Olson question

[gitarro]

IMHO tone is a very subjective thing and a guitar that sounds great to one person may sound average to another. I have only played one Olson SJ before for a short time and it was certainly a very well built guitar and had no issues at all with fit and finish etc. However its tone did not really strike me as being special in any way at the time - it was clearly an acceptably good guitar but to me, there was nothing in its tone and sound that lifted it beyond the level of most luthier-made guitars that I have played over the years.

It is entirely possible that the Olson guitars sounds a lot better to the listener - much like how I recall reading concerning Sobell guitars, for example.

On the issue of value, I totally agree that it is a very valid factor to take into consideration. As the cost of a custom made guitar is so high, it only makes sense to try to buy only those guitars that will not cause too much of a loss to you if you have to sell it again in the future, or that will even be able to be sold at all. I have had to regretfully defer any intention to buy a couple of guitars over the years that sounded really good on their clips and had very intriguing design features because they seemed to have little resale capability.

However making a profit on a guitar purchase is very difficult to do indeed. Only a Wayne Henderson guitar will be certain to fetch a profit if you had bought the guitar from Wayne. Another guitar maker whose guitars would certainly fetch more on re-sale than they would initially cost is TJ Thompson.

Kim Walker guitars will almost certainly at least get your money back on the guitar or make a profit.

However guitars from these luthiers are almost literally unobtanium. Wayne has a very long list that is totally up to him, and I have only ever seen one TJ Thompson for sale in the open market in the last few years. Kim has closed his list, which already stretches to 8-9 years anyway. Of these three, one could find used examples of Hendersons and Walkers being sold from time to time in guitar shops like Luthiers Collection and Dreamguitars.

For Olsons, you would certainly make a profit if you had bought the Olson a long time ago. However if you have just bought a new Olson, I woudl expect that you could get most of or all of your money back for it. I guess many people may be waiting for Jim Olson to retire before putting their Olsons for sale hoping the price will rise.

For almost every other brand that I am aware of, one would make a substantial loss on re-sale to varying degrees. It is only a matter of minimising the loss that you will inevitably have to bear.

[JoeCharter]

Jim is still very active and I bet he will keep building for as long as he is physically capable of doing so. However, for those who don't already know him, it has become very difficult to order a new SJ.

One of my best friends from high school is an accomplished player and has performed with Célion Dion in front of hundreds of thousands of people. Every time he picks up one of my Olsons he complains about this and that -- which is slightly annoying for sure. The truth is that his playing is simply not suited to the guitar and he's better off playing his usual dreads. He has a strong attack and is not particularly subtle as a player.

I'm not the hugest JT fan but when I saw him in concert I thought his guitar sounded amazing. And when I received my first SJ from Jim, I thought it sounded exactly like what I had heard in concert. It's a very distinctive sound and I know of no other guitar that sounds like it. The coarse grain, the overtones and the sustain are aspects that I've come to appreciate over time -- and frankly there's no other guitar I'd rather play. YMMV of course.

James Taylor has been playing Olsons almost exclusively for decades. No other luthier can claim such a long, strong and dedicated association with a top artist (except maybe Pat Metheny and Linda Manzer).

[frances50]

Originally Posted by TJNies

I am fairly new to Olson acoustics, and found myself intrigued by the build, sound, and following these have! I'm a big fan of James Taylor, but honestly hadn't paid attention to his gear to notice.

Anyway, just a curiosity question: do his acoustics appreciate in value? I have noticed that the used models I see on Dream Guitars, Gbase etc all seem to have price tags higher than his current base price. Perhaps it has to do with options on those models (Brazilian RW, inlays etc). But even then it would appear they are higher than expected.

I sent you a p.m.

[gitarro]

Originally Posted by JoeCharter

Jim is still very active and I bet he will keep building for as long as he is physically capable of doing so. However, for those who don't already know him, it has become very difficult to order a new SJ.

One of my best friends from high school is an accomplished player and has performed with Célion Dion in front of hundreds of thousands of people. Every time he picks up one of my Olsons he complains about this and that -- which is slightly annoying for sure. The truth is that his playing is simply not suited to the guitar and he's better off playing his usual dreads. He has a strong attack and is not particularly subtle as a player.

