & rare enough -- now that he's stopped making them -- that you wouldn't get hurt at that price. You could move it pretty easily. Hell, if you hit me on a week that I thought I had money, I'd buy it off you for that. Dakota Red? Maple neck! Heck, yeah. I've got a pair of Lollar / GVCG pickups in my #1 tele and they kill.

I'm sure that I could put together a nice guitar for a thousand dollars, if I knew what I was doing. But I don't know what I'm doing. And I need another hobby like the Mona Lisa needs another nostril. I'd rather let somebody like Jonathan Wilson study up on this stuff & sell me the magic.

 

[xtrajerry]

From what I can tell you wouldn't have to much trouble selling it off at cost or better.. If you've got the spare change why not. Keep in mind you'll be buying the name but in some circles it's a very good name. Iow won't get hurt if you decide to sell.

 

[major10th]

The OP didn't mention who this GVCG tele is being purchased from. But I'd have to assume that it's a reliable seller. Being a parts guitar, and at a considerable cost, I'd want to be able to somehow validate that nothing has been swapped out or tampered with? That is, does this guitar still represent what Jonathan built it be be?

I've read only good things about GVCG guitars and I know that Taylor Goldsmith from Dawes has one of Jonathan's creations.

 

[Reeek]

I agree with the general assessment but . . . You can get a KILLER guitar custom "built" for you with all the best components and reliced if you wish in a finish and wood species of your choice for $1000 to $1600ish if you are just looking for a killer partscaster with superb playability. If you aren't chasing a "special" name or a possible profit . . .

 

[AJ Love]

skipping all the comments in terms of relative values of partscasters, the answer is: Yes, a GVCG for $2500 is a good deal, simply because those guitars often sell used for more..... value is based on the marketplace, not based on comments in a message board

Also, GVCG's are fantastic guitars rivaling the very best Fender Custom Shop guitars in quality

 

[68tele]

I've played 5-6 GVCGs in one sitting a few years ago and they all kicked ass. If I could $wing it, I would've bought one. Go for it, it'll certainly hold it's value.

 

[whitepapagold]

My GVCG is the best guitar Ive played in 30 years. Those who say "partscasters are equal" are wrong. But they also have never played one so its a typical online type response... LOL

2500 is low BUT... I personally think they will NOT hold their value. 10 years from now... who knows? Theres only a VERY VERY small group who know of them, and a FAR FAR smaller group who has played one. That can't sustain any value IMHO over time. Unless he hits it big as a musician- which I doubt will happen.

I bought mine after playing it first- I would never have ordered one unheard. But I instantly knew as I played it, it was going to be my favorite guitar ever. 4 years later it still is.

To the poster who said "if you know what you are doing" in reference to a partscaster- Jonathan knows something I don't, and you don't either. For that, he can command any price he likes.

BTW I hate relics. Hate them. Not to start the relic debate but to mention the GVCG I bought was commissioned as a heavy relic... Karma I guess. And even funnier, the fakest looking relicing on the guitar is actually the only REAL relicing from my arm rubbing the finish off... So while people love his relic work, I could care less... Its the tone.

 

[boredguy6060]

The dollar value is irrelevant unless you plan on selling it.
If this guitar is just what you're looking for and you plan to keep it forever, then who cares what it costs?
If you like it as much as it seems, and you got the money, buy it.
Personally I'd have to be sure ut was the guitar of my dreams, before I spent that much, but if I was convinced that this guitar is for me, I'd pay any price for it..if I had it.
You can't put a price on love

 

[musicsoma]

I couldn't agree more. I have owned 4 GVCG guitars and still have 2 of them. I kick myself every day for letting 2 of them get away as I will never get them back.

Thing about GVCG guitars is each one is entirely different in terms of sound and feel. Each one has a unique personality and life of its own. If you think you can part with one and get it again in the future, please learn from my mistake.

Additionally GVCG is NOT on par with the Fender Custom Shop. GVCG blows the FCS compeltely out of the water. It is not even close. I have been a vintage collector for some time and have played hundreds (literally) of vintage guitars. My 1965 Strat is the only Strat that has been able to stand head to head with my GVCG. They are THAT good. My 65 has a warmer, darker sound due to the age, but the GVCG has a fuller, more articulate sound. Both are equally amazing, and I would not trade one for the other, just different.

Jonathan Wilson is an absolute master of his craft. Whether or not you dig the relic look, you will not find a better playing or sounding guitar than one of his instruments... this being said from a guy who has owned dozens of vintage guitars ranging into the tens of thousands of dollars. The GVCGs I currently own would be the last to go in an emergency.