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
I put $1000 but would rater spend less. I bump and bruise everything I own and if I had an expensive guitar it would be mounted on the wall or sit in the case forever. I would be afraid to take it out and if I did take it out and bang it against something to scar it up, I would stay pissed off at myself for weeks.

Kids are out of school and making their own money, wife and I are not set, but more comfortable than we ever have been with bills and such, so I could spend it but it doesn't appeal to me. Maybe one day...

Now if I was a professional and making my money with it, then I could see wanting the best and spend accordingly.
 
gearJunkie said:
There is definitely a point of diminishing returns. Beyond a certain price point, you're just paying for fancy decorations.
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Yep, that is something I am seriously considering.

I had a custom Suhr built in 2015. It turned out exactly like I hoped it would. I play my guitars, no matter what they cost. I have played a bunch of gigs with this custom Suhr Standard and it still looks new. I take extremely good care of my instruments. They are the last thing on the stage and the first thing off. They get maintained very well. I have been doing my own work on guitars for a long time. I am hoping that if I do this with PRS it will turn out just as well.

If I do this, I plan on selling off a decent size chunk of my collection. I have a somewhat sizable collection of high end guitars. I will end up getting more money out of what I plan on selling than this guitar would cost me. Part of this adventure would be a downsizing exercise that I probably need to do. Getting the Private Stock guitar may not make me miss the guitars I will sell. I would also like to go to the factory and pick the wood and take the tour. That would make it a life event that I have been wanting to do as well.

Where the diminishing returns comes to mind is that I have several very nice 10 top and special run PRS guitars that really make me wonder how they can do any better than what I already have. Everyone I have talked to that has a Private Stock PRS says they just have something that the core models don't have. They just play and sound a little better. They went from core guitars to PS. After putting my preferred setup on the ones I have, they play and sound pretty darn good to me. I am hoping that these folks have had them long enough that the honeymoon is over and they would be able to admit if they really were just different because of the woods and specs.
 
JasonE said:
I had to start skipping some amounts due to only having a limited number of slots. I wanted to get the high end amounts in there.


You have just rooted out the whole reason I put this thread up. I am considering doing a Private Stock build on a PRS 594. The price on doing this just keeps going up and up. I am not thinking that if I am ever going to do this, it may be time.
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Not that you asked, but PS guitars on the used market, I gotta think the original buyer takes a huge hit when/if selling. Yeah, all that extra workmanship runs up the cost, but I also believe the owners of these guitars keep them in pristine condition.

Meaning, if you were willing to block out say, a full year to find one that ticks all your boxes, you could probably save 2/3's off what one would cost you new. I say, let the original buyer take that ginormous depreciation hit. The money you save would probably buy you a very nice 2nd guitar!
 
TubeStack said:
I would not spend as much on a guitar that hasn't been built yet, even if it's to my custom specs, as I would on a guitar that already exists and I've played in person, if that makes sense.

There is a high chance I could pick all the specs and then the guitar still ends up not sounding or playing great, and I don't like it. Whereas if I've played and love a real guitar in my hands, I will spend more for it.
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That's a FANTASTIC point!! What if it ends up with 'dead notes'? You never know!
 
TSJMajesty said:
Not that you asked, but PS guitars on the used market, I gotta think the original buyer takes a huge hit when/if selling. Yeah, all that extra workmanship runs up the cost, but I also believe the owners of these guitars keep them in pristine condition.

Meaning, if you were willing to block out say, a full year to find one that ticks all your boxes, you could probably save 2/3's off what one would cost you new. I say, let the original buyer take that ginormous depreciation hit. The money you save would probably buy you a very nice 2nd guitar!
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I have definitely noticed that. I have seen a few that are very close but I would have added something to them or changed the color of them or something like that. I was watching one that was for sale for over a year on the used market and just couldn't get myself to pull the trigger. It was the closest one to what I would spec that I have seen. I am now kind of wishing I had done it. I have two on my radar right now. One thing that keeps me hesitant on the used market is that is a lot of money to send someone and hope it all goes well. I am thinking through all of this stuff. I have a dealer that told me he has a few library visits open this year still. It would be cool to do that as part of getting the guitar built.
 
Hard to justify too much when I’ve been playing every kind of professional gig imaginable on a $350 MIM Strat for the past 20+ years.

Somewhere around $2500 is the max I’d be willing to pay for a solid body electric guitar.
 
For a guitar of the level I tend to go for, I put $3k, which is what I was trying to get a new JP15 for today. Above that, I'm just not comfortable. And it's an extremely nice guitar, even at that price point.

