MIJ Guitars as investments?

[GammyBird]

Do you guys consider MIJ LP's(or others) good investments?

How do you see the values on these guitars increasing?

How much have they increased in the past 5 years.

I've only been interested in these guitars in the past year or so and don't know how the resale values have increased over the past few years.

 

[Udonitron]

Yup...that is why I am keeping the rare ones They are for sure, like anything the demand has to be there and that comes in waves but sell at the right time and you are laughing. Look at the 59 Bursts...back in the early 80's they were selling for $5000 and now they are 500K!! Not saying these will be worth that however someone becoming famous playing a Greco, Burny, etc would definitely drive the value up. Gibbon's is an example

 

[Explorer_1987]

Hi GammyBird

My Concept for MIJ Guitar is "Hi Quality from Economic price".

- Value is economic with sound Hi (My opinion only for MIJ not china).

I am come from Thailand (From South East Asia) and register to Mylespaul.com in a few day (4-5 day ago).

Because I have the first Lespaul in my life and I mostly like it.
I bought Burny FLG-70 (1978) Tobacco Sunburst (price 440 $) from vender in thailand.

This link for this vendor (In this link show only FLG-90).

?????+++Japan House+++ Fender Re62/Morris TF801/SD Re54/Burny FLG90/RolandJC60

Baht to US Dollar , by 34.0 bath/ 1 US Dollar

Sound quality is good for me.

I read more link in web for check spec before investments.
This link is some one.

burny info

I like vintage MIJ only not in china.

Good Luck for your investments.

Sorry for wrong English Grammar.

 

[BMS]

Who would have thought that some of the Ibanez, Mann, El Degas, and other makes of the 70's that you could once buy for around $50 are now commanding in the strong hundreds. As well as the old Teisco/Silvertone guitars from the 60's. These are fetching $500 to $900. Not a huge return on investment by any means, but they are holding their own. A lot of it may be nostalgia reasons.

 

[DrakeZero]

I'm quickly learning that MIJ guitars can be real money makers. Just look at Tokai LS models. They've kept good value for a long time.

 

[Annoying Twit]

Presuming that past performance infers future performance is a very dangerous game. I saw a good article on this recently. I can't find it now, but here's another one.

Vintage Guitars: A Sound Investment, Or Slipping Out Of Tune? - CityNews

The problem with a lot of investments is that people get trapped into bubble thinking. It starts off with people buying guitars who want to play them. Supply and demand dictates a price. Then perhaps "the word" gets around about these being bargains, and more people are interested. So, the demand goes up, and the prices go up. The increase in price attracts some people interested in making some money. So, the demand goes up, and the price goes up. This then continues as a cycle, with price rises bringing more people in, which increases demand, and hence prices. The commodity becomes a "hot investment" and prices skyrocket. But eventually prices get just too high and there aren't enough new buyers coming in to increase, or even maintain, the sky high demand. Then prices start to fall. And those who are holding onto their guitars to hopefully make money notice that prices are falling, and want to sell their investments before they lose value. So, supply increases. Price falls scare away investment buyers, or perhaps they're just waiting for "the right time to buy". So, supply/demand goes off kilter, and prices fall. Another cycle develops, price falls encourage people to sell, and discourage buyers. And this continues on as the price falls.

The problem is that the nearer you get to the top of the bubble, the better statistics people can quote concerning how much money they made on X, whether they've realised that gain by selling, or whether it's a paper gain.

On the Westone forum, people have been saying how the guitars are going up in price and will only go up. But the Westone.info forum mentions some "typical" prices from four years ago or, so , and they're about the same as now. And that's nominal prices.

