Which model of Les Paul would you Invest in?

[garywright]

What’s the secret? You just told her that you needed the heating off and she replies to let you know she turned it off! So sweet.

+1 “ it’s off” that was a nice friendly reply 👍

 

[rialcnis]

I'll sell my Les Paul for 10 million--thirty years after my Nirvana in this life.

Then I'll put all that money in a wheel barrow and go to the marketplace and buy a loaf of bread.

 

[jb_abides]

I'll sell my Les Paul for 10 million--thirty years after my Nirvana in this life.

Then I'll put all that money in a wheel barrow and go to the marketplace and buy a loaf of bread.

We may reach that state sooner than hoped for or desired. But the wheel barrel will be a mobile phone and the number will float and be adjusted for you, so you might go for a loaf and come back with a slice.

 

[gakees]

Investing in anything requires one to identify in advance the desired rate of return on the investment, the time in which to acquire the desired rate of return and the willingness to sell once the desired rate of return is achieved.

 

[rialcnis]

We may reach that state sooner than hoped for or desired. But the wheel barrel will be a mobile phone and the number will float and be adjusted for you, so you might go for a loaf and come back with a slice.

Well I was assuming, cell phones will be kaput and all transaction will be encased in plexiglass.

 

[charliechitlins]

Patience has paid off well for me.
In the recent past, I've bought a '58 ES175 and a 1930 Ford Model A.
Both are only approximately in my area of interest (there are cars and guitars I'd much prefer to own), but they're both plenty cool and were had for about half of what they're currently worth.
The guitar hit Facebook marketplace and I pounced, and I circled around the car for almost 10 years until the owner was ready to sell.
I don't buy often, I don't buy when I have money burning a hole in my pocket, and I don't fall in love.
Well...not often.
But even some of my keepers turned out not to be.

 

[somebodyelseuk]

None of them. Guitars are a bad investment, these days.
Unless you bought a 58-60 'burst before the '00s, you missed the boat.

 

[Big Daddy Class]

I see guitars as a tool and hobby where you can likely get some money back someday if you need it. Buy them to play and enjoy with that thought. I think if you are buying guitars as strictly an INVESTMENT then you will likely be disappointed with the rate of return and would likely do better with other investment types. Nice well built big name brand guitars will likely appreciate but, again, will likley not appreciate as much as many hope. In addition the models that appreciate the most may or may not be the desired models. One "recent" model that has appreciated sharply is the Gibson SG Baritone model. (AKA the Buckethead SG). Those were literally closed out as a Musicians Friend Stupid Deal of the Day for $750. Lately they have been selling for around $3k. Ditto with the Gibson Goddess LPs that were originally marketed for "small handed individuals who identify as binary non-male" (or whatever we are calling it today). They were also a "Stupid Deal of the Day" ($850 I think) and have skyrocketed. Compare that with some of the Custom Shop Collectors Choice models which frequently sell for original prices used, and have sometimes sold for less than the introduction price.

Although they have returned to Earth recently, I saw Studios which sold for $500 used as recently as 2020 going for $1500 Used during the height of the panic buying.

I guess if forced to answer "which ones will apreciate the most" I would answer the inexpensive, obscure ones that are selling for less than original retail
Edit--remember that 58-60 Bursts are scarce because no one wanted them. They were literally available on clearance at music stores. In 1960 Gibson made (ishm depending on the source) 500-585 Les Pauls and could not sell them. In 1961 they made and sold out of 4,000 (four thousand) SGs (of course called Les Paul in '61. That is how unpopular they were. Did not hurt their future value, however. Buying new, unpopular Gibsons on Clearance is not a new thought....

 

[Big Daddy Class]

None of them. Guitars are a bad investment, these days.
Unless you bought a 'burst before the '00s, you missed the boat.

The truth is that if indexed for inflation, they are selling for nearly the exact same today as they have always been priced--lately if considering inflation they are actually less now than they have ever cost. If you Google inflation calculator and enter the Average retail price at any time vs nearly any other time you will see that they do not cost more.

 

[Big Daddy Class]

I've just told the Wife to turn the heating off, I need a new set of strings...I only caught the second bit of her reply, which was ".... off " .

