Cheaper Fender Investments?

Parker

Just noticed Fender seem to have slimmed their offerings a little. With Cabronita and Starcaster noonger in the current catalogue, wondering they may be future rarities. The original Starcaster doesn’t exactly command huge figures, but thinking relatively. 

BloodEagle

I doubt any current or recent production Fenders could ever realistically be called 'investments'

Sassafras

Unless you expect to live for another 80 years or so.

dindude

The original custom shop single pickup Cabronitas I can see doing something in the future - I certainly see them as quite iconic and I’d certainly like one !!

Whitecat

Sassafras said:

Unless you expect to live for another 80 years or so.

That long from now they’ll be more valuable as firewood during a seemingly endless nuclear winter...

chris78

dindude said:

The original custom shop single pickup Cabronitas I can see doing something in the future - I certainly see them as quite iconic and I’d certainly like one !!

I’d like to think so as they’re extremely rare, but I sold my white for £1900 and I think the sonic blue that was on this forum (I now have) went for similar money. World guitars have a 2 pickup at £3k, but it’s been there a couple of months and they’ve plugged it a lot of Facebook and their home page etc. I’ve always fancied the 2 pickup model because it had the classics rather than powertrons, but I’m not paying 3k for used custom shop, regardless of how rare

Whitecat

chris78 said:

dindude said:

The original custom shop single pickup Cabronitas I can see doing something in the future - I certainly see them as quite iconic and I’d certainly like one !!

I’d like to think so as they’re extremely rare, but I sold my white for £1900 and I think the sonic blue that was on this forum (I now have) went for similar money. World guitars have a 2 pickup at £3k, but it’s been there a couple of months and they’ve plugged it a lot of Facebook and their home page etc. I’ve always fancied the 2 pickup model because it had the classics rather than powertrons, but I’m not paying 3k for used custom shop, regardless of how rare

Is there any reason the CS wouldn’t just make one to order? In which case a used one could never be worth more than the cost of that at worst. 

Maybe they won’t for some reason, I’m not sure. 

musteatbrain

At the time they were
limited edition and the custom shop would only make them if you went master built

thegummy

BloodEagle said:

I doubt any current or recent production Fenders could ever realistically be called 'investments'

I see people viewing modern guitars as investments like the people who buy collectable action figures and keep them in their packaging because Star Wars figures from the 80s are worth a lot in their original packaging.

Or am I wrong and there is evidence of guitars from the past 25 years increasing in value (a) at all, (b) above inflation?

HAL9000

I see people asking what I consider to be ridiculous money for old Japanese Squiers and wonder if that’s where the investment potential lies. I mean, if (when?) Fender stop building the Classic Vibe series I rather suspect that decent examples will fetch good money.

thegummy

HAL9000 said:

I see people asking what I consider to be ridiculous money for old Japanese Squiers and wonder if that’s where the investment potential lies. I mean, if (when?) Fender stop building the Classic Vibe series I rather suspect that decent examples will fetch good money.

They must be a contender for the most hyped guitars in internet history

JD50

thegummy said:

HAL9000 said:

I see people asking what I consider to be ridiculous money for old Japanese Squiers and wonder if that’s where the investment potential lies. I mean, if (when?) Fender stop building the Classic Vibe series I rather suspect that decent examples will fetch good money.

They must be a contender for the most hyped guitars in internet history

People also ask silly money for Japanese Fenders.... secondhand AVRI prices.

Funkfingers

Parker said:

future rarities.

The key word here is rarity. In order to be meaningfully rare in the medium term future, a guitar needs to be fairly rare in the present.

From the Pre-CBS era, great fuss seems to be made of infrequently used Ducco paint colours. In extreme cases, these colours were so infrequently used that they will be suspected of being refinishes.

In recent decades, Fender USA has been churning out limited edition short run "special" editions of their guitar and bass designs. In some examples, the limiting factor is that the supply of materials from which the instruments were built has been exhausted. 

The original run of Brown's Canyon/Old Growth Redwood Telecasters and Stratocasters sold out. Fender managed to rustle up some additional ex-railroad lumber to build a second batch. As far as I can ascertain, that is the end of that. No more elderly redwood, no more redwood guitar bodies.

stonevibe

I doubt anyone will care about vintage guitars in a few generations. As it'll be so niche, kids are bored of guitar and more into vintage Nintendo gear. 

prowla

Whitecat said:

Sassafras said:

Unless you expect to live for another 80 years or so.

