Guitars are Bad Investments

[@rickbennett105]

I have about 20 guitars, and I never bought any of them with the thought about what will happen to their value.

[@thaedleinad]

Mah boy.

[@DrMurdercock]

Same. I buy em them to use them for the TOOL that they are. No don't abuse them, but I don't worry about scratching it when playing or dingingg it, they're tools. I take care of them, but at the end of the day, I buy them to use them.

[@joerocket5083]

Same. I bought them for me. They are worth far more to me than they are out there out in the market…

[@juser-abuser]

Exactly. Guitars meant to be played, not resold like Pokémon cards

[@tenepicthings]

You should try to sell some of them to Kevin O'Leary. 😂

[@creatorTWin]

What’s wrong with the modern world in my opinion is that everything is viewed as an investment vehicle - people treating items like a Pokémon pack opening hoping to hit it big with that one item with a perceived high value.

[@erickaufmancustomguitars1351]

In the video game world, only the crappiest of crap that didn't sell well became the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It seems the low production numbers were responsible to a BIG degree for the LP, V, explorer, etc. Just the low production numbers alone make for a bigger demand than supply today, yesterday, and 10-40 years ago. The mistake today is the demand will probably never exceed the supply of most of this junk. The covid era of guitars shrink in your hands rather than on a shelf of raw lumber where it should have had the time to dry out first. I understand no manufacturer had exemptions from the issue. I certainly see evidence of this.

[@thomasmassey9166]

A good return investment in a guitar is getting what you paid for it. I guess you never know if you’ll fall out of love with an instrument but it’s nice to know if you could get out.

[@Job.Well.Done_01]

Lmao dude absolutely true society is pressed with this exact kind of thinking. lol

[@sony_mdr7506]

gambling is awesome

[@Mikey__R]

Related: every hobby has to be a side hustle. You're supposed to make money in your free time too.

[@Clinthopanonymous]

I’ve built out a couple Warmoth guitars that i just freaking LOVE. i’ve posted the guitars on a couple forums just sharing and inevitably there’s always a couple comments about losing value and how i could never sell it for what i put into them. I’m like no kidding… Makes no sense to expect to make my money back but that never crossed my mind when i was building them. I wanted to unique guitar that was built to my specs. I’ve got zero regrets and don’t plan on selling them anyway.

[@coolerthanyou9548]

the obsession with resale value is insane, i bought a TVL jazzmaster from a pawn shop for $700,l saw that its resale value was almost double that its probably worth less than the 700 i paid now because its my daily insturmetn and has seen some real abuse, thign was mint when i bought it now it has wear and tear or does that make it more valuable as a "relic" 🤔

[@kaipyroami]

I recently built a Warmoth bass for the same reasons. I have no intention of ever selling it and it's exactly to my specs. Still everyone I talk to seems to think that I intend to use it as a retirement plan or something lol

[@9unslin9er]

Building parts guitars is an entirely different territory than a serialized complete instrument. You're essentially fishing for a buyer who can assign an arbitrary value unique to their experience. Otherwise it's no different from buying a Fender neck with a Warmoth body. The value would be a percentage of the original guitar the serial number was designated to.

[@PBoyle]

Great video! I couldn't agree more - also congratulations on hitting 100k subscribers!

[@Chillnote]

Did really not expect to see you here!

[@amslu]

Please do a video on guitar market! 😁

[@TheTom951guitar]

@@Chillnote Me neither! But thinking about it, Irish and Investing related, not surprised 😅

[@MrAnorexemon]

Proof again that everyone from Ireland knows each other

[@teddymilan]

I hate how every hobby and activity has turned into people scalping and trying to make money off it. Concerts, instruments, vinyl, beer, wine, video games, coffee, etc.

[@mertmunson1417]

Spot on!!!!! Could not agree more!!! It sucks!

[@driftless7134]

Remember when you could just have fun hobbies without trying to monetize them?

[@forstuffwow7145]

Blame the economy inequality.

[@Job.Well.Done_01]

Bro, you left out marriage. lol 😂

[@coolerthanyou9548]

dont even get me started on bourbon taters, seeing dudes with 8 unopened bottles of standard buffalo trace they bought for $70/bottle like its a flex is somethin else

[@riffwithcliff]

100 % thanks for sharing. Working in the guitar biz for 10 plus years, I have seen loads of people fall into this trap instead of just playing the guitars.

[@FilleIceRises]

Had the same problem myself but with modding. I would spend so much time working on the guitars that i ended up almost never playing them. Lost years of progress. Now i play stock guitars only.

[@shipofthesun]

"So, is this an investment grade Chibson?"

[@hughchube873]

My go-to guitar is my 1991 Washburn MG74. From a resell persepective it's essentially worthless but just you try taking it from me. To me it's priceless and I happily spent twice what it was "worth" on a re-fret a few years ago. That guitar was my best "investment" ever.

[@mertmunson1417]

My first electric guitar ever was a Black Washburn. And like an idiot and at the risk of sounding cliche... I wish I still had it. It changed my life.

[@natorious314]

@@mertmunson1417 My first was a Washburn WG587, I still have it but it needs some work. I wanna build a custom neck for it and put some nice pickups in. It'll be worth nothing to anyone but me, and to me that's pretty cool.

[@pinkmouse4863]

First "real guitar" was a Washburn RS10V. Neck got broken, so had it fixed, and the tech had just pulled out of a real PRS two Blues pickups, so had them fitted whilst he fixed the neck. Still have it, still love it, would never sell it, not that it's worth anything!

[@simonpark843]

"Investment Grade Guitar"? They've made that up!

[@Eric_01]

They should just call them dentist guitars and move on.

[@TheRealcdawg22]

​@@Eric_01They're for Blues Lawyers, but I guess there could be some Jazz Dentists out there too.

