What Justifies Buying A Really Expensive Guitar? Options

[Todd Simpson]

Super congrats!!!

I have to agree with Monica also on price Below $1,000 can be sketchy. However, if you know what to look for you can get great guitars for less. For example!!

MY NEW AXE!! List price is $1460 ouch!!!!!! So well above the $1,000 mark. But with some prudent research and shopping around, I found a BRAND NEW, WITH HARDSHELL CASE FOR $450 shipped!

So I have to say, it's possible to have a nice guitar, without paying top dollar for it I could have gone out and paid list price. But I'd rather spend the other $1,000 on other gear

Well Someone just arrived in the Lupu family And along with it, an amazing TRULY AMAZING event for my career: https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_fo...showtopic=52293

[attachment=37416:IMG_2014...3_WA0002.jpg]

The PRS Tremonti Charcoal Black USA Model

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[Mith]

I've hotten alot of really good 2nd hand guitars. My washburn D10 I got for 1/4 of the price and it was only a few weeks old. It was unplayable on the top end but all it needed wasa fret level and even the luither was blown away by it after it was setup.

Also my 86 Charvel I litrally bought in parts. Someone took apart the floating bridge, cut all the wiring out. All the parts where there. (accept I had to make the active wiring again) cleaned it all up, put it all back together. got it fret leveled and she now plays like a dream.

Guitar cost me $100 bucks
Cost me another $100 to get it fret leveled

Best $200 bucks I spend and kept me out of trouble for a weekend

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[Cosmin Lupu]

Super congrats!!!

I have to agree with Monica also on price Below $1,000 can be sketchy. However, if you know what to look for you can get great guitars for less. For example!!

MY NEW AXE!! List price is $1460 ouch!!!!!! So well above the $1,000 mark. But with some prudent research and shopping around, I found a BRAND NEW, WITH HARDSHELL CASE FOR $450 shipped!

So I have to say, it's possible to have a nice guitar, without paying top dollar for it I could have gone out and paid list price. But I'd rather spend the other $1,000 on other gear

Nice catch man! You saved 1000 bucks! That's REALLY something

I got the Tremonti from the dealer, based on my endorsement contract. I have it FOR FREE until June 2015 and then I can buy it off with 60% of the price That's still pretty big price, but hey, I have a year to raise the cash and IF by any chance I won't have it, I can return the guitar - although that would be a VERY bad thing for my resume as an endorser and I intend to keep my spot in the PRS artists roster for as long as I can

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[PosterBoy]

List price and street price are very different numbers.

Generally speaking, "List Price" is roughly 300% of what it costs a retailer to bring a product to market, allowing them to give you an awesome deal by discounting it 33% and still retaining their 100% margin.

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[Cosmin Lupu]

List price and street price are very different numbers.

Generally speaking, "List Price" is roughly 300% of what it costs a retailer to bring a product to market, allowing them to give you an awesome deal by discounting it 33% and still retaining their 100% margin.

Well, isn't that how business goes?

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[PosterBoy]

It's interesting that many manufacturers won't let retail outlets advertise their guitars for less than the list/ MRRP, as I guess they think it devalues the product, but then it gives the customer a nice surprise when dealing with the store on the phone of in person!

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[klasaine]

It depends on the company.

The manufacturers suggested list price - MSRP for USA Fender and Gibson (not Squier or Epiphone) is only 105% over what any retailer (even GC) will get. That's called an A+ discount ... 50% off the list price plus an extra 5% if you order a lot and are a good customer.

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[Todd Simpson]

Thanks! It was the best deal I could hope to find for a new unit I've not seen them that low ever, for a new one. 60 something percent off list

Congrats on your spiff deal on the tremonti!! Keep it!!!!

Nice catch man! You saved 1000 bucks! That's REALLY something

I got the Tremonti from the dealer, based on my endorsement contract. I have it FOR FREE until June 2015 and then I can buy it off with 60% of the price That's still pretty big price, but hey, I have a year to raise the cash and IF by any chance I won't have it, I can return the guitar - although that would be a VERY bad thing for my resume as an endorser and I intend to keep my spot in the PRS artists roster for as long as I can

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[Cosmin Lupu]

Thanks! It was the best deal I could hope to find for a new unit I've not seen them that low ever, for a new one. 60 something percent off list

Congrats on your spiff deal on the tremonti!! Keep it!!!!

