I just do not get it.

[S.A.T.O.]

In no way is this a rant, but why do people get so up in arms over these guitar prices? These aren't the only models these companies offer. For every Blackmore strat Fender makes about 2,500 American Standard models. I'm in complete agreement with everyone, I too have a price in my head that's my limit, I've never paid more than $1500 for a guitar and I've owned some great ones. Gibson, Fender, PRS all have models in different price ranges. Buy something in the price range that's comfortable to you. They all basically look the same, if I didn't know what the artists particular model looked like I wouldn't be able to tell a Blackmore strat from a regular production Fender.

In my opinion, 9 times out of 10 you're paying for the rarity of the instument. If you own number 4 of 25 that's more desireable from a collecting standpoint than owning 1 of 25,000. Again, what's everyone's hangup? They don't force you into that pricepoint, why scoff at it?

How much did you pay for your house? If you pay 100k or 2.5 mil it's still a home, correct? Customized, specialized work costs money in every walk of life. If your guitar has a part, a paintjob or work that's not part of the every day assemblies it's going to cost money.

 

[Greyly]

I am getting ready to spend $2,870 for a brand new Jackson SL2H-MAHQ. I would not care if it had no name on it - it is a great guitar that feels perfect to me. I adore its superior craftsmanship. Will I feel like a sucker? No. Overpriced? Probably. Should I just buy it used for less? Maybe. Am I nut soup? Yes, definitely, but that is beside the point.

I am still working on getting that price lowered. It takes patience. I have a feeling they will call back and accept my offer.

 

[captcoolaid]

No way would I ever pay $4k for a one piece body, bolt on neck without binding, strat.

And the name "Gibson" isn't the only reason to pay for a Les Paul. NO guitar can sound like a good Les Paul, lots of guitars can sound like a good Strat.

I beg to differ on this. I run an Hs setup on my Strat and a HS on my Tele and I can kill some Paige with it or some Doug Aldrich and White snake. Only a guitar with single coils or a really well designed tapped bucker can get yo there but there is still 1 position missing on a LP that Strat lovers love. And that is middle and neck.

 

[captcoolaid]

Hold on, let me correct myself... Of course another guitar can sound like a good Les Paul, but it'll still cost you. And if it has a beautiful flame maple top, burst nitro finish, and binding, it'll probably cost $4k anyway.

Adwex go do the body builder over at Warmoth. I can build a custom Strat with any wood I choose any Neck I want with any top wood and color for less than 1400 bucks.

I am not bagging on Gibson or any other company I just do not get why anyone would pay that for some lumber.

 

[zenfly]

I don't get what some are paying for amps made 100mph by machines full of overly complicated solder bath circuit boards made in seconds and charging prices like they were made by hand..

I really don't get it.. sure you'll see below I have a Korean Marshall practice amp.. $27.99 off ebay.. and a Marshall 3210 head and 1965a cab both $200 Craigs ... it never left the owners home and looks like it..

A fool and his money part quickly...

 

[jwebb1970]

We see this all the time, same with EVH gear. Do you guys think Eddie Van Halen ever thought that when he started playing on those Kramers and doing some weird stripes and hardware changes, he will get people to buy replicas for 10 grand or something? I hardly think so. It was just a cheap guitar he had around and he played with it and then that was that....I'd pay 10 grand as a collector...but I'd buy HIS guitar and hang it on a wall to display it! No way I'd pay 10 g's for a replica and then...even worse....PLAY IT!

I think it's a lack of respect to yourself as a player and also on different levels, to play say, a Zakk Wylde LP Custom, since, we all identify that guitar to that particular player, not you! I'd much rather customize my own gear based on standard stuff, and make it my own.

While not disagreeing w/ you, if you want to split hairs on this.....technically everyone who plays a Les Paul - ANY Les Paul - would also be guilty of the lack of respect for oneself. I mean, the Les Paul is technically a SIGNATURE MODEL GUITAR.