[@masonmoffort]

Amen, I know what I'm doing, it's a money pit we love putting money into! Guitarists aren't necessarily a dying breed - but those with deep pockets and care about the collectables are. Most of our generation are players and creators with less coin, we care more about value and see how far even cheap guitars can take you. It's a toy, you will lose money on it - if it makes you smile, who cares? World is dark, life is short, light fires with money and spark joy (Y)

[@nieko3038]

Dutch tulip mania from the 1600’s comes to mind. People paying crazy amount for tulips. Until the market crashed.

[@glennlilley8608]

Why on earth would that come to mind? At a guess, it was covered recently at school, and you absolutely have to demonstrate how erudite you'd like to be. No? You're just a bellend then?

[@nieko3038]

@ Someone is a bit triggered. Bad day?

[@glennlilley8608]

@nieko3038 dismissing someone who calls a bellend a bellend as triggered doesn't do your attempt at cool any favours

[@lidbass]

@@glennlilley8608 Dear Glen, it came to my mind too. But that's because I like to read books, and about twenty years ago read a book about it, and somehow it stuck in my mind. Reading is good. Perhaps you'd like to try it and become a useful member of society, instead of bad mouthing people making innocent comments. Yours, Mr Bellend.

[@masonmoffort]

@@nieko3038 well done for keeping your cool (Y)

[@TheAntiburglar]

Maybe the real investments were the friends and memories we made along the way? But like, actually that? :D

[@DanielBobke]

100% agree with you. Guitars are tools...there is nothing magic about them. There is no secret mojo to a 1959 Les Paul - it is just an old guitar that came at the end of the run of a guitar that had bottomed out in popularity and then had a resurgence because pro guitarists started buying them used because they weren't made any more. That Kevin O'Leary video was laughable - some doofus guitar store salesguy saying an R8 or R9 is going to definitely be worth more in 10 years is ridiculous. Buy what inspires you to play and stop turning hobbies into investment schemes!

[@jamanjeval]

Good advice! Scarcity and pedigree are two of the largest factors in resale value of collectibles. The inherent value of an instrument is relatively low. Trogly is a flipper and not an investor of guitars. He finds instruments which are sold with unrecognized value and resells them at full value.

[@coolerthanyou9548]

@@jamanjeval I don’t like trogly much, but no hate to that, dude is just using his knowledge to make money hustling lole If people are willing to pay those prices then I can’t hate the player, the game itself is fucked up

[@shanetx81]

@@coolerthanyou9548 I don’t think there was any hate directed at Troggly by the above comment. They’re just defining him as something different. He IS a flipper, he buys cheap and sales at a markup driven by his knowledge and the fans he’s somehow managed to cultivate. That’s definitely flipping. He’s also an investor, there are guitars in his “personal collection” that will be for years, and some of them will definitely accrue value. Both can be true. I think the flipper thing gets a bit of a bad reputation because it’s taking deals away from those of us who aren’t flippers and resaling at a fair price. Yes, we’d all like to be the ones that got those original deals, but that isn’t realistic. As long as the price is fair then it’s no harm done, right? The only place Troggly’s flipping turns to grift, for me, is the markup that occurs because he’s had them. The other type of flipping behavior that I find noxious is when people scoop up limited editions with no intention of keeping - there were pre-ordered Dead Spec silver sky’s listed on reverb within minutes of their announcement at a significant markup. That’s irritating to me.

[@alfsmith4936]

@@coolerthanyou9548 He gets on my nerves.. He only knows what he reads on the internet and he only gets views because people feel comfortable watching the same video, repeated in a different colour, for every guitar he buys to flip. How many times can people look at a Gibson electric guitar before realising they're pretty much all the same, with a different body shape and colour?.. On top of that I've lost count of the number of times he's got details wrong and I can't take the opinions of someone who can't play guitar seriously, when they act like they are the expert on guitars but people jump on any comment criticizing him, to tell you "You're jealous", if you say anything.

[@jamanjeval]

@@coolerthanyou9548 yea, no hate on him from me but it’s not my game to play with flipps.

[@jamanjeval]

@alfsmith4936 I’ve only watched him a few times. I’m not super interested in super $$$ collecting. I can appreciate them but they don’t stir any significant desires to own one even if I had the $$$. If I was given one, I’d take care of it and play it but no way I’d purchase one.

[@Kjm041]

I wouldn’t say guitars are an investment but if you buy right used then you shouldn’t lose money. I’ve owned about 25 guitars and I have never lost money on selling a guitar and that’s factoring inflation. Some of that’s luck but some of it is being a savvy buyer

[@honkytonkinson9787]

You’re describing a mentality that is very much not characteristic of a guitar player! 😂 We’re all very impulsive and live in the moment; can’t wait to buy the right guitar. We just buy the one now knowing we’ll buy the next one later

[@Kjm041]

@ you’re right. Somewhat my personality type to be cautious with money and try make sure it’s something that makes sense. A bit boring I know. However it also means I’ve gotten to try a lot and see it’s for me before parting ways with it. Recently bought a used Gibson custom shop ES-355 which I don’t suspect will make money, at best break even or lose a little bit but that’s because I love it 👍

[@honkytonkinson9787]

@@Kjm041 I agree with you though. If you buy used, and you’re patient, you probably won’t lose any money!

[@alfsmith4936]

Same. I rarely go out of my way to find anything specific but I only buy cheap and I only buy quality and I've never lost money on a guitar yet (touch wood..)

[@94SexyStang]

AGREE.....I got a few Japan guitars that Shot up, like double/triple what I paid 10 years ago....... The Gibson I bought a few years back, still going for Exactly what I paid for it, I really didn't expect it to hold like that. But understand "cash" prices at music shops will be Much lower than what people on Reverb want. But guitars are liquid money, like Silver or Gold, they can go Up, or Down to a degree.....but higher priced guitars generally DO hold their Chunk of money way better, no doubt.

