fortyearspickn Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 Funny we have had 2 cases here on the forum, in about a week, of two brand new H'Birds being happily purchased and then put up for sale/trade within a few weeks. NID2007 snagged a really great deal on a brand new TV that got lost in the back store room of a dealer, but now has it up for sale because he found an H'Bird Vintage he loves better. And, JW3571 is also turning around his stunning brand new custom H'Bird. Maple and Blue with bling. I'm curious - since I''m at the other end of the spectrum and don't buy and sell a short time later - do you all who do this - buy NEW and then shortly sell, normally take a hit or do you break even over time? I understand that if you buy used, or actual vintage guitars, you have the opportunity to buy low and sell high. But I've gotten a couple of good guitars that were bought new by the previous owner and traded in within a month or so - and I got to pay a lot less than if they had been new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-200 Koa Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 In today's market, I would bet re-selling guitars is going to net significantly under the original price....if they sell at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nid2007 Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 NID2007 snagged a really great deal on a brand new TV that got lost in the back store room of a dealer, but now has it up for sale because he found an H'Bird Vintage he loves better. I actually bought the Vintage yesterday without any feeling as to whether I like it more than the TV--I still need to give them a fair comparison. I was looking for a good bird and lucked into the NOS TV. And then a Vintage pops up at a price that I'm comfortable I can sell it for. I have to take the day off from work anyway for an appt, so I figure why not take the drive, meet a forum member, eat some good NJ pizza, and live with both guitars for a bit and sell one. A lot of hassle--yes, but I'm happy to have time to choose which of these 2 guitars works best for me. In my mind, it is all part of the same purchase. I recognize that it is a difficult market, but I'm confident that at the end of the day, this final H'bird purchase will monetarily cost me an additional $100 at most--and my purchase price for the NOS 2012 TV was very fair. I never thought I would buy a new guitar again for exactly the reasons stated above, but I see what the TV and Vintage H'bird market is like now and I should be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 I have to admit Ive never experienced buyers remorse. I havent experienced also sellers remorse either, although I dont really sell much. (sold 3 quality guitars over last 6 years). Sorry .... I did experience buyers remorse when I bought my Hummingbird TV for the first few days, but that only because it was strung with 80/20's. When I put PB's on it the smile arrived big time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe M Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 nid2007, you didn't buy Sal's, did you???? Edit to add: Never mind, saw in your other thread that it was Sal's.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickthemiller Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 I have to confess, I suffer from both GAS and buyers remorse, and I usually lose on the deal. I have, at the moment, six guitars that will remain keepers. Some guitars I just take to. Alternatively, there are guitars I have literally lusted after for ages but then find I just cannot bond with. Some I have played in store and bought on a whim others I have bought on line unseen and it really makes no difference as to whether they are keepers or not. I think it takes a few weeks to either like or loath a guitar and sometimes it takes a good setup and many changes of strings before I really know one way or the other. I console myself by thinking that there are many other ways I could have spent the cash and never seen any return. I don't think I'll change! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 I decided long ago that, unless I planned to keep a guitar for an indefinite interval, buying new was a losing proposition. Sometimes it's hard to pass on a new instrument, but in the long run leaving it alone will make better financial sense. It works about the same as buying a new car - out the door and the value drops immediately. There was a time when scoring used or vintage might well mean paying lots less than market value, but that's rare these days due to the amount of (not always accurate) information floating around the internet plus the ease of selling on the net. If you're in the market for a recent production or current production guitar, buying used from a reputable dealer can save a lot of headaches as things stand right now. In terms of vintage, it used to be a lot more fun looking for guitars in pawn shops and from private sellers than it is now. Ignorant folks with $ signs in their eyes and pawn shops selling on line is more rule than exception as things stand now. The best tact, IMHO, is to keep current, be polite when trying to deal with people who are unreasonable, and stay patient. Unless the vintage market drops - and that's always a possibility - the best financial bet is staying with the oldies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorrisrownSal Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 40yrs, You may rest your curiosity. If you buy new, and sell shortly after, you lose money, and you do not break even. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 40yrs, You may rest your curiosity. If you buy new, and sell shortly after, you lose money, and you do not break even. The man certainly is talking from experience.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 I was tired of used guitars by the time I was 20. By 30 I vowed to never buy a used guitar again. By 40 I could actually not ever buy a used guitar again, and haven't since. I don't care if I turn them around in a week or 5 years, once they are going they are going. I don't spreadsheet my guitars, they are either used and enjoyed and pay for themselves or they aren't, so they go. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly campbell Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 I have yet to suffer from buyers remorse. I do usually take a long time deciding exactly what I want and test drive a lot of guitars which sometimes I think that helps prevent having regrets. One week into having purchased a HB I love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 I have yet to suffer from buyers remorse. I do usually take a long time deciding exactly what I want and test drive a lot of guitars which sometimes I think that helps prevent having regrets. One week into having purchased a HB I love it. Outstanding👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
