the jayce Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 hi everyone, I'm pretty new here but have had a couple of posts already and everyone is very informative. This question probably is in the archives some where but would probably take forever to find it. How much of a collectors item do you all think heritage guitars may become.... Now me personally feels they will be very sought after but what will trigger this demand is what mystfies me. We all know how handcrafted and how much quality is in these guitars, and so do most other guitarist even if there not a heritage player. So why are we still buying these guitars that are the best in the world for the most part for so cheap. or at least i feel they are. Heck i've seen 157's with beutifull flame tops going for $1400 buy it nows. It's just doesnt make sense i guess.. Very anxious to here some more opinions. peace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffB Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 Seems to me like everyone here already thinks they are collectibles. They keep buying new one's and trading old ones all the time. Be interesting to find out what happens down the line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gopeteygo Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 Seems to me like everyone here already thinks they are collectibles.They keep buying new one's and trading old ones all the time. Be interesting to find out what happens down the line. I thought that was just GAS! I tend to think they'll be collectible and will increase in value, but what do I know. All that's out of my control. I buy them because they're the best buy for the money out there. They're the instruments I wanted. I'm not willing to part with them to satisfy my GAS for something else. For me that's sayin something! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitArtMan Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 Leo era G&Ls haven't become collectable even after Leo died. Sad but true. In fact, many think the addition of the 4 bolt vs. 3 bolt neck and now the Pleking have made nwer G&Ls the best yet. I'd like to think Heritage's will become collectable, but I just don't see it happening. I buy a Heritage to play anyway, not collect. Any of my guitars that don't get played eventually finds it's way to a new home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzpunk Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 Most "collectible" guitars are iconic due to the players that used them and the recordings they are heard on. The Strat has Jimi, the Les Paul has Page, the SG has Iommi and Angus, etc etc. Collectibles rarely have anything to due with quality and everything to do with desirability. Heritage needs it's own iconic rock legend to catapult it into mega popularity. Maybe it'll be someone from the HOC. 8) Personally, I really dig the cult like status of Heritage. Knowing it is relatively affordable to custom order a hand made guitar in America is pretty damn cool in my opinion! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnCovach Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 Good point about Leo, but I think the Gibson story is different for a couple of reasons. First, the Kalamazoo location has a much longer history and stands for craftsmanship in the old-world sense. Fender's presence in Fullerton does not go back nearly as far and the company stands for pragmatic production (Leo's was the father of the idea of easily replaceable parts). Second, Fender has a presence in Corona now, so they have returned to the old stomping grounds; G&L does not use the original Fender factory (which is now a parking structure). Gibson is still in Nashville (Memphis, Montana, Japan, etc.), nowhere near the old building. So if Heritage becomes collectible, it will be because people feel like it is the point of authentic connection with the great Gibson tradition. Part of that has to do with the guys who started the company; when they have all retired, we'll see what happens. If the company ever goes under (heaven forbid!), that'll be another situation that could boost the collectibility. For now, though, we can buy first-rate Heritage guitars for a fraction of what they are probably really worth. So I say they're very collectible now because you can buy more that one!! My prediction is that their value will increase over the years, as soon as no new guitars by the current guys are made. Another thought: if G&L went out of business tomorrow (again, heaven forbid), would those guitars start to get collectible? I think they would, and that the unpopular Leo models from the early years would actually start to fetch much better prices, though more from collectors than players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big bob Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 heritage guitars of this era will be worth a fortune when Heritage decides to expand and relocate to Nashville... hey wait a min.. I would imagine in about 75 years the current guitars will be collectable mostly because with each year, there is attrition. ie shit happens... so in 75 years there wont be many from now.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnCovach Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 Ah, but there are old guitars that are not collectible. So it takes more than that to get people to pay more than a guitar is really worth just to own it. (Of course, a guitar is probably "worth" whatever you can get someone to pay for it--for better or worse!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul P Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 Collecting is a pretty strange phenomenon. I can see the point of having many guitars to give you different ones to play and different tones to make, but as an investment collecting guitars just doesn't make sense to me. I don't see guitars of any make being worth much once the babyboomers have died off, so as a collectable I see them slowly fading away, and hence their prices dropping. There just aren't that many kids into playing guitar anymore (it's hard to play hip hop on a guitar). I see my Heritage as an expense, a worthwhile one since it gives me something to do and joy to play it, but I don't see much coming back to me at the end of the road (at which point I won't care anyway). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzpunk Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 Ah, but there are old guitars that are not collectible. So it takes more than that to get people to pay more than a guitar is really worth just to own it. (Of course, a guitar is probably "worth" whatever you can get someone to pay for it--for better or worse!). That's where my 'famous player+ famous recording= desirable/collectable guitar' equation comes in to play! Let's say the Edge used a Heritage on the next U2 album. Guarantee the used prices would go up. You gotta pay for that 'cool' factor man! :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big bob Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 paul the guitar will allways be collectable ... :police: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big bob Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 at least as long as brent can draw a breath... