The Value of Your Guitar/s

[bgmacaw]

I generally place the most personal value on guitars I've built, assembled or modded myself. Others would probably not value them as much as I do though. I've got a few expensive guitars but the ones I play the most are relatively cheap partscasters, mod/rehab jobs or CBG builds.

 

[nojazzhere]

I've been hearing people, reading discussions and forums (not here in TDRPI, you guys are kind and reasonable) and comments saying about expensive guitar "this guitar is way overpriced", "that guitar just have cheap specs", "it's in the player". I understand them coz I was one of them back then that says "it's way too expensive", and "I can play that song played on an expensive guitar through my guitar". When I got to try in my nearby store, very high-end guitars, custom, signature, and high-end modern ones, and I kinda understood what makes them expensive. The craftsmanship and attention to detail, the frets, neck, body contours, the pickup design, the signature artist wants and tone were worth noticing that it took a lot of time for luthiers, pickup builders, and workers to build one. I think it's kinda disrespectful as well for them when someone says "that's just a tele", "that's just a strat", "the specs is simple" coz it's their craft. I began to respect expensive guitars coz it may be vintage (piece of history there) or a fender master builder, or a well-known luthier, or a well-known brand, or well-built guitar. There may be exceptions I think.

I watched some documentaries and videos of great session guitarists and artists on their guitars and how they bought them, the specs, etc. Some were cheap, some were expensive, but they always say it made a connection with them.

When I was about to buy a pricey tele guitar, I tried my dream guitar (American Original 60s hehe), signature guitars, custom shops, non-Fender teles some were good, some were not good for my taste. I realized what I bought was what made a connection with me and the genres I play. (Almost went for a Brent Mason sig haha, coz that blend mid pickup is really nice).

I realize that whether you have a cheap or expensive guitar the value of your guitar is a mix of your passion, your genre, your heroes, the people who build it, your parents or siblings or friend who bought it for you or bought it with you, kinda bit the branding and price tag (especially for the expensive ones hehe), the money that you could afford at that moment and especially what connection it made with you.

And I think mainly the value of your guitar/s is what really felt close to you.


Just a newbie here and would love to hear your thoughts about this.

In my opinion, there are different aspects on guitar prices......
You can now buy exceptionally good guitars today that are incredibly inexpensive. (compared to prices of a few decades ago)
"Some" people shop and "appraise" guitars based on price......to them the more expensive an instrument, the better it is.
Others shop and "appraise" based on "value"......the biggest bang for the buck. Maybe there's a compromise or two, but it doesn't cost an arm and a leg.
Still others are sincerely happy with an "inexpensive" guitar (remembering, that is relative) and have zero complaints or issues.....they know tone is in their fingers.
A much smaller segment of buyers are usually the top echelon of players who evaluate a guitar on how it "speaks" to them, regardless of (or in spite of) price. Those are the guys who will pay many thousands for a guitar that is their "ideal" Holy Grail. I doubt that many of us here fall into that category, because, as good as we might perceive a guitar to be, we also have good sense and budgets to adhere to.
Speaking strictly for myself.....after playing for well over fifty years, I knew exactly what I wanted in an electric guitar, and (since it didn't exist "off-the-shelf") built it for somewhere around $500......cheap by almost any standard. It quite simply was precisely what I wanted......lucky me!

 

[Ebidis]

Value can depend on a lot of things.
I have owned many expensive guitars and most of them were very nice. They have come and gone.

I have never cared about what a guitar costs, the only thing that matters is whether I connect with it.

I have this Squier (I replaced the neck with one from another Squier,and have done other work on it) and it just fits me like an old pair of shoes. I wouldn't sell it for any amount of money.

I have this MIM Standard Strat which was given to me by a good friend about a year ago, and he just passed away about a week ago. There is not enough money to make me part with it.

 

[StoneH]

Three different examples:

1) 1969 Strat ($9,000): Sounds great, plays great, owned for 44 years, will never sell it, but if it were stolen, I'd be pissed, but not heart broken.

