How can I reconcile the fact that my more expensive guitar is my no.2 guitar?

[bgmacaw]

My most played guitar right now is a $60 Monoprice Tele copy, unmodified other than a basic setup and a much needed fret edge smoothing.

 

[stxrus]

Cost has nothing to do with anything. You play the that’s the most fun and/or suits your needs. If I knew you better I’d tell you to get over it

 

[ClashCityTele]

I have 2 Telecasters.
One is worth £2,300; one is worth £300.
One is old & heavy; one is newer & light.
Guess which one gets played the most - lol.

 

[Gimble]

out pretty meh, but over time has become my project guitar

It may come down to this, you’re more invested in the MIM one than the Am Pro?

 

[rcole_sooner]

Call yourself lucky. My most expensive is probably like 10th in my line up.

 

[drmordo]

Ultimately, the only thing that matters is that the guitar inspires you. Nothing else matters.

My MIK Casino is my fav. I have an Elitist Casino that I don't like as much and haven't played in months.

 

[Buell]

My '62 SG is not even my #2 guitar but is probably worth more than my #1 and #2 put together. Money means nothing compared to sound, tone, comfort, etc.

 

[acrvr]

Guys, thank you so much for talking some sense into me.

 

[ChicknPickn]

As dollar value goes, my most valuable guitar is a seventies Kramer 650 Artist in excellent condition. Heavy as lead, flat/wide neck. Rarely comes off the stand. On the other hand, a Tele I built from a Ron Kirn template and modified for a P90 in the neck, plus 4-way switch, is no doubt my go-to. Doesn't have a factory-perfect finish, but I got over that a long time ago.

 

[Mjark]

More expensive is just that.

 

[nojazzhere]

I own two telecasters, one a mexican that's been heavily modified, and another lightly modified american professional 2. The american professional sounds good, I love the neck and the frets and it would've been my no.1 guitar had it not been for the mexican.

The mexican started out pretty meh, but over time has become my project guitar and ever since installing a set of Lollars, I just feel so guilty everytime I enjoy the sound coming out of it compared to the more expensive american pro 2. I'm not trying to bash the am-pro, and/or anyone owning one. After all, sound is subjective. I just feel so bad everytime I play the mexican and looking at the pro 2 as some sort of a backup guitar. The mexican neck actually feels too small for my hand (it's modern C profile) and I hate the neck so much I'm making a custom neck for it.

I'm sure other members here with way more guitars than I do have an experience with this sort of a situation...

I'm gonna have to disagree with the general consensus here.....you obviously have your priorities out of line. To paraphrase Frederic Forrest, giving advice to his daughter in the Valley Girl film......"Take it back and get the more expensive one. They always fit better."
But seriously.....You yourself said the MIM has been extensively modified, and still has a new neck to go, yet you still favor it. You're simply in the process of putting together a "custom" guitar. I did the same thing over twenty years ago, with a 1993 Made in Korea Fender Squier Telecaster. It was repeatedly modified (including a new neck) to the point that the ONLY remaining original parts were the body and the strap buttons. So I can't honestly say a Korean made Tele is better than "Model X".....When you compare your two guitars, it's simply unfair, to either model.

 

[Happy Enchilada]

Happens all the time.
For me, it was discovering the Indonesian Hamer Special and Junior with P90s.
Blew away all that came before (except Linda Lou, my thinline partscaster).
Great for country, blues, rock ...
Now I'm thinning my herd and will bank the proceeds to acquire a Reverend with P90s.
Can't decide between the Contender 290 and the Dirtbike, as local dealer has no Dirtbike for comparison.
But that's the way of the world.
And if we didn't learn and move on, we'd be stuck in a rut forever.

My advice is sell the expensive one and get another MIM and work on it.
You should about break even.
Or build a partscaster (always good therapy, and cold weather's comin').

At least you figured out what you like, and some people go a lifetime and still don't get that.
And you can't put a pricetag on mojo.

 

[blowtorch]

price alone is only price alone

 

[Killing Floor]

Wouldn’t worry about it.

 

[teletail]

What is there to reconcile? You like what you like. Rather than put a new neck on the MIM, I'd try putting the Lollars in the MIA. GOOD necks aren't cheap.

 

[dented]

One is my favorite and the other cost the most to replace.

 

[telleutelleme]

My 1 & 2 both have Lollars. No where close in cost to #3. Doesn't matter, they all entertain me.

 

[Toto'sDad]

People like different guitars for different reasons. My brother-in-law came by my house some time ago, played the few guitars I have now and proclaimed my wife's Taylor 314ce the best guitar I had. While it is a very nice guitar and plays, and sounds good, it's not my favorite, 'cause I got Martinitus, to me my Martin does the trick. I knew the real reason he liked the Taylor, his wife who has passed on had a similar guitar.

The inevitability of liking one of anything you own more than one of is just a reality. I do know cost often doesn't reflect how much you like something. I sold my D-28 Martin Marquis, because I was uncomfortable having it out around people, and to tell you the truth, did not feel my playing skills warranted such a guitar. It was too nice for someone like me, I'm an Okie at heart, and would drive a chevy, or Honda no matter how much money I had. The person who has the Marquis now has it as their lifetime guitar, and I think it's better she has it than me.

 

[Mike Eskimo]

I sold a Dakota Red GE Smith Tele that weighed 7 lbs even (!!!) that also had a Muddy Waters bridge pickup (!!!) installed (original GE bridge pickup in case) and still have my #1 - a ‘92 MIM that I like so much I had it refretted when the OG frets wore flat.

So my suggestion to you is to sell your American made telecaster. And don’t look back !

 

[Manual Slim]

I think the trick is just to accept things as they are if you can't change them.