Value of the most expensive guitar you own?

[Victor (Fret Friend)]

$350-$600 on my main 2. I just scored a BC Rich Mockingbird ST (in Trans-Blue/thru-neck/FR/MAFIA p-ups) for £240 ($370) on eBay UK. I also have a Peavey Rotor EXP (Pearl White Explorer) which cost me $360 & I'm customizing an Ibanez RG (cost $120) = I already sold the neck + EMG 81 for over $250 on that one. The Ibanez is getting a new neck/pick-ups/electrics & will be stripped back to the wood...

Just got the Mockingbird today & I must say, it's a peach! Not sure about the Rockfield MAFIA pick-ups yet but it deffo RAWKS (NGD thread coming soon)...

The most expensive guitar I ever bought was a Jackson DK2M in Snow White which I got in the sales (with free moulded case) at $765. Good guitar but not in my top 3 (Top 3: 88 Cali / Peavey EXP / BC Rich Mockingbird). I don't believe expensive is best. In fact, most of the best guitars (apart from my Cali) have been sub $400 Korean imports...

[Toadroller]

Most expensive is a Taylor 514 that was, actually, a gift from a salesman I helped close a huge deal. Very thoughtful and much appreciated. He bought himself a 911 turbo something or other.

My favorite is still my very well loved Daytona, complete with surprise honeycomb-style drill-pressed swimming pool route under the pickguard. $250 and love it, love it, love it.

[Victor (Fret Friend)]

the point is...I've got no point. I'm just talking.

Hahahaaaa

[specialk]

Value of my most expensive guitar?

Fookin' priceless!

[dragan]

my most expensive gtr ? could be either , my 1960 lp tv or, my 1932 national duolian. but I dont really know what price they might bring . the most Ive spent on gtrs was $3200 but that was for 2 gtrs, a 95 50th fender ann strat #196 of 2500 & 95 prs McCarty. Bought both at the same store the same day (tax incl). Both gtrs were brand new namm show gtrs with a very small scratch on the bottom bout by the jack. I still use both as my live gtrs & really love both of them. edited to say: other than that I have never spent more than 1300 on any gtr ( I have however spent more than 1300 on the 2 amps I use.)

[Thundersteel]

I can't believe how much instrument prices have risen. I paid a whopping $1,200 for my '89 Les Paul Custom in 1990; now, to get the same guitar, will cost you close to $4,000!

Gibbys are way overpriced, IMHO.

[django49]

Always an interesting discussion. Electric guitars are useless without an amp so in that sense I consider the amp part of the instrument. Some of my guitars mate much better with some amps than others though with the proper amp they all are capable of great tones. I don't happen to own any crappy guitars or amps. My Ultimate is my most expensive guitar but I have no idea what the market value of that is.

ArnieZ

I am sure SOMEONE would take it off your hands for $350......

Please DO NOT sell it, even for 10 times that!

[jwhitcomb3]

And conversely, PRSs tend to sound underwhelming due to their insistence on using their underwhelming proprietary pickups.

Interesting. I too have been underwhelmed by PRSs. Do better pickups improve them?

[polara]

What I like to play doesn't have much to do with cost, and I get nervous sinking a lot of money into something that'll depreciate like mad if i scratch it. So my guitars are beaters or weirdos that are worth no more than $700 tops with one exception.

I have a Veillete Citron fretless bass that might be worth a lot ($1500 or more) since Harvey Citron and Joe Veillete actually restored it from the carcass i shipped to them (I paid $575 for it.) I got it 'cos a long time ago I saw one and thought it was a work of art, so when one popped up, even as a wreck, I had to have it.

[Victor (Fret Friend)]

That's love that is ^^^

I bought my Peavey Rotor EXP (Pearl White) just because of the way it looked (I love explorers) & I wasn't disappointed when I got it (it may well be my stage guitar). I don't think I ever paid over £500 for a new guitar & I aint really had any bad ones through the years. As I never had any money early doors, I have always gone for cheaper imports (the best I could afford) & now, I mainly buy used Korean made guitars...

[gi_zuk]

My most expensive guitar is also my sole Hamer. A left handed USA Korina Vector.

I do like many lower cost guitars as well. I have a beat up, $400 Gibson Flying V that I converted to lefty (side dots, nut) that I really like a lot.

[bcsride]

A crap guitar with a great pickup in it can sound great. So in terms of quality affecting sound, for me it's pickup, then amp, then guitar.

Hmm. A crap guitar that can't be tuned, or buzzes, or has dead spots, or is a tone suck in general won't be helped by a good pickup.

I'd order them 1. guitar, 2. amp, 3. pickup.

