# Your Opinion On The Best Guitars As Investment Vehicles



## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

With the inflation we are experiencing cash in the bank is not a good way to hold onto the value of the money. I am wondering what guitars might be seen as a good way to invest to hold and increase the value of the money.

Any thoughts?


----------



## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

I thought that crashed years ago.


----------



## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Wardo said:


> I thought that crashed years ago.


I am not talking about $50,000 guitars, just lower end ($1,000 to $5,000) guitars that will hold or most likely increase in value.


----------



## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

the $400 MIM models are selling for $600 easy. ....here comes me another boat.


----------



## keto (May 23, 2006)

Les Pauls are generally safe, especially the highest and lowest ends. Wasn’t that long ago I was buying a matte but nice USA LP off the wall at L&M for what, $800 and used $5-600? Those change hands at a grand these days I bet.


----------



## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

Acording to Premiere Guitar a 2008 Les Paul Standard had a street price of $2,600 US. To keep up with inflation you would have to sell it for $3,160 today. Reverb has a few listed in the low $2,000’s.









2008 Gibson Les Paul Standard Review


What''s good, what''s bad and what''s just kind of odd in the newest Les Paul Standard




www.premierguitar.com


----------



## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

I am with @Wardo. I don't even get the gold/silver thing. If our economy goes Venezuelan on us, everything remotely unessential will be worthless along with the cash. Better off hoarding gardening tools and woodstoves. 

Seriously, all my investments are in Canadian banking. Nothing international. Gained seven grand in last quarter of 2020.


----------



## Okay Player (May 24, 2020)

The smart money is being spent on Klon Centaurs.


----------



## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Kerry Brown said:


> Acording to Premiere Guitar a 2008 Les Paul Standard had a street price of $2,600 US. To keep up with inflation you would have to sell it for $3,160 today. Reverb has a few listed in the low $2,000’s.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That' clearly not the way to do it. Get a smoking deal on a 1964 strat. Keep it for 10 years... 

Not buy one new and try to sell it 10 years later. Unless it's something special, but good luck with that.


----------



## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

If you're looking at investing, a solid stock portfolio is going to yield better results way faster than guitars.


----------



## Griff (Sep 7, 2016)

All the guitars I own are great investments.


----------



## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

What cars went up in value?
Did Dodge Neon’s increase in value?
Will a Chrysler 200 increase in value?
Will a 2021 V6 Charger increase in value?

Or is it just the 50k + vintage vehicles that have gone up and will continue to go up as they become more rare?

That is your answer.
A 1957 Les Paul Junior is a sure bet.
A 2021 Les Paul Junior VOS ‘57 is going to be worth less and less each year and compounded by how many times someone leaves it next to a fireplace or breaks the headstock.

If you were to spend a couple grand and buy primo NOS 12AX7 tubes. They will make you a couple grand in 10 years.


----------



## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Always12AM said:


> What cars went up in value?
> Did Dodge Neon’s increase in value?
> Will a Chrysler 200 increase in value?
> Will a 2021 V6 Charger increase in value?
> ...


I met someone at the Costco parking lot to buy a guitar. We couldn't agree on a price so I took your advice and won the day with a blade. Easy peasy. Great investment.


----------



## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

When they were talking about banning incandescent light bulbs I bought about $450.00 worth of them; usage has been less than expected and I’m waiting for the price of them to go through the roof so I can sell them and buy a new truck.

Tubes for amps will be the next big thing for sure; gonna stock up on them too.


----------



## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Wardo said:


> When they were talking about banning incandescent light bulbs I bought about $450.00 worth of them; usage has been less than expected and I’m waiting for the price of them to go through the roof so I can sell them and buy a new truck.
> 
> Tubes for amps will be the next big thing for sure; gonna stock up on them too.


I have a cupboard full 100 watters as well. In the country we use them for heating things like well pumps. I friend of mine is the in demand farming plumber. He gets calls about frozen bursting pipes in barns because the farmers replaced all the incandescent bulbs with LEDs and then the barn freezes and they don't understand why, they left the lights on.


----------



## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

player99 said:


> I met someone at the Costco parking lot to buy a guitar. We couldn't agree on a price so I took your advice and won the day with a blade. Easy peasy. Great investment.