 

[RBscrim]

I have about forty guitars. Quite a few are custom shop guitars but all of them are 'top shelf" instruments. While I don't plan or retiring on them I do look at then as investments... a bunch better than a .8% CD! However, I don't buy retail, I look for well cared for previously owned guitars at about 50% or more off retail. Here are two that I considered good investments when I bought them several years ago.
On the left is a 1997 Carved Top Stratocaster serial number #188 of about 200. This custom shop instrument was designed by Gene Baker, John Suhr and John Page and built by Gene Baker. On the right is a Gibson CS 356. I am told this 356 is one of only two that were crafted in Tangerine Burst but I generally buy the guitar not the story.
I have a total of $4,000.00 in these two flawless custom shop guitars.

 

[poeman33]

Those are beautiful RBscrim.

The most expensive guitar I have ever had was an 80's something Fender Elite Strat. Black body, gold hardware, marble...or something tuning heads...active electronics. The best one they made at the time. It was $2500 in the 80's. A helluva lot of money then. I was working on the railway at the time at felt rich. I have played alot of Strats. Including some classics like a 62 (which was awesome). But this thing was in a league of it's own. The craftmanship and sound was truly amazing. I couldn't pass on it. Sadly I had to sell it when times got tough. I don't know who has it now, but I sure hope they appreciate it. I have still never played better. Yes it was just pieces of wood bolted together...but damn...those were some pieces of wood! Ridiculously resonant across the whole frequency range. An absolute joy to play.

My American deluxe is close. A set of strings on my deluxe just seem to ring forever, and it has a great range of tones and playability. On my newest, the "Black One" it is very piano-like and resonant and I love playing it. The sweetness wears out of the strings in a couple weeks though. It is still one hell of a guitar though. The Black One is basically a 2011 American Standard with Lindy Fralin's and locking schaller tuners. My other American Standard that I bought stock the same year is probably my easiest playing...but just doesn't quite have the mojo of the Black One. They are both the same model year range, with the same woods and parts...but they are different.

So, price isn't the only thing that matters. But my most expensive guitar has been my best. The American Deluxe certainly lists for more than my Standards, and it is my number one. I got a deal on it, so it was cheaper than my Standards....but the list price is more. The two Standards are basically the same value with just different electrics, and they are both nice...but different. The Black one sounds more like a 62 and plays more like it too.

 

[50WPLEXI]

I'm with you guys. You could build 4 custom strats for that much. It's a shame that they target the wealthy for such a humble instrument.

 

[Greyly]

While not disagreeing w/ you, if you want to split hairs on this.....technically everyone who plays a Les Paul - ANY Les Paul - would also be guilty of the lack of respect for oneself. I mean, the Les Paul is technically a SIGNATURE MODEL GUITAR.

Hmm, wasn't thinking of it that way but you are right. That would also apply for Fender, Jackson, Suhr, etc.

 

[brp]

Now seriously, WTF could they possibly do to the blackmore or gilmore that they don't do to the SRV to warrent another $3000 fucking dollars... ??????????????

Easy, keep other people from having it.
It's very rarely about value or enhanced quality, it's about exclusivity.

 

[Vinsanitizer]

I do not get the high price people pay for some guitars because of a name. This is sparked by the new Blackmore Strat. Why would you pay that exorbitant amount for a custom shop guitar. Not even at that price but a Strat for 4 grand give me a fucking break. It is fucking Alder 1 piece or 3 piece has 0 tone affect. Now I get the desire for 1 piece bodies with the whole trans colors, but WTF I can build the Strat of my dreams for 1200 bucks actually a lot less. That is going through Warmoth and paying a premium.

Now before some one says but I can not bhuild one, or I do not have the time or space. There is a guy who does this for a reasonable price. Is it the logo. Fuck that if that makes that big of a difference then buy the water slide.

Confused at best. I just do not get it.