0. player 1. guitar 2. amp 3. pickup 4. pedal

Problem is, my player is very expensive (trust me, lots of $ invested in the player in my case, and still requires regular and expensive up keep). But my player doesn't sound very good. Thus, the sound coming from my good guitar, moderate amp, and descent pedals, sounds crappy.

[jwhitcomb3]

A crap guitar with a great pickup in it can sound great. So in terms of quality affecting sound, for me it's pickup, then amp, then guitar.

Hmm. A crap guitar that can't be tuned, or buzzes, or has dead spots, or is a tone suck in general won't be helped by a good pickup.

I'd order them 1. guitar, 2. amp, 3. pickup.

0. player 1. guitar 2. amp 3. pickup 4. pedal

Problem is, my player is very expensive (trust me, lots of $ invested in the player in my case, and still requires regular and expensive up keep). But my player doesn't sound very good. Thus, the sound coming from my good guitar, moderate amp, and descent pedals, sounds crappy.

Yep. However, since my playing ability (or lack thereof) is a constant*, I've removed it from my equation.

^*Well, maybe not a constant...the amount of alcohol I've consumed is a factor...I'll go have a coupla beers and get back to you.

[Brooks]

I think the Jackson pc1 I sold last year was prolly the most pricey guitar I've ever bought, $1800 used. But I'm cheap, well I used to be cheap but now I'm just broke.

[Punkavenger]

Perfectly happy with the Strat I got from Velorush ... but then it's a "good" one. Figure it's worth $800-$1000. Most of the Hamers I've owned were between $400 and $1000. Some of them were just excellent guitars and worth much more than the initial cost. GO HAMER! Like Feynman says ... I figure I easily could find what I want for $1500 or under, electric guitar-wise that is ...

[daa2202]

And conversely, PRSs tend to sound underwhelming due to their insistence on using their underwhelming proprietary pickups.

This news just in from 2003, apparently.

You should check out the more recent PRS pickups - the 57/08, 59/09, DGT, and 53/10 pickups are all standard sized and sound great...and the 408 pickups (which are proprietary in size and shape) are fantastic.

IMO, YMMV, etc.

[stobro]

I'm including basses in my poll answer. I'm less of a tightwad with basses since I actually play a bass in my band. My most expensive guitar cost me about half what I spent on my most expensive bass. The most popular price range for all of my guitars and basses is right around the iconic tree-fiddy mark.

[LordOfTheThighs]

My '02 R8 would probably fetch >$2500. (I'd hope)

I'd be curious as to how much the Indigo Blue Standard, I used to have, sold

for as a new instrument. I'm sure it wasn't cheap.

[Disturber]

Does the poll mean "expensive" as in what I expect the value to be if I sell it (some kind of estimated market value)?

Or the amount of money I paid for the guitar?

[zorrow]

Does the poll mean "expensive" as in what I expect the value to be if I sell it (some kind of estimated market value)?

Or the amount of money I paid for the guitar?

Don't know. I guess I just assumed the value and the price were both in the same range. Wrong assumption, now I see.

[Steve Haynie]

The most I ever paid for a guitar was $2600 for a Gibson L-7C. My second most expensive instrument purchase was my 8 String Chaparral Bass for $2000, a very nice discounted price on a custom order.

The L-7C is gone and the Chaparral value is a moot point since it is not for sale. My korina Vector may be holding its value.

My Sunburst has been where guitar money went in the last year. The guitar was bought reasonably. Some repairs added to what I have in it, but in my mind those are nothing more than the cost of use and wear. Thoughts of stainless steel frets one day are not connected to thoughts on the value of the guitar. This one will not be for sale any time soon.

[jwhitcomb3]

Paid the most for my 30th Anniversary LTD. Both my Lowden O32 and Huss & Dalton 00-SP have eclipsed it in value. Add up the value of the four guitars I spend the most time playing and it doesn't approach the value of any one of those three.

[zorrow]

The most I have paid is $1500. It was for the Hamer Camo Vector '81 I still own.

[Disturber]

Most expensive was the Hamer Korina Standard that I bought new. I'll loose money when I sell that one, but It's so great I'll only sell if if I'll stop playing completely.

Then I bought a used 4-digit and a Sunburst that I'll probably be able to sell for more than what I paid for them. It will probably even itself out in the end. If I don't take them all with me to the grave. Then my sons will have to deal with trying to figure out what this bloody crap pile of guitars are, and move them if they want, or keep them if they want.

[Hbom]

Most expensive wasn't all that much.

Most valuable was a mid 50s Les Paul that I traded 2 Pioneer speakers for in 1972. Then sold for WAY TOO CHEAP!

But those were good days when guits were plentiful & I was mostly incoherent.