Re-sale

[jmcecil]

People are into guitars for different reasons.  There is no denying that it is exciting to get new guitars and the whole "GAS" thing can't be ignored, regardless of the level of the player. 

Absolutely, and I was seriously not trying to call anyone out or cast aspersions, or even say there's anything wrong with the resale thing.  It's just never been a part of how I've treated instruments and I watched it happen around me constantly. 

I bought a piezo-equipped guitar a while back because I thought "hey this could be fun" but then ultimately didn't really like the guitar as a player so I sold it.  I put that money towards an extended scale seven string for the exact same reason.  Jury is still out on that guitar.

See this is kind of where I was coming from.  My way of dealing with this would be very different but that doesn't matter. That wasn't what I was originally commenting on.  Back to the original topic, the resale value wouldn't have been on my mind if I had purchased the piezo. 

The OP and topic is "what is the resale value".  Now on one level I get it .. is it cheaper to build than buy?  And obviously, it's almost always cheaper to buy.  Then the question, does my custom work/time/effort have value?  The answer is generally probably not. 

But, what I was generalizing is that a "can I sell it" mind set to me is probably not the best approach to a musical equipment purchase.  And, I am wondering if that mindset is a major contributor in the never ending cycle some folks get in.

Just thoughts and curiousity, no insults intended.

 

[Vallhagen]

It's all about the process, not the money. At least to me, doing this at a hobby level.

...of course money is part of it, I cannot buy everything I want. On the other hand, I don't want everything I can buy, so it evens out(?). Of course I look at price tags, but doing this - again - at hobby level, there is NO CHANCE IN THE UNIVERSE that I for economical reasons shall build my own instruments. The math is simple: just convert time to money, and there you are. And this goes for anything called a "hobby", with the very important fact that we (well, at least me and myself) don't do that mentioned math, we do NOT convert time to money. I'm here for fun, for the process. I don't make money fishing (I don't get any fish!), I don't make money playing guitar, I don't make money hiking in the woods either.

Some hobbies includes "making stuff" in the process. They output things: Painting art, pottery, building guitars etc. Some does not: any sports really, playing chess etc. Still the amount of input money and time can be comparable. Then, as a spinoff effect, I might end up with boxes or garages full of stuff/things, that I don't want, or don't need anymore. Then the secondhand-market is pretty beautiful to me; a true win-win place. I, the seller, gets rid of something I don't need, the buyer gets something for cheap money.

Again... all this said from me as a hobbyist. I do indeed have a "pro" life too (but not guitar-building), and in that life I am not cheap at all.

Hopefully some of this^^ made sense.

Cheers

 

[stratamania]

It makes sense to me. Especially here in Europe or the UK once we have imported parts, paid shipping and import taxes including on the cost of the shipping decent parts (a lot of which come from the U.S. the price mounts up.)

Unless the dollar isn't doing well, but even then US suppliers buying wood in from outside the U.S. will increase cost at some point.

The other way of looking at this would be could you make a business of buying Warmoth or similar parts and putting them together for profit. Unless you want to work for a pittance it probably would not be worth attempting. The best chance you might have is to offer your services as an experienced assembler.

Next, building from scratch from wood. Which way do you go ? CNC good for large numbers and possibly for an established smaller builder with a "stock" range with custom options.

Hand tools, takes much longer. So a combination of power tools and hand tools probably is the way to go. Of course you need somewhere to work. If you can take it from hobby/ part time to a full time business or vocation then you perhaps indulge your hobby and make a living also.

But, I'm not so sure if I did that it would have the same enjoyment as it did.

I think for me personally if I want to keep making instruments and so on, at some point I would have to consider what might I sell. For no other reason than somewhere to put them.

So then the question might become for some how could I make and sell a small number of instruments per year without a loss.

 

[rolloman]

People are into guitars for different reasons.  There is no denying that it is exciting to get new guitars and the whole "GAS" thing can't be ignored, regardless of the level of the player. 

Absolutely, and I was seriously not trying to call anyone out or cast aspersions, or even say there's anything wrong with the resale thing.  It's just never been a part of how I've treated instruments and I watched it happen around me constantly. 

I bought a piezo-equipped guitar a while back because I thought "hey this could be fun" but then ultimately didn't really like the guitar as a player so I sold it.  I put that money towards an extended scale seven string for the exact same reason.  Jury is still out on that guitar.