Those guitars are made for collectors of the era. It wasn't intended for people who work for a living. Nothing more to it, nothing less. It's not even greed. It's collectibility. They do a special run and sell about a hundred or so to collectors around the world, and then it disappears from lack of further interest. They get bought up by people who own lots of other valuable guitars. Sometimes they hang on to them and resell them if the demand goes up, like in the case of a Deep Purple or Rainbow reunion, etc. It's all based on a marketing trend not directed at working musicians at all. Move along, you've seen enough of that one.

 

[jwebb1970]

Hmm, wasn't thinking of it that way but you are right. That would also apply for Fender, Jackson, Suhr, etc.

Yes and no. Les Paul was an already renowned recording artist whose self-built solid body "log" guitar eventually led to his collaboration with Gibson to create the Les Paul signature model electric guitar.

Leo Fender was an engineer/tinkerer who, while a fan of the country/western music of the era, was not a musician.

Jackson, Suhr, Charvel, etc - guitar builders whose names became brand names, yes. But generally, the idea of a signature model is something based on a specific design/quirk employed by a specific player, not the maker.

 

[alhayesmusic]

I used to be a manufacturer's rep for over 100 companies, and I used to ask the same question. The answer, obviously, was money. Guys who are old enough to idolize Blackmore, Gilmour, etc, now have money. They don;t buy these to play them. They buy them to sit in a special place and impress their friends. I was a PRS rep, for example, and no one that I sold private stock to played them. Most went in cases.

The overpriced guitars that make me scratch my head are the "road worn." What the hell?!!?? Play the guitar until the paint comes off yourself, or at least buy vintage. Why pay more so that the factory can take a belt sander to it? I laugh every time I see one because I know that guy paid way to much for that guitar.

 

[RBscrim]

Now you're talkin' industrial strength stupid! I remember walking into the local GC and there nestled among the shiny new Strats was a ratty looking POS! I asked the salesman why an abused guitar was on the same shelf with these new instruments. He looked at me like I just grew another head and replied with just a touch of arrogance and indignation "Sir, that's a brand new guitar...... it's a Fender Relic". Once I realized that he was serious I could hardly keep a straight face. I had visions of a darkened back room and a sixty year old hippie smoking a joint and flailing away on a new Stratocaster with a Harley chain. As if screwing up a perfectly good guitar isn't enough of a crime, they charge you an extra grand for the privilege of owning it. To me mojo has always been a weasel-word for a beat up and abused piece of equipment.... a road warrior that wasn't taken care of. Now, as if this is even remotely desirable, they are doing this ON PURPOSE! I looked at this kid who was trying his best to justify this travesty and said "I guess P.T. Barnum was right". He didn't get it.

 

[jwebb1970]

Regardless of one's POV on the Fender Relics, the Custom Shop does do a pretty amazing job of replicating age & wear - and no, no pot smoking hippies or Harley chains are utilized.

I took the Fender factory tour for dealers in 1999 - saw both Ensenada & Corona, CA factories (and the Custom Shop @ the latter). While in the CS, we saw 2 identical "relic" '51 P-Basses that were ready to be boxed up & shipped to England for Sting. The CS had taken Sting's original '51 & done numerous hi res pics & scans & proceeded to essentially clone his P-Bass (twice) & provide him with 2 basses that played/sounded like his original to take out on tour - leaving his '51 baby @ home. And when I say "cloned", I mean it - both basses had THE SAME RUST SPECS & FINISH WEAR IN THE SAME PLACES! A close up pic of Sting's original was on hand - yeah they nailed it.

Was it a pricey project? Sure - but the customer in question could afford it. And in the case of these 2, at least said customer was gonna actually PLAY them as opposed to park them amongst a collection of instruments.

 

[RBscrim]

I appreciate and respect your assessment and in that scenario I could probably understand Sting having Fender CS make him a couple of copies. If any of my guitars have a mark on them, and regrettably some do, I was there when it happened whether I did it or not. They say the first scratch is a tragedy...the second scratch is character. I remember each incident including the gig, the place and the perpetrator. These are the memories that create the true history of your guitar. Presumably every scratch, dent and worn spot on his P-Bass has been put there by Sting. However, to make the same instrument available for Joe Bag-O-Doughnuts is just silly. It's like having the Ryder Cup reproduced for your trophy case just because you can afford it.

