What's the most you should pay for your ideal guitar?

gaybear · Post by **gaybear** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 3:52 am

whether cost comes from components, vintage, custom work, etc, what id the most you'd pay for a 'perfect' guitar?

i think for me, i can't imagine more than 1500$ (though that in itself is far in the future)

honestly, i bet i can get pretty damn close with 500 bucks.

cobascis · Post by **cobascis** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 4:01 am

I doubt I'd ever do this, but probably $2,000, or whatever it takes to get 1 vintage Jaguar. the rest of my guitars would be 300 dollars or so.

Will · Post by **Will** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 4:16 am

$850 for my Dano.

Beyond that, I could see dropping $2500 on the XXL:

gaybear · Post by **gaybear** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 4:19 am

deets on the xxl? i know nothing about it

the dano is your ideal? nothing against danos, i like em, but always thought they were more neat than ideal.

hotrodperlmutter · Post by **hotrodperlmutter** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 4:48 am

i'd say the most i could see myself paying would be $700. i can only justify my aesthetic appreciation-to-ability ratio so much.

but i never thought about how many sub-700 dollar guitars i could buy...

gaybear · Post by **gaybear** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 4:58 am

hotrodperlmutter wrote: but i never thought about how many sub-700 dollar guitars i could buy...

seriuosly, i'd way rather get a buncha very good sub 700$ guitars than one redonkulously expensive guitar.

taylornutt · Post by **taylornutt** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 5:25 am

I dropped $2000 on my first Taylor acoustic guitar (blue 614ce) and consequently dropped $1500 on another Taylor and my PRS (both sold)

$2000 is the thresold B.C. (before children)

finboy · Post by **finboy** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 5:28 am

so far i've never spent over $1000USD for a guitar, that said, if i had the income and THE guitar showed up, i don't know what limit i would set. i was incredibly close to buying a white rick 360 for $1700USD as it was perfect, but given my finances at the time, it wasn't wise so i passed. i think it more comes down to where my finances are than an outright spending cap, as well as the type of guitar.

ex.
$2000 for a mustang, no chance
$2000 for a starcaster, absolutely

Yarko · Post by **Yarko** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 5:40 am

well, i just got my ideal guitar, a mustang reissue for around $750 overall. and I got a twin reverb yesterday, so i'm done with new gear (apart from pedals) for a long time.

Haze · Post by **Haze** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 5:57 am

I'm thinking i could put together my ideal guitar for 500 bucks but who knows. Most i've spent on a single instrument is the jazzmaster project i'm working on and so far it looks like it'll cost around 600.

Vintage guitars i could see myself dropping $2k but only because it has resale value
New instruments, no more than $1k. MAYBE $1.5k on a Taylor/Martin

Justin J · Post by **Justin J** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 5:58 am

i'd never spend more than $2000 on any fender, ever.
i'd be willing to spend upwards of $2500 on a really nice greco or tokai. i'd much rather have one really nice guitar than a bunch of ok guitars. right now, i only have two.
however, if i won the lottery (i don't play, so it's not gonna happen) i'd go nuts. i'd probably buy one of everything just because i could.

Will · Post by **Will** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 7:08 am

gaybear wrote:deets on the xxl? i know nothing about it

the dano is your ideal? nothing against danos, i like em, but always thought they were more neat than ideal.

The XXL is a Dano design, but made with all solid woods (BC Fir core w/ Mahogany top and sides), a set neck, and tighter construction overall. The U1's tone switch is replaced with a Varitone and there are some other tweaks as well. It's basically a super high-end Dano. They're made in Canada.

My '57 U1 is my ideal. It's exactly the color, year, and features I've been wanting for years. The body is the perfect shape and balance - it feels like I'm playing nothing at all. The sound is my favorite thing, of course. I have a set of flats on it tuned down a whole step; it puts all this warmth and air around the high notes that I haven't found in any other guitar (even my reissue and 1448). There are a million little details and facets to the tone that just can't be put into words - it speaks with authority but never sounds forceful. It sounds lived-in and comfortable. I get all poetic and abstract about it sometimes, but I really just love it to pieces.

serfx · Post by **serfx** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 7:09 am

$800 if it had to be shipped

$650 without shipping.

James · Post by **James** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 7:14 am

I played a 64 Jazz Bass in the Hollywood Guitar Center that if I for some reason had the income, I'd pay the $10,000 asking price for.

In realistic terms, I'd probably pay Â£1,500 for something that felt perfect. I'd pay that for a great amp and cab too (I still need to hear a Matamp series 2000 although my bank balance dreads it).

serfx · Post by **serfx** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 7:20 am

yeah amp & cab i'm def willing to shell more money out on.
i'm just not kind enough to my gear, and i love to tear it apart and play with it all
or i'd look at more expensive stuff.

*saving pennies for dwarfcraft devices amp head

Thom · Post by **Thom** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 8:50 am

I paid Â£1600 for my custom Les Paul, and it is ideal, I had say in everything about it from woods, to neck shape to frets, eletrics etc. and was part of the building process the whole way.
I don't really see myself spending that kind of money on an off the shelf guitar as every single one of my other guitars I have modded in some way and I'd feel bad about doing that to something I spent so much money on.
I spent Â£1400 on my Orange head and cab a few years ago when I got it (both since sold) and I didn't regret that one bit either.

timhulio · Post by **timhulio** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 8:59 am

I spent Â£800 on my '69 Jaguar, and Â£1000 on a minty black Hagstrom Viking. Neither of which are 'ideal' by any means. Think my Electrical worked out at Â£800 too, and I played that constantly for a couple of years. At some point I'd like a good 335, so maybe I'd go up to Â£2000 for one.

robert(original) · Post by **robert(original)** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 9:18 am

as far as a custom guitar build, i would fork over 5,000.00 for an archtop easy!(if i had the cash)
as far as a factory guitar the most i think i would ever spend would be about 3,000.00 and that would be on a vintage jaguar.
i think if it was a guitar that i played and thought, "this is it, i found it, i need nothing else" then i would be willing to break any sort of bank budget and go nuts!

vivadeluxxe · Post by **vivadeluxxe** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 9:57 am

I'd spend about Â£1k at most on a guitar, any more than that and I wouldn't feel comfortable taking it out of the house, which defeats the whole object of having one...
I bought a strat for Â£750 earlier in the year, which is the most I've spent so far

Post by **Mike** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 11:53 am

I used to have a sub Â£1,000 rule which would have been absolutely fine if Vintage Fender Mustangs/Jaguars hadn't rocketted after the mid 90s. I saved a bunch of money and sold some stuff to get the Â£1,700 I spent on my '66 Jaguar. It seems like a major extravagance to me even now but my missus said "you only live once", and I'd worked hard and sacrificed much to raise that money. Plus I'd rather get it now then when I'm 50 and a bit pathetic. That OLD GUITAR GUY everyone avoids.

So I don't regret it for a second.

The other stuff I've bought has actually been really reasonably priced. Before that I was just playing sub Â£500 Fender Reissues, and my Marshall 6100 (Â£300 second hand) and my JCM800 (Â£499 second hand).