I'm not the hugest JT fan but when I saw him in concert I thought his guitar sounded amazing. And when I received my first SJ from Jim, I thought it sounded exactly like what I had heard in concert. It's a very distinctive sound and I know of no other guitar that sounds like it. The coarse grain, the overtones and the sustain are aspects that I've come to appreciate over time -- and frankly there's no other guitar I'd rather play. YMMV of course.

James Taylor has been playing Olsons almost exclusively for decades. No other luthier can claim such a long, strong and dedicated association with a top artist (except maybe Pat Metheny and Linda Manzer).

The luthier industry today would not be the same if it were not for Jim Olson. He was one of the most important factors to make this Golden Age of Luthiery possible where so many are going full time building increasingly better and better guitars.

James taylor is by some distance the most well known star in popular music to use exclusively a solo luthier made guitar in his performances and recordings. Olson guitars is also the only independent solo luthier made guitar ever to have made it to the Simpsons cartoon

[frances50]

Guitar Gallery has an Olson listed. It's cedar w/koa back and sides. Guitar looks great to be built in 2001. I bought my Olson from them two years ago and they're great to deal with. Price they posted seems reasonable.

[K III]

One thing I am suprised didn't get mentioned by the many Olson owners her: even the bass strings fretted high up the neck sound unbelievable, really n
Unlike any other guitar I have ever played.

When I ordered mine I couldn't believe I did it, but 7 years later it seems like one of the best decisions I have ever taken, musically and commercially. That does not happen every day with a new acoustic guitar. On the other hand it doesn't really matter because I am not going to sell it.

[bobernet]

Originally Posted by frances50

Guitar Gallery has an Olson listed. It's cedar w/koa back and sides. Guitar looks great to be built in 2001. I bought my Olson from them two years ago and they're great to deal with. Price they posted seems reasonable.

It's a shame that whoever spec'd it chose plastic bindings. If it was $13k, I'd probably buy it.

[Portland Bill]

I remember a quote by Leo Kottke that said 'There is a difference between what sounds good, and what is sounding good, and only experience can teach you that'

[Howard Klepper]

Is there any other consumer good (excluding real estate) that people expect to buy new, use every day for years, and then sell for a complete return of their money or a profit?

[gerberguitars]

Originally Posted by JoeCharter

James Taylor has been playing Olsons almost exclusively for decades. No other luthier can claim such a long, strong and dedicated association with a top artist (except maybe Pat Metheny and Linda Manzer).

In addition to Mr. Taylor, Let's not forget Phil Keaggy, who has been playing his Olsen for....20+ years. I'm not sure on the exact number but it's been a while. He is a musician who could have any guitar he wants, in multiples, but has chosen his Olsen as his number one all along.

[MikeD]

Originally Posted by JoeCharter

This Pernambuco SJ also sold since we last discussed the topic:

http://www.guitargal.com/collections...ar-pernambucco

Olsons still do exceptionally well on the used market.

I own a Pernambucco Olson (not the one mentioned above) with a German spruce top. It is easily the best Olson I have ever owned or played for my ears, taste and style.

[Portland Bill]

Originally Posted by Howard Klepper

Is there any other consumer good (excluding real estate) that people expect to buy new, use every day for years, and then sell for a complete return of their money or a profit?

Some models of Rolex watches Howard.

[TJNies]

Originally Posted by Howard Klepper

Is there any other consumer good (excluding real estate) that people expect to buy new, use every day for years, and then sell for a complete return of their money or a profit?

If this was in response to the original post, you may want to take a moment to read more carefully. It had NOTHING to do with expectations, rather was curious if it was the trend to appreciate.

[Howard Klepper]

Originally Posted by TJNies

If this was in response to the original post . . . .

It was not. Sorry for any lack of clarity.

[TJNies]

Originally Posted by Howard Klepper

It was not. Sorry for any lack of clarity.

And sorry back for my terse reply...