See this is kind of where I was coming from.  My way of dealing with this would be very different but that doesn't matter. That wasn't what I was originally commenting on.  Back to the original topic, the resale value wouldn't have been on my mind if I had purchased the piezo. 

The OP and topic is "what is the resale value".  Now on one level I get it .. is it cheaper to build than buy?  And obviously, it's almost always cheaper to buy.  Then the question, does my custom work/time/effort have value?  The answer is generally probably not. 


+1

But, what I was generalizing is that a "can I sell it" mind set to me is probably not the best approach to a musical equipment purchase.  And, I am wondering if that mindset is a major contributor in the never ending cycle some folks get in.

Just thoughts and curiousity, no insults intended.

 

[Jesse]

Going back to my original point way at the beginning of this thread, resale value on custom guitars is extremely poor.  Don't read into that any further, that is just a fact.  Resale value is also extremely poor on new guitars.

If you buy smartly, it's possible to break even or even turn a few bucks on used guitars.  Those are mostly losers too for reasons like shipping charges and transaction fees, but you at least aren't losing a ton of money.

 

[rgand]

I've just always been curious about the "resale" mindset.

Every guitarist I've ever known is constantly buying and selling gear.  You trade up, trade down, trade all around until you find a keeper that just has that magical tone.  You never really know until you get it home and play it for a few months.  If you can afford to buy new and take the hit on resale, more power to ya.

I don't trade up and down. I know what I like and can hit that with a few mods or a whole build. I really like working on guitars. If one doesn't work for me, I can take it apart and make it into something else. Aside of that, I'm happy with a couple that play and sound the way I like. When I want a new sound, out come the screwdrivers and soldering iron. I could care less about resale value.

 

[Cagey]

I'm not much into resale. Generally speaking, if I build/buy it it's because I want it and intend to keep it regardless of its cost/worth. Once in a while somebody will want something I have more than I do, and in that case it goes bye-bye. I rarely form emotional attachments to material goods. Well, maybe tools. I get real defensive about those. I'd rather buy somebody a tool than loan out one of mine. Everybody ends up happier.

 

[pabloman]

I rarely form emotional attachments to material goods. Well, maybe tools. I get real defensive about those. I'd rather buy somebody a tool than loan out one of mine. Everybody ends up happier.

+ a whole bunch.

I was a mechanic for 12 years. That is a cardinal sin.

 

[DocNrock]

This is an interesting thread.  I have bought and sold many guitars over the course of the 30+ years I have been playing.  And, as others have mentioned, 30+ years, and still a marginal player.  But then comes along that piece that one just has to have, and GAS kicks in.  It may turn out to be a favorite, or it may end up collecting dust.  I have examples of both in my collection.  The one nice thing about Warmoth, as Rgand mentioned, is that if a couple aren't all that, then they can be reassembled into something else.  I've been doing some of that, recently.

But I have decided to keep my "off the shelf" guitars stock.  Whether or not this will help with resale, I'm not sure.  Perhaps I would take less of a loss, that is all.  In the end, like most hobbies, guitar is not a money maker, but rather a money loser.

Regarding guitar building as a way to make money, I think many of us probably had this thought when we built our first Warmoths.  Then reality sinks in.  But I do recall reading somewhere that Neal Moser, after leaving BC Rich, continued building and selling his custom creations.  For the buyer, they could opt for one of his hand-made necks, or for a lower cost and quicker build time, a Warmoth neck.  But then again, those are guitars built by someone who already had a name. 

 

[rgand]

I rarely form emotional attachments to material goods. Well, maybe tools. I get real defensive about those. I'd rather buy somebody a tool than loan out one of mine. Everybody ends up happier.

+ a whole bunch.

I was a mechanic for 12 years. That is a cardinal sin.

I agree with you two. Good tools make a job easier, even fun. Most people don't care about their own tools, much less yours.

 

[DocNrock]

I rarely form emotional attachments to material goods. Well, maybe tools. I get real defensive about those. I'd rather buy somebody a tool than loan out one of mine. Everybody ends up happier.

+ a whole bunch.

I was a mechanic for 12 years. That is a cardinal sin.

I agree with you two. Good tools make a job easier, even fun. Most people don't care about their own tools, much less yours.

Bingo!