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  #31  
Old 08-06-2019, 12:54 PM
frankmcr frankmcr is offline
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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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  #32  
Old 08-06-2019, 01:46 PM
parlorpower82 parlorpower82 is offline
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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.
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  #33  
Old 08-06-2019, 01:54 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by parlorpower82 View Post
...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.
That’s actually an opinion....
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  #34  
Old 08-06-2019, 02:09 PM
Marley Marley is offline
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Originally Posted by whvick View Post
I tried to search such topic, and found nothing. If you get a custom build from a good luthier, will it hold value as the big name companies?
In my experience not very well. I sold three Taylors to have a custom acoustic made and I regret it. I really regret having my name put on the label because that's obviously a true killer in a resale situation. But I will also say, my experience is not with it being a custom guitar, my situation is about the quality of the guitar I got. Not even on the same planet as the Taylor or other custom builds. I went with a guy who did it more for a hobby than a career. That's probably the biggest lesson learned for me.

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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Last edited by Marley; 08-06-2019 at 07:33 PM.
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  #35  
Old 08-06-2019, 03:30 PM
sakar12 sakar12 is offline
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Quote:
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That’s actually an opinion....
Martin as king of tone and playability is an opinion, for sure. I do wonder about resale. Who dominates that?
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  #36  
Old 08-06-2019, 03:50 PM
lowrider lowrider is offline
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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.
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  #37  
Old 08-06-2019, 04:51 PM
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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......
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  #38  
Old 08-06-2019, 05:22 PM
mawmow mawmow is offline
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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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  #39  
Old 08-06-2019, 05:43 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by parlorpower82 View Post
Martin is king when it comes to tone, play ability and resale value. That's simply a fact.


Thanks. I love things that are simply fact. Makes life easier.
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  #40  
Old 08-06-2019, 06:18 PM
Tony Burns Tony Burns is offline
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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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  #41  
Old 08-06-2019, 06:43 PM
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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.
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  #42  
Old 08-06-2019, 06:53 PM
Brucebubs Brucebubs is offline
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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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  #43  
Old 08-06-2019, 07:04 PM
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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.
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  #44  
Old 08-06-2019, 07:13 PM
1Charlie 1Charlie is offline
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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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  #45  
Old 08-06-2019, 08:20 PM
Mycroft Mycroft is offline
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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...
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