Lunch Report - Wed, 6/5/13

Just revisiting one of my fave sites & grabbed the mic!

I'm Jay; retired & living in South Carolina. I'm a hopeless collector - more collector than player. The problem with being a collector is letting a piece of gear go - even though you can't make a strong case for keeping it. And that leads me to a few thoughts about this bizzare & little understood facet of human [mostly male] behavior.

JUST G&L AXES ONLY

1} What do you have that you rarely play, but just can't seem to let go? And WHY - if you know why?

FOR ME, IT IS A REFINISHED SC-3 WITH A PICKGUARD. I HAD WOODFIXER COMPLETELY REMOVE IT'S AWFUL LOOKING, DINGED UP BLACK PAINT & COMPLETELY REFINISH IT IN TOBACCOBURST. IT LOOKS GREAT, IT LOOKS NEW, IT PLAYS GREAT, & IS VERY IMPRESSIVE. BUT I CAN'T BRING MYSELF TO SELL IT EVEN THOUGH I'VE HAD FRIENDS ASK TO LET THEM KNOW IF I EVER DID. I PROBABLY HAVE $1000 IN IT, AND I COULD FIND A GUITAR FOR 2/3 THAT MUCH THAT WOULD LOOK, PLAY, & SOUND AS GOOD...... WELL, I JUST CAN'T DO IT. SENTIMENTAL, I THINK. THEN I HAVE 2 SC-2s - ONE RED & ONE BLACK, BOTH WITH BEAUTIFULL BODIES, MOJO'D FINGERBOARDS, & FANTASTIC TONE. I TRULY JUST WANT ONLY ONE, BUT I CANNOT EVEN IMAGINE LETTING EITHER GO UNTIL SOMEDAY DECIDING WHICH TO KEEP. UNTIL THAT HAPPENS, I WILL CONTINUE TO NOODLE AROUND WITH EACH OF THEM NOW & THEN.

2] What model do you have that you believe is a safe investment - gonna at least get all your purchase price back IF & WHEN you ever sell it?

I HAVE A 20TH ANNIVERSARY ASAT THAT IS PHENOMENAL - AS A PLAYER, TONEWISE, & ELEGANTLY SIMPLE LOOKS. I CAN'T IMAGINE LETTING IT GO FOR ANY REASON, BUT IF & WHEN I EVER DO, I KINDA BELIEVE IT WILL BE AT A MUCH HIGHER PRICE THAN I PAID WHEN I GOT IT OUT OF THE MARKETPLACE ABOUT 5 YEARS AGO.

Short & sweet. Let's hear what you say. Good on you all.

Jay In SC

G&L S-500, 1982, Its a nice guitar that I don't need but I think that it is a fair investment, not great, because of the way G&Ls perform in the marketplace. It is certainly a great guitar.

I have a 1982 L-2000 that is a safe investment in that I am sure that I will get back the money that I spent.

I have a collection of other brands that will have varying answers based on which instrument we discuss.

Jay, I have a similar problem. I do not have any that i want to get rid of. The Legacys are my least favorites and I do not want to part with those either. If I were to add more I will have to sell something but I don't know what it would be. As for basses, I am going to sell my L-2500 and replace it with something lighter. Two pounds makes quite a difference at my age for a 4 hr gig.

I would consider most of my G&Ls a safe asset. I caution to call them investments but my investment guy considers them a liquid asset so he felt it was similar to money in the bank. I have a couple of Fenders that may do better but who knows. It is not a concern for me as I just like them all no matter what anyone says or thinks. I cannot explain it but looking at them on the wall is very uplifting for me. I starts every day off well!-- Darwin

I have a hard time selling too.

I think most of my G&Ls will increase in value, though perhaps not as much as my Martins and my Gibsons will. I've bought some of those at heavily discounted prices, and some would already bring me a $1000 profit or more.