One time a guy called me a Ho-mo in the Costco parking lot.. I was so insulted on behalf of gay people that I became gay and sucked his dick and married him and made him miserable and then divorced him and took half of his shit and then laughed and said “ha!! I’m not even gay bud.. but you fucked with the wrong guy who is willing to spend 5 years carrying out an elaborate revenge plot just to make you gay and make you feel like an asshole for using homophobic slanders bud”..

But the truth is.. by god damn it.. I miss Carlos. And IF YOU ARE READING THIS CARLOS!! COME BACK TO ME BRO!! I LOVE YOU!!


----------



## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

player99 said:


> I met someone at the Costco parking lot to buy a guitar. We couldn't agree on a price so I took your advice and won the day with a blade. Easy peasy. Great investment.


Like hell I'm going to negotiate in a parking lot. 
If the deal isn't already settled, I won't be meeting anyone anywhere to hash it out.

Put your money in real estate, land will always be there.


----------



## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

player99 said:


> the farmers replaced all the incandescent bulbs with LEDs and then the barn freezes and they don't understand why, they left the lights on.


Jeezuz, you’d think they would know that being farmers an all.

Yeah, pretty common practice to use them to prevent things from freezing.


----------



## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Wardo said:


> Jeezuz, you’d think they would know that being farmers an all.
> 
> Yeah, pretty common practice to use them to prevent things from freezing.


Women farmers. Seriously.


----------



## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

sulphur said:


> Put your money in real estate, land will always be there.


In rural SK, homes "in town" are a dime a dozen. But agricultural land is appreciating constantly. A house here would be a bad investment, you need to be just beyond the urban sprawl to make residential work.


----------



## Alan Small (Dec 30, 2019)

return is not always measured in dollar value....pleasure is good

consider fresh water and clean air alongside real estate

nothing else measures your view of success


----------



## Doug B (Jun 19, 2017)

player99 said:


> With the inflation we are experiencing cash in the bank is not a good way to hold onto the value of the money. I am wondering what guitars might be seen as a good way to invest to hold and increase the value of the money.
> 
> Any thoughts?



No such animal as a sure thing. Buying guitars is not an investment unless you are doing it to play them. Buying any guitars is speculation, not investing. If it was so easy every Tom, Dick and Harriet would be doing it.


----------



## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

sulphur said:


> Like hell I'm going to negotiate in a parking lot.
> If the deal isn't already settled, I won't be meeting anyone anywhere to hash it out.
> 
> Put your money in real estate, land will always be there.


Duddy Kravitz? Is that you?


----------



## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

Sneaky said:


> Duddy Kravitz? Is that you?


Did not watch the movie, so that reference went over my head.
It did prompt me to check into it a bit, I think I have an idea.

Any new instrument will obviously lose value, certainly initially.
Any instrument that won't lose value, or has less of a chance to, is a vintage instrument that's well over your budget listed.


----------



## jfd986 (Nov 22, 2010)

(Unqualified advice)

First figure out how much money you have to invest, leaving the remainder as an "emergency fund" that should sustain you if you are unemployed for more than 6-9 months (briefly ignoring the current situation)

Then figure out what your risk tolerance is. Can you afford to invest in something risky with higher potential for reward or are you looking more toward longer term slow gains?

Then talk to someone qualified about:


Dividend-paying stocks
Growth stocks
ETFs
Bonds
Real estate

And proportion your money out according to your risk profile. Wealthsimple, QuestTrade, and multiple other platforms enable you to set up paper trading accounts to practice investing before using real money.

If you follow a cautious and basic, standardized approach, you will likely end up crushing anyone who has tried to buy 40-50+ valuable guitars in the hopes that they will be worth more in 2-3 decades. When I buy, I try to buy dirt cheap only so that I don't lose money on the resell, but I don't expect to turn significant profits that I would end up using to support myself or make any sort of nest egg. Sensible investing works regardless of whether someone starts with $20,000 or $200, it's all about making good decisions and patience.