2) 1934 Duolian ($1500): Sounds like every other old Duolian (they were $34 new), my Grandfather bought it and I've "owned" it for 56 years. If stolen, I'd be sick, but not heart broken.

3) 1978 Yairi DY-85 ($1600): Needs a neck reset, but I got the action to "medium" and I think I can get it to "medium low". With a capo on the first fret and tuned back to E, it still plays like a dream. It is the best sounding acoustic I have ever played. I sold my Martin 000-18 to help pay for it (when I was 22). I dread resetting the neck because I'd hate to ruin it. If stolen, I'd be sick and heart broken . . . I said I'd never sell the Strat, but I would do it in a heartbeat and pay thousands to get another acoustic as good.

Here are the same old pics I use when we talk about this stuff:

 

[Old Verle Miller]

My latest project is to replicate my long-lost youth by re-creating a Tele I had in 1969 - 1971. Given the cash outlay that would be required, I had given up until I stumbled on to a deal for a rather beat up but new Squire Bullet and was shocked at two things: How good the neck felt and how light the body was.

It's getting vintage Fender pickups, locking tuners, a 4 way switching and electronics package and lots of care and tenderness on the neck finish to make it look 50+ years old. That and shielding to help with the noise and if I get everything adjusted right I might just use it in a gig for old times sake.

Value? To me, I'm in it for ~$500, not counting the shop and finish supplies and labor hours. But if it has the looks, sound and feel I fell in love with all those years ago, it's priceless.

 

[Willie Johnson]

My 90's Am Std Strat has a little value, but it's been modified. I might be able to get a few hundred bucks for my 80's Fender-branded MIK Strat, just because it's an odd duck, but again, modified. The rest are cheap Squiers, but they're all great players. I put my money into my retirement investments--so that I get to be rich for a month before I croak.

 

[telemnemonics]

Y’all are strange.
I don’t like cheap guitars.
I don’t like expensive guitars.
I don’t like Telecasters either for that matter.
But my home assembled from parts, casters?
They cost medium money and I feel medium about them.
Playing them they really don’t exist, which is my goal in a good guitar. Zero awareness of the guitar, no worry and no annoyance.
Too expensive can be a source of worry, while too cheap is certainly annoying.

BTW I can’t stand Epi Casinos!
Ridiculous terrible crap guitars!
Why must owners of those abominations keep posting pics of them?
If you want my sympathy for your poor guitar that got its neck squashed down into its belly, yeah OK I‘m sorry for your misfortune.
I suppose I should be grateful my guitars with cutaway upper fret access didn‘t get in whatever accident causes such deformity.

Ash borer, pine beetle, and I guess some other sort of infestation or invasion deformed those poor guitars?
Seriously, put those bats in your belfry out of sight.

 

[39martind18]

Price and value can spur a purchase interest in me- if the value is far below the purchase price, I get interested. To get purchased, a guitar has to speak to me to trigger the purchase. My guitar's values range from $20,000+ for my avatar, to about $400 for my partscaster Tele. My #1 stage electric, a 2006 Epiphone 1964 Sheraton Reissue, was bought off of Evilbay for $560 including shipping. Today it's worth around $2350. My Heritage H550, also off Evilbay, cost $1000, and is worth around 2000 today. The partscaster is my #2 electric, so value is not necessarily a determining factor in which gets played when. Some pics: Most expensive:

Least expensive:

#1:

Heritage H550:

 

[39martind18]

Y’all are strange.
I don’t like cheap guitars.
I don’t like expensive guitars.
I don’t like Telecasters either for that matter.
But my home assembled from parts, casters?
They cost medium money and I feel medium about them.
Playing them they really don’t exist, which is my goal in a good guitar. Zero awareness of the guitar, no worry and no annoyance.
Too expensive can be a source of worry, while too cheap is certainly annoying.

BTW I can’t stand Epi Casinos!
Ridiculous terrible crap guitars!
Why must owners of those abominations keep posting pics of them?
If you want my sympathy for your poor guitar that got its neck squashed down into its belly, yeah OK I‘m sorry for your misfortune.
I suppose I should be grateful my guitars with cutaway upper fret access didn‘t get in whatever accident causes such deformity.