That long from now they’ll be more valuable as firewood during a seemingly endless nuclear winter...

The spirit of optimism shines through!

ESBlonde

I think longer term 'investment' in guitars is probably a bad move. All the middle age 'collectors' with disposable cash will be looking to divest themselves in 20 years (or dead leaving thier estates with the problem). Other than museum quality classics or artist associated items there will be a glut of nice used instruments and fewer enthusiastic buyers in the west. Any new market would be in Asia/China and the young affluent generation there are not into guitar based rack n' roll.

Dave_Vader

thegummy said:

BloodEagle said:

I doubt any current or recent production Fenders could ever realistically be called 'investments'

I see people viewing modern guitars as investments like the people who buy collectable action figures and keep them in their packaging because Star Wars figures from the 80s are worth a lot in their original packaging.

Or am I wrong and there is evidence of guitars from the past 25 years increasing in value (a) at all, (b) above inflation?

Don't know about guitars, but that copy of Walking Dead #1 I sold for £80 just before the TV series started will argue with you about new collectables not ever being worth a surprising amount.

I refuse to google how much it's worth now - it always makes me cry. It only cost me £3 on the day it came out.

chris78

Whitecat said:

chris78 said:

dindude said:

The original custom shop single pickup Cabronitas I can see doing something in the future - I certainly see them as quite iconic and I’d certainly like one !!

I’d like to think so as they’re extremely rare, but I sold my white for £1900 and I think the sonic blue that was on this forum (I now have) went for similar money. World guitars have a 2 pickup at £3k, but it’s been there a couple of months and they’ve plugged it a lot of Facebook and their home page etc. I’ve always fancied the 2 pickup model because it had the classics rather than powertrons, but I’m not paying 3k for used custom shop, regardless of how rare

Is there any reason the CS wouldn’t just make one to order? In which case a used one could never be worth more than the cost of that at worst. 

Maybe they won’t for some reason, I’m not sure. 

I got told they wouldn’t when I tried last year. The custom shop didn’t want to devalue models out there. They’ll make you a tele with tv jones, but not a la cab

jeztone2

I think people are forgetting something.

The generation behind us are paying three times as much for their education and six times as much for their housing as the average person did 25 years ago. 

Im not sure there will be a middle class in 25 years time. The ability to acquire assets is being eroded. 

Whitecat

chris78 said:

Whitecat said:

chris78 said:

dindude said:

The original custom shop single pickup Cabronitas I can see doing something in the future - I certainly see them as quite iconic and I’d certainly like one !!

I’d like to think so as they’re extremely rare, but I sold my white for £1900 and I think the sonic blue that was on this forum (I now have) went for similar money. World guitars have a 2 pickup at £3k, but it’s been there a couple of months and they’ve plugged it a lot of Facebook and their home page etc. I’ve always fancied the 2 pickup model because it had the classics rather than powertrons, but I’m not paying 3k for used custom shop, regardless of how rare

Is there any reason the CS wouldn’t just make one to order? In which case a used one could never be worth more than the cost of that at worst. 

Maybe they won’t for some reason, I’m not sure. 

I got told they wouldn’t when I tried last year. The custom shop didn’t want to devalue models out there. They’ll make you a tele with tv jones, but not a la cab

Fair enough. 

rossi

The real money in collecting anything is paying virtually nothing for it when its not seen as valuable .Hence Star wars in boxes unopened  ,old Dinky toys never played with ,early Fenders that were unappreciated and modified to death abused etc .My mate has a  very early Pbass that had already had its paint removed long  before 1964 when he bought it  and rattle canned it .A guy I know bought 5 Ferraris incluing GTO;s Lussos  and a 250 SWB .when he bought then they were not worth a huge amount though still expensive.He inherited a farm and started buying classic cars but before anyone else .My Uncle bought a cheap  1939 Lincoln Zephyr  V12 in the 50's and used it to chug around in with the kids .He later restored it perfectly and its worth a fortune buyt at the time he bought it virtually worthless .Another guy bought 3 Bugattis for 50 quid each after the war .Sadly he sold them and didnt reap the huge sums they are worth now but did make a nice little earner .The thing is few wanted them at the time .A modern Fender has no value other than its label price because its easy to make  another one .