Why is this Martin $80,000?

[The Old Gaffer]

If you can wait until the end of the year, I bet Musician's Friend will be blowing it out for $59,999,99!

[songz]

For that kind of money one can buy 10 Braz guitars that sound
better than this one. It is thin sounding. It's a collector piece only.

Ron

[EZYPIKINS]

For that kind of cash it should come with an Anvil case. and a Roadie to carry and tune it for you.

[madison]

The end pins are only "ivory colored." That's a deal breaker for me.

[hermithollow]

Compared to what people pay for "Art" the price is quite reasonable - only 2/3rds the price of a banana taped to the wall.https://www.marketwatch.com/story/so...20%24120%2C000.
With the torrefied top and first quality woods and added bling, Martin is playing on many of the elements that people perceive as highly desirable in a guitar, and by limiting production make it instantly "collectable".
When they see their old stuff bringing hundred's of thousands of dollars, it is understandable they would want a piece of that market.
But Martin has been doing that for several years - the "Authentic" series using hide glue and woods and bracing similar to the old instruments and charging a premium for it.
When a luthier raises his prices because his instruments are selling for more "used" than he sells them for "new" we don't think much of it. That a little corporate greed shows up in the marketplace shouldn't be too surprising.

[Zigeuner]

The $80K price tag on this replica OM-45 reminds me of the stories about Roy Rogers (Nee Leonard Slye). He needed a guitar for his musical work and found one in a pawn shop. He didn't realize at the time that the guitar that he bought was #1 of 15 OM-45's built by C.F. Martin in 1930. He paid the princely sum of $30 for it and went on to play it on stage and in movies for many years until it was retired in his Museum.

Sometime in 2009, an anonymous buyer purchased it at auction for $460,000 which included the buyer's premium. So it appears that provenance has a lot to do with prices.

https://www.musicradar.com/news/guit...-460000-202437

[Mr. Jelly]

I venture to say the bling is vastly different than what a 45 guitar has today. It's not apples to apples. People bring up the wood but the bling of this caliber isn't something anyone does today. It's a much higher quality and size compared to a recent 45s. Large pieces of high quality material is not easy to come by.

[Rinaz]

Because.... because.... it comes with a hard case, not a gig bag

[madison]

Only 11 will be made, which I suspect is the maximum number of people Martin thinks will be rich enough and foolish enough to buy one.

[stringjunky]

Originally Posted by madison

Only 11 will be made, which I suspect is the maximum number of people Martin thinks will be rich enough and foolish enough to buy one.

No, that's how many were made of the originals.

[jimmy bookout]

Originally Posted by Tnfiddler

Trying to use Ferrari and this particular Martin guitar as a comparison is wrong. A Ferrari, even the California gives you things in an vehicle that you don’t get in Normal vehicles and they’re at a performance point WAY above the overwhelming majority of vehicles! Throwing some abalone at a copy of a famous guitar doesn’t even come close to making it worth what they’ve got it priced at. I guarantee you it’s not $70+k better sounding or playing than a ‘37 D-28 AA. If I were going to spend $80k on ANYTHING, I’d have to be getting something worth that money. I’m glad they’re are collectors out there who have that kind of disposable cash to spend on stuff like this, but I’d rather keep my D41 and buy me a 1,000 hp C7 Z06 Vette!!

A Ferrari California is NOT 4 times better at ANYTHING than a C7 Grand Sport...
Again, you are trying (and failing) to affix "value" to a luxury good...it's an $80,000 guitar...there's NO VALUE in that proposition. And it's worth $80K if SOMEONE pays $80K (bet someone will). No different from Rolex/Timex, etc...If an $80,000 guitar is too rich for your blood, then just say that...to start this silliness that it "doesn't sound $70K better than a '37 D18"...of course it doesn't and that's NOT THE POINT.
A new D-45 doesn't sound $6,000 better than a new D-28, but that's the price difference (and it sure doesn't cost $6,000 to do the abalone trim)

[jimmy bookout]

Originally Posted by stringjunky

No, that's how many were made of the originals.

Correct, 11 were made in 1930, I believe.

[jimmy bookout]

Originally Posted by Earl49

I parked my $28K Subaru Forester next to a new $80K Corvette today at lunch. Sure the Corvette is fast and stylish, but I got there and back home again just fine having spent a fraction of that price. I do not begrudge the fellow for having that car - it's just not what I would choose. FWIW I have seen the Millionth Martin up close and personal.... they weren't allowing anyone to play that museum piece. Replica D-100's are/were $115K msrp, but I doubt that having all that abalone puked all over it -- my wife's words -- makes it sound any better. Some photos: https://www.thegoldeneraguitar.com/martin-d-100-deluxe

No doubt some Saudi prince or tech billionaire will buy whatever they make. At that level price is not a factor, except maybe for bragging rights.

So, you're not a "car" guy...
And the guy that bought a 5 year old Outback for $14,000 got there and back also and let someone ELSE take the depreciation hit (someone like you). You realize you can play this game all day about ANY consumer product, right?

[Tnfiddler]

Originally Posted by jimmy bookout

A Ferrari California is NOT 4 times better at ANYTHING than a C7 Grand Sport...
Again, you are trying (and failing) to affix "value" to a luxury good...it's an $80,000 guitar...there's NO VALUE in that proposition. And it's worth $80K if SOMEONE pays $80K (bet someone will). No different from Rolex/Timex, etc...If an $80,000 guitar is too rich for your blood, then just say that...to start this silliness that it "doesn't sound $70K better than a '37 D18"...of course it doesn't and that's NOT THE POINT.
A new D-45 doesn't sound $6,000 better than a new D-28, but that's the price difference (and it sure doesn't cost $6,000 to do the abalone trim)

This whole post and people thinking this guitar is ridiculously overpriced is really bothering you, I see! It’s not too rich for my blood, it’s the fact that I work hard for my money and if I spend big money on something, I want to get my worth out of it. That why I wear Citizen watches versus Breitling. As bad as I want one, I don’t see spending the extra money when my $500 watch tells the time just as accurately. I’m allowed to feel the way I do. By the way, a C7 Z06 is the route I’d go over the Grand Sport!

[Mr. Jelly]

I don't know if this applies but I had a friend that came into some big money. After several years he was getting used to it so he bought his wife a Mercedes. Because he wanted her to have one. Then he found out that she was going out of her way to protect it by walking a block to the mall entrance and that sort of thing. He thought that was ridiculous so to not be outdone he took it back. He found out they would only give him about half of what it was worth from when he bought it a week ago or so. So he took it back home and told his wife it wasn't worth that much so now the price was down where she felt comfortable driving it. True story.