It's my understanding that guitarists buy guitars because they want them. Buy to collect if you want, and collect what you'll love when you do, is my view on it. Buy a guitar to invest in your happiness, and if you pick correctly, it should end up being worth it.


----------



## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

jfd986 said:


> Then figure out what your risk tolerance is.


We nave a winner! ..Seriously!


----------



## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Going by what I see described on Kijiji as "vintage", I think early '90s Squiers are a solid investment.

As I have noted in past, Vintage Guitar magazine used to have a regular column titled "401k Guitars", that was focused on investment guitars as retirement funds. The column ended around the time of the 2008 crash.

For whatever reasons, the SG has come back strong as a desirable instrument, after years of reduced appeal. The last time I remember it being so popular was during the Haight-Ashbury years when it seemed every Frisco hippy band used them. How long their appeal will continue to ascend, and what their resale prices for older ones will be is hard to say.

I would imagine that initial offerings from companies which have experienced recent extensive growth from modest beginnings, like Collings, or Kiesel, may have some higher resale value. Certainly anything having to do with the bigger-name manufacturers is a crapshoot. I mean, I suppose there will always be a customer willing to pay your asking for some exotic one-of-a-kind custom shop Gibson, Fender, Gretsch, Yamaha, Ibanez, PRS, etc.....eventually. But the key word is "eventually", which is kind of anathema to "liquid asset".


----------



## Permanent Waves (Jun 2, 2020)

Gibson Les Pauls and ES series make the best investments, mainly because the price of the new ones keeps going up astronomically and they are well-known guitars. In 1994, a Les Paul Custom retailed for $1999. Today it's $5699 and climbing. I suppose there's investments out there that can match that kind of performance, but it's hard to rock out on stocks and bonds.

Another good investment is vintage instruments - like real estate, they are not making any more. That market is largely based on perceived quality and nostalgia, so it's hard to predict what's worth hanging on to for 30 years. In the early 90's, people could not offload their mid-70s Strats fast enough - I remember having the choice between 3 of them in the same week, all at around $500. They are now going for around $2500, but value seems to have reached a plateau in the last 5-10 years. Then again, Fender retail prices hasn't tripled in 25 years like Gibson. 

As for the impact of the current economic situation, the sad reality is that all it does in increase the gap between rich and poor. This is not going to affect the value of high-end guitars, it will only affect who can buy them - not real players but lawyers and hedge fund managers who like to collect furniture guitars. For that reason, any guitar kept as an investment should probably be left in the case since the dead mint stuff really commands the top dollars.


----------



## Stephenlouis (Jun 24, 2019)

I've made money on a lot of things, but it's always been buy low, and sell for more. Almost always within a 1 to 5 year period, following trends.

For investment, depending where you live, and I live in the right area, housing is great. 

Where you put your money should be based on how soon you're going to need it back there is short long-term, mid term and long term. Long term is easy, a mix of stocks and bonds. Adjust the ratios as needed, dont take out until you retire, and like my brother, you will retire well off. Ive watched the market collapse at least twice, as long as it's not within a year of two of your retirement, your portfolio will not only recover, it will Increase. The data is there.

Short term is basically flipping.

I buy guitars with an eye to value, but I've never bought one as an investment. 20k for a guitar I cant play for fear of value loss? I can think of dozens of much high gain investments. I buy for joy and function, and sometimes because it's a great deal, and I'll use that deal as a stepping stone to a guitar I want..a good used guitar holds most of its value and might climb a little over the years, but ive never seen them as a serious long term investment. Just my take.


----------



## TheGASisReal (Mar 2, 2020)

Buying guitars (outside of vintage) is a terrible investment. There is a difference between flipping gear and investing in guitars, with the idea that they are going to appreciate in dollar value. Also, as some have already said, instruments are really low on the priority list when shit hits the fan. To top it off, if you're buying 20K worth of guitars as an investment, you now have 20K (likely) inside of your home, which could be lost in a fire, or by theft. It just doesn't make sense to buy guitars unless you're talking about a sought-after vintage piece, and you plan on keep it for the long term.


