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I never sell anything so I don't care about resale value.
I just care about how a guitar plays and sounds.
Having said that, I'm not far from ordering a custom instrument. I've played enough other guitars to know what I'd like.
That said, most small builders put out terrible designs often in weird colours; those ones simply don’t do anything that designs from the big guys don’t already achieve better, imo.
But I prefer "mass produced" instruments - I like accurate, repeatable, machine-made things, assembled by hand with care. I don't really like hand-made things. I also think most people are unaware of the amount of hand work that goes into a lot of "mass produced" products and how much machine work there is in most "hand made" products, so the difference is often more one of production volume and marketing/buying snobbery.
I haven't commented on that thread because it's not what it's about really, although I was going to say exactly this when I saw the title...
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson
I own a few single luthier made guitars and cheap MIC guitars, things in between.
A good guitar is a good guitar.
However, rubbish or not, I have owned a lot of guitars and I now know what I like. With any off-the-shelf guitar, no matter how good it is there's always something I wish was a bit different - not things like pickups or hardware, which are easily changed, but neck profiles, width at the nut, an obtrusive neck joint, uncomfortable body contours, finishes...
So yes, I absolutely would buy something from a little known (or unknown) brand if I could get a "perfect" combination of features. I'm not bothered about resale value but on the other hand it's not a case of "money no object" - guitars have become so expensive lately that it's putting me off a bit although I suppose I could, if I wanted to, pay more than I have up to now.
I own a Feline - I'm interested in one of Neil's Ivison Guitars
But i do admit that most guitars I have owned are from a big company
But any guitar that I have owned, or still do own, is for one reason only - And that is because it plays, feels, sounds like I want to own/treasure it etc
- it affects resale value if that's an issue for you.
- it provides some degree of reliability, which is useful if I don't know enough to be sure about the quality of the thing I'm holding. If I'm a new player and don't know what I need to look for, I am a lot less worried if it's got Fender on the headstock.
Don't get me wrong, I'd personally like something made exactly for me in the future, but I totally see why a person may want the safety of a name brand. Horses for courses, and all that.
I think that and the '60's Strat mutt with the Jap neck that I had refretted and a good tele of some description will do me. Brand names are meaningless these days anyway. With so much owned by FMIC or Fender. Charvel, Jackson, Kramer..etc.
This has opened my eyes slightly and I do have a hankering for a vintage Gibson Les Paul Double Cutaway. I’m not sure if I’ll ever have the budget to get one and after the episode above I may look at Ivisions version rather than a Gibson reissue.
I have almost all self build partscasters and they're great. My only brand name guitar is the les paul - and it's great!
My next guitar will likely be another gspbasses partscaster - I reckon an explorer, or perhaps a v.
The other I bought on e-bay about 6 years ago. Its a Fingerbone 'Strat'. It was made by luthier Paul Richardson in W Sussex in the 80s. Its unusual in that its made entirely from maple (other than ebony fretboard). The body is one piece & flamed all over. This does make it heavy though at 9lb.
Yes I value them both and have enjoyed them greatly. However, I intend put up the Fingerbone for sale at some point this year.
Are they head & shoulders better than mass produced guitars. I would say no. Certainly, both are built with no expense spared from traditionally seasoned woods etc. They also provide the comfort feel that only one or two pairs of hands have fashioned it. However it is possible to find excellent mass produced models too. They may play just as well, and sound just as good despite (perhaps) having cheaper materials and hardware. Examples (of mine) would be a midrange FujiGen built 'T' type and a Rickenbacker 650.
HarrySeven - Intangible Asset Appraiser & Wrecker of Civilisation. Searching for weird guitars - so you don't have to.
Forum feedback thread. | G&B interview #1 & #2 | https://www.instagram.com/_harry_seven_/
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson