What is the most you would spend on the perfect guitar?

How much would you pay for the perfect guitar for you, every spec you wanted?

  • 1K

    Votes: 3 7.5%

  • 2k

    Votes: 15 37.5%

  • 3k

    Votes: 7 17.5%

  • 5k

    Votes: 12 30.0%

  • 6k

    Votes: 3 7.5%

  • 8k

    Votes: 4 10.0%

  • 10k

    Votes: 1 2.5%

  • 12k

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Over 12k

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Whatever it costs

    Votes: 3 7.5%
  • Total voters
    40
This thread is a sad reminder of where guitar prices and my life currently are.

Growing up in India, one mostly finds import guitars floating around.

Having recently moved to Canada, I had hoped to find myself a decent used guitar ~2k ish.

Well, since Covid, the prices went crazy and all the prices I had in mind were in USD to begin with.
In CAD + taxes, I can’t justify spending that much.

So, I mostly find myself looking at premium import guitars and nothing seems like a significant upgrade over my PRS SE.

Right now, I’m lusting after a humble Yamaha Revstar P90 ~ $700.

I wish I could be a little irrational and treat myself. ;)
 
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V|J said:
I’m lusting after a humble Yamaha Revstar P90 ~ $700.
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Dont Kid yourself those revstars are amazing I absolutely love mine superb QC

IMG_1931.JPG
 
It all comes down to how much money I have available to spend. If cash is unlimited, then I don't care how much the guitar costs and will not reject it because it goes beyond some arbitrary price point. I have yet to reach the point of unlimited cash, so I will spend what I have available (which has already put me in the poor house more than once because "available" has varied definitions in my head) ;~))
 
Eagle said:
The thing to remember is a professional instrument for almost every other type is a huge amount more. Speak to anyone in an orchestra. We have very good cheap equipment that can be used.
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Tell me about it! When my parents bought me a Selmer 10G pro clarinet in ~1979, it was $1100. The school/rental versions were around $100.

But it was a helluva lot easier to play, and the tone was much better! AND, my teacher insisted I use a glass mouthpiece (which I kept breaking!), so that added to the cost.
 
The difference in what folks around here are willing to put into amps/pedals/modelers, including duplicates, vs what they are willing to spend on an instrument -- I always find it striking.

Currently, for the absolute right guitar, I could see going up to about $4k. Over the next five years, I could see that bumping up to $6k, but I've got a few things to deal with before I could imagine parting with that much money for a guitar. Over the next 10 years, I could eventually see going as high as $10-12k IF it were an instrument I was 100% certain would hold its value or increase.

The big kicker on all of this is, having been kinda close to dropping around $4500k-ish on various "custom order" guitars over the last couple years, I know that I've actually got zero interest in doing that. Gotta hold a guitar in my hand and play it before committing that kinda money to the cause, especially on something like a 1st owner PRS (Or Suhr or Anderson) which you will immediately take a big hit on if it winds up being a killer guitar on paper but not in hand.
 
Boudoir Guitar said:
The difference in what folks around here are willing to put into amps/pedals/modelers, including duplicates, vs what they are willing to spend on an instrument -- I always find it striking.
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I agree. Especially when you factor in the amount of money wasted on gear-churn. And I really fail to see how one can ever get back "what they paid for it," when you factor tax, shipping, selling fees (even if it's just your gas/time), and inflation. You would've had to score a deal from a crackhead, selling his shit at half price to make that work, in just about every example I've seen discussed.

I'm ok with up to about 3-4k on a guitar, partly because I just don't spend much money on gear. When I do, it's, "Buy once, Cry once." I find good stuff that does what I want, and use it, and it alone, without letting FOMO woo me into buying the latest/greatest version of essentially the same thing I already own, and then I use it for the next 10 years. And I know a big reason why that is for me, is that I'm just not the type of player that gets all excited about trying new gear, as I do from the excitement I get from improving my playing.

But even then, I'll sit on the sidelines, buying picks and strings, and enjoy what I have, if dealers whose stock I can clearly see is stagnant, are not willing to give me at least 20% off their listing price.
 
Plus, I believe that in making good financial decisions for myself, it allows me to spend higher amounts on guitars, that I do know would get me the same guitar, quality-wise, for less money, if I spent that money on a guitar built in another country.

But I look at it like this- There's a mom-and-pop grocery store in my town that can't compete with the big-box stores coming in, but that M&P store employs people who live in my neighborhood, and pays them a better wage than Walmart will, so if I can spend my money wiser, I'll be able to afford to shop at that M&P store, in hopes of helping them stay in business.

And to further this example, I do live within 30 minutes of the PRS factory, so I'd choose a core model over an SE, even with the price disparity. If I ever did decide to buy a new PRS. Which could happen..., maybe.

It's not much, and I'm just one person, but that's how I feel. It's the best I can seem to do.
 
TSJMajesty said:
I agree. Especially when you factor in the amount of money wasted on gear-churn. And I really fail to see how one can ever get back "what they paid for it," when you factor tax, shipping, selling fees (even if it's just your gas/time), and inflation. You would've had to score a deal from a crackhead, selling his shit at half price to make that work, in just about every example I've seen discussed.

I'm ok with up to about 3-4k on a guitar, partly because I just don't spend much money on gear. When I do, it's, "Buy once, Cry once." I find good stuff that does what I want, and use it, and it alone, without letting FOMO woo me into buying the latest/greatest version of essentially the same thing I already own, and then I use it for the next 10 years. And I know a big reason why that is for me, is that I'm just not the type of player that gets all excited about trying new gear, as I do from the excitement I get from improving my playing.

But even then, I'll sit on the sidelines, buying picks and strings, and enjoy what I have, if dealers whose stock I can clearly see is stagnant, are not willing to give me at least 20% off their listing price.
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Meh, I've got no real beef with the churn. It's a gear forum. I assume folks come here rather than just camping out at the Fractal Forum or wherever because...they like lots of gear.

To be clear, I've got no real beef with anyone putting. lower cap on what they're willing to spend on a guitar than other parts of a rig. I just find it interesting/surprising. I mean, it's not like the folks that have put a cap of around $1500 on a guitar in this thread don't own like ten guitars that they spent up to $1500 on. Guitars are a lot more work to flip, which may have something to do with it?
 
Sascha Franck said:
Defenitely. I also like the "swift blue" ones with their rallye stripes. If I ever was to buy a 2 humbucker guitar, one of those would be my choice over any LP.
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That’s the one I’ve tried a couple of times, nice colour in person. And I’m bored of blue guitars but that one looks great.
 
The headstock in my avatar is my 2020 PRS Custom 24-08. It was special ordered with everything exactly how I wanted, and took a year to arrive. It was right around the $5K mark, and worth every penny.
 
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