 

[Marival]

Regardless of one's POV on the Fender Relics, the Custom Shop does do a pretty amazing job of replicating age & wear - and no, no pot smoking hippies or Harley chains are utilized.

I took the Fender factory tour for dealers in 1999 - saw both Ensenada & Corona, CA factories (and the Custom Shop @ the latter). While in the CS, we saw 2 identical "relic" '51 P-Basses that were ready to be boxed up & shipped to England for Sting. The CS had taken Sting's original '51 & done numerous hi res pics & scans & proceeded to essentially clone his P-Bass (twice) & provide him with 2 basses that played/sounded like his original to take out on tour - leaving his '51 baby @ home. And when I say "cloned", I mean it - both basses had THE SAME RUST SPECS & FINISH WEAR IN THE SAME PLACES! A close up pic of Sting's original was on hand - yeah they nailed it.

Was it a pricey project? Sure - but the customer in question could afford it. And in the case of these 2, at least said customer was gonna actually PLAY them as opposed to park them amongst a collection of instruments.

Reminds me of when they made a replica of Yngwie's favourite strat.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHFdGxnxPv0]New Fender ''Play Loud'' Custom Shop Strat - YouTube[/ame]

 

[BobPeabody67]

Regardless of one's POV on the Fender Relics, the Custom Shop does do a pretty amazing job of replicating age & wear - and no, no pot smoking hippies or Harley chains are utilized.

I took the Fender factory tour for dealers in 1999 - saw both Ensenada & Corona, CA factories (and the Custom Shop @ the latter). While in the CS, we saw 2 identical "relic" '51 P-Basses that were ready to be boxed up & shipped to England for Sting. The CS had taken Sting's original '51 & done numerous hi res pics & scans & proceeded to essentially clone his P-Bass (twice) & provide him with 2 basses that played/sounded like his original to take out on tour - leaving his '51 baby @ home. And when I say "cloned", I mean it - both basses had THE SAME RUST SPECS & FINISH WEAR IN THE SAME PLACES! A close up pic of Sting's original was on hand - yeah they nailed it.

Was it a pricey project? Sure - but the customer in question could afford it. And in the case of these 2, at least said customer was gonna actually PLAY them as opposed to park them amongst a collection of instruments.

Yes! I can relate to this. I want to get a exact copy of my Soloist, and two with the same pattern of crackle, but in white with black crackle. So i can take the copy on the road with me and leave my original at home. I can't just order a black and silver crackle Jackson because no two crackles are exactly alike. So in that case, I'm willing to pay for someone to hand paint the design, wear the finish on the Floyd, and get a old logo EMG, then wear it down. Otherwise, like a exact copy of someone else's guitar is dumb. I like Nikki Sixx, but I'm not gonna pay to have one of his basses recreated. You could probably just buy his actual one for around the same price. (as long as he hasn't destroyed it yet. He seems to be known for that.)

 

[thrawn86]

Now you're talkin' industrial strength stupid! I remember walking into the local GC and there nestled among the shiny new Strats was a ratty looking POS! I asked the salesman why an abused guitar was on the same shelf with these new instruments. He looked at me like I just grew another head and replied with just a touch of arrogance and indignation "Sir, that's a brand new guitar...... it's a Fender Relic". Once I realized that he was serious I could hardly keep a straight face. I had visions of a darkened back room and a sixty year old hippie smoking a joint and flailing away on a new Stratocaster with a Harley chain. As if screwing up a perfectly good guitar isn't enough of a crime, they charge you an extra grand for the privilege of owning it. To me mojo has always been a weasel-word for a beat up and abused piece of equipment.... a road warrior that wasn't taken care of. Now, as if this is even remotely desirable, they are doing this ON PURPOSE! I looked at this kid who was trying his best to justify this travesty and said "I guess P.T. Barnum was right". He didn't get it.

Sig worthy!