I do have one Legacy that I am going to sell. It's the first one I bought with Miss Leslie. I have the Gotoh Blades Legacy Special pickups in it now, and I will put the stock pickups back in and sell those separately. ..one of these days. It's a dup color, and I have so many Legacys, I think I can live without it. I have another that I dislike the neck profile..not sure what to doabout that one. It is a gorgeous guitar: Vintage White-rosewood board-tortoise guard-cream plastics.

The one I don't use is the ASAT Deluxe. It is also gorgeous, with a 3-color burst on the flamed top and the DF Vibrato. I usually use one of my Pauls or a 335 for 2HB tones, but this is the only one I have with a vibrato. It's a little more durable than the Gibsons, too...the poly a little easier to take care of in cold or hot conditions.

So unless someone waves a big pile of c-notes in front of me, I'm gonna hang on to it.

Bill

i have a couple of chris clem guitars that i got really cheap, and both are worth quite a bit, but since he is only known in a small circle, finding a buyer at the right price would take some time. also, i would never consider selling them.
my srv signature strat that i got for 400 bucks with original case and case candy would definitely sell for many times what i paid for it. my 57 tweed deluxe and the kenny burrel signature heritage amp also would sell for a lot more than what i paid.

i don't play my 84 squier strat very much, but it is my first guitar, so i will never sell it. i have an american standard strat that i don't play much, but every time i pick it up when considering selling it, i am blown away how good it is. i may sell my epiphone 335 dot though.

i have a couple of chris clem guitars that i got really cheap, and both are worth quite a bit, but since he is only known in a small circle, finding a buyer at the right price would take some time. also, i would never consider selling them.
my srv signature strat that i got for 400 bucks with original case and case candy would definitely sell for many times what i paid for it. my 57 tweed deluxe and the kenny burrel signature heritage amp also would sell for a lot more than what i paid.

i don't play my 84 squier strat very much, but it is my first guitar, so i will never sell it. i have an american standard strat that i don't play much, but every time i pick it up when considering selling it, i am blown away how good it is. i may sell my epiphone 335 dot though.

Everything you said here makes perfect sense to me.

And, hey, I'll give ya $400 for the SRV anytime you want to thin a little ........... LOL!!

I have a hard time selling too. I do have one Legacy that I am going to sell. It's the first one I bought with Miss Leslie. I have the Gotoh Blades Legacy Special pickups in it now, and I will put the stock pickups back in and sell those separately. ..one of these days. It's a dup color, and I have so many Legacys, I think I can live without it. I have another that I dislike the neck profile..not sure what to doabout that one. It is a gorgeous guitar: Vintage White-rosewood board-tortoise guard-cream plastics.

Uh, Bill, I'm with ya about hanging onto one that mama took the time to help you shop for. I finally sold the beautiful Comanche that she had sat so patiently for me to come to a decision on. I finally did a big ole swaperoo & brought in another couple, thinking she wouldn't miss it - but she did. So, I wound up saying that I made a huge deal that wouldn't have happened without involving the Comanche AND that I saved money doing it this way & came out better. OK, so I worked in a little white lie, but she got over it since I was happier AND saved some money.

The downside is that she hasn't really taken that much interest in any others since.

Crazy, but fun, my friend.

We are ALL sick.....

Jay

Jay, I have a similar problem. I do not have any that i want to get rid of. The Legacys are my least favorites and I do not want to part with those either. If I were to add more I will have to sell something but I don't know what it would be.

We are truly on the same page, my friend.

There was a time when I would have given you some sage advice at this point, but I've violated my own rules so many time that I just laugh & enjoy the agony of others going thru stuff like this.

Jay

I have a collection of other brands that will have varying answers based on which instrument we discuss.

Amen to that. Note I only dealt with the G&Ls. When it comes to other brands...... well, I don't have the time to explain 'em all. LOL.

I have no sympathy for you, nor for myself. Let's just be shameless & keep on keeping on.

Jay

I supose my 1998 ASAT Classic and 2006 Comanche will hold there value since I purchased them both used in mint condition at a very good price based on what I see on ebay .... my new Legacy and SC 2 I imagine would take a good hit just from going new to used but I have no intention of selling any G & L's anyway ..... I do try to play them equally , don't wanna hurt any feelings