Not sure if boutique guitars is the right term but I know for those those non-mainstream amps like Soldano and the like those are called boutique amps. But what about guitars like Anderson and Suhr I think those should be called boutique guitars. But who buys those? What are they like $2,500 for a Suhr Strat style guitar or $2,500 for an Anderson Tele Thinline like guitar? Not saying they are bad but why do people spend that much when you can get an American made Fender version which is the originator for a lot less? Even a Custom Shop version by Fender can be had for the same or less than the Suhr or Anderson version price. I'm sure those boutique versions are custom shop made at the Anderson and Suhr companies but man that's a lot when you can get a Fender Custom Shop for that much or less. Not knocking the boutique versions but just saying why are people spending so much on boutique guitars? I'm sure with amps you'll notice the diff between boutique amps over standard Fender amps a lot more than you would guitars but maybe I'm wrong.
Who Buys Expensive Boutique Guitars?
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Nov 24, 2008 10:20 a.m. Echosonic:
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Nov 24, 2008 10:38 a.m. dmanlow:
You're likely wrong.
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Nov 24, 2008 10:57 a.m. Pappy:
There's a major difference in construction techniques and a lot of them offer more of a custom instrument for you.
As much as I like Fender Teles, I can see why this market sprung up.
So who buys expensive boutique guitars? I imagine they're the folks whoknow what they want and will hold on to the guitar for a LONG time. Of course I could be wrong, but since boutique is so narrow of a market, I can't imagine resale being huge.
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Nov 24, 2008 11:04 a.m. Ratrod:
I've only seen custom shop Fenders for $4,500.- and upwards.
There's plenty of independant luthiers who will build you an equally good guitar for half that amount.
I've tried a couple of custom shop guitars (Fender and Gibson). They were good but not 4.5 grand good.
I've also tried some luthier built guitars that were cheaper than the custom shop ones and those felt like they were worth every penny.
Plus a luthier can tailor make you a guitar to your exact needs and desired specs.
Custom shop and boutique guitars are mostly a 'brand name' thing IMO.
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Nov 24, 2008 11:10 a.m. JazzBoxJunky:
Doctors, lawyers, and speculators mostly, but I think lately very few are being bought.
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Nov 24, 2008 11:10 a.m. Echosonic:
Rat, are you sure Custom Shop Fenders are $4,500 and up? I think Masterbuilt Fenders are but Custom Shop Fenders that much?
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Nov 24, 2008 11:23 a.m. googoobaby:
I have a Suhr Classic and it was about the same price as a Fender Custom Shop instrument. The Suhr has the very useful SSC system for noise-cancelling and SS frets though. The CS instrument was beautifully made, but the Suhr was better. It was worth the $ and so was the Tom Anderson Atom that it replaced. The support from both makers is outstanding which has to be factored in as well.
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Nov 24, 2008 12:51 p.m. Ratrod:
You're right Echo, I was a little confused with the masterbuilt ones. Still the cheapest CS was 2100 Euros. That's still alot of money for two screwed together planks.
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Nov 24, 2008 1:14 p.m. TyPierce:
I'm sure these high-end guitar makers are putting out some amazing instruments, and I have no problem with anyone who has the finances, desire and ability to own one, but I'm with Ratrod - I can't see putting that much money into a plank-style guitar like a Tele. There's only so much luthiery magic to be had on a plank and stick before I cross my personal line of diminishing returns, and that line starts waaaaaay ahead of the $4500 mark!
Hollowbody electrics like a Gretsch or Gibson style I could see fetching $4k+ from boutique builders, but the ol' Tele plank is a tough one to justify.
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Nov 24, 2008 1:34 p.m. Pappy:
I agree with Ty. Hollowbodies have an obvious demand of skill that is pretty quickly acknowledged or not when you play them. I can definitelys ee boutqie builders charging that much for them.
But I can also imagine the amount of more work they would need to put into them.
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- Rated: 35 ↑
Nov 24, 2008 2:17 p.m. crowbone:
Saturday at the Philly guitar show, I was playing custom made teles which retailed for about $2,000, from Blue Collar Guitars.
Very nice guitars, but I can't see spending that money on something that is new, looks old, and sounds no better than one from the original manufacturer for half the price.
We also played a $4000 dollar hand built amp that sounded good, but not $4000 good, so I guess it's a matter with what you are comfortable paying, and how bad you have to have that build of an amp.
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Nov 24, 2008 2:37 p.m. Pappy:
I find it a tough pill to swallow that such an expensive guitar came from a company called "blue collar."
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Nov 24, 2008 3:32 p.m. Mike_Martin:
I find it alot simpler and cheaper to believe it`s all in the fingers!
Cheers!
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Nov 24, 2008 4:06 p.m. Echosonic:
I agree with these post here. I agree for a plank $4,500 is a lot of money. But for a hollow body guitar now that would be a diff story. And yes it's true Anderson and Suhr I'm sure are guitars close to perfection but you know, how much more is that perfection worth over a Fender Custom Shop for $2,500 or $1,250 for an American Standard or American Vintage Reissue series? Also the resale value isn't so high on those I think, I agree with the poster above on that.
