Duane Allman's Les Paul sells for $1.25 Million

dreadnut

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I guess I'm just lucky with my 43 year-old D-25M, it's got about a million miles on it and still no need for a neck reset.
 

Quantum Strummer

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For electric or acoustic?
Purely by way of counterpoint, I myself was pretty surprised to see figures citing the flattop market as actually experiencing growth, at least a couple of years ago.
It came up when most of the opinion being expressed was that one reason Guitar Center was likely doomed to implode was that demand was shrinking; all us aging baby boomers exiting the market and the move to digital instruments like keyboards, so seeing a solid trend of increasing sales quoted for that niche, from a credible source (an industry publication), surprised me.

Mainly electric, but acoustic as well. What I'm referring to is what's gonna happen when the last of the boomer demographic exits the guitar buying market.

-Dave-
 

adorshki

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Yes it seems Martin does more neck resets than most, but that is the price of doing business when owning an acoustic. If you keep strings on your guitar over the course of many years the 150+ pound of tension that is constantly on a guitar eventually a neck even a superior Gibson will need to be reset.
I guess I'm just lucky with my 43 year-old D-25M, it's got about a million miles on it and still no need for a neck reset.

Yeah we've debated that a few times over the years.
Some believe all guitars will eventually need a reset, and some of us hope that their instruments might be ones that prove to be examples that prove the opposite: Some of 'em can survive without ever needing a reset... or for longer than we'll ever know, at least...
I think the role of build quality and style ("like a tank" or "light") is part of that equation too, and that the more lightly built guitars will understandably succumb to the pressure, eventually... I consider my '96 D25 to be one of those "lightly built" styles and at almost 23 years old is showing just the barest amount of deflection: the straightedge test aligns less than 1/32" from the top of the bridge, now, but only 6 or 7 years ago it was still spot on.
I attribute at least part of that to also always using factory-spec'd lights and storing in case which reduces exposure to the fluctuations in heat and humidity and associated expansion/contraction affecting the glue joints.
A '76 D25 is supposed to be when Guild was really getting into their "built like a tank" period.
I've even seen an owner's booklet from early '80's here, showing the guitar was shipped with mediums, so they must have been built for it.
And if you've been stringing up yours with lights for most or all of is life it wouldn't surprise me if your neckset'll last 'til even your son's too old to care.
@ JF30 re Martin resets:
Considering that Martin originally considered necksets to be a warranted construction detail, is it possible you're seeing a high number of reports because owners take advantage of the warranty?
Or is this from relatively recent (less than 10 years) production and owners are expressing frustration?
Do you know if any attention is paid to what the recommended string tensions are?
I do know they changed that re-set warranty policy a while back, but just thinking out loud here.
And in the meantime, has anybody found out who bought Duane's guitar yet?
(Got your back, Ralf!)
 
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Quantum Strummer

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Not to be a wise _ _ _ , but looks to me like you have a lot of Guilds, last I checked that is a brand.

This is a (the!) Guild forum so I list my Guilds. They've made a lot of great instruments, some of which I own. Because they're great instruments. The name on the headstock is incidental. No more to it than that.

-Dave-
 

adorshki

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Mainly electric, but acoustic as well. What I'm referring to is what's gonna happen when the last of the boomer demographic exits the guitar buying market.
-Dave-
Well according to that article they're being more than replaced by a younger one, and I also seem to recall that was just US demand and sales, because it was another detail that went counter to the prevailing perception..but again, strictly acoustics, electrics weren't part of the recap that I recall.
PS do we know who bought Duane's guitar yet?
:smile:
 
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Quantum Strummer

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Well according to that article they're being more than replaced by a younger one, and I also seem to recall that was just US demand and sales, because it was another detail that went counter to the prevailing perception..but again, strictly acoustics, electrics weren't part of the recap that I recall.
PS do we know who bought Duane's guitar yet?
:smile:

Let's wait 10 years & see how things shake out. ;)

-Dave-
 

dreadnut

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I should mention that my D-25M came with mediums and that's what I've put on it ever since. It just doesn't ring and resonate with lights like it does with mediums, to my ear anyway. My friend has an '81 D-25M and it's a real tank weight wise compared to my '76.

I hope the prediction of diminishing guitar players doesn't come true. I think there will always be a certain % of people who feel driven to play the guitar. It's acoustic, it's portable so you can take it anywhere, it's versatile, it easily adapts to many different styles of music, you can sing along, it's affordable for the average person...what's not to like about all that?
 
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