#31
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There was (is?) one custom builder who's been discussed on AGF who raised his prices because his guitars were selling for more used than they did new.
Reason? The used ones were available right there right now. No 18-month wait.
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stai scherzando? |
#32
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A fool and his money are soon parted.
Whether it's buying that new car off the lot or the custom 0000 covered in abalone, some obscure nut width and string spacing, spec'd out with some odd tonewood by a no name builder. Are there probably better ways to buy things and save $$$? probably. But sometimes you just want that new car scent or that guitar that was built for you. Foolhardy? Maybe. Most probably. I've personally never played a one off that sounded better than higher end Martins. Martin is king when it comes to tone, play ability and resale value. That's simply a fact. |
#33
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That’s actually an opinion....
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Emerald X20 Emerald X20-12 Martin D18 Martin 000-15sm |
#34
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Quote:
Now I also had a bass and electric custom made by the same guy. I like both (don't love) but I could never sell them for much. If I brought them into a store to sell, first they'd say "who the heck made these? they are cool but I can only give your $75 for each"
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I'm into acoustic guitars, MM & PRS, my kids, Technics decks, Titleist, Reggae music, KY Bourbon, fine rum and chrome pans from Trini. Last edited by Marley; 08-06-2019 at 07:33 PM. |
#35
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Martin as king of tone and playability is an opinion, for sure. I do wonder about resale. Who dominates that?
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Current: Lowden F35, Sitka / Cocobolo. Maestro Victoria, Sitka / EIR. Maestro Singa, Adirondak / EIR. Maestro Singa, Sinker Redwood / Wenge (incoming) Gone but not forgotten: Martins, Gibsons, Taylors, sundry others. |
#36
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This is taking things off course, but I think Taylor is king of playability. That's what sells the Taylor guitars.
I'd say Gibson is king of resale value. They usually seem to hold their price in the used market. I've been to the Woodstock Luthiers Showcase and those guitars, from some of the best guitars makers in the world, are just stunning. But really, at 3 times the price of a Martin, I'll be happy with a Martin. |
#37
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I found that even shop custom Martins can be hard to sell at the correct price -- mainly because you're not sure what the reference point is.
Where do you pigeonhole a D-18 with red spruce top, forward shifted bracing (V style, not GE) and enlarged sound hole? It wasn't really a V or a GE, so I advertised it as a D-18V with red spruce. But if you're a collector who wants every Martin standard model, it's not really a V. And around the time I was selling it, the latest D-18 appeared with the forward bracing, so...... |
#38
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As said the market for customized guitars is not as large as the market for regular production. In addition, small lutherie production market is even smaller. Finally the higher price is not appealing for one who does not know them well.
Bottom line is these instruments should be bought on a long term basis to be played, showed, played and played, instead as a go to to resell when one get fed up with that sound.
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Needed some nylons, a wide range of acoustics and some weirdos to be happy... |
#39
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Quote:
Thanks. I love things that are simply fact. Makes life easier. |
#40
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depends on how popular the luthier is -and how long his/her waiting list is -alot of factors actually -
I have determined in the past few years -most luthier guitars do not hold thier value as well as Martin and Taylor - If you keep a martin for 10 years , its quite possible you will get close to what you paid for it - if it was well taken care of .
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--------------------------------- Wood things with Strings ! |
#41
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Depends on the name of the luthier. Well known small guitar builders with long waiting lists will hold their value. Others, not so much.
Of the big 4 'boutique' builders (Collings, Santa Cruz, Bourgeois, Huss & Dalton) all do fairly well depending on the model. Collings seems to do the best with the other three doing okay if it's a desirable guitar. But when I'm looking to trade for a guitar for the sole purpose of know I can flip it fast, I trade for Martins. Period. |
#42
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Here's a good example of a custom guitar and the questions I find myself asking.
Reverb has a listing for a 'used' 2019 Martin Grand J-35 Custom. That's their full size jumbo with 17" lower bout. Maple back & sides. https://reverb.com/item/26664227-use...o-natural-2019 So what would this guitar bring to the table that you couldn't already get with a Gibson SJ-200 or new Cordoba Guild F-55M ... and why such a new guitar is already up for sale? Martin isn't exactly famous for it's maple jumbo guitars so why this build in the 1st place? I love maple jumbo guitars but would find it hard to chance this one ... and it's priced right up there with the Gibson and Guild jumbo's too.
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Brucebubs 1972 - Takamine D-70 2014 - Alvarez ABT60 Baritone 2015 - Kittis RBJ-195 Jumbo 2012 - Dan Dubowski#61 2018 - Rickenbacker 4003 Fireglo 2020 - Gibson Custom Shop Historic 1957 SJ-200 2021 - Epiphone 'IBG' Hummingbird |
#43
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You'll lose significantly more, as a % of the new price, selling an ultra-high-end or custom anything versus what you'd lose on a production Martin or whatever - and that is already a significant amount.
The market for these guitars is very very small. |
#44
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I own a small shop custom guitar that would cost close to $7,000 if ordered today, and require an 18-month wait.
I purchased it for less than a third of the current build price. It is an astoundingly good guitar. I can’t imagine who would have commissioned it and later let it go. Baffling.
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Neal A few nice ones, a few beaters, and a few I should probably sell... |
#45
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I find the focus on resale value as being the only value of, well, value, interesting. There is a world of difference between a "custom" guitar built in the Martin or Taylor "custom shop" and a true custom built guitar. Custom shop guitars mainly offer varied appointments, woods, perhaps neck profiles. But when it come down to how the guitar's tone is and how it responds to the player, they are no different than any other guitar by that builder. Even small shop builders might do less actual "customization" of those last two things than you might think.
And then we get to the true "custom" builder. Custom appointments, neck profiles, woods, all that, yes. But they can customize the tonal quality and how the guitar plays too. Different bracing. Wood choice. Plate thickness. Want more bass, brace like this. More fundamental, do this. Responsive to a very light touch? Here, all you have to do is breath on the strings. Flatpicker, and want something that you can dig into a bit? Change this. Want an old Gibson sound? Here you go. Modern tone? Ya got it. Not many builders can do it well. But there ain't much like a guitar built by someone who really knows how, and who knows how to build it to they way that you want it to be. I've had the Olde Mac for high on 18 years now. Lets see, if I have played it for just one hour a week on average over that time,(sometimes more, sometimes less.) that works out to 936 weeks. $3.41 per week. I'd say I've gotten my value out of it. Last edited by Mycroft; 08-06-2019 at 10:55 PM. Reason: typos... |