how good is a $4500(or more) guitar?

Chad said:
I couldn't tell you. The most expensive guitar I have ever played is my McFeely and it is worth every penny. I would love to get my hands on something in that range, but that won't happen until the kids are done with college or I win the lottery.
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and that McFeely is super sweet. My buddy Matt still talks about it.
 
If you are chasing something that you believe is in a $50 instrument or a $5,000 instrument then you are probably chasing something that does not exist.

Quite frankly if the instrument works for you then whatever cost can be justified. It is simply a tool of the artist and the artist's expectations of the tool.
 
Scott_Abene said:
If you are chasing something that you believe is in a $50 instrument or a $5,000 instrument then you are probably chasing something that does not exist.

Quite frankly if the instrument works for you then whatever cost can be justified. It is simply a tool of the artist and the artist's expectations of the tool.
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Agreed.
 
Gorgon90 said:
Personally I'd consider your PRS CU22, EB MM Y2D and Suhr way above the average and into the high end of production line guitars. You don't get better (and that's subjective) without paying a whole load more dosh for custom work. The Vela judging by the prices I see here would be at least upper mid range as well (£1200 approx).

A more average guitar IMHO is something like a Mexican Fender Strat (seeing them for about £450 at Andertons in the UK).
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The MIM Strats and Epis may be low average, with the price point of American Special to American Standard lines being the average (or a bit above)...all coming in well below John's other guitars. This might be particularly true if we look at the average being based on the average "working" musician, compared to the hobbyist (which includes folks that go cheap and guitar loving lawyers and such...not that there aren't some great players in that group of people that can afford super high-end guitars despite not using as tools to pursue music as a profession).

But it doesn't really matter. It's almost always a combination of what inspires you and your means (as well as how you prioritize and manage said means). For some folks that will only be custom shop or small and boutique builders. For others it'll be a Squire Affinity. As to the OP, $4,500 is definitely not outrageous for a quality acoustic or hollowbody (especially a solid wood hollowbody). It is, however, becoming a more common price point for some production Gibsons and "standard" Fender Custom Shop instruments. And despite some instruments being easier to make than others, costs increase (often rather steeply) when you start paying for more selective and/or rare materials, more highly skilled builders/artisans (and the attention to detail that they bring), and fit and finishing. Then if you want a real custom shop piece or have someone like Doug build a Starliner, Dayliner, Banshee, or Arcturus to your specs and fit and finished specifically for you, $4,500 doesn't seem out of line.

I have a hard time going over $2K since I have or have owned some amazing instruments that never went above the $1,800.00 mark. That mark being set by the 89/90 PRS Custom "10" top with birds that I got new for HS graduation. The most I've paid since then was $1,299.00 for my Takamine Gecko LTD and my PRS CE-22 maple top. Most of the other stuff was around $500-600 bucks for MIA and MIJ stuff with some stuff going well below that and other things going a few hundred above. Were I making a living playing music, then I might be more or less willing to spend more (depending upon how "successful" I was). Other folks are willing to spend more, even for their hobby and there's nothing wrong with that.

Just buy what you like for the price you're willing to pay.
 
Scott_Abene said:
If you are chasing something that you believe is in a $50 instrument or a $5,000 instrument then you are probably chasing something that does not exist.

Quite frankly if the instrument works for you then whatever cost can be justified. It is simply a tool of the artist and the artist's expectations of the tool.
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Mark Wein said:
Agreed.
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I also agree with your agreeing on the matter of agreement.
 
wagdog said:
I believe the only reason I haven't made it big in the music business is that I don't play a $4000+ instrument.
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Ooo...I like that. I would have been a big star if only I'd spent more on gear.

Thank goodness it wasn't anything like a lack of a high level of unique or marketable talent.

Wait, and boobs and butt...I don't have either.
 
Dogsinotpalc said:
The MIM Strats and Epis may be low average, with the price point of American Special to American Standard lines being the average (or a bit above).
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I agree with the bulk of your post, with the caveat that American made is more likely to be the average in the USA. Certainly here in the UK and I suspect the rest of the world as well, there is a large premium on anything US made increasing the price differential.
 
mystixboi1 said:
Already done
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You know I kid because I love :grin:

And that I am almost as bad as you. I have probably owned 1o Fender Lead IIs over the last 20 years. And I change up my pedal board more than some folks change their underwear :grin:
 
Chad said:
You know I kid because I love :grin:

And that I am almost as bad as you. I have probably owned 1o Fender Lead IIs over the last 20 years. And I change up my pedal board more than some folks change their underwear :grin:
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So what is that, once a month? Twice if there's an "accident"?
 
A $4500 guitar gets you what you want: a one off guitar to your own specs. A unique guitar made by a master luthier.

Does that mean a cheaper guitar doesn't do the job? No.

:shrug:
 
My only beef with instruments of that price range has more to do with how often I change my mind and I accept that. I can count several times where I've dropped 1 or 2K on an guitar and completely dismantled it a week later. It's just not in my DNA to leave a guitar be, and that just doesn't make economic sense for me to mess with the resale value of a $4000 instrument like that. On a $1K guitar I usually have $950 worth of parts to play with.

I'm really proud of myself that the McFeely I dreamed up 2 years ago and gathered wood and parts for Mark has only changed its bridge pickup and will now be a koa top on a chambered koa body instead of a 2 piece solid body. Hopefully it gets finished this summer.
 
baimun said:
My only beef with instruments of that price range has more to do with how often I change my mind and I accept that. I can count several times where I've dropped 1 or 2K on an guitar and completely dismantled it a week later. It's just not in my DNA to leave a guitar be, and that just doesn't make economic sense for me to mess with the resale value of a $4000 instrument like that. On a $1K guitar I usually have $950 worth of parts to play with.

I'm really proud of myself that the McFeely I dreamed up 2 years ago and gathered wood and parts for Mark has only changed its bridge pickup and will now be a koa top on a chambered koa body instead of a 2 piece solid body. Hopefully it gets finished this summer.
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I can't wait to see that McFeely. Was Rev's the last one finished?
 
" seem to be ever revolving" ... this was a joke, right?

$4,500 will take you through 40+ therapy sessions. I'm just saying.
 
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