What's your "one that got away"?

downbytheriver

Here are two. Firstly a 1947 Martin OOO18 - best acoustic I have ever played - incredible tone and projection. I hummed and haed and spent the £3000 (this was in 1993) on something else. Idiot. 

Second. Brynn Hiscox used to make the most beautiful wooden bowl (vaulted?) back acoustic guitars - in the end he struggled so much to find a good case for them that he started making cases. He then (to the best of my knowledge) stopped making the guitars. To this day I regret not ordering one. Anyone got one? 

Schnozz

My Charvel Legacy Star - It wouldn't stay in tune for toffee, but it was the Guitar I focused on throughout my childhood, so I would like it on my wall. It was last sold by GuitarGuitar for £2K with dings (why?), however I would be interested.

https://scontent-lht6-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/270127_10150242743453909_5529780_n.jpg?_nc_cat=111&_nc_ht=scontent-lht6-1.xx&oh=368bdf7f51ae0bdac8ebc8e1040cdee6&oe=5CC0B6C0

Neil

Early '70's - Pre CBS White Strat for £210.

At the time I could just about have managed the odd £10   

th2017

A sub 300 serial number 1985 PRS custom 24 with birds for £1000 about 10 years ago

jd0272

mudslide73 said:

Mine were/are a 70s Strat in the Rockshop in Shrewsbury in about 95/6. It looked like a growbag that had been in both Rory's and Stevie's allotments. I seriously thought about it all weekend then went back on Monday but it had gone.

The other is @jd0272 s Esquire. Absolutely right up my street and I'd long worshipped it from afar. When it got sold I'd just committed to buy a new house so it was completely out of the question. Still haunts me.

Aye you and me both mate!

mudslide73

jd0272 said:

mudslide73 said:

Mine were/are a 70s Strat in the Rockshop in Shrewsbury in about 95/6. It looked like a growbag that had been in both Rory's and Stevie's allotments. I seriously thought about it all weekend then went back on Monday but it had gone.

The other is @jd0272 s Esquire. Absolutely right up my street and I'd long worshipped it from afar. When it got sold I'd just committed to buy a new house so it was completely out of the question. Still haunts me.

Aye you and me both mate!

Sorry mate

Stevepage

There's been a few

A San Dimas era Jackson Soloist with a Kahler and EMGs. For something like £700. Could have afforded it at the time. I can't remember why I didn't buy it.

A Bc Rich ST made for Tony Macalpine, again no idea why I didn't.

A Custom Jackson Death Kelly 7 string. Been lusting for it for years. It finally came up for sale but I couldn't get the money in time.

PhilKing

Back in 1982 or 83 I was at Guitar Trader in Red Bank NJ and was looking at vintage Les Pauls, which of course I couldn't afford, but the the guy says to me, I have a 1957 Goldtop that I can let you have for $2000.  He brought it out and I played it, but it was well worn and greening, especially from the arm wear, so I didn't buy it.   

The other one was in 2000.  I saw an ad 1962 345 for around $3000 and called and told the guy I would buy it, but just wanted to look at it to make sure it was OK.  Only he sold it before I got there.  I still don't have a 345.

Fifty9

MIJ 54 RI Strat. Moved it on because it wasn’t nitro...
Sounded and played amazing with a thin poly finish, USA pups that had real beef to them and the perfect neck for me.
total bellend.

Clarky

a Yamaha acoustic.. played it and adored it..
waited for pay day... and it was gone

coffeehouse

In the 90s I had an ad in the local 'free ads paper' for S/H strat wanted. A guy rang me up who needed some £££ urgently and had a 63 strat, he was the original owner, had the case, candy... everything. He offered it to me for £1500! They were around £3.5k at the time typically. Being a teenager with no job I sat my parents down and told them about this amazing opportunity... that I could sell it for double and pay them back... For me it was a no brainer... but they simply didn't have the money, nor the abililty to borrow it... I begged them to find a way... but failed... I rang the guy back and gave him the number of a guy I knew who was wealthy, and invested £1000s in guitars... he bought it... I later saw it in his (massive) collection ... was 100% stock... gutting... I've never quite gotten over it...

pmbomb

http://thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/125423/sold-battle-scarred-1974-gibson-les-paul-standard/p1

I saw it before it was bought but didn't know enough about LPs to have the confidence to drop for it. Now, I would.

Still, the journey led me to a '97 Classic goldtop so not so bad.

But I'd still take the '74 if it comes up.

pmbomb

coffeehouse said:

In the 90s I had an ad in the local 'free ads paper' for S/H strat wanted. A guy rang me up who needed some £££ urgently and had a 63 strat, he was the original owner, had the case, candy... everything. He offered it to me for £1500! They were around £3.5k at the time typically. Being a teenager with no job I sat my parents down and told them about this amazing opportunity... that I could sell it for double and pay them back... For me it was a no brainer... but they simply didn't have the money, nor the abililty to borrow it... I begged them to find a way... but failed... I rang the guy back and gave him the number of a guy I knew who was wealthy, and invested £1000s in guitars... he bought it... I later saw it in his (massive) collection ... was 100% stock... gutting... I've never quite gotten over it...

bad karma on the buyer if he didn't pass that favour forward some time.

ps the link in your footer is broken, should be an easy fix but PM me if stuck.

wesker123

Codamusic had a 2nd hand Gibson ES-335 beauty of the burst '59. I believe Gibson only made half a dozen.
Superb guitar 

Zoolooter

It was on this forum, a 67 Tele with beautiful natural ageing. Enquired, spoke on the phone but didn’t close the deal. Looking back it would have been £3.5k well spent. 

jonnyburgo

When I was about 18 I worked with a bloke that did the cabaret circuit in the 60s/70s he offered me a late 50s red Strat for £1200 mint in its case. It was far too much for me at the time so instead I bought his 76 musicmaster bass for around £100 iirc.

why I didn’t tap my dad for a few quid I don’t know, that would have been a good investment.

poopot

A ginger bird called Julie!

coffeehouse

pmbomb said:

ps the link in your footer is broken, should be an easy fix but PM me if stuck.

Hi, Thanks... I think I've fixed it... let me know if it's still broken ;-)

coffeehouse

pmbomb said:

bad karma on the buyer if he didn't pass that favour forward some time.

Yea, I have no idea what happened to him... He was in his 50s back then, owned his own enginerring firm and didn't play guitar. But he saw the investment potential in them & knew his stuff in terms of all the parts, dates, serial numbers, paint jobs etc etc... he did his homework... he'd probably got his mitts on over 15 pre CBS Fenders and was starting to acquire JVs and 70s Fenders ... He was a tight ass.... he could have chucked me a couple of hundred for the tip... although looking back I shoud have offered to give him the number .. for a fee ;-) .... but I was too miserable and downhearted to think of it at the time...

pmbomb

coffeehouse said:

pmbomb said:

bad karma on the buyer if he didn't pass that favour forward some time.

Yea, I have no idea what happened to him... He was in his 50s back then, owned his own enginerring firm and didn't play guitar. But he saw the investment potential in them & knew his stuff in terms of all the parts, dates, serial numbers, paint jobs etc etc... he did his homework... he'd probably got his mitts on over 15 pre CBS Fenders and was starting to acquire JVs and 70s Fenders ... He was a tight ass.... he could have chucked me a couple of hundred for the tip... although looking back I shoud have offered to give him the number .. for a fee ;-) .... but I was too miserable and downhearted to think of it at the time...

no point being rich if you're miserable, which he probably was.

your link is good now.