[@El-Scorcho]

It's the rare one-offs/limited runs that end up being 'good' investments; the original Hello Kitty Strat, some of the Joe Bonamassa limited runs, etc. It's totally luck, like you said. No one knew at the time that a certain guitar would end up being worth so much more than its MSRP, and most end up being worth less.

[@waylong25]

Precisely. If I had known that the Hello Kitty would go for the crazy prices they are today, I'd have bought the couple I found at 100 a pop years ago lol

[@BinarySecond]

If the guitar would hold value like that they'd never sell them in the first place. I truly hope we never see the like of 60s manufactured guitars prices again.

[@Patbwoy]

The weird thing about guitars is, that we expect them to go up in value, while everything else naturally goes down with usage. No saint person would expect a car to go up in value the more you drive it. It's a silly cult, this whole vintage guitar thing.

[@Irkennalpha]

Some cars do, but that’s the 1% of the cases, and in case of guitars everyone wants to think they’re part of that exceptional group

[@Patbwoy]

@@Irkennalpha Exactly!

[@nath1606]

There's also the budget "one-off" guitars you sometimes see, like the Squier Vintage Modified Baritone Jazzmaster or the Squier Telecaster Bass (with an actual t-style body shape, instead of the p-bass style the "Telecaster bass" usually is). Those more niche budget guitars from semi-recent years (90s to 2010s) can go for more than they were initially sold for, because they're hard to find & nobody wants to get rid of them. But again, it's a gamble & those guitars could go back down in price when Squier/Epiphone/whatever decides to revive their niche designs; see, the Duo Sonic. Bad for me as a buyer, because finding one of those Vintage Modified Telecaster basses is a genuine pain.

[@s.e.n3264]

Welcome to earth. To say it's a shitshow is an extreme understatement.

[@Rumbleman99]

As someone who used to run a vintage dealership I can say with confidence that yes, most people have no understanding of how to invest money in guitars. It can absolutely be done in an intelligent way with reliable gains but only really on a long term basis with big-brand, fully original American vintage. The idea that buying a brand new custom shop is a "smart investment" is total folly, as is player grade vintage unless you can buy it pretty cheap and/or its a genuinely wonderful instrument in its own right. If you want a novel investment buy a Rolex not an R9 or a refinished 60s strat with non-original pickups.

[@Aspkkr]

To be fair to Trogly I bought a new Slash Jessica from him that he actually discounted a few hundred dollars plus no sales tax so I saved quite a bit. Technically it was used because he did a video on it but it was in as new condition and turned out to be one of my favorite guitars. So he did me right anyways.

[@shanetx81]

Good to hear. I’m not a fan, but I can’t really say he’s a bad guy. Opportunist, yeah, sure, but I certainly don’t think he’s a crook.

[@Steve.Cutler]

Trogly gets the difference in views and sponsorships. He actually loses money on most guitars he buys. If you look at the new guitars he buys price vs what he sells them for

[@shanetx81]

@ that’s good to know, I certainly won’t be watching to see what they’re coming and going for. Thanks again. :)

[@stephenfoley1261]

He has his haters but he's living his dream, unlike most wage slaves.

[@dontuckerjr]

In 1986 I bought a Gibson SG-400 special, pink in color. It was $650 new. I made it my primary axe, but I didn’t think about value at the time and traded out all the pickups for EMGs. Anyway, it’s a great guitar and I have never seen one in the quality shape that mine is on sales forums. It’s probably worth over a grand now. But think about; we’re talking almost forty years. And I remember the laughing look on the face of the salesperson back then because he knew I wasn’t buying a classic SG, but an odd “hair band” style guitar. I’m in Florida and my wife has claimed that pink SG as her own. That’s cool. She let me buy a gold top Les Paul that I’ll have to wait another 40 years to grow in value. Ha ha. Honestly, I have a Firefly single cutaway that I put Golden Age PAF pickups in that I absolutely adore. I wish I could sell the Gibson now, but I’ll probably end up passing it down. Bottom line, guitars are absolutely not investments. Neither are amplifiers.😊

[@racingmurman]

I have "invested" money into two guitars and their original cases. One is a 2000 Gibson Les Paul Dale Earnhardt Jr signature series that was owned by Matthew Good. It is #006 of 300. Dale Jr. gave this guitar to Matthew as a gift. I have a signed letter from Matthew Good as a bill of sale. I got it for a great price as I knew his Guitar tech at the time. The other is a 1954 Gretsch Country Club that my guitar tech friend owned and used on the road when he was touring with Bryan Adams and allegedly allowed Brian Setzer to use for a couple songs in a guest appearance. Setzer then signed the back of the guitar. I purchased this guitar from my friend's widow after he passed. Again, I got the guitar for a good price. I don't intend to sell either one for a long time and may pass them down to my son but I also don't have any illusions that I will make a lot of money from either one. I do love them both because of their connection to my friend.

[@amremorse]

What a great piece. Matt Good is the man. I’m amazed he never took off outside of Canada.

[@TheRealcdawg22]

Is your friend Keith Scott or his guitar tech?

[@Mandy7D7]

A very necessary video and I'm glad it was you who made it, KDH. Thank you.

[@noahMrkz]

Nothing against trogly but he’s like the penny stock salesman of guitars. He buys one, crates a market by discussing how rare it is and how his is a “prime” example. Sells at height of market. Market returns to normal.

[@castleanthrax1833]

He also pours over all the used Les Paul listings to buy them cheap, thereby reducing the average person's chances of getting a good deal on a used LP. I don't know why anyone likes him and his practices... but plenty of people seem to.

[@216trixie]

Oh my god he's 1 man buying a few guitars. You guys act like he's lex luthor.