IMHO, everyone considering investments should study their history very VERY carefully. Reading up on the Tulip mania of 1637 is a good place to start. Tulip mania - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[slapshot]

invest in something other than guitars keep the guitars out of the bank vaults and in players hands

 

[mono]

invest in something other than guitars keep the guitars out of the bank vaults and in players hands

+1. Unless you can find a '59 for less than $10,000

 

[3pupLPC]

Great guitars, whether Martin, vintage Gibson, vintage MIJ, or the like, seem to have at least held their value over the years, if not increase (some significantly). I would not encourage my non-player friends to start buying up vintage MIJ's as investment opportunities, but as for me, I have found them to be a very good place to invest some extra cash with these returns:

1) I am a player first and foremost; I get to actually enjoy my investments by playing them... can't say that for stocks.

2) If I shop well, and I'm not hasty, I can find a good deal that if I choose, I can usually turn around for a profit... (while that is not my short-range goal)

3) It is a great place to "protect" money from being blown elsewhere IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN HUSBANDS.

 

[vintageJIM]

Do you guys consider MIJ LP's(or others) good investments?

How do you see the values on these guitars increasing?

How much have they increased in the past 5 years.

I've only been interested in these guitars in the past year or so and don't know how the resale values have increased over the past few years.

1. no

2. very little

3. Negligible


I don’t see MIJ guitars, or any other types as investment tools.

I started playing guitar ~40 years ago, when I was 8, 9 years old, and have always played for the enjoyment of it; nothing else.

when I started getting into the MIJ stuff years ago I never looked at it as an 'investment' although that would have been the time to do so, if one were interested in that aspect of it.

I buy guitars to play; I actually play the damn things
The problem with that is, I end up with a lot of guitars I don’t need.
As I state on my eBay ‘About Me’ page; “a hobby gone mad.”

Having a ‘rotating’ stock of guitars is a great way to continually search for your own personal ‘Holy Grail’.
That guitar may end up being your favorite for a few weeks, a few months, or as in a few cases, a few years or more.
One certainly cannot do that by sitting on the sidelines & not getting their hands dirty, so to speak.

Investment? Not for me.
When I do sell one, more often than not I'm sad to see it go ..............

Just one opinion

 

[teame1]

No guitars should be bought as an investment.
I agree that some jap guitars are currently well priced. Why? Because there are loads of them. Buying second hand is risky but most guitars hold their values better because you buy them cheaper. Probably the early fender models will do best especially the quirky models. eg The Hellecaster signature models, all rosewood tele. But they are already more expensive.
Buy what you want to own and play. Hopefully if you do your homework and are lucky then if you want to sell in the future, you will get your money back in real terms.
Remember shipping and customs costs........and inflation.

 

[GammyBird]

I don't think I'd ever invest in these guitars as a means for retirement or anything but if I was to end up with a yaffle of these nice MIJ guitars in a few years at least I would not lose any money if I decided to sell them off. I'm just curious as I see the price of 70's Gibson LP's climb.

 

[Gabriel]

As long as the Japanese factories still make great guitars for reasonable prices (not dirt cheap, reasonable) I think that only people really into them will be willing to pay inflated prices for older MIJ guitars. Especially with prices climbing close to the ones of Custom Historic Les pauls.

I am no headstock-snob but I'd not spend 2k on a vintage MIJ guitar that I might need to refret and work, when the same money gets me a nice couple-of-years-old Gibson R8.

What MIJ guitars do best for me is offer a nice NEW les paul type guitar at a price you only get a studio.

As far as the high end MIJ guitars are concerned, for 3k or more I'd rather have a brand new custom ordered Nik Huber than any tokai/navigator/expensive greco.

 

[Serial]

Exactly. With the exception of the last point (MIJ stuff has increased a good bit in the past 5 yrs), this is dead on.

Tokais, Grecos, etc in my opinion (I've only been playing, buying and selling these things and guitars in general for the past thirty years) are good guitars, but, contrary to the Flavor of the Month thinking, they are not "better" than a comparably priced used Gibson Custom/Historic LP.
I got my first Tokai in 1984 and played almost nothing but Tokais and MIJ Fenders through the 80s and early 90s, so I know what I'm talking about. They were cheap, good guitars.
The current craze for these things is primarily Internet-hyped lore and I've already seen prices start to level off and fall as the vintage US stuff has gotten cheaper. The MIJ stuff was an affordable alternