Sold a guitar I disliked - buyer loved it. Strange ----

[achdu]

It's happened a few times.

With a Martin 000-28EC, which was just too pure sounding and resonant for me, but the buyer loved it.

I'd dreamt of having a NRP guitar, and, having cashed in an insurance policy, bought a NRP polychrome tricone. It was beautufully made, looked amazing, but the sound left me cold.

I met the buyer in the waiting hall of Newport railway station, in S Wales. He took the guitar from the case, and started playing it. He was a classical guitarist and made the guitar sing. He loved it, and played non-stop for about 20 minutes, to a gathering crowd.

I was new to resonators, and have since found I prefer single cones to tricones.

The third guitar was a Continental style N single cone. I bought it as it was advertised as made by Frantisek Javurek of Amistar (and I'd also dreamt of owning one of these).

It turned out to have been made in China, and assembled in Munich (I sent an email to Frantisek Javurek, and he confirmed he had not made the guitar).

To me, it sounded like a cheap banjo. It had a massive buzz when I played it, and the tech I took it for repair, agreed.

I sold it to one of the fussiest, most demanding buyers I've dealt with, and I was dreading the eBay feedback. He loved it. He said he owned vintage Nationals, NRPs, but the Continental was the best he'd played.

[Mbroady]

Originally Posted by achdu

It's happened a few times.

With a Martin 000-28EC, which was just too pure sounding and resonant for me, but the buyer loved it.

Based on this description, I think I would have loved it.
One persons garbage is another’s treasure

Sounds like you might like the dry punchy vibe you find in (some) Gibson acoustics

[The Bard Rocks]

In a way, you have hit upon the reason for half the posts here: we all treasure different things.

[AH Acoustic]

Originally Posted by The Bard Rocks

In a way, you have hit upon the reason for half the posts here: we all treasure different things.

Might even be more than half... If we all liked the same guitar, there might not even be multiple guitar manufacturers, much less forums to discuss them.

Thankfully, for the sake of the guitar ecosystem, this isn't the case, so we all get to enjoy the various spices of sound that appeal.

One thing about liking sound the same as someone else -- it's not possible for two people to hear the same thing identically. The hearing experience makes or breaks our appreciation for an instrument -- and since there's no 100% duplication in hearing from one person to another, the same can happen with guitar preferences.

[AH Acoustic]

We can imagine the AGF thread that the buyer was going to post tomorrow...

[RP]

Originally Posted by Mbroady

One persons garbage is another’s treasure...

Exactly. I similarly said on another thread.

[Ed66]

Originally Posted by AH Acoustic

We can imagine the AGF thread that the buyer was going to post tomorrow...

Excellent!!!

[ewalling]

Originally Posted by RP

Exactly. I similarly said on another thread.

I wonder. Certainly in this case, it may be that the OP did not like resonant guitars, but for those that do, I think we can make a broader judgement. I once owned (briefly) a Taylor XXX-MS. It was a gorgeous-looking guitar, but it had little resonance. I find it hard to imagine that someone looking for the same shimmering resonance I was after would have seen or heard much that appealed to them in that guitar.

[Mark Stone]

Originally Posted by The Bard Rocks

In a way, you have hit upon the reason for half the posts here: we all treasure different things.

This. -- We're all different in tastes.

[Mycroft]

Originally Posted by achdu

It's happened a few times.

With a Martin 000-28EC, which was just too pure sounding and resonant for me, but the buyer loved it.

I'd dreamt of having a NRP guitar, and, having cashed in an insurance policy, bought a NRP polychrome tricone. It was beautufully made, looked amazing, but the sound left me cold.

I met the buyer in the waiting hall of Newport railway station, in S Wales. He took the guitar from the case, and started playing it. He was a classical guitarist and made the guitar sing. He loved it, and played non-stop for about 20 minutes, to a gathering crowd.

I was new to resonators, and have since found I prefer single cones to tricones.

The third guitar was a Continental style N single cone. I bought it as it was advertised as made by Frantisek Javurek of Amistar (and I'd also dreamt of owning one of these).

It turned out to have been made in China, and assembled in Munich (I sent an email to Frantisek Javurek, and he confirmed he had not made the guitar).

To me, it sounded like a cheap banjo. It had a massive buzz when I played it, and the tech I took it for repair, agreed.

I sold it to one of the fussiest, most demanding buyers I've dealt with, and I was dreading the eBay feedback. He loved it. He said he owned vintage Nationals, NRPs, but the Continental was the best he'd played.

You might want to reconsider your guitar-buying methodology, if you are buying that many guitars that you don't like.

[edcmat-l1]

Originally Posted by Mycroft

You might want to reconsider your guitar-buying methodology, if you are buying that many guitars that you don't like.

And just like that, the voice of reason LOL

[rmgjsps]

A Latin phrase comes to mind. "De gustibus no est disputandum." Literally "You can't argue about taste." Or, idiomatically, "Different strokes for different folks." ;-)

[musicman1951]

I have auditioned guitars that were rejected after the first chord, although I usually suffer through about 15 seconds of torture. No sustain, no overtones, sounds like someone stored their socks in the sound hole.

I assume someone else came in the store and thought they were in heaven, as they don't stay there forever. Different ears, different wallets, different styles of music - but it is amazing on some level.

[mawmow]

This was my way for the last fifteen years :
As my technical skills and taste evolved,
I sold guitars that had to go to other people
who would like those... as much as I used
to like them when I just got them.
Such is life, I guess.

[sevenpalms]

Takes all kinds…. My ex-wife was mean as a snake! But her new husband seems content. Could have been me? Lots of different guitars and as many different players out there.