Thank you Todd!

Well, I usually learned that if you aren't in a hurry to buy a new instrument and if you live in a relatively small country such as Romania, you have all the chances to build a good relationship with a dealer if:

- you offer free reviews for instruments
- you are a well known artist in the underground/mainstream - it really doesn't matter as long as you are appealing to a certain niche that is interesting for the dealer

It worked for me and it worked with a brand that you don't get easy to, even if it took me almost 4 years to get there.

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[Todd Simpson]

COSMIN raises a CRUCIAL point here. I often am asked by students what they should do to get endorsements.

The answer is simple Grow an audience!! Then you have something to offer a manufacturer/vendor, EYBALLS OF YOUR VIEWERS! Until then, no matter how "good" a player you are, it doesn't really matter to them.

Again back to the importance of building an audience On youtube, on tour, anywhere.

Thank you Todd!

Well, I usually learned that if you aren't in a hurry to buy a new instrument and if you live in a relatively small country such as Romania, you have all the chances to build a good relationship with a dealer if:

- you offer free reviews for instruments
- you are a well known artist in the underground/mainstream - it really doesn't matter as long as you are appealing to a certain niche that is interesting for the dealer

It worked for me and it worked with a brand that you don't get easy to, even if it took me almost 4 years to get there.

You are at GuitarMasterClass.net

Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content!

Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content!

[Huargo]

Well Someone just arrived in the Lupu family And along with it, an amazing TRULY AMAZING event for my career: https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_fo...showtopic=52293

[attachment=37416:IMG_2014...3_WA0002.jpg]

The PRS Tremonti Charcoal Black USA Model

Congrats Cosmin, one of my favs guitars!!! enjoy man a lot that axe!

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[SpaseMoonkey]

I can blow cash on something nice, but I expect it to be worth it in the end. Just because something is expensive doesn't always mean that it's good.

What does a person consider a really expensive guitar? Gibson LP Studio, Gibson Explorer, Ernie Balls, PRS Customs, a Prestige Ibanez?

I've owned 1 of all of those, none of which still sit in my room. Anymore I'm better off getting decent gear, all that matters is the body and feel of it. I then call up a friend to work on it and to get it to the specs I play. After that it plays just as well as any other guitar I've owned including those $3k+ guitars. Anymore I let my hands do the thinking and not the head stock name.

Now if we step into the realm of the electronic toys, I would love to get my hands on an Axe-FX some day to see what all the fuss is about!

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[JamesT]

Congrats Cosmin on your new axe.
The color is spectacular.

The first time I saw and played a PRS was in a guitar shop in 1987. Yes, 1987. (getting older for sure, but probably only a little bit wiser). Anyway, I wanted to buy it then but it was out of my price range ($1700 at the time) . I'm pretty sure that if I had scrounged the cash back then, that it would still be sitting on a stand within easy reach for a jam session. But I had to wait until 2004 before finally making the plunge for a PRS Custom 24. I should have done it way back then, what an awesome playing, sounding, and looking instrument.

That being said, for me, the law of diminishing returns applies even to guitars. Some guitars are much more expensive than I would be willing to pay. To me paying more would be almost purely for the exclusivity of it, and not because it was a better instrument. But even exclusivity has its charm sometimes, so you have to go with your heart when it comes to these things. Pretty sure that a PRS custom 24 is exclusive enough for me. ... then again, I saw a 513 in charcoal black the other day....

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[Cosmin Lupu]

Thank you man! I knew you would like it

If I were to state my reasons for my allegiance to PRS as an instrument, I would say:

- playability
- tone
- looks
- fitting for my style and bands

I discovered in time, that Ibanez is sterile for my taste - I owned and played two of the top end models: the Jem (a very old and well made one) and a K7 Korn signature. VERY user friendly - the most user friendly in respect to playing comfort - but then again, user friendly is something I am willing to sacrifice in order to have a good tone.

Gibson - I love the tone, but those axes are not made for me. I simply can't perform on them as much as I would like...

Fender - love them too, but, for what I am playing, they are not that suitable...

These things being said, PRS somehow had all I wanted and needed from an axe, so that's why I made this choice

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