62burst Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 Here’s one that had me GAS’ing over the holidays: https://reverb.com/item/3606327-gibson-hummingbird-vintage-2015-vintage-cherry-sunburst Why would someone release what looks to be a beauty, with a dramatically torrified top, at such an attractive price? Some folk just see the short turn around with a guitar as the price of discovering; a curiosity about how body size, shape, scale length, or torrified woods affect sound, or whether that is the guitar for them, or maybe it’s part of coming to the realization that you’re not thinking about any of these things when in the music, and for that reason another guitar would be unnecessary, and would only inhibit getting know better the one(s) you already have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trans Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 AFAIK?......There seems to be more J45 that goes on sale than the Bird as of late? Has the Bird quality beginning to stagger with all these other so called take on model with wood/bling/terrified smash of a must have affair? I have tried other Birds in my area and of them sounded superb, but I just could not grasp upon the price they command these days so I must be really careful of what I like as to not turn and unload thee after. Sometimes it will come your way that when you hit a wall you regret why you have re-sold it. It must have happened to me at least half a dozen with my Les Paul's way back and every time I think about it? I shake my head with a smile................wasn't meant to be is the way I see it and I move on. Peace! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nid2007 Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 Here’s one that had me GAS’ing over the holidays: https://reverb.com/item/3606327-gibson-hummingbird-vintage-2015-vintage-cherry-sunburst Why would someone release what looks to be a beauty, with a dramatically torrified top, at such an attractive price? Some folk just see the short turn around with a guitar as the price of discovering; a curiosity about how body size, shape, scale length, or torrified woods affect sound, or whether that is the guitar for them, or maybe it’s part of coming to the realization that you’re not thinking about any of these things when in the music, and for that reason another guitar would be unnecessary, and would only inhibit getting know better the one(s) you already have. Soon enough, hopefully someone will get one of my 2 for roughly the same price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 An attractive price can make a sale happen. Some folks don't mind the waiting game or they don't have a lot of motivation to sell or they assume that Reverb asking prices are a real indication of used street price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 I won't buy a guitar if it doesn't have a reasonable return policy, whether used or new. That generally means at least seven days for me to assess it in the quiet & comfort of home. It generally only takes a few days to decide if it's a keeper, but it's eighty miles to the nearest big city where I might need to do the return & winter storms can sometimes make the coast range pass rather dicey, so I've gotta have those seven days! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedzep Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 I buy guitars that are waaay broken in, 60 yrs and older. My quickest turnaround (remorse) was my recent purchase of a new Guild M20 out of their new Oxnard plant. I think my ear is tuned to the mythical tone of old wood because I laid it right back out there on the market a month later, feeling it didn't have a subtlety I hear and love. I lost a hundred bucks too, and will now try to go back to my wheel house to buy and restore this bugger. Where did I put that Amex card? http://www.ebay.com/itm/332134770118?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 I won't buy a guitar if it doesn't have a reasonable return policy, whether used or new. That generally means at least seven days for me to assess it in the quiet & comfort of home. It generally only takes a few days to decide if it's a keeper, but it's eighty miles to the nearest big city where I might need to do the return & winter storms can sometimes make the coast range pass rather dicey, so I've gotta have those seven days! And sounding biblical but, on the Eighth Day, thy nipple rub from the size of the guitar bout begins....... BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 I buy guitars that are waaay broken in, 60 yrs and older. My quickest turnaround (remorse) was my recent purchase of a new Guild M20 out of their new Oxnard plant. I think my ear is tuned to the mythical tone of old wood because I laid it right back out there on the market a month later, feeling it didn't have a subtlety I hear and love. I lost a hundred bucks too, and will now try to go back to my wheel house to buy and restore this bugger. Where did I put that Amex card? http://www.ebay.com/itm/332134770118?