Luthier's Choice Madagascar AJ price?

[philp56]

What's a good price for a 2006 Luthier's Choice Madagascar?

[rar]

The $3800 it was previously listed for was definitely way high, but the $3200 it's listed for now is getting close. These were about the same price as the birdseye maple AJs, IIRC, and I've seen those used for as low as $2600. If I wanted this guitar, but not desperately, I'd try offering something like $2800 and see what happened.

 

-- Bob R

[Sitric]

If this is the one on ebay for $5499.99, I'd at least like to see a photo of the label stating that it is a Luthiers Choice.

 

http://www.brendandevereux.com

[rar]

If this is the one on ebay for $5499.99' date=' I'd at least like to see a photo of the label stating that it is a Luthiers Choice.[/quote']

 

Well, that price is just silly. But you don't have to worry about its authenticity, given the seller.

 

However, that one's a 2005, so I assumed he was looking at this 2006.

 

-- Bob R

[Deadgrateful]

Or you could save up and pop for this badboy (Brazillian Luthier's Choice) from Cranes:

 

[Guth]

What's a good price for a 2006 Luthier's Choice Madagascar?

 

Depends on how good it sounds.

 

Guth

[onewilyfool]

I thought Gibson didn't use Brazillian any more.????

[davenumber2]

They don't. These are from a few years back. Not sure when they stopped.

[jgwoods]

Madagascar fingerboard and bridge- that's what I have on my J-185 TV. I don't they contribute anything meaningful to the guitar at all. The Adi top will affect the tone- some find it positive some not. I prefer sitka myself.

 

I do think that the resale on Madagascar/Adirondack guitars will stay strong for a good while so it will be easy to turn it over for a good price if you don't decide to keep it.

[rar]

Depends on how good it sounds.

 

That's a really important point! I've played three or four of these Madi AJs and, to my ears, the best of the lot was not as good as the better EI AJs -- I'm not anti-Madi, I own and love a Madi guitar, I'm just not a fan of those particular AJs -- and was not even in the same league as the better Braz AJs (although there are some rather ordinary Braz AJs out there too). Use of a "premium" tonewood species is no guarantee of a better sounding guitar.

 

Conversely, maybe, just maybe, that $5500 Madi AJ at Norman's is the best sounding AJ in the universe and would be a bargain at twice the price. But it's still a crazy price to ask on eBay.

 

-- Bob R

[rar]

Not sure when they stopped.

 

Mid-2003.

 

-- Bob R

[Space Pup]

That's a really important point! I've played three or four of these Madi AJs and' date=' to my ears, the best of the lot was not as good as the better EI AJs -- I'm not anti-Madi, I own and love a Madi guitar, I'm just not a fan of those particular AJs -- and was not even in the same league as the better Braz AJs (although there are some rather ordinary Braz AJs out there too). Use of a "premium" tonewood species is no guarantee of a better sounding guitar.

 

-- Bob R

[/quote']

 

To kind of expand on RAR's point, one of my local shops recently got in four Larrivee P-09 parlor guitars each with a different back. One was Brazilian Rosewood, one East Indian Rosewood, One Flame Maple, and one Quilted Maple. I could tell little difference in tone between the two Rosewood guitars when using a pick but the Brazilian Rosewood did have slightly better responce and sustain with finger picking, but not nearly enough (in my opinion) to justify the almost double price tag. I did however notice more difference between the two Maple guitars. The Quilted Maple had almost no bass at all.

 

So now I kind of wonder, has the grade of Brazilian Rosewood fallen over the years? Or are we just taking it for granted that Brazilian Rosewood makes a better guitar?

[rar]

So now I kind of wonder' date=' has the grade of Brazilian Rosewood fallen over the years? Or are we just taking it for granted that Brazilian Rosewood makes a better guitar?[/quote']

 

There are basically two flavors of Brazilian floating around. There are some nice sets left over from the good old days -- mostly stuff that luthiers stashed away figuring that it would be hard to get in the future -- and there's recently harvested stumpwood. The old stuff is extremely expensive and, sometimes, great. The stumpwood is, well, just so you can say you own a Braz guitar -- you pay only a hundreds (sometimes a couple, sometimes more), rather than a thousands, for the privilege.

 

-- Bob

 

P.S. Forgot to mention that those early 21st Century AJs are the good stuff. The quality varied (and the suggested retail price along with it), but the best of it was really outstanding.