Most expensive guitar you didn't like

[Rev Roy]

Originally Posted by CoryB

Martin 000-18. I bought it sight unseen with an extremely limited return period and didn’t send it back in time so I lost my shirt on it when I sold it.

Now, there was nothing wrong with the guitar - other people played it and loved the sound. But to me, the open B string had a ‘jingle’ sound that drove me crazy. My guitar tech - a very competent guy - tried everything he could, but it’s hard to fix a problem you can’t hear. I was apparently the only one who heard it.

I tried for several months to play it but it always got put down after one song.

So I sold it.

I had that exact same experience with a new J-45. Such a great guitar...but that jangly b string made me nuts. After a year I sold it. Like my tech, the new buyer couldn’t hear it. She was thrilled with the guitar. Don’t you love happy endings?

[BrunoBlack]

My favorite guitar shop is a pretty active Lowden dealer. I’ve auditioned several and was not impressed. Same experience with the Ryan Nightengales. Beautifully built, but no connection to what I suppose is their signature tones. Different strokes.

[Methos1979]

Originally Posted by jdinaz

A $5000. Bourgeois dread...I was excited to try it, played it for a few minutes, stopped and looked at the store owner, he said "you don't have to say anything, we thought the same thing" it was so bad I really think there was something wrong with it. I have played other Bourgeois' that were marvelous.

Same here. I picked up a Bourgeois all-mahogany banjo killer dread in a trade. Did nothing for me and had some other quality issues. I'm sure Dana would have fixed for free but since I had no love for it I sold it off at a great price to its new owner. But I've never before or since been so underwhelmed by a 'high-end' boutique guitar.

[FingahPickah]

Originally Posted by Mr Bojangles

I'm not saying that it wasn't any good, but I was very displeased with a Gibson SJ-200 that really lacked in bass and projection.

I agree. I played a SJ-200 that played great but sounded thin and weak. I was pretty disappointed.

[UncleJesse]

Originally Posted by FingahPickah

I agree. I played a SJ-200 that played great but sounded thin and weak. I was pretty disappointed.

I've only played a few and never cared for them myself. I've not ever played a Gibson that made me want to take out my wallet. That could just be my limited experience. I'm sure there's something that I'd love.

[llew]

I've had a J-45 standard, J-185, SJ-200 and sold them all. I did keep a inited run AJ however that's a great guitar. So yeah...they are out there.

[Rogerblair]

My biggest disappointment was a new Martin D42 that I just “had to have” several years ago. It never did sound very good, but it sure was a beauty. Sad that it didn’t work out.

Rb

[jsanfilippo5]

2 expensive guitars I played that were a huge disappoint was a taylor k24. Sounded like it was stuffed with socks..

The second one was a lowden - I don't remember the model but it was a fairly large body. Was really disappointing

[fregly]

Three Lowdens, modern iteration (shop audition). All ho hum and expensive. Bad factory set ups on them as well; you expect a bit high at nut and saddle from the factory, just not what I had to fight to play. Also marginal neck sets on all.

[Scotso]

Played a friend's Henderson. While it was nice, I was expecting an angel's chorus. I have played some other guitars that cost far less that I would say were its equal.

[brencat]

I got caught up in the Martin OM-28 Authentic hype before and shortly after they released the model in 2015. Picked from among 3 available that the dealer had based on sound samples.

Never bonded with it. I had issues with the neck profile (shocker!) and the fact that it wasn't particularly well suited to how I was playing at the time. Also needed full mediums to sound its best, and I intensely dislike the tension of full mediums and have never kept a guitar that requires them.

Sold it after 6 mos. At least I bought it at 40-off, so the resale sting wasn't that bad.

[hubcapsc]

Originally Posted by Scotso

Played a friend's Henderson. While it was nice, I was expecting an angel's chorus. I have played some other guitars that cost far less that I would say were its equal.

I played one down at my favorite guitar shop... I think they just
got it in... the strings were bad on it, perhaps that's all that
was wrong with it... but - bleggh...

-Mike

[Kestralkane]

My friend got himself a prewar company guitar. I was stoked to finally play one but it didn’t do anything for me. I thought it sounded thin. Different strokes I guess because he loves it like no other. Also I think a lot of times stores in shops need a new set of strings. I get it’s an expense but sometimes some gems sit unnoticed over it.

[Mark Stone]

Originally Posted by Rev Roy

I had that exact same experience with a new J-45. Such a great guitar...but that jangly b string made me nuts. After a year I sold it. Like my tech, the new buyer couldn’t hear it. She was thrilled with the guitar. Don’t you love happy endings?

The jangly string thing usually happens with the G on guitars I've owned. -

[Oldguy64]

I have played a number of guitars that were stratospherically priced, that, to my ear, weren’t up to a good Rogue.
I played a couple of Macpherson guitars. I had been led to expect much. They did not deliver on the much.
I was also completely underwhelmed by a Lowden. It had no sustain and it sounded kind of “thumps”

They may have been icons.
But they did not “blow my skirt up.