[@castleanthrax1833]

@@216trixie You're under no obligation to agree, but conflating what I've said by using your "Lex Luthor" simile is hugely inaccurate. You might change your tune if you're in the market for a used Gibson Les Paul and can't find one at a good price because someone like Trogly got to Reverb before you, (only to increase the price and then flog it to someone else who could've bought it 15% cheaper if not for him).

[@216trixie]

@@castleanthrax1833 I have bought three used Gibsons for good prices in the years that I have been watching Trogly. You guys are hilarious.

[@PuttinOnTheRiffs]

I’ve had several people message me on no trade guitars I’ve had for sale with their custom Kiesel multi scale trying to sell me on how one of a kind it is. Like bro if they still can’t get it right for you after everything you’ve asked for idk why I’d be happy with it.

[@carlton1390]

The idea of guitars as investments probably comes from a time when old classic guitars were affordable but are now "vintage' guitars that, if you can afford them, you wouldn't dare take out of the house to play!

[@sunnohh]

I buy a guitar with the understanding half the value or more is instantly gone and get worse from there

[@dexterj5615]

Hey look a guy who doesnt have to sit on reverb listings for months 😅 i applaud you

[@spoonysmalls]

The guitar didnt increase in value, the dollar decreased

[@TheChristafershawn]

There is that.

[@erebus3383]

Nah, Gibson increased in scumbaggery

[@bassclef1686]

The peavey T series (t40, t60 are the big ones) comes to mind too, they used to be know as workhorse boat anchors that were available for ~300 bucks. They started getting traction and rose to 500-700. Now I see listings over 1K

[@burp1914]

Time to sell, I guess

[@NoBSMusicReviews]

And lastly, thank you again for another great video. And congrats for going over 100 K. You richly deserve your success and much more in the future.

[@davidkornblatt851]

Music Instruments are everywhere from great to terrible investments, it depends on make, model, desirability and overall demand. Also is it collectible ? It might lose value and overall supply can dry up. As well the music industry might forget about guitar music entirely!

[@EternumGuitars-f2y]

Great point. But there is a little bit of certanty in this. But before this a story. I recently got myself a custom shop that ended up being a scam and now I really want to let everyone now how bad those guitars and company are. Never thought of it as an investment but if sell the thing I won't even get 50% of money back. While the thing is my closet, an I'm thinking what to do with it. I got an old Ibanez for a very good price, and when I looked it up it's very unique instrument, that could go up in value both because it's right at the momet when it becomes classic instead of old, it's historic value (first non-signature production 7 string), and unique neck. I could flip it now for +200-300$ Simply on price speculation. But, I bought it for myself and I'm in love with it and planing to keep it forever if possible

[@8bitBarry1]

There was no better time to invest in instruments than in the 1990’s. After that it became very unlikely. Most of my guitar collection and vintage amplifiers were bought locally because people only sold locally. All have risen substantially in value, but I’m 54 - it’s eBay that levelled it all out and adjusted it all to market prices. Before that it was amazing fun - weekly yellow trading papers were the only source, people just didn’t understand the value of what they had - Free Ads / Ad Trader - got me some incredible stuff. I miss those days!

[@justincork3838]

I agree. I bought a 1961 Gibson Les Paul (sg shape) in 1995 for £1500. Insurance have valued it at £18,000 for this year!

[@brucedelaney9606]

Very good video, thank you. I buy two types of guitars. Either very good guitars that are used in perfect condition and sold at a discount or unbelievable great guitars that are less than $700 that I actually talk down 5 to 10% before purchasing. this includes Danelectro and A Squire. I looked at the Guitars as functional art. I just love looking at them and playing them.Sometimes I will sell one of them and either gain a few hundred or breakeven worst case scenario I will lose a couple hundred dollars. I do this with drums and drums also. It’s my happy addiction lol Keep up the good work mate.😎

[@lumberlikwidator8863]

Excellent video. This is my favorite thing ever on your channel!

[@bre4dfish]

What's different about the early MIJ Jackson comparison to re-issues, is the fact that it's not just the country of origin that holds value entirely, it's rather the specific factories that people know these guitars were crafted from. People in the 'know' that follow (the majority of your buyers) and value these older late 80s/90s/even early 00s "Chushin Gakki" factory made guitars that rivaled competitors (see: Professional line), that some have paid nearly triple the price in production in today's market know the difference and the weight it holds. There's a reason you see these guitars resell for the price of a used USA Jackson, sometimes higher. They were so competitive back in the day, that within companies OWN brands, that they had to stop production to bring back influenced to the revered "Made in USA" line of guitars. We're talking full package, fantastic pickups, neck-through construction, good materials, the best electronics, all the bells and whistles including mother of pearl inlays, binding around the neck and headstock. While I do agree that reintroducing a guitar that's been out of production may drop some guitars in value, I'm not fully convinced you'd be able to write off the value these axes still hold in the used guitar market, because of the impact that they had back in the day. At least that's my view on things, I don't really have a lot of skin in the game because I would never sell any of these Jacksons I own of my own volition(Pre-KV1 Mustaine JP Signature/RR Professional/Soloist). Great video!

[@Sylkis89]

I am now sinking way more money than I should in customising some of my guitars lol and I was feeling kinda bad about this that I'm not gonna ever recoup that should I want to sell them. But I was exactly thinking that I DON'T want to ever sell them, and I want them to be the best they could for me. I had people commenting "why are you investing in this so much instead of taking something else that already is [whatever]”. And thing is, I'm also emotionally invested in my instruments, I don't wanna get rid of them, and I don't want yet more guitars that I won't need. I want my guitars that I already have to be what I want and need. This video helps me feel better about my choice lol

[@Eric_01]

Just hang on to the original parts and throw them in with the sale if it ever comes to that. I think that helps sales of modded guitars.