And yes that's pretty funny, I agree with Pappy, how can a "blue collar" guitar cost the price that they charge! You bring up a good point in irony!
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Nov 24, 2008 4:37 p.m. Bear:
When I still lived in California, I jammed occasionally with a fellow that had a DeTemple 56 which is probably one of the highest priced boutique Stratocasters on the planet. I believe they start somewhere around $6,000.00; more if you want strings on it. All kidding aside, it was a spectacular Strat, but no matter how you look at it, it's still a Strat.
This poor guy used to get all bent out of shape when the average Joe would ask if it was something like a Fender or worse, if it was an import Strat clone.
The non-musician knows Gretsch, Gibson, Fender and Martin as the big dogs. The boutiques get lost on them. It used to tickle me to see how upset this guy would get.
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Nov 24, 2008 5:58 p.m. antik:
I know someone who buys expensive boutique guitars. He is a collector. If it looks good and is somewhat unique there is a chance he'd buy it. He also has lots of vintage guitars. Last I knew he had over 60 guitars. He is not a bad guitar player. He was in a garage band in high school. Later he hit it big in high tech.
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Nov 24, 2008 6:23 p.m. Pappy:
I think it would be cool to be a collector like that and have that many guitars. Especially if you don't have to work. Then you can spend your whole days creating sonic landscapes with the perfect tools for specific spots. I imagine if you could do that, it would be very easy to slip into Brian Wilson territory.
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Nov 24, 2008 7:44 p.m. googoobaby:
Both my Suhr and my Anderson were around $2500, so I think the $4K numbers are a little high. I've described the Suhr as just a cheap import Strat clone, too. I think it's funny.
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Nov 24, 2008 8:15 p.m. crowbone:
It just seems to me that if you base a $4000 guitar on a design that has been made 60 years prior, then you should not be sensitive when someone calls it a tele or a strat knock off, because that's all it is.
There is a market for this, though, so I suppose that there will be more guitars like this made with no real advancements made, just replication.
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Nov 24, 2008 8:19 p.m. J(esse James)D:
IMO, that would be a "compliment".
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Nov 25, 2008 3:03 a.m. mugsy:
I can't speak for others, but here's how it roughly breaks down for me:
1/3 for parts
1/3 or more in taxes (e.g., federal withholding, state withholding, county tax, SUTA, FUTA, worker's comp, and both sides of FICA, the so-called "Self-Employment" tax)
1/3 for overhead (e.g., utilities, property tax, advertising, accounting software, etc.)
Even at a $2,395 list price, very little actually makes it into my pocket as a smaller (one man) operation. The customer gets a handmade instrument to his/her specifications (that doesn't look like a Strat or Tele), but, financially speaking, I would be better off working at Wendy's.
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Nov 25, 2008 10:14 a.m. Gigatron:
I've had three "boutique" instruments, a Larrivee acoustic, a Fender custom shop Jazz Bass V, and a Lado Hawk bass, built by a small company in Toronto.
I had to order the Fender, so didn't get to try it until after it arrived. I was apprehensive, but satisfied when I did get to play it. It was simply the best Fender I ever played.
I tried out the Lado in Joe's shop, on a whim, and then went back several times until I broke down and bought it.
At that time I didn't have much money, and I wasn't buying to add to a collection or speculating on future profits. I could feel and hear a difference between those instruments and the others I owned, and it was worth the extra money.
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Nov 26, 2008 2:09 p.m. Echosonic:
I'm sure that the guy with the $4,000 Strat copy knew his stuff and could hear and feel the difference and bought it for the functionality rather than just because it was a better guitar. What I mean is he knew what he was doing so I can understand if he was disturbed by people who thought it was some cheap knock off. He was buying quality. As far as I am concerned I'm not a good enough player to really notice things like that so it's not worth it for me. I hear people tho with $2,500 CS Strats say they are a cut above the standard line of Strats and say they are build as good as they built them back in the '50s and early '60s and adjusted for inflation they prob don't cost much more if any.
I had a guitar teacher way back when who had a Strat like guitar by Blackhurst. It had rosewood fretboard, blackheadstock and white body. Kahler locking trem. By that you can tell how long ago I'm talking. single coil, single coil, humbucker. I asked him if has a humbucker in the bridge why not one in the neck and his reply was he still wanted it to sound like a Strat. Even tho he had a Kahler he was not a metal guy. He was more of a classic rock guy, you know The Eagles, Led Zep, Aerosmith and all that. I think a Les Paul would suit those bands' music more than would his guitar. Even tho I'm not one for a locking trem or a bridge humbucker or any humbucker the guitar sounded good. I don't know how much it cost him but it was boutique. I think he mentioned Blackhurst was a Sacramento area guitar maker and the body was actually a real Strat but the neck was Blackhurst. I just assume get a Fender Strat but he was a good player and knew what he wanted.
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- Rated: 115 ↑
Nov 26, 2008 2:16 p.m. wenzel:
Mugsy, you forgot the STFU witholding!
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Nov 26, 2008 7:15 p.m. mugsy:
Nice.
