Guitars whose sentimental value exceeds monetary value

[griehund]

My '74 D-40 would have the most sentimental value to me:

I've busked with it in the London Underground, and it's followed me all over the world for the past 39 years. A year or so ago I had it refretted with stainless steel frets and it plays like a dream. Sounds like one too!

One of the many stops on the 39 year journey for this guitar was Cape McMurdo, Antarctica. Here's a pic I took on short final while landing on the ice there. The scientific outpost is around the corner to the left:

Talk about temperature extremes! And yet there's not a single crack in the finish of the top.

Bill

What's the SR# on your D40? Mine is 104700. Maybe they're cousins.

 

[Scratch]

12 string: JF30-12... Owned a whole bunch of 12ers over the years, but 'Zeke' is the 12-string of my life. Unfortunately, as a jumbo, it doesn't get that much play time these days due to the arthritic shoulders, but I truely love that sweet Guild...

6-string: Gotta be the Santa Cruz OM/PW.

 

[chazmo]

Ken, did you buy zeke new? Just curious where the sentimental attachment comes from. Gift from the Mrs., maybe?

My mom's hand-me-down got badly cracked (by me) from dehydration and that's when I learned all about guitar care. I still kick myself because I can see the scars every time I take hte instrument out, but I do give myself credit for reparing it and keeping it in the stable. Nothing else quite has that sentimental value to me.

 

[killdeer43]

Allow me to interject....

Ken and Zeke

A special human being with a special guitar. :wink:

Joe

 

[Scratch]

Hi Charlie,
Named 'Zeke' after Ezequiel Encinas, a close friend who taught me to play an ole Goya guitar many years ago during a tour of duty in Vietnam. Zeke was KIA in Laos.

Scratch sends...

@ Joe: Good 'memries', my friend... :wink:

 

[fronobulax]

Several guitars here have sentimental value because the total expenditure to get them and keep them in good condition exceeds the expected market value. If they get sold then I have locked in a loss whereas keeping them makes the loss theoretical. Sounds like a sentimental argument to me.

The problematic guitar is the JS II since it was my first decent bass, but to be honest, it is not getting much love and play time. Logic dictates it should be sold but emotion does not allow that decision to be implemented. My fantasy is that someone will offer a price that I consider more than market value for it and then I can console myself with the hope that it was going to someone who appreciates it more than I do.

 

[6L6]

What's the SR# on your D40? Mine is 104700. Maybe they're cousins.

The serial number on my '74 is #107656. I bought it in a small guitar shop On the Green in Taunton, MA, not far from where it was built.

Bill

 

[griehund]

Several guitars here have sentimental value because the total expenditure to get them and keep them in good condition exceeds the expected market value. If they get sold then I have locked in a loss whereas keeping them makes the loss theoretical. Sounds like a sentimental argument to me.

The problematic guitar is the JS II since it was my first decent bass, but to be honest, it is not getting much love and play time. Logic dictates it should be sold but emotion does not allow that decision to be implemented. My fantasy is that someone will offer a price that I consider more than market value for it and then I can console myself with the hope that it was going to someone who appreciates it more than I do.

How about looking at the "locked in loss" as the cost of owning an instrument that you enjoyed for years. Then what if you amortize the cost of owning the instrument over the number of years you owned it to arrive at a per-annum expense? You could rationalize it down to a cost of pennies a day or less.

Original price + total maintenance - sale price = loss divided by # of years owned = per-annum cost divided by 52 = weekly cost etc. etc. etc.

Pennies a day and well worth it. :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[griehund]

What's the SR# on your D40? Mine is 104700. Maybe they're cousins.

The serial number on my '74 is #107656. I bought it in a small guitar shop On the Green in Taunton, MA, not far from where it was built.

Bill

I'm originally from Boston but I bought mine on Telegraph Rd. south of Detroit. Too bad there's no model names on the dating list for 1974 cause there's almost 3000 guitars in between our two.

 

[Taylor Martin Guild]

The one guitar that I own and would never sell for it's actual worth is my Yamaha L-20A.
This is a special guitar. It was made in 1980 out of very good quality materials.
The tone is as good as guitars that cost over $3,000.00.
The MSRP for the guitar when it was new in 1980 was $1,000.00.
With all of it's scares and dings [Mojo] it is probably only worth about $400.00 today.
I would not sell this guitar for less than $2,000.00.
It would cost me that much to replace the sound that it has.

There have been many guitars come and go for me but this one has always stayed around.
It have been with me on many trips and camping vacations.
It's my work horse.

 

[zulu]

My most treasured possession, far beyond monetary value, was my B&J "Victoria" mandolin, purchased vintage(probably 1920's) in 1984. She was stolen & not recovered October 18, 2011.

Heartbreaking.

 

[spiderman]

The first one in my signature. Probably worth less than a used Estaban (has a big soundboard crack). Played it for nearly 50 years as my only guitar. It was the guitar I used to use to sing with my kids, and they can fight over who gets it when I'm gone.
LA
I noticed in your signature a 60's classical Harmony, bet it was the same model.

Harmony H-173 bought in 1960 (retired), Alvarez AC60S 2008, Eastman AC320ce 2009 "Hybrid", Guild D25M 1974, Martin Grand J35E 2009, Martin D12-20 1970, Martin OM-21 2009, Martin 00-15M Custom (full body gloss, wide neck) 2011, Martin 00-15M Custom (12 fret, wide neck, solid peghead) 2012, Voyage-air VAOM-06 2010
"I'm glad there are a lot of guitar players pursuing technique as diligently as they possibly can, because it leaves this whole other area open to people like me."
Richard Thompson

 

[walrus]

My D64 does not really have any "sentimental" value the way most of you are describing it. It's a guitar I bought new, and by pure luck it happened to be a relatively rare Guild. I had no extended knowledge of Guilds at the time. But it's value to me is simply how much I've played it, as it's been my only acoustic guitar since I bought it. I am so used to it, that any other acoustic I play just doesn't feel right.

So I guess I am "sentimental'" about it, if for no other reason than it has become a good "friend", if you know what I mean...

walrus

 

[kitniyatran]

My D64 does not really have any "sentimental" value the way most of you are describing it. It's a guitar I bought new, and by pure luck it happened to be a relatively rare Guild. I had no extended knowledge of Guilds at the time. But it's value to me is simply how much I've played it, as it's been my only acoustic guitar since I bought it. I am so used to it, that any other acoustic I play just doesn't feel right.

So I guess I am "sentimental'" about it, if for no other reason than it has become a good "friend", if you know what I mean...

walrus

Sounds qualified to me.

 

[kitniyatran]

My most treasured possession, far beyond monetary value, was my B&J "Victoria" mandolin, purchased vintage(probably 1920's) in 1984. She was stolen & not recovered October 18, 2011.

Heartbreaking.

Yeah, she probably wasn't worth more than $450, if that, but I''d never have willingly parted with her. The best 1970's Martin guitar I ever met & a 1917(?) Gibson A2 I thought I'd never part with went to hard times, while Victoria stayed with me.

 

[adorshki]

But it's value to me is simply how much I've played it So I guess I am "sentimental'" about it, if for no other reason than it has become a good "friend", if you know what I mean...

That's me 'n' my D25. Even though I love the other 2 for their individual qualities,
"Hally"'s still the most versatile one in the bunch.
In a converse to the original question, teh experience with Hally is what would make me "overvalue" a new unplayed '96-97 D25 with a case at $900.00 or more. Last one I even saw listed was probably the one Mojotooth sold a couple of years back.