[@connorstrong562]

Basiclly 100 percent of guitars don't beat the s&p 500, compound interest makes the world go round

[@Eric_01]

Yes! I just made a similar comment.

[@frankcarter6427]

I bought a columbus strat for 8 quid from a charity shop - that had depreciated a bit hadn't it!!

[@robert-wr6md]

Not really prob only cost £35. But I see what your saying. My Columbus Bass had a neck bent like a banana so I kept the fingering up the top four frets, didn't know about neck adjustment. Oh youth.

[@LT-ts8be]

Should note that the two listings of RR24’s you showed are both the limited edition models, which are rare and sought after. The normal models can still be bought at good prices (600-1000), where as the limiteds actual sales prices are around double of that (with exception of one or two which were sold shortly after Alexi’s passing). Still not a bad ‘investment’, but you might be dissapointed when you do ever want to sell it.

[@checkyoursixgaming]

I didn't flip guitars during Covid. I flipped video cards. I never saw guitars as an investment. Didn't see video cards either as an investment, but 2020 was a wild year for stuff. Anyone using that timeframe as a baseline for any financial decisions is going to lose their pants.

[@alfsmith4936]

It was a brilliant time to be an Ebayer. It'll happen again one day...

[@dewey7330]

In my humble opinion. I think the only way to break even or make a little money is obviously buy smart. NEVER pay what they are asking. You have to be willing to walk away. I just purchased an American made fender pro ii. I paid $1160 shipped to my door. That’s almost a $700 discount. I’m pretty confident if I wait out the dip in the market,I’ll at least get my money back, but like KDH says never buy for an investment. Great video!!

[@KaliJamie]

Totally agree, if I look at my collection of about 24 guitars about 3 of them have increased in value, 2 have probably kept their value and the rest will have depreciated significantly. But to me, the music I've made on them and the experiences from gigging, teaching or even just practicing, they're all priceless

[@rkk578]

These sort of assets mean nothing without having some sort of history to them, which actually raises their value. There can be situations when initial price and sound do not even have much factor in the valuation. Just look at Airline prior to and after Jack White became famous. But we can look at various guitars which were used by the alternative and indie bands in the late 80's and early 90's who only picked those up, because they were affordable, as no one else wanted them. I have a Fender Telecaster Standard from April of the year when production was reintroduced and it is one of the models which were built from leftover parts from the warehouse. Also, based on the signatures it seems like it was built by the guys who later became masterbuilders in the custom shop. that said, the guitar is still is a Standard Tele and I cannot see or hear any significant difference between mine and another Standard which was made later. However, because of the history and relative rarity - alongside the great condition - there is a chance that this guitar will go up in price at a certain point compared to other Telecaster Standards.

[@hjs6752]

anybody who buys a Trogly signed endoscope is a fool...

[@lidbass]

I used to collect comics. Not as an investment, but because I like to read them. I keep them in plastic covers because I want to read them for quite a few years yet. Some of them are now indeed worth a bit of money. But I've seen people handle them with gloves, seal them into bags so that no one can use them, obsess over them as if they were jewellery or pets. But I'm perfectly aware that by the time my children are as old as me, almost all of those comics will be worthless. Because almost all of the people now obsessing over them will be dead. Guitars will probably go the same way, although it may take a little longer. So just enjoy them while you can.

[@mznxx319]

I'd agree, with one notable exception - vintage. Personally I don't tend to approach guitars as investments, I just buy them to play. However, as guitarists we can tie up a lot of capital in these instruments so it kiiiinda sucks to see how quickly they depreciate. For this reason I've mostly switched focus to 50s & 60s era Fenders, Gibsons etc rather than modern day custom shop things. There's a finite number of golden-era guitars out there, they are heavily sought after and for the right models their value tends to increase over time. Flipping or making money from guitars is not a priority for me, but it'd be nice if my family could easily turn my guitars into cash after I'm gone.

[@agcacustoms2852]

Guitars like cars are the biggest gamble investments. Some maintain value, some go up, but most will be worth less than msrp within a few months to years. They’re both tools to be used not just some investment piece to look pretty and never be touched.

[@Mikey__R]

Wow! At 11:55 you used the word "endorsed" correctly! Nobody in music, even musicians with endorsement deals, realise that *they* are endorsing the gear and the company that makes it, not the other way around.

[@elbib2446]

had 2 mim player series teles,sold one in feb,got my used asking price easily,sold the other later in the year,then fender released player 2,had to come down in price a bit to shift.still made more on both than i paid for them though.dont think ive ever lost money on resale from lowest end squiers to high end guitars,but then im quite well researched,and have had loads of guitars over the years.never buy for profit,allways something i want to try,and will play all at least for a few months before selling.plenty of bargains popping up now,but unless massively discounted,still hard to shift,no one has the disposable income anymore,then theres the real used bargains,if you see something,you have to decide real quick,within hour if you want it,as the dealer boys/stores with the das kapital will spot/buy,give a polish and you will see same guitar next week for more than double the price.

[@GuyNarnarian]

I have one of those 96' Korean Les Pauls. Fantastic guitar. Mine is bound and probably the "standard" model at the time. Its been a great investment - it still plays well even with the original frets. Amps might be a better investment but only in the sense that certain amps seem to hold their value well.

[@skyscraperGB]

There is an important distinction to be made between instruments that have accumulated value over time (either accidentally or circumstantially, as mentioned in the vid) and instruments that are seen as deliberate 'investments'. My 1980 Rickenbacker 4001 cost me £400 in 1990 and instruments of this era are now rare to find under 2K. Similarly, I have a 1983 US Jazz Bass that was £350 in 1994 and was recently valued at £1K (would have been a little more but was modded). They were bought to be played and have the scars to prove it, but its nice to know they have accrued value. However, that has taken decades and the added value is minimal in the grand scheme of things.