I guess boiling the strings and re-using them is no longer a cost effective solution.

 

[jb_abides]

I guess boiling the strings and re-using them is no longer a cost effective solution.

Only when Stone Soup is already planned on the day's menu, I suppose.

 

[ADP]

I guess I'm the odd man out, I make a lot of side dough investing and selling guitars. Like anything, learn the market and everything can be an investment. I think guitars are amazing investments.

 

[gibson-r8]

Buy good quality guitars you like. Play them a longtime. You won’t lose money.

 

[Nifty]

Back in the 1990s, people started buying trading cards. More so than before, because there were a few legit cards going up in value from previous decades.

Then companies got greedy. They started producing sports cards but added limited cards and making a big deal about it, so everyone was buying packs of cards in bulk trying to find the golden ticket. What eventually happened is all these cards bottomed out. No one cared about Penny Hardaway's rookie card after 10 years. It really was fascinating to watch. It was an entirely different market from the days where kids would buy packs, exchange and trade with each other and so on. I dont believe there are any real items that could be deemed "investments" over time.

 

[Amp360]

I would use this market downturn to invest as much as I could. Things will turn around in a few years and when they do I would buy whatever I wanted. I have guitars that have appreciated in value but I buy guitars I like to play. Not everything is about ROI.

If you're really going to think of the guitar as an investment then I would do an analysis and consider the opportunity costs you may forego by making this investment.

 

[Amp360]

Back in the 1990s, people started buying trading cards. More so than before, because there were a few legit cards going up in value from previous decades.

Then companies got greedy. They started producing sports cards but added limited cards and making a big deal about it, so everyone was buying packs of cards in bulk trying to find the golden ticket. What eventually happened is all these cards bottomed out. No one cared about Penny Hardaway's rookie card after 10 years. It really was fascinating to watch. It was an entirely different market from the days where kids would buy packs, exchange and trade with each other and so on. I dont believe there are any real items that could be deemed "investments" over time.

The late great Ed Roman wrote a great rant about this. He was not wrong about the 'built-in collectable value' being put into the purchase price. Ed was right a lot more than he was wrong.

Investment Guitars,

Investment Guitars

edroman.com

 

[renderit]

The funny thing about investment grade luxury items is they have substantially degraded value in a downturn and will take longer to appreciate after.

Art and instruments are luxury items.

People find them easy to live without when you don't have "extra coin" laying about.

 

[jb_abides]

The funny thing about investment grade luxury items is they have substantially degraded value in a downturn and will take longer to appreciate after.

Art and instruments are luxury items.

People find them easy to live without when you don't have "extra coin" laying about.

Ren, just imagine if we have another Great Depression...

Will we see Neo-Hobos with Martin D-45s huddled by the fire along railroad sidings, or more up-to-date, under Interstate overpasses?

They'll be pitching tents on Tesla supercharger lots... hauling their R9s and Plexis along with them, looking for a trickle of juice, hoping to play a riff.

HJ-era Historic Reissues will be the next 'Pre-War' collectibles, but not in our lifetime.

 

[dixiethedog]

I recently (6 months back) arranged to buy a s/h Les Paul Traditional for £1000 as the seller fancied a change and had his heart set on a strat. Deal arranged with a meeting place and time organized when I then received a message to say he had tried a strat, did not like it, and wanted to back out of the sale. At the time I could find s/h LP's for about £1100-1400 here in the UK. Now the prices seem to be more like £1500-1800 and more. On a personal note, I am lucky enough to have savings including an ISA bank account. For this account, I was given 58 pence interest for having £15K in the account over a tax year. I would sooner buy a guitar and enjoy it, and then if the prices are as they are now sell when the time is right. If I bought for £1500 and sold for £1501 I would be in a better place than having my money in the bank.
I hate selling guitars, so the profit (if any) would go to my estate when I die! The British banking system sucks.

 

[dixiethedog]

I have a memory like one of those things, you know, the thingy bobs.
I forgot as I typed the previous comment that just a few weeks ago I bought locally an old Gibson LP Studio (white) for £300 (the advertised price). If that was not a good investment I do not know what is. I would bet that I could easily double my money on that and the buyer would still think it was a good deal. Possibly.