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzpunk Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 FWIW, an extremely reputable Heritage dealer told me in a very confident tone that were I to purchase a new Heritage guitar that the guitar would double in value over the next 10 years. Surely that wasn't just part of the pitch! :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnCovach Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 That's where my 'famous player+ famous recording= desirable/collectable guitar' equation comes in to play! Let's say the Edge used a Heritage on the next U2 album. Guarantee the used prices would go up. You gotta pay for that 'cool' factor man! :wink: Probably, but the equation has more to do with model than brand. Hendrix, Clapton, and Gilmour sell a lot of Strat-style guitars (including Fender but also by other makers), but their use doesn't do much for the Fender Jaguar or Jazzmaster. So if the Edge used an H-150, the price on that would go up, but not necessarily the prices of other Heritage models. And it wouldn't make the guitar more collectible, just more popular. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the jayce Posted April 12, 2009 Author Share Posted April 12, 2009 all good points, i personally like the guitars for how they look and play and quality that goes into them. I would agree that when the original creators of heritage are gone(retired!! i should say) that will most likely be the biggest indicator as far as collectability. regardless if they do increase in value or decrease i will always be a heritage player, and i wouldnt sell mine anyways. I just like the conversation and thoughts and opinions of others on this subject. thanks for the responses.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
golferwave Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 It's hard to say what will be collectible in the future but I can tell you that the price of used Heritages has gone up since the HOC was started. Of course the new price has risen a bit as well. Just buy em and enjoy em. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chico Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 every heritge guitar I've ever sold has been for more money than I paid. dunno how that relates to the original question, but if you can buy something that you not only love to own and hold "collect", all the while using it (playing it, enjoying it), and then have it sell for more than you paid-- well I call that a collector's item. but, really, nobody has a crystal ball, if they did-they'd be rich. cause they'd know what property to buy, what guitar to buy, etc., before anyone else. I call em collectables cause I love em and they just so happen to be worth more over time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuz Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 I have never bought a guitar as investment. I have rarely played a vintage guitar the SOUNDED as good as my current stable, and NEVER have played a vintage guitar that PLAYED as well as my current guitars. Vintage guitars are the most overrated guitars in the world (buzzing/frets are a mess/ bowed necks- NO THANKS). Where Heritage fits in perfect for me is they are MODERN vintage guitars- sound old, play like new!!! To answer the question, unfortunately I don't see Heritages holding a value higher than what I paid for them. And that is fine by me. The enjoyment of playing a guitar that sounds like a vintage guitar but plays like a modern guitar (built to my specs by FIRST CLASS GENTLEMAN) is PRICELESS to me!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzpunk Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 The enjoyment of playing a guitar that sounds like a vintage guitar but plays like a modern guitar (built to my specs by FIRST CLASS GENTLEMAN) is PRICELESS to me!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dblazer Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 I don't think Heritage guitars will ever command prices like old Gibsons or Fenders, it's just not the way things work, but they'll always be first quality, serious guitars for musicians, so as long as there are electric guitars there will be a good market. Things like the anniversary models might do a little better, and things like my "only one" lefty H-140 Anniversary model will do real well, although I'm unlikely to sell it unless somebody out there wants to give me stupid money for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnCovach Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 It comes down to supply and demand. If more people want Heritage guitars and there are not so many out there, the price will go up. As long as these guitars are available and the supply about meets the demand, things won't change much. I agree with what many have said here often: the great thing about these guitars is that they are excellent guitars at reasonable prices (the price is probably too low, actually). I have a lot of these guitars, so if the price goes up, that would seem to be good for me. But I can't bear to sell any of them, so it probably doesn't make much difference--except that higher prices will mean I can't buy as many more as I might like!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzpunk Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Probably, but the equation has more to do with model than brand. Hendrix, Clapton, and Gilmour sell a lot of Strat-style guitars (including Fender but also by other makers), but their use doesn't do much for the Fender Jaguar or Jazzmaster. So if the Edge used an H-150, the price on that would go up, but not necessarily the prices of other Heritage models. And it wouldn't make the guitar more collectible, just more popular. Well the model and the brand are kind of tied together. There are plenty of strat imitations but if you love Jimi than you're getting a Fender! Can anyone name some guitars (model or brand) that sell for more used than they did new that aren't 'linked' to a famous artist or recording era? I do know that some of the 90's Guild guitars that have been discontinued are going up in value but I can't think of any others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spectrum13 Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 I collect them to play them which is different then resale value. But.. Since I got my 150 in July 2007 their price new has gone up and their price used has also gone up. We see used 199? 150, 575 or 535 (more popular models) selling for more then their cost new. After J.P. Marv and Jim are all retired we may see a per and post "*" with some of the tap tuned carved tops and custom stuff being more desirable. FWIW if someone like the Edge started playing a 150 and brought worldwide fame and demand to heritage, we might not like the outcome. Guilds origins are similar to Heritage as far as the the union forced Epiphone to move out of NYC and some remaining guys used their skills to form Guild and Guild has some collectibles like the early Artist Award, Dwayne Eddy, Aristocrat, and F50R from the 60s (mine is a 75 :'() so I would not be surprised if Heritage tracked Guilds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoslate Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 ...so if the price goes up, that would seem to be good for me. But I can't bear to sell any of them, so it probably doesn't make much difference--except that higher prices will mean I can't buy as many more as I might like!! That would be the crux of The Heritage Owner's Dilemma! :undecided: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thundersteel Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 every heritge guitar I've ever sold has been for more money than I paid. Unfortunately, my experience has been the exact opposite! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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