[@thunder_moo]

As someone who makes a living selling hobby goods I think maybe the most important "investment" argument is most of your investing plays in things such as guitars will not outpace just contributing to an average 401k retirement account

[@mookmook5715]

Good, honest and most importantly smart advice👍

[@dreamlifter2701]

I always get a good chuckle out of seeing guitars that have mods or “upgrades” trying to be sold at the same price as new.

[@georgecaplan11]

the original Squier Hello Kitty did go up in value but now that Fender has reissued it, who knows where the value of the original ones will go. But i dont think guitars are good investments but i have noticed that USA Gibsons and USA Fenders will depreciate in value over time in a slower way than cheap guitars.

[@Chainsaw_HM-2]

From 1999 until 2009, I use to work at Norman’s Rare Guitars. I witnessed the insane vintage market right until its crash in 2008’ish. Guitar investment at the time was unheard of. The market went insane and places like Guitar Center made the market worse because they paid too much and contributed. If you have “eff you” amounts of money to buy a vintage piece that’s 100% straight; be prepared to sit on it for a while. In the end, the lesson I learned was: The guitar investments benefited from those that never got played. Also, know the ins and out of any investment pieces you’re going to buy. Why? When it comes to selling, I’ve seen Norm himself being confronted for selling a choice piece that he didn’t know had issues.

[@Sixstringer666]

Good work. Againa you show incite, intelligent summary and critical thinking. Keep it up.

[@rondorthecruel124]

When purchasing a guitar, I never buy brand new. I always look for something used and try to find the best deal that I can. That way, I at least should be able to get my original investment back or close to it if I decided to sell it. I think that’s the most pragmatic and realistic way to to approach it. There’s nothing wrong with getting your money back. If you don’t like the guitar that much later on or just want something else more, being able to get that money out of it is actually a big win!

[@varantzmedia]

I’ve seen the same PRS on Craigslist for 8 months because it’s priced at $1000 below its MSRP. The dentist who is buying a PRS isn’t getting it from a parking lot in Target. And if you happen to do any mods or have a tiny scratch on it the value plummets because these are mostly purchased for decoration

[@NoBSMusicReviews]

I did recently sell a vintage Princeton amp, built right on CBS took them over with pre-CBS parts for almost $3000. I bought it in the 80s for a few hundred dollars. But in general, I’ve ruined the collectibility of my equipment by customizing it. In fact, even that Princeton had been customized with a master volume, but the guy buying it was going to restore it and didn’t care. But for example, I have several original Danelectros from the 1950s. All of them bought for a song in the 1980s, in fact, one of them in the late 70s. One of them, a 1958 U1, Was my main gigging guitar throughout much of the 80s. But almost immediately, I put good Sperzel tuners on it, a graphite nut, and a hard tail bridge with graphtec saddles. That’s because the bridges and tuners and nuts on those guitars are horrible. The bridges are unstable and cannot be accurately intonated. The tuners are just classic cheap tuners. And the aluminum nuts are seemingly designed to maximize string friction. So I changed all of those, on all of those guitars, turning them into much better tools for performance, play, and composing. And I destroyed their value in the process. And I have no regrets whatsoever.

[@Job.Well.Done_01]

No regrets! Life is meant to be lived

[@Jan-m5c2r]

As I see it these guitars are worth more after your mods since they are playable 🙂

[@axilleas]

Well... As always with investments, it depends. Are we talking a 50s Gibson solid body? So long as it is an investment grade instrument then sure, it will appreciate. But most guitars are not.

[@Thrash155]

Totally Agree, Buy it to keep it, because you like the guitar for what it is and play it. I have a Worn Out MIJ Silver Sparkle 475 Charvel, I would never part with, its part of my soul I guess.. :)

[@85Kubu]

Cheap Gibson short runs were decent investment. BFGs, SGJs, CMs etc. They doubled or sometimes tripled the value in 10 years. The key factor was to buy them at the end of production after they sat at dealers for some time. Unfortunately I bought LPM which gained ~50% in 10 years.

[@chariotdrvr14]

I used to have a 1976 Gibson Custom Triple Pickup 'Black Beauty'. All original parts. It's resell, unless cleverly marketed is probably not much different than what a brand new one goes for. I wound up giving it to my oldest daughter.

[@onlyguitars]

Buying a new guitar as an investment makes no sense. It would only make sense a limited edition model that you see potential for prices to go up since a lot of people might want it. The PRS Silver Sky nebula color comes to mind. But for this to happen some specific things are required. Now, in the current market buying a good deal on a guitar, for example getting the 2016 lets say at 3k, that is a good price I think. It is likley that in 10 years, 5 years or 6 months, you might be able to sell it at least at the price you payed for, and over time since everything tends to go up, the used price should also increase along inflation. But it wont be any big change in price, unless another covid event happens. But now used guitars are more expensive than for example 2019 used guitars. I do remember well the prices of some models back then and now. Now we are lower than 2021, but higher than 2019. I like that with guitars you know that if you need it, you can sell it and get your money back, if you got it used at a good price. Sometimes I have make an extra, other times have lost, but overall is like a break even for me.