Ash borer, pine beetle, and I guess some other sort of infestation or invasion deformed those poor guitars?
Seriously, put those bats in your belfry out of sight.

C'mon @telemnemonics, tell us how you REALLY feel!

 

[gridlock]

It’s usually my latest purchased guitar.

 

[Wooly Fox]

I'll just say my savings are all tied up in my 4 guitars...

I play them all and love them all for how they do their own thing, I rarely think about the value beyond being careful with them as I am with my other stuff that I like.

 

[Double Stop]

Price and value can spur a purchase interest in me- if the value is far below the purchase price, I get interested. To get purchased, a guitar has to speak to me to trigger the purchase. My guitar's values range from $20,000+ for my avatar, to about $400 for my partscaster Tele. My #1 stage electric, a 2006 Epiphone 1964 Sheraton Reissue, was bought off of Evilbay for $560 including shipping. Today it's worth around $2350. My Heritage H550, also off Evilbay, cost $1000, and is worth around 2000 today. The partscaster is my #2 electric, so value is not necessarily a determining factor in which gets played when. Some pics: Most expensive:

View attachment 971443

Least expensive: View attachment 971457

#1: View attachment 971461

Heritage H550: View attachment 971464

The pictures of your most expensive guitars are kind of blurry, like every "photo" of Bigfoot taken. Do those really exist?

JK! Really nice ones you've got there.

 

[telemnemonics]

C'mon @telemnemonics, tell us how you REALLY feel!

If I was totally honest I’d for sure be joining the banned!

 

[andy__d]

Sorry to ask an OT question, but this photo intrigues me: I’d always assumed using a Roland pickup on a tele with an ashtray raised bridge was going to be a non starter: does mounting it away from the bridge have any impact on the response of the pickup? I’m intrigued to give it a try on mine now I’ve seen this...

 

[39martind18]

Sorry to ask an OT question, but this photo intrigues me: I’d always assumed using a Roland pickup on a tele with an ashtray raised bridge was going to be a non starter: does mounting it away from the bridge have any impact on the response of the pickup? I’m intrigued to give it a try on mine now I’ve seen this...

All in all, it responds quite well. I have Gk3s on all four of my 6 string electrics, and the mounting on the Tele works as well as the others, so get one on there! Because it's not near the bridge, you'll probably have to work a bit to get the pickup close enough to the strings, especially so that the strings don't "fret out" on the pickup. Once properly adjusted, it works great!

 

[39martind18]

The pictures of your most expensive guitars are kind of blurry, like every "photo" of Bigfoot taken. Do those really exist?

JK! Really nice ones you've got there.

Indeed they do! You'd be a little fuzzy too, if you were around me for nearly 50 years.

 

[muudcat]

I love all my guitars for their uniqueness, some have limitations which I recognize, like the Casino's lack of upper register but it is what it is and P-90's sound like they should through the right amp. 360-12 Ric, now there's a challenge and many hate them, but once again I love mine for it's, again, unique sound, and each Tele I own has it's own sound, as do the acoustics, but at the end of the day they are tools to me I can use to put food on the table and bring an amazing amount of joy to my life, for like 57 years. Don't even get me started with the amps

 

[loudboy]

My most expensive guitar is my player-grade '57 Tele I bought in 1978.

My most valuable guitar is the '72 SG that my Dad bought me in 1974, the year before he died.

My favorite guitar is the parts-caster I built to be an optimized, giggable version of the '57.

 

[andy__d]

All in all, it responds quite well. I have Gk3s on all four of my 6 string electrics, and the mounting on the Tele works as well as the others, so get one on there! Because it's not near the bridge, you'll probably have to work a bit to get the pickup close enough to the strings, especially so that the strings don't "fret out" on the pickup. Once properly adjusted, it works great!

Thanks, I’ll give it a go!

 

[WelhavenTW]

I’ve two MiA guitars I could sell now and get my money back. The rest of them are modded MiMs. They have more value to me, than on the used market. Luckily I’m done buying and selling gear, so none of it matters