Would you pay 21,000 bucks for a guitar?

[DangerousR6]

Yes!!  On the right guitar I would.  Unfortunately guitars have become much more than utilitarian and have crossed over into the world of some of the best investments out there.  The market is soft right now so deals are there to be had.

Would I buy it for an investment?  No!!!!!  I’d play it and watch it grow in value. I sure do wish I bought a 59 Les Paul when they were $3000.00 dollars, which was almost half of my first year’s salary of $7500.00 in 1977.

Or have been lucky enuff to have found one under a bed in a hotel room....

 

[DangerousR6]

Martin makes an acoustic worth 109,000

It's "worth" whatever you can hoodwink someone into paying. They might have $10,000 worth of ivory, platinum and gold & wood in that, maybe another $10,00 or $15,000 of a well-paid inlayer's time... after that it's all the Martin name, and selling things to people who want to prove they don't care about money. Or an investor who hopes to re-sell it to people who want to prove they don't care about money. A Ferrari will carry you to the store to buy a can of catfood... is fossilized mammoth ivory a "tonewood"?

http://www.martinguitar.com/history/million.php

Seems like all that crap on the back would catch on yer belt-buckle... :hello2:

The only thing I like about that Martin is the osrtrich case...

 

[rahimiiii]

If I had $21,000 I would buy a car or start a business.

I am not sure if I like over-inlayed guitar... I seen a seller on ebay called "inlaiedartist" or something who is from Taiwan, he sells a lot of guitars rather cheaply (given the materials used and the amount of inlay) but I didn't like it, sometimes less is more.

 

[SlingBass]

If I had $21,000 I would buy a car or start a business.

I am not sure if I like over-inlayed guitar... I seen a seller on ebay called "inlaiedartist" or something who is from Taiwan, he sells a lot of guitars rather cheaply (given the materials used and the amount of inlay) but I didn't like it, sometimes less is more.

Having made the mistake of purchasing one of his guitars......I would say: BUYER BEWARE! Garbage. Customs also hit me another $85 on top of the $100 paid for shipping. I was fortunate enough to recoup almost all the cost when I sold it (took time) on Craigslist. Another one of those 'if it sounds too good to be true - it probably is' stories. I'd bought the guitar for a friend, and when it arrived I was too embarrassed to give it to him. Everything *I've* owned has been somewhat low-key, and though I love/own exotic woods - none even had a burled, flamed, or quilted top. Less can be more...

 

[jackthehack]

If I had $21,000 I would buy a car or start a business.

I am not sure if I like over-inlayed guitar... I seen a seller on ebay called "inlaiedartist" or something who is from Taiwan, he sells a lot of guitars rather cheaply (given the materials used and the amount of inlay) but I didn't like it, sometimes less is more.

Having made the mistake of purchasing one of his guitars......I would say: BUYER BEWARE! Garbage. Customs also hit me another $85 on top of the $100 paid for shipping. I was fortunate enough to recoup almost all the cost when I sold it (took time) on Craigslist. Another one of those 'if it sounds too good to be true - it probably is' stories. I'd bought the guitar for a friend, and when it arrived I was too embarrassed to give it to him. Everything *I've* owned has been somewhat low-key, and though I love/own exotic woods - none even had a burled, flamed, or quilted top. Less can be more...

+1 I just looked, can't find the guy's store easily on eBay, don't care enough to bother. A long time ago I picked up a neck ridiculously cheap, think it was around $50, but the shipping/ins./customs was more than the purchase price, vaguely something like the neck in the link below, but with different inlay motif. The inlay work was OK, but the neck itself sucked; back contour too fat and heel was too narrow for a std. Fender neck pocket, think it probably only fit right on one of the bodies.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Custom-inlayed-guitar-neck-Strat-with-abalone-inlay_W0QQitemZ200249545820QQihZ010QQcategoryZ41423QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[SlingBass]

If I had $21,000 I would buy a car or start a business.

I am not sure if I like over-inlayed guitar... I seen a seller on ebay called "inlaiedartist" or something who is from Taiwan, he sells a lot of guitars rather cheaply (given the materials used and the amount of inlay) but I didn't like it, sometimes less is more.

Having made the mistake of purchasing one of his guitars......I would say: BUYER BEWARE! Garbage. Customs also hit me another $85 on top of the $100 paid for shipping. I was fortunate enough to recoup almost all the cost when I sold it (took time) on Craigslist. Another one of those 'if it sounds too good to be true - it probably is' stories. I'd bought the guitar for a friend, and when it arrived I was too embarrassed to give it to him. Everything *I've* owned has been somewhat low-key, and though I love/own exotic woods - none even had a burled, flamed, or quilted top. Less can be more...

+1 I just looked, can't find the guy's store easily on eBay, don't care enough to bother. A long time ago I picked up a neck ridiculously cheap, think it was around $50, but the shipping/ins./customs was more than the purchase price, vaguely something like the neck in the link below, but with different inlay motif. The inlay work was OK, but the neck itself sucked; back contour too fat and heel was too narrow for a std. Fender neck pocket, think it probably only fit right on one of the bodies.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Custom-inlayed-guitar-neck-Strat-with-abalone-inlay_W0QQitemZ200249545820QQihZ010QQcategoryZ41423QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

As I now recall - the initial shipping was $120 (plus $85 in customs fees). Like Jack's experience, the inlay work was OK......the fretwork was atrocious! The neck was made only for that body, and there wasn't any way either were going to be swapped out (barring MAJOR work) for anything *I* know of. Cost of the guitar was about $150, total shipping $205, and was sold for $350. After a couple of turns on eBay, and a couple months on Craigslist - it went away with minimal loss. Lesson learned and shared.