[@DavidRafaelSutton]

Thanks for your videos always informative always fun I own 11 guitars since 2016 after a 30-year hiatus of playing any instrument used to be a professional drama back in the 80s started to go blind in the 90s and kind of put down the instrument playing in general as of 2016 Denali on 1180 quality I didn't buy any of those guitars with any intention of selling them as a matter of fact there's one guitar I don't play too often and it's my least favorite I got a very good deal on it which is a PRS silver sky SE and even though I don't play it often and it's not really something I bonded with I'm not going to bother to sell it I bought a guitar every guitar I bought was a keeper unless there was something physically horribly wrong with it and with no intentions of selling them ever for any reason who won guitar probably that have gone up and maybe you can say it's an investment but it wasn't bored as an investment at the time as a matter of fact to me it was the most I've ever paid for any kind of instrument including drum sets back in the 80s LOL and that's my 2017 firebird 5 or 5:42 they call it in vintage sunbursta little over 1,300 brand new out the door delivered when the 2018s came out it was still 2017 when I bought the guitar and I'm sure it's worth more than $1,300 now it's been really nice shape how do you say I haven't played it recently in a while but yeah you know even if it went up to $10,000 which of course it's not I wouldn't sell it I love that guitar it was it was my guitar to own for my whole lifetime because Johnny went there was my favorite guitar still is and when I saw his picture on the still alive and well album with him holding it and then all the shows I seen him flying one I knew it was something I'd have to have at some point in my life I want to take a talk before I could even play guitar it was 73 when I got into Johnny went the late 72 early 73 when I was about 13 years old so I didn't stop playing guitar for another 7 yearsand I think as I said I don't know what they're getting for 2017 firebird tease in excellent condition maybe at some point I looked today's market of course this is a buyer's market but still you know I'm sure it's worth more than I paid for it people also think and I think you might have allowed to this in your video that you know well they paid $4,019.90 and it's worth 5,000 and 2025 you're going to lose money if this is the loss of money but I don't look at these things like that I buy them because I want them and because I like them😊 I have been thinking of investing a small amount of money every month and I'm thinking of gold you know I think that's sort of like makes more sense if I go to I guess where is jewelry will you buy it as an investment and you know just to keep your money and something you know that the government can't just electronically cancel it it's will it's not a bad thing guitar a whole other story drums on the liquor store and whole other story I agree with you 100% I guess that would have been the easiest way to make this, short and simple anyway please excuse me spell verse of punctuation etc I'm not stupid I'm not even illiterate although my friends like to say I am I'm blind are you speech to text again it has its only take unique take on the English language and how it's written and boy it can eviscerate a comment any way for the fourth time thank you sincerely David Raphael AKA Bob the blind bedroom guitarist

[@ZachariahJ]

Just before I retired, I thought I'd splash out and spend £1,500 on a Schecter Blackjack with Sustainiac. I'd got a Sun Valley Super Shredder, and this was an upgrade. Worst mistake I ever made - it had so many faults. QC was abysmal. Had to re-wire the jack socket, tap down frets, bunch of other stuff. It has no re-sale value because of the problems. Even though I've solved them, and it works fine - I know it's a bit dodgy, and I wouldn't want to pass it on to some unsuspecting buyer. Meanwhile, guitars I've bought from Harley Benton for 75 quid have been faultless out of the box! I'll stick to second hand and Harley Benton for the foreseeable future - cost is no guarantee of quality. But I think we all knew that. Happy Hols!

[@jerrycarroll9068]

I bought in 1987 a Kramer Tele EVH model, I paid $291.00 bucks for it and I just sold it last year for $2400.00! It was a case Queen all its life though.

[@WheretheDragonsRoam]

I have quite a few signature guitars, 2 are legit investments. One Fender Japa I bought for 4k and last 1 on the market (this year) went for 12k. Another is a Zemaitis I got for 4k again was last on market for 8k. It is a gamble which is why even though I classify these as "investments" I made sure they're something I would want either way, I just got lucky on a few

[@El-Scorcho]

I'd love your take on the recent TPS episode on Victory amps...there's some more questionable comments from Lee and Martin in that video (and to a lesser degree, Mick)

[@KDH]

Can you elaborate a little on what you think is questionable? Just so I know what to look out for

[@josephfigueroa3527]

I got a B.C Rich gunslinger in green for like $250 damn near 10 years ago. Some guitars are good investments, but it's 100% based on chance.

[@Timmyfigs]

Well said and widely applicable. My other hobby is the "collectible" card game Magic the Gathering. The exact same issue exists in that world and I could easily clone this video and just change all the famous guitarist references to pro-tour players.

[@AtomicFacePunch]

Good points! Guitars/amps/gear are at best long term investments. I only buy stuff I think is fun and want to play. I probably should sell some though, as I'm running out of space to keep it in.

[@jimdunlop1957]

Bravo. succinctly stated.. point well made

[@labuti17]

Great video. Been thinking about this subject a lot recently. I hope to acquire all my future guitars with the prospect of never letting go of them, even if they get a 10000% price increase, I want an instrument that will be worth more to me in my possession than the amount of money someone could give me.

[@fredtorrell2003]

I have 1 guitar, mint 1974 Gibson LP Custom OHSC Yellowed ivory! That doesn't apply to me!

[@joetowers4804]

I actually bought a diy guitar kit, knowing full well that in the end I would have a guitar that I would have to give away if I had to get rid of it. However, I bought it for fun, to learn, and to hopefully, in the end have a good, playable guitar. That is what I invested on.

[@BrolyKenseigoku]

with a custom guitar, it depends what it is.. Charvels for example sit in a very good place given how much custom shops charge or Jacksons

[@oily4545]

Only potentially viable example I could think of is if you acquire some sort of super limited signature model like the Greeny LP at it's retail price and sit on it for a while. As for trying to make money buying used/vintage gear, I'd imagine that's not so easy, I wouldn't just buy something "vintage" and assume it will appreciate in value. While not really investments, I do take solace in the fact that, if I needed to, I could sell my guitars and get a decent chunk of the value back at least.

[@HarryK-HK]

Each guitar speaks to the player a certain way. That's the primary thing. If your audience benefits, sweet. Guitars are an investment in the guitarist, no matter what level they're at.

