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Collector..................or player?


Plank_Spanker

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Hell,

 

I figure I might as well get myself banned in a blaze of glory.....................................

 

Are you a collector? Is your prime decision maker resale value? Do you fret over dings every time you pull the guitar from the case? Do you own a 30 power magnifying glass to go over your new Gibson? Do you lose sleep over the slightest detail? Are you afraid to actually play your new Gibson for fear of dinging it?

 

 

Or............................................are you a player? You paid your big bucks because you love the way it plays and sounnds.........................and you are not afraid to play it hard, loud and proud? You didn't consider resale value but bought the guitar because it just kicks ***? You love your Gibson for what it does for you as a player?

 

 

Where do you stand?

 

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I love to play my Les Paul, and hope I never have to sell any guitar.

 

I would like to collect more, and play those Les Pauls too.

 

Uhg as far as fretting over dings etc.

 

At first they bug me, and for the most part there's nothing that can be done after.

 

I just try to be ignorant afterwards.

 

We've all heard it adds character etc.

 

Let's face it, the minor dings and scratches are part of life. I can't let that spoil my fun.

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I don't buy anything that I'm not going to use nor do I buy guitars as investments, art or furniture but I will admit to having a fondness for wanting to own gear that not everyone else uses (rather ironic that my #1 guitars are a Les Paul and a Strat...). As far as I know, my LP is extremely rare but I bought it brand new because it's a great player so it has it's share of wear. I have no idea what it's value is as far as collectors go but I've never thought of selling it.

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I'm a player of collectable instruments. I never buy a guitar without a full understanding of it's value and resale potential. I have never sold a guitar for less than I paid for it, OK maybe one, it was a Washburn. I own a few of what many people would call collector's pieces, but regardless of it's vintage or collectability, if I no longer play it, I sell it. In fact I have a 1969 Dan Armstrong Plexiglass guitar that I haven't played in years and would love to sell (see other thread about "soft" guitar market), but I know what it's worth and untill someone is willing to pay me for it, it can sit in the case.

 

I have had other guitar players (that I know AND strangers) come up to me at gigs and say they didn't believe I would bring a certain guitar out to a gig. Guitars are meant to be played, they are tools of the trade, no musical instrument should be locked away in a vault or tucked away behind glass. In fact I got my '47 L-7 from the original owner by explaining to him that I was a guitar player, not a collector. He could have gotten much more for the instrument from a "collector", but he said "I want you to have this guitar". And keeping up my end of the bargain, it goes out regularly to gigs and recording sessions.

 

I happen to have the good fortune to be able to afford to PLAY very nice guitars. In my 40 years of guitar playing I have also gained a lot of knowledge, made the right choices, and been REAL lucky. Until something drastic changes, I'll just keep playing them. If the need arises, I can sell a few to pay off the mortgage and pay for the liver transplant. If that doesn't work, there'll still be plenty left to pay for the funeral.

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I'm a collector because my playing skill is woefully inadequate to justify the gear I own.

 

I have a couple of guitars that are rare and collectable, the rest are just cool guitars I always wanted.

As I got the cash together, I started buying them.

 

They are not kept in their cases, I have a couple wooden cabinets to hold them and keep the dust off.

I can simply grab one and play it when the mood strikes.

 

I've played a few gigs, and always got comments about whichever guitar I happened to take. All nice stuff.

I'm far from a pro, far from a prodigy, far from even being a "good" guitar player, but I own 'em and enjoy 'em!

 

I keep them clean and free of scratches and dings as possible.

It's a matter of pride for me and preserves their ultimate value.

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Tools ...

 

Not you guys, My guitars that is ...

 

well with the exception of Timmy Being a D*ck ...

 

Seriously though Tim you are one of the good guys ...

 

I can't afford to collect, now that my nuclear working career is on hold for the love of playing my music again.

 

Oh and Plank_Spank I got banned for life at Fret.Net ...

 

Kazz is a windbag blowhard ...

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Guess I must be both I play them all but I also own 40+ guitars so that makes me somewhat of a collector by default I guess. But I definately buy guitars I want to play no duplicates and I sure don't buy them and store them hoping there worth money some day. Almost the exact reverse is true bought them to play and luckily some of them went up in value enough to sell and buy even more nice guitars. kind of a vicious circle but hell it's my hobby and there's a lot of worse things to blow your disposable income on!

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I have an old Washburn KC20 from the 80's. Its in such a bad way that if I threw it down the road and went and picked it up it wouldn't look any worse. If I left it in the garden overnight it would still be in tune in the morning oh and the body is cracked where the neck join is...

 

Its my first guitar...Its worth sweet FA but its my old faithful. It will stay with me forever!!

 

It has the best tone on any guitar I have played!

 

Flight959

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Great story, flight 959.

 

I still have the first electric guitar I ever touched - an early '60s Harmony Stratotone. My parents bought it for my older brother, who turned out to be completely and unarguably tone deaf. It probably came from Montgomery Wards and cost all of $19.95.

 

I inherited it, still have it (for over 40 years!), and the DeArmond pickup in that thing is one of the sweetest sounds you'll ever hear.

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