How much would you spend on a Guitar?

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by jpd

I've begun the slow and winding road to discovering less expensive acoustics. I'm selling off all of my "name brands"(except for my 0-15) and discovering the joys of great built, less expensive, new and used acoustics. Man, there's a boat load of great acoustics out there

And every time I compare my $1000 each give or take acoustics to stuff at twice the price, I just

[rogthefrog]

Originally Posted by kydave

Hmmm... Well, as a minimum wage earning 20 year old kid in 1971 (which equates to $3,328 for a full time year at 40/hr week), paying $500 for a new D-28 was certainly a HUGE chunk of my annual income!

Commitment! (Still have and play it, though...)

Minimum wage today would be about $20k depending on where you live. $500 then is $3000 today, about the price of a new D-28 after tax. So as a % of a minimum wage income, a D-28 is the same today as it was in 1971.

Sadly, the cost of living isn't. Health care in particular is orders of magnitude higher now than it was then. So you can get the guitar and health care or food and rent, but not all three.

[strat4me]

Most I've spent is $2,100 on used Martin listed below (keeper for life). I've spent less than $100 on some and many under $300. Depends on purpose, tone and playability.

I really enjoy ALL of them and play five of them daily, time allowing. I would be willing to spend more if the right guitar came along... And if I had more available funds.

;-) Plus lovely bride thinks 9 guitars is probably enough!

[Muddslide]

I've bought several electric and acoustic guitars and basses for $100 or less since I started playing in 1977, but I've paid much more as well.

Most I ever paid, far as I recall, for any instrument, was a shade over $2000 for a birth-year 1968 Gibson Hummingbird which was stolen two years later.

I may well have "spent" more in combination of cash and trade in value for a couple of instruments over the years.

I take good care of my things, but have lost instruments to theft, fire, flood, and other damage and am no longer interested, or financially able, to spend much on instruments.

Admittedly, I do still fawn over nice vintage guitars and the work of certain builders, but I make do just fine with cheaper stuff. I can do setup work and as long as an instrument holds tune and intonates, has a good neck and action, and is comfortable to play, I'm happy.

I seriously doubt I'll ever spend more than $500 on an instrument again. In fact, it may be that I never make another instrument purchase. I have one guitar and three ukes currently.

I am considering an inexpensive parlor guitar...possibly a Recording King, and my wife would like to find an old Harmony baritone ukulele to replace one she lost in a flood.

[SongwriterFan]

I draw the line at $250,000 . . . just in case I ever want a near-mint pre-war D-28.