But, if I were to raise my earnings by one of a few ideas floating in my head (a raise, going back into business for myself, and/or an inheritance that's coming my way), I'd be ok going to 5-6K, and getting into the range of a Maple top Majesty. But I realize that's there's no difference in that guitar, other than the top, which truly isn't worth an additional $2k. To me. Unless my circumstances changed as above.

But I also don't have a lot of bills, and I make pretty good money. And I don't treat myself to anything else, other than the basics. I don't go out to dinner, or take vacations, and I'm set when it comes to other gear.

JasonE said:
If I do this, I plan on selling off a decent size chunk of my collection. I have a somewhat sizable collection of high end guitars. I will end up getting more money out of what I plan on selling than this guitar would cost me. Part of this adventure would be a downsizing exercise that I probably need to do. Getting the Private Stock guitar may not make me miss the guitars I will sell. I would also like to go to the factory and pick the wood and take the tour. That would make it a life event that I have been wanting to do as well.
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Well that aspect of it makes it truly "yours", so yeah, you wouldn't get that buying a used one. :beer
JasonE said:
Where the diminishing returns comes to mind is that I have several very nice 10 top and special run PRS guitars that really make me wonder how they can do any better than what I already have. Everyone I have talked to that has a Private Stock PRS says they just have something that the core models don't have. They just play and sound a little better. They went from core guitars to PS. After putting my preferred setup on the ones I have, they play and sound pretty darn good to me. I am hoping that these folks have had them long enough that the honeymoon is over and they would be able to admit if they really were just different because of the woods and specs.
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I have to wonder if paying 3 times the amount (or whatever it is) the price of a nice core model, doesn't really start to affect one's 'confirmation bias' though.
 
metropolis_4 said:
Hard to justify too much when I’ve been playing every kind of professional gig imaginable on a $350 MIM Strat for the past 20+ years.

Somewhere around $2500 is the max I’d be willing to pay for a solid body electric guitar.
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Generally, I'm pretty much in the same camp. For instance, for around 2-3 years, my main guitar was an indonesian Yamaha Pacifica Tele (originally a Mike Stern model, but I modded the living hell out of the electrics) for 200 bucks. My Anderson, G&L Legacy, Framus Diablo and what not all collected dust during that time.
But then, after all, it's really not about the gigs you get (or manage to play) with a certain guitar, because nobody else cares anyway. I have not even once stumbled across a situation when someone would've even just carefully suggested that I could perhaps use another guitar. It just never happened.
So, anything I do is just for me anyway. Regardless whether it's guitars, new amps, new pedals or new modelers.
 
Most I would go is 2K and that's CDN with Quebec 15% taxes

But as you all know

Episode 12 Snl GIF by Saturday Night Live
 
I assume that's US $$$. Aussie $$$, Euros and UK £££ may be a tad out-of-synch with the list.

So far, AUS$4200 for an Ultra Luxe Stratocaster. I was looking at Gibson, but couldn't justify the dollars for something without locking tuners etc.

I can afford to pay a bit more, maybe even double that, but cannot see anything I want that much atm (Honeymoon phase with Strat and an ESP LTD EC-1000).

The perfect guitar? I don't think I have the chops or cash to justify a locally made Berketa. https://www.berketaguitars.com/electric_solid_bodies.html
 
I have a $300 Squire Telecaster I play more than 2 different $2k+ Core PRS Guitars.

:sofa

I can't see myself striving for the upper reaches of this poll. Maybe $2500. Maybe $1500. :unsure:

I feel like I can get done what I need to get done with what I have, and I have never
been a status driven person who needs shiny commodities to make me feel good
about myself. Not that anyone else ever does that. :idk
 
I'd pay more for a really nice acoustic or maybe something vintage too good to pass on.
But for a regular electric guitar I don't see going over 2.5K currently.
 
I have played plenty of £250k guitars and a few £1m + that aren’t as good as guitars as my Charvel strat . In fact the best guitars I’ve ever played I own. What I would say is pay what you are comfortable paying and no more, you will be able to get something that won’t hold you back.
 
The most I’ve ever paid for any guitar was my used ‘63 Gibson ES-330 I picked up in a pawnshop back a few years ago.

I got it for $2400 out the door.

I think I would probably pay $3K for a used guitar that ticked all the boxes.

The guitar at that price would have to be worth at least $7K on the used market.

I refuse to lose money when I sell my guitars, so I always want an amazing deal when I buy.

This is how I buy guitars for my collection.
 
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