[@chrislail8378]

Honestly I'm going to have to disagree with you. I've been flipping guitars for about 10 years And in my experience, as long as you know the market value of something and stay away from signatures, you're golden. For example, I've bought three squire classic vibes for $200 over the past couple years and they're still worth $300 on the used market at the end of time, no matter what happens and what fluctuates they'll still be worth $300

[@almico123]

Well, I just bought a 1966 fender Mustang in pristine, all original condition for $2000. Recent sold listings on Reverb have it selling for $2500-$3000 in lesser condition. I would consider that a pretty good investment and return on my money. Kind of like buying an ounce of gold where the current price is $2800 for only $2000. There are motivated sellers that just need cash and people who have money that are happy to make a deal.

[@Jan-m5c2r]

The first guitar I ever bought (for $90) has it brand name scraped off the head - but it's a 1970s model from Aria. It features DiMarzio Super Distortion pickups and the body was painted white with a paint roll. Since then I have bought several other (expensive) guitars and it bugs me that the freaky Aria is still my favorite guitar 😞Not much of an investment, but musically - yeah!

[@nellayema2455]

Excellent video. I buy what I like. I'm lucky that some of the guitars are worth more (at the moment) than what I paid for them. Most are worth less. None are worth nothing, so I get to enjoy them and one day will get some money back by selling them. That's a win in my book. I'm still laughing at the scalpers who grabbed up the Custom Shop Theodores several years back. Some of the scalpers made money quickly, but there are still a lot that have never sold because the guitar was basically a flop. I happen to like the guitar, but if I'm buying one, someone's losing their butt on the sale.

[@zackamodeo-thomson8010]

Your right i own a George Harrison limited edition rosewood telecaster but once the get back documentary faded out so did the interest in the guitar. Luckily I love it

[@based_memes320]

There have been some guitars that I've bought that have gone up in value. They have either been made in a limited number or ended up being valuable because the manufacturer had stopped making them at certain point and they had become limited one exception was a signature model where the artist had left the company and the guitar had become highly sought after

[@effectosis742]

I used to sell Hello Kitty Squiers with 300% profit now they probably will go down with the new , better made Hello Kitty edition

[@alfsmith4936]

I always preferred the Encore Spongebob guitars.

[@tonyhills2112]

I’ve never bought a guitar thinking I’m gonna make money on it. I feel like if it’s new, & I can get half back when I decide to sell I’ve done well enough & hopefully enjoyed playing it in the interim. With used gear I’ve done much better recouping my initial investment. But as you said I always buy with the intention of holding on to it. I can’t afford vintage, so for me it’s a tool, not an investment.

[@chriskellervocalstudio]

thank you for this!

[@ayeapprove]

New guitars are 90% bad investments unless they are super limited or some famous musician hypes them to the moon (lika Misha did with Blackmachine) The craziest example is the Gibson Les Paul Studio. They were 640 EUR new and now going for over 1000 on the used market. Same goes with the original Hello Kitty Squier Strat. It was dirt cheap but went for 800-1000 now. Used guitars on the other hand can be bought at a bargain today and that's exactly what I'm doing. I've been doing this for 20 years and some of them doubled in value. I just don't look for specific things anymore, I'll just see whats out there and try to lowball. Sometimes it works and I get a good deal.

[@Samstrainsofficially]

Depends really on how long you can sit on them, how discerning you are in choosing which to buy, it can also be valuable to hold for writing the investment off as a loss against the tax on your more successful investments. To you I, plebs, no, don't touch them with a very long stick if you want to make money. Put your money in a basic savings account and you'll do better 😂

[@stephenperlowski4738]

I think one issue is language. People will use the term “investment” to refer to any material good they don’t immediately throw away. The only way to make sure you don’t lose your shirt when selling your gear is to buy it at the right price. The irony of this is that people will call something an “investment” to justify massively overpaying for it.

[@Jan-m5c2r]

You are right about the language issue. When I was to buy a lawnmover in the garden center, the guy there asked me: "How much do you want to invest?" Completely overblown!

[@guithawk-ij8is]

I'm fortunate enough to own several vintage Gibson's, but I acquired them over 40 years ago when they were simply "used" guitars. I bought them to gig with, and they have the scratches and dents to prove it. I have no intention of ever selling them.

[@Eric_01]

I've purchased guitars that were "hot" in the moment and hard to get or limited editions, but I only expect that I MIGHT get 100% of my money back if I were to sell, but likely not. I've never bought anything with the intention of it making profit at some point. I think it's a safe enough bet that if you were to sell for whatever reason that you may be able to recover 70-80% of your expense. Notice I said expense, not investment. It's actually a great hobby if you could even recover that much.

[@jonbuckley]

100% just look at the high end second hand guitar market in the UK. The majority of Gibson LP’s, Fender custom shop. PRS etc are all pretty much 30 to 50% less than a new purchase.

[@dan_15mm]

In my opinion they are only potentially investments if they are from early days and first offs, played by someone that is either in the history books or at some point might be in there for their remarkable attribution to music using that particular instrument, and of course not one that just sat in their vault but something they appeared with in big events, used for recordings etc.. The idea of supplying the market with 'rare' editions seems just strange to me because we just end up with a colossal amount of instruments which is rather giving us a lot of choice than being really rare. No I can totally understand if someone would buy a limited edition of their current rockstar or just from a collectors point of view, but investments ? you'd just end up having a garage full of guitars of which one or two in a rare occasion might be worth something after a while. Bottom line, just buy a guitar to play and enjoy so you can build a life with it on your own, the things was made to make music, lol.

[@9unslin9er]

Just goes to show Alexi Laiho was a true guitar God. He made the Rhoads shape his own more than Randy did with the Concorde. I'll never forget the first time I watched him and Roope Latvala doing Vivaldi - Summer on his Wildchild Jackson. Unfortunately, some people just can't beat their demons. RIP Alexi 😢