Rickenbacker 6 String sells for $627,000.00

[soundguruman]

http://news.yahoo.com/early-george-h...033547085.html

(link to story)

[tedmich]

Rich people do such silly things with their $, but it matters not because they have a few million times more than they or their progeny will ever need...

[soundguruman]

Rich people:
If you read this, send money.

[David Schwab]

That would be a cool guitar to own, assuming to have the money for it.

[Rick Turner]

I am 100% in favor of vintage and celebrity collectible guitars going for huge amounts of dough. Get those old things out of the way and make room for contemporary luthiers in the market. There was a time when we builders were seriously competing with vintage instruments, and then in came the collectors to pull the old stuff out of the way. We make guitars and basses that are at least as good as the vintage stuff and are much more affordable for the work that goes in (or went in on vintage pieces).

I love it...

[Steve A.]

I am 100% in favor of vintage and celebrity collectible guitars going for huge amounts of dough...

Good point but I do hate it when someone reads an article like that and then thinks that an old guitar or amp sitting in their garage, basement or attic is suddenly worth a whole shitload of cash. Like people who read about valuable vinyl LP's and think that their scratched up and warped collection is worth big bucks...

Steve Ahola

[Rick Turner]

Please take note of who that guitar once belonged to. That's about 99% of the "value" for that guitar. This is about a feeling of ownership of a piece of celebrity, not ownership of a fairly middle of the road electric guitar.

[David Schwab]

Please take note of who that guitar once belonged to. That's about 99% of the "value" for that guitar. This is about a feeling of ownership of a piece of celebrity, not ownership of a fairly middle of the road electric guitar.

Exactly. It would be cool too know it was the guitar George played on I Want to Hold Your Hand, and then you could play that lick on the guitar. lol It's important for the historical significance, and not because it's an old Rickenbacker 425.

I also remember when "vintage" guitars were just used guitars, and you could buy even an old Fender for cheap. The collectors artificially inflated the prices on those instruments making them worth more than what they are.

I collect guitars because I think they are cool instruments, not because of resale value.

[bob p]

Rich people do such silly things with their $, but it matters not because they have a few million times more than they or their progeny will ever need...

I don't understand how "need" has anything to do with someone buying an expensive guitar.

To be fair, we all do silly things with our money. The only difference between rich people doing silly things with their money and not-so-rich people doing silly things with their money is the amount of money involved. None of us are immune from making silly decisions.

That said, I think that the guy who paid $600,000 for a Beatle guitar probably bought at the top of the market. The typical first-round Beatles Fan is in their 50s-70s now, and 10 years there will probably be a lot fewer bidders for an instrument like that as the majority of first-round Beatles fans are already dying off.

[52 Bill]

And this is really a minor instrument in Beatle history. It has been modified multiple times and has been out of George's posession for decades.

Imagine what a major instrument like Paul's Hofner bass or John's Rick 325 would fetch even after all of us first round fans are long gone.

[Enzo]

I think we have a long way to go before we run out of Beatles fans, Go back a generation earlier, and I bet an Elvis guitar would still fetch a high price. Now maybe a Bennie Goodman clarinet might lose some shine, but even that ought to still do well.

[bob p]

Maybe I should have Lloyd's insure my Buddy Rich drumstick.