What's the most you'd pay for a guitar

[Silly Moustache]

I'd always like "just one more" but it is unlikely to be as expesnive as I have bought in the past.

I could no longer afford any of my stuff if I were to replace any of them.

American made guitars are probably out of my range now.

[roylor4]

You could have put the cap at 1.5K for me......

3k - never. Unless I win the lottery, and I don't play it so....

[Fingerpicker23]

If I could afford a $10,000+ guitar I could and would also make a par charitable contribution to an orphanage in Nepal. Anything else would be obscene.

[musicman1951]

Originally Posted by rokdog49

The fact that so far, 75% of the responses are 3k or more blows me away; especially in light of the number of responses. I'm also assuming many of you own a few guitars already.
Where do you folks get your money?
Seriously, somehow $2500 would be about it for me. That seems to be just about the limit in my mind for a sensibly-priced guitar that really sounds good.
BTW, I did vote accordingly.

I did spend a little over $10,000 for my Lowden. After I retired (38 years as a band director) I took a part time job for the next 6 years so I could afford my guitars.

It's not "How big is your income?" in many cases but, "How important is that guitar to you?" I'm not a rich guy, but I do have a lot of nice instruments.

[jaymarsch]

For what it is worth, there is a long thread from a few months ago that discusses this very topic in layered detail.

What I am willing to pay for an instrument has always depended on my financial considerations at the time, the guitar in question, and what is currently available in terms of what I want musically and ergonomically. So, it has varied over the years. I have only recently gone over $5,500 for a custom instrument and that was driven by the fact that I knew I was selling some other instruments to offset that cost. So, it really depends on so many different factors.

I will be retiring in a couple of years and then the answer will probably be a big fat zero since I will not have a need for any other guitars and my budget will have other considerations to fulfill.

Best,
Jayne

[Mycroft]

At what point in time? I just paid off a custom order, so the answer is about $23.86 at the moment. A year or two from now...?

However, one of the ways that I justify somewhat expensive guitars is being able to amortize them over time. A $4000 guitar, played regularly over 15 years, suddenly is not so expensive on a cost per day basis. But at 61, I've got maybe 15 more years of playing, so the amortization time is beginning to cut short .

OMMV

[Paddy1951]

I am to the point in my life where although I can appreciate both visual and sonic nuances, I am not willing to spend more than 2 grand.
My ears are not likely to be good enough to hear any big differences in sound above a 2k instrument. Let's say I can here a difference, slight, at $3500.00. Is it going to be worth it?
Then there are my playing abilities. Can I play well enough to justify the additional expense? Probably not.

Yes, a good instrument helps. But, how good and to what end?
I just won't get sucked in to the notion that one must pay to be happy. With guitars, cars, underwear, toothpaste, etc.

If I played everyday professionally, it might be worth additional expense for durability sake.

Learn to be content. Stay sane.

[Broadus]

I have no idea simply because I don’t foresee having the disposable funds to go after a sweet custom or high end factory built. I paid $1225 for a used 2005 Martin OM-21 shipped from Denver right at ten years ago, and I love it still. It’s a fine guitar and would probably take a lot more than I have to satisfactorily replace it. I’m very content with it.

[Tnfiddler]

Maybe it's just me, but there seems to be a lot of posts lately concerning the price of guitars and demonizing higher-end guitars. I don't understand why what someone pays for a guitar matters. If you have the money and want to buy an expensive guitar, GO FOR IT!! You don't have to justify returns and better tone, etc. I have cheap guitars and expensive guitars. If you don't want to spend a lot for a guitar, don't! Why do we have $1,000,000+ cars that go 200+ MPH when the speed limit is mostly 70MPH nationwide and every car on the road will do that, including a Ford Fiesta?? Because there will always be people who have the money and want them. Yes, I'd love to have a Porsche 911 GT2 RS, but will never be able to afford it. Am I gonna criticize the people who can have them, because they're an unnecessary expense, NO! I'm happy they have the ability! It's not US versus THEM!! We're all guitar players, no matter what name is on the head stock or the amount of dollars on the price tag. Rant over!!