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT Shame you didn't keep the new one so we could compare them! BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedzep Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 The new M20 was all good. Having it be the only new wood in the house I could hear the 'stiffness', so to speak. At my age though, I ain't waitin' around for a new guitar to break in when the pile of old stuff is out there to taste. I owned a '62 M20 and played a friend's '61. There's a sweetness in that old thin mahogany. I had the same with an old 017, another dumb sell-off. If this Guild works out, and with my Mom/Pop luthier still operating, I may have something to A/B with my L0. I already know how they sound, though. There may be seller's remorse on the horizon, depending on how the Guild sets up. Looking for the low low action now and the softer gritty tone. Holy crap. There is also something called 'loser's relief'. When the bidding went up and over what you can afford. Playing my trusty L0 for the rest of the night. The M20 went for $700 and change, $200+ more than my fake budget. Even the losers get lucky sometimes. G,D,C.D.,G,D,C,D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbpark Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 I'm guessing it's not so much "buyer's remorse" as it's just the way some people try and bond with a guitar. I've played guitars in the shop, took them home for a few days, and for whatever reason just couldn't bond with them. I went through a few J45's before coming to the realization that as much as I really wanted to own a J45, they just weren't the guitar for me sonically, but sound great when other's play them. I found an AJ that I drove 4 hours to get and it's now my #1. I was offered an HD-28 as a trade for an electric that was worth a fraction of the HD-28, so I did the trade with the intent to sell the HD-28, but ended up digging it. I recently picked up a mint '08 SJ200 for $2,000. Figured if I didnt like it I could flip it for a few hundred more than I paid for it. I'm still on the fence about it. I think instead of buyer's remorse it's more about just testing the waters and searching for the one that does it for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted March 1, 2017 Author Share Posted March 1, 2017 I agree - it's a 'bonding' thing. But, as some there suggested - I think it takes a bit of time to bond - certainly depending on the person, etc. I'm not sure how long yours've had yours but I know it takes me a month to really 'bond'. It's like they say -" single malt scotch is 'an acquired taste'" If you are a newbie and swig a couple of fingers worth - you'll gag. I think minor variances to what you're expecting/hoping for in neck width and tone can at first come across as negatives. but over time - you start to appreciate them. Of course, if it's a crappy guitar, or the neck is outside your comfort zone - that'll never happen. My 'concern' is the tendency of some folks who buy New Gibsons (and Martins, etc.) to make up their minds after a few weeks to send them packing. Again, because of the financial hit one takes. I wonder if it's a function of the growth of internet buying and the decline of the bricks & mortar stores - so we have to buy a guitar without having played it. I can't think of a parallel in any other consumer products - where they are admittedly a 'personal' thing and are returned or turned over so often. As OldCowboy noted, you KNOW you'll take a big hit if you try it with a new car. So few people do it with vehicles. So, is it a 'musician's mindset thing' or is it something else? Left Brain / Right Brain? Because - when it's a new one, as J200K and ThemiSal clearly noted - we do lose a good bit of money when we sell a brand new guitar in a few weeks. (Granted, there are exceptions - a few rare cases -like NID2007's 4 year old New In Box H'BirdTV, gotten for a great price). I tend to think we buy and sell guitars like nothing else - cars, jewelry, pickup trucks, dogs, shotguns. But I can't understand why. Do we bond with our Golden Retrievers and Glocks more easily than our Gibsons? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 I tend to think we buy and sell guitars like nothing else - cars, jewelry, pickup trucks, dogs, shotguns. But I can't understand why... The purpose of guitars has slowly taken a back seat to the consumption of guitars. The internet made everyone a guitar player but more importantly it made everyone a guitar consumer. I swear, if I moved guitars as much as lots of people do I'd never make it to a gig with anything remotely consistent. Horses for courses, but if you don't have a course, any horse'll do, and you'll keep changing horses with no real destination in mind. StratTeleLesPaul plus fun stuff, hog with a pickup for the coostic stuff, I happen to have a delightful rosewood as well. With the basics established you don't really move guitars around that much, but when you do, you are moving auxiliary/secondary guitars, not the main ones you need to do the things you do with guitars. I also still trade, I don't have the patience to sell something to someone that is pretending they know nothing about guitars in order to get the price down to Stupid. I'd rather walk in knowing I'm getting X for it, whether I agree with that amount or not. I've already decided it is going, so I don't care. It's just easier to trade. I admire the folks that spend three grand on a guitar and trade it out the following month, it's a big hit for sure. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victory Pete Posted March 4, 2017 Share Posted March 4, 2017 I was tired of used guitars by the time I was 20. By 30 I vowed to never buy a used guitar again. By 40 I could actually not ever buy a used guitar again, and haven't since. I don't care if I turn them around in a week or 5 years, once they are going they are going. I don't spreadsheet my guitars, they are either used and enjoyed and pay for themselves or they aren't, so they go. rct I have 19 guitars, only 2 were bought used. and then they were only a few months old. I like to buy new so I get to own all of the guitars history and wear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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