----------



## TheGASisReal (Mar 2, 2020)

Always12AM said:


> One time a guy called me a Ho-mo in the Costco parking lot.. I was so insulted on behalf of gay people that I became gay and sucked his dick and married him and made him miserable and then divorced him and took half of his shit and then laughed and said “ha!! I’m not even gay bud.. but you fucked with the wrong guy who is willing to spend 5 years carrying out an elaborate revenge plot just to make you gay and make you feel like an asshole for using homophobic slanders bud”..
> 
> But the truth is.. by god damn it.. I miss Carlos. And IF YOU ARE READING THIS CARLOS!! COME BACK TO ME BRO!! I LOVE YOU!!
> 
> View attachment 351719


Why would you ever feel the need to post this on a guitar forum?


----------



## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

Jay turser.
then put the money you didn’t spend on a more expensive guitar, into an actual investment vehicle.or Bitcoin.

if you’re asking this question, then you likely don’t have the sort of money to seed in the sort of guitars that can move the needle as an investment.


----------



## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

TheGASisReal said:


> Why would you ever feel the need to post this on a guitar forum?


It’s a little known fact that many musicians are also out of work comedians. Some of us just chronically make terrible career choices.


----------



## Okay Player (May 24, 2020)

sulphur said:


> Put your money in real estate, land will always be there.


How much real estate for a couple grand get you?


----------



## DavidP (Mar 7, 2006)

Maybe some short-term gain, like right now given the increased guitar sales, but I'm not considering selling any of mine given logistical C-19 issues, of buyers wanting to check them out (as I would). I expect that, if/when safe to do so, the market will be down.


----------



## mawmow (Nov 14, 2017)

The best guitar as an investment vehicle ?
Hummm... The one I DID NOT buy ? 

Seriously, the mint one I bought used
before the pandemic that I would sell now !


----------



## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

Okay Player said:


> How much real estate for a couple grand get you?


About the same investment value that a guitar will.


----------



## mnfrancis (May 24, 2010)

On a serious note: I don’t invest in guitars to make money, but I can say that I have sold some guitars and made a pretty good return on my investment.

What is interesting is that if I sell my stock investments I will pay a capital gains tax on that money. If I buy a $2000 guitar and sell it 10 years later for $8000 the Canadian government does not know that transaction even occurred.

+ Bonus = it is no fun playing stocks through a dimed Fender Vibrolux Reverb 😉


----------



## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

TheGASisReal said:


> Why would you ever feel the need to post this on a guitar forum?


Carlos??


----------



## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

Okay Player said:


> How much real estate for a couple grand get you?


I think Scotland is selling square feet of crown land for $100. Which comes with a title.

So for 2k I could be buried there as a knight lol.


----------



## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

Diablo said:


> Jay turser.
> then put the money you didn’t spend on a more expensive guitar, into an actual investment vehicle.or Bitcoin.
> 
> if you’re asking this question, then you likely don’t have the sort of money to seed in the sort of guitars that can move the needle as an investment.


The way things are going my brothers and sister and I might have sold our bitcoins too early....they're more than $73,000 Canadian a coin right now but you never can tell. It's a very specific market. An actual vehicle is as bad an investment as a guitar. Vehicles rust and guitars warp.....plus tastes change. Gold and gem stones you can hold in your hand still works. 


Okay Player said:


> How much real estate for a couple grand get you?


Depends where you look. Here's almost an acre for under $25,000. In a good area too. 




__





Cariboo District Real Estate & Homes for Sale - Point2


You're in the right place for real estate! 266 homes for sale in Cariboo District, Cariboo Chilcotin Coast, BC are available on Point2. One might be yours!




www.point2homes.com




or here








Caledonia Estates, Lot 15 - Welcome to NIHO Land & Cattle Company Ltd.


Come play in the heart of BC. Lot 15 of the Caledonia Estates is a 4.98 acre parcel ready for you to build your vacation retreat. Come fish for the spectacular rainbow trout, or set sail on the sparking waters of Stuart Lake. In winter, ski on Murray Ridges’ powdered slopes. An all season...



niho.com




Or you could go mining.








Kijiji - Buy, Sell & Save with Canada's #1 Local Classifieds


Visit Kijiji Classifieds to buy, sell, or trade almost anything! New and used items, cars, real estate, jobs, services, vacation rentals and more virtually anywhere.




www.kijiji.ca




Beats buying say a '55 BelAir as an investment.


