I'm tired of losing money on investments and not making any money on my savings or investment.

I love guitars so I'm considering collecting guitars. I think special quality used guitars, like American Fender, Gibson USA, Fender Cusom shop and Gibson Custom shop guitars will hold their value. I'm hoping that they will increase value based on:

1. Shortage of supply. I base that on shortage of special woods available and limited craftsmen to do the extraordinaryly skilled work.

2. Increase in demand. As the worlds population gets bigger and people all over the world become familiar with the great work done by american musical instrument crasftman, there will be a growing demand for those special instruments.

3. Guitars may be a good hedge against inflation. If we start to see a rise in inflation, by definition our cash is worth less. Therefore an investment in durable goods such as guitars maybe a good option.

Those are just a few of my ideas. I would be interested in hearing what you think about the idea of collecting guitars in terms of an investment.

Thanks!

Greg, TX

As much as I love guitars, modern guitars would be a really really bad investment and probaly not be a good investment in your lifetime. Bury your money in a jar in the back yard. In twenty years you would have more money.

I can think of better ways to invest money than buying guitars. Most of us here buy guitars because we are helpless against their powers of seduction, not because they have any magical retirement clause built into them.

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

Be it far from me to tell you how to invest your hard earned dollars, but Guitars and Amps are not the way to go. There have been many articles in many guitar oriented guitar mags (Vintage Guitar) to name one...that tell you NOT to use guitars as investments. Here is a good example, I bought a US Vintage Reissue 57 Strat back in 1982, it cost me $750 at the time I think. It is now worth approximately $2300 and that is probably on the high side, so sounds like I made some good money (1150). But take that $750 and invest it in anything getting 5% annually and I would have made $11,250.00 if my public math is correct since 1982, so I would made a great deal more on the investment vs. the guitar.

Yes this is a very simplified way to look at it, but I believe it portrays my point.

T2

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What time is it? It's Fender Time.

Silverface amps might be a half decent investment. Seems like the prices are going sky high everytime I want to find one.

I'd agree that there are better ways to invest your money.
that being said, if i had lots of money and could convince the wife that it was an "investment" i would have a ridiculous amount of guitars for myself

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~Dan

Buy low, sell nothing!

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"The individual is handicapped by coming face to face with a Conspiracy so monstrous he cannot believe it exists. The American mind simply has not come to a realization of the evil which has been introduced into our midst." J. Edgar Hoover

@ RCB-CA-USA .... advocating that old saying, "He who dies with the most toys wins."

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

+1!

I prefer less "esoteric" investments than musical gear......



And precious metals have averaged 24% per year for the last six years. Anybody harboring some illusion about the grandiose investment potential for cookie-cutter guitars should prepare themselves for a very rude shock......you'll be begging your kids to let you move in with them when you reach retirement age.

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

learn how to use a spanner, welder and paint gun, and invest your money in classic cars. definitely a better bet than guitars - as long as you buy cheap and do the work yourself.

I bought a new gibson j-45 in 2000 for $1000.00 , now sells for $2500.00 , I think there is money to be made , but that one took 12 years , can you afford to invest $100,000.00. , and wait 15 or 20 years ?

...he who dies with the most toys still dies too.

I was thinking more along the lines of...if it's good enough to buy for re-sale...it's probably good enough to keep.

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"The individual is handicapped by coming face to face with a Conspiracy so monstrous he cannot believe it exists. The American mind simply has not come to a realization of the evil which has been introduced into our midst." J. Edgar Hoover

I never conciously thought about collecting guitars but considering the growning line of them in my office, I apparently am a collector! I can think of far worse things to blow money on.

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Tom Hintz, owner
Geezerguitar.com
NewWoodworker.com
NewMetalworker.com

I can't bear the thought of beautiful vintage instuments sitting in some chupms storage facility or pool room hoping one day they might pickup in value. It's not lucrative and you will stop it being used for what it was intened for, to give people joy. Collect coins or stamps or invest in shares.

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Consider: Only because it's old doesn't mean it's vintage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bER-st-KjM

Collecting guitars needs a few thoughts before starting.

Cheers

David

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"Humans think they are smarter than dolphins because we build cars and buildings and start wars etc...and all that dolphins do is swim in the water, eat fish and play around. Dolphins believe that they are smarter for exactly the same reasons."