Guitar Collecting
 

Just a question to throw out - what are factors to consider that affect the future resale value of an acoustic?

Ultimately, I buy a guitar if it has the right sound/feel/looks for me (albeit quite subjective). I sometimes see sellers use the words "good investment," and the likes. Yet these sellers fail to detail why it is a good investment.

I'd love to hear some opinions from all you experts out there...



Larrivee C09 (love this sound)
Taylor K12, L7 (Taylor records show only 5 made)
Taylor 614ce (love the honeyburst)
Fender Strat, JM Signature (unbelieveable blues sound)
Tobias Bass, 5-string Growler
Classical Guitar

Let the seller define it for you. Ask, "If I buy this guitar from you now at this price and I bring it back in the same condition in five years, what price would you offer? What about ten years?"

Don't forget to figure in inflation and what you could make in interest or dividends on the same money in the same amount of time. (Forget the current market...it is a correction albeit a three-year one.)

Like you, I buy what I want and not to sell it. However, I do not spend $8K to $12K on a guitar. With that investment, it is not too far fetched to consider hard times forcing the selling of one.

Ken C.

One part scarcity, 4 parts mythology. :D

It depends on how long a term investment you make. Holding value over the next 5-10 years is fairly easy. Buy those with high demand now and the demand will probably hold.

Long term investment is a dicier affair as you have to anticipate demand in 40 to 50 years. Many of the guitars bringing megabucks to collectors today were available for next to nothing a few decades ago. Lots of pre-war Martins, 50's and 60's Stratocasters and Flame top Les Pauls ended up in pawn shops.

People bought them because they were good, not because they were investments. Buying solely for investment value is risky unless you buy an existing collectible and are looking for incremental increase. Finding the bargain that will go up to six figures in 30 years is akin to fortune telling.

Forget thinking about a guitar as a potential investment unless you have the fat end of five figures and more to spend; there are just too many around especially the big names-Martin, Taylor, Gibson etc.
Big name, big buck archtop builders might be a reasonable bet along with pre-war high end Martins and, of course, Gibson Les Pauls from 1958-60 but new, nope.
Buy a guitar you'll enjoy playing and if it increases in value then regard that as a lucky bonus. The collector market is notoriously fickle; this year's 'most desirable' rapidly becomes an unsaleable Esteban.

Compared to today's stock market, any "collectable" is a good investment. But, that's just today. A year ago, it would've been silly to call guitars a good investment (unless you happened to have a bunch of '50s Les Pauls or Strats in your closet).

I contend that you should put that out of your mind. Guitars require care and feeding (unlike, say, porcelain dolls), and you're not going to see great return in (likely) your lifetime. Buy because you like what you hear (and will play) or because you want to display these wonderful works of art. Don't buy if you want to shove them in a closet and sell them in 10 years. Just my opinion.

Sometimes you can't tell. The Epiphone Bluesmaster/Songwriter started out at about 299.00 or so and it has been sold for upwards of 800 or more after Keb Mo used one on an instructional dvd. I buy a guitar based on sound first, playability second, quality third, looks fourth (although this is usually what attracts my attention first) and affordability (probably really first). Some guitars always seem to maintain thier value like Olsons and the high end Martins special editions. Then there the standby's like Martin D28's D18's (sorry I can't speak for many other brands although I know thier there.) Gibson banjo's used by Earl Scruggs, fiddles used by the Dawg, etc. (ps I'm not one of those experts out there!)

I would wonder what the longevity of popularity of an instrument that a well known player used was?

Steve

There's a lot of slick vebiage out there trying to get you to pay what a seller is asking. As I look through the Ebay auctions on any given day, there will be about 50% of the "buy it now" prices that are about 30% or more above fair market value. And in those auctions, I see a lot of incorrect and misleading information.

I see guitars relisted for two years, even on some forums, where the seller thinks because it's a limited edition or NAMM show guitar, that it's going to command a serious premium.....not going to happen in most cases.

Like a few have said above, buying an instrument for "investment" value probably isn't a great idea if you are expecting a return. That is unless you want to shell out the dough for a '39 OM-45 and sit back and pray that the economy gets better someday.;)

When I see claims like that, I always think, "This guitar is going to be worth a lot more money someday. That's why I am being such a good guy to let you buy it from me, I don't need the money."

It gives me the same taste in my mouth as when a sleazy used car salesman tells me "It was owned by a little old lady who only drove it to church on Sundays," despite the fact that it's just two years old and has 247,368 miles on it. She must have lived a loooong way from church! :D

cotten

I pretty much identify with HHP's comments, too.

Regards, Glenn

i just treat my guitars the best i can... that's really all there is to it.. when i find the need to sell in the future, a well kept guitar always holds its value better anyway...

i only had 1 guitar and sold it for little loss because i kept it in such good condition after getting it.

This is very true in automobile collecting. I remember reading an article where some people were hanging onto AMC Gremlins, harboring the false hope that the quirky, unpopular vehicles would one day become valuable. They didn't and wont!

http://inlinethumb48.webshots.com/20...500x500Q85.jpg

As has been pointed out, unless you're risking your money at the very high end, 'investment' isn't really the right term. ie: that $300 Epiphone that's worth $800 a few decades later ...no one will be retiring on that!

Perhaps a more interesting question is will the guitars we are buying today hold their value?

On the plus side, many of the materials that go into quality instruments are made of essentially non-renewable resources. ie: as quality mahogany disappears, limited supply should hold prices up if demand holds.

The big question mark for me is on the demand side. We've had "how old are you" polls on AGF in the past, and if I recall, the median age is somewhere in the late 40's. As baby-boomers stop consuming, will the demand for quality guitars ease? Or worse yet, fall off a cliff?


My guess is that any change in guitar values will be moderate and will happen slowly over a long period of time.

Don't be so sure about that Gremlin. Seen what a restored Edsel or Henry J brings these days?

Gibson Flying V's were a total flop when they were introduced and nobody would touch one for years. Today, seen them go for upwards of 3/4 million.

I don't know... some guitars are pretty obviously "good investments". A decent D'Angelicio or D'Aquisto archtop will surely increase in value. Loar mandolins, Gibson L5's and Super 400s from the golden age will probably fair well. etc.

You always need to do your homework, but some guitars are pretty obviously good pieces for a collection that will appreciate over time.

The name on the headstock (especially if that person is already prized and retiring) and woods.