----------



## tomee2 (Feb 27, 2017)

Hard to treat something that factories around the world are making by the 10s of thousands per year as investments. And they're easy to make too.


----------



## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

Wardo said:


> Jeezuz, you’d think they would know that being farmers an all.
> 
> Yeah, pretty common practice to use them to prevent things from freezing.


My daughter used them to bake cakes when she was little. Wonder how long it takes a new "Easy Bake" equipped with an LED?


----------



## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

I bought an SG in the mid '90's for $800. I was told it was a '64. When I sold it in 2002 for $1,200, it turned out to be a '69. It was the same guitar Hendrix, The Who and Santana used at Woodstock, and the same year as Woodstock. It was worth probably $2K. But now 18 years later it would be worth a shit ton.


----------



## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Always12AM said:


> One time a guy called me a Ho-mo in the Costco parking lot.. I was so insulted on behalf of gay people that I became gay and sucked his dick and married him and made him miserable and then divorced him and took half of his shit and then laughed and said “ha!! I’m not even gay bud.. but you fucked with the wrong guy who is willing to spend 5 years carrying out an elaborate revenge plot just to make you gay and make you feel like an asshole for using homophobic slanders bud”..
> 
> But the truth is.. by god damn it.. I miss Carlos. And IF YOU ARE READING THIS CARLOS!! COME BACK TO ME BRO!! I LOVE YOU!!
> 
> View attachment 351719


That is fucking hilarious.


----------



## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

Hummel figurines, Elvis plates, and "Collector's Edition" VHS tapes.

That's the ticket


----------



## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

player99 said:


> I bought an SG in the mid '90's for $800. I was told it was a '64. When I sold it in 2002 for $1,200, it turned out to be a '69. It was the same guitar Hendrix, The Who and Santana used at Woodstock, and the same year as Woodstock. It was worth probably $2K. But now 18 years later it would be worth a shit ton.


Sounds like you might not be good at this sort of thing.


----------



## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Diablo said:


> Sounds like you might not be good at this sort of thing.
> View attachment 351973


Ya I have gotten better. I bought the guitar from a vintage dealer and relied on his word it was a 64. I never thought that it was a 69 nor would I have known 69 was Woodstock and that guitar was used by the performers and that would make it worth more. After I sold it I called Gruen in the USA. They said it was worth $800 regardless what anyone said so I felt a little better.


----------



## DrumBob (Aug 17, 2014)

Guncho said:


> If you're looking at investing, a solid stock portfolio is going to yield better results way faster than guitars.


I'd agree. Buy stock.

I have bought and sold guitars for decades, and these days, I'm lucky to break even. I made $4200 once on a '57 Les Paul Junior, but that was the deal of a lifetime, and I have never done that well on anything else. I did pretty well selling some pre-CBS Strats years ago. If you want to enter the vintage marketplace to make money, stick with the Blue Chip collectibles: Old Gibsons and Fenders, Rickenbackers, pre-war Martins, D'angelicos, Strombergs, early Epiphones, oddball rarities, and all in good original condition. That's very important. Certain old Gretsch and Guild electrics are rising in value, but many are still sleepers. I'd stay away from old Harmony, Kay, Danelectro and Supro guitars. There were tons of them made back in the day and they are plentiful. 

You might do well buying limited run recent guitars, but use the _Vintage Guitar Price Guide_ as a source. It's worth its weight in gold. If a small shop builder suddenly stops making guitars, it might be wise to buy a good one on spec that it would appreciate. For instance, anything made by Peter Florance, either his pickups or the rare guitar he made, is now worth money since Peter died. I think Danocaster guitars are now out of production.

I always think in terms of making money on every guitar I buy, but it doesn't always happen.


----------



## Honeybee124 (Apr 16, 2021)

Stocks are cool but I love the excuse to buy guitars


----------



## DrumBob (Aug 17, 2014)

I would only buy blue chip stuff: vintage Gibsons, Fenders, pre-war Martins, rare archtops like Stromberg and D'Angelico.


----------