[FrankHudson]

I laughed when I saw the lowest selection was up to $3000.

As I said in another thread, if I was extraordinarily wealthy I could see spending cubic money on custom builds from innovative luthiers, and I also suppose if I was a very focused player I would possibly buy a single more expensive guitar that would best meet my imaginary self's more focused musical needs.

I'm neither of those situations or persons. Nothing against those who choose otherwise....

[junkyard]

Originally Posted by Tnfiddler

Maybe it's just me, but there seems to be a lot of posts lately concerning the price of guitars and demonizing higher-end guitars. I don't understand why what someone pays for a guitar matters. If you have the money and want to buy an expensive guitar, GO FOR IT!! You don't have to justify returns and better tone, etc. I have cheap guitars and expensive guitars. If you don't want to spend a lot for a guitar, don't! Why do we have $1,000,000+ cars that go 200+ MPH when the speed limit is mostly 70MPH nationwide and every car on the road will do that, including a Ford Fiesta?? Because there will always be people who have the money and want them. Yes, I'd love to have a Porsche 911 GT2 RS, but will never be able to afford it. Am I gonna criticize the people who can have them, because they're an unnecessary expense, NO! I'm happy they have the ability! It's not US versus THEM!! We're all guitar players, no matter what name is on the head stock or the amount of dollars on the price tag. Rant over!!

Well said.

[jaymarsch]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

Scharpach Vienna Apex:











A cool $30K+ and several years' wait; IMO one of the very few new guitars that justify the cost, as much a work of art as a fine musical instrument - and when Saint Peter shakes my right hand as I pass through the Pearly Gates, I want him handing me one of these with his left...

An absolute stunner for sure. The last time someone put a $30,000 guitar in my hand, I wasn't told how much it was worth until I had played it. It was an amazing instrument. A Herman Hauser II. I would never have done it justice as a player anyway never mind it being way out of my budget range.

Best,
Jayne

[opencee]

I've been able to have every guitar I ever wanted for under $3000 each.

That applies to all the guitars I've bought in 54 years of playing.

Even my Custom Shop Martin came in under $3000, new.

I guess I'm quite fortunate that my ears don't prefer the more rare rosewoods and my eyes prefer a more spartan aesthetic.



opencee

.

[beatcomber]

There is a very rare, super clean 1964 Rickenbacker 1997 (made for the overseas market only) on sale at the Music Emporium right now for, I think, $4300. I have played it and it is a spectacular instrument in every respect.

I want that guitar with nearly every fiber of my being - I love Rickenbackers and it is absolutely gorgeous - and I could probably find a way to scrape together enough $$$$ to buy it, but practical considerations just won't allow it.

What am I going to do with a $4300 vintage guitar? I certainly won't feel comfortable bringing it out to the typical gigs I play. Would having a valuable collector's instrument make me a better player? (Answer: NO.) And how would I feel if I accidentally caused a nick or ding?

So, I will stick with the roadworn-but-otherwise-superb Rick 330 that I bought brand new in 1984.

To answer the question, I would have a seriously hard time paying more than about $2500 for a guitar, which is the approx. current value of my most valuable instrument (a 1962 Gretsch Tennesesean, which I bought for $1400 in 2001).

[RussL30]

$2000 and under is the sweet spot for me. My most expensive guitar cost $1800 new and I spent around $1200 for my Gibson. My dad bought the Gospel for around $800 new back in the 90’s.

My playing will never justify anything much over the 2k range and there’s some pretty sweet guitars you can find used between 1 and 2k. Gibsons, Taylors, standard series Martins, Guilds, Larrivees etc. I could be perfectly happy with guitars from those brands in that price range. Eastman looks great on the low end of that range as well.