What was the best investment you've ever made on gear?

My Warmoth Telecaster. It's just "me" -- the way I play, the sound I like, everything. I can plug it into any piece of crap amp and sound ok enough. There's a few people with whom I've played a lot over the years. They tell me it's jarring to see me playing anything else.

My old Taylor 414CE is probably my second most-played and most-recorded guitar. The truth is I've never been a big fan of the neck shape on it. I bypassed the built-in preamp so now there's an ugly barn doon in the upper bout I hate. And I think the action could still come down a fraction of a fraction of an inch. Still, I play the crap out of it. Nothing's perfect.

My beat-to-hell Peavey Classic 50 410 is up there, too. Simple, cheap, reliable, sounds good, and it compliments the Tele perfectly.
 
mongooz said:
as far as bought low and sold high......my 1959 Gibby ES-355......I bought it in a pawn shop in Biloxi Miss. for $150 (not original case) in early 1976,
sold it to George Gruhn a couple years later for $1200, which funded the 1958 LP Standard......THAT'S the one I SHOULD have kept.
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Damn, You are Joe Walsh aren't you?
 
I'm an idiot. I need to change my answer.

My best gear investment was the Guild D4 I bought for my Dad as a birthday gift in the late 90s.

He taught me how to play but he had pretty much stopped over the years. The Guild got him back into playing.

When he got back into playing, I started getting serious about acoustic along with him. He and I were always close but the guitar became a good excuse for us to hang out more.

Now that he's gone, that $400 I paid to Mars Music paid me back thousands of times over in memories.
 
USian Pie said:
I'm an idiot. I need to change my answer.

My best gear investment was the Guild D4 I bought for my Dad as a birthday gift in the late 90s.

He taught me how to play but he had pretty much stopped over the years. The Guild got him back into playing.

When he got back into playing, I started getting serious about acoustic along with him. He and I were always close but the guitar became a good excuse for us to hang out more.

Now that he's gone, that $400 I paid to Mars Music paid me back thousands of times over in memories.
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I don't know whether to smile or cry.
 
My best bang-for-the-buck investment is my PRS SE Santana. I bought it new on a closeout (discontinued color) for $450. They're normally $725. Fantastic guitar for the normal price, insane guitar for $450.

Santanabody_zpsb531523d.jpg
 
I got my 1997 CIJ Ritchie Blackmore Signature Strat for $700 in 2003. It's one of 500 and I have seen them go for quite a bit more

RBStrat_full_body.jpg
 
As far as the practical use I get out of it, probably my iPad. That thing helps me practice in so many ways, can look up, store, & organize sheet music, tuner, multitrack, metronome, backing tracks, synthesizers & drum machines, and the list goes on. In terms of what I paid for the value I attach to it, probably my Dell Arte Dark Eyes manouche guitar. I got it for a steal and it's an amazing guitar.
 
Been thinking about this for a week and I still don't know.

Maybe the pickups in my white guitar. That Duncan mini has been in a handful of guitars and never fails to sound awesome. The Antiquity P90 is off the charts.
 
Psychotronic said:
My Rock'N Roller Cart model R8. One trip for my entire rig -- on wheels -- in and out!
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One trip? Shit, I've got one of those and I still need 3 or 4 trips. :embarrassed:

First trip is the 4 powered speakers and the stands.

Second trip is cables, guitar, pedalboard, etc

Third trip is lighting.

I need four when I'm doing a wedding and have computers, hard drives, monitors, and twice as many lights. :embarrassed:
 
dodgechargerfan said:
My first thought is my Taylor acoustic.
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My Taylor 310 is my best investment for two reasons. First, it's the only guitar I own that's truly a well built, quality instrument. I complain about how much people over pay for guitars, but I get it. If the level of workmanship is there it's worth it.

The second reason is a result of the first. There's nothing to tinker with, nothing to mod, nothing that I wish was a little better. When I pick up any of my electrics I start twisting knobs and switching pickups trying to find a different sound. When I pick up the Taylor I just play. And when I put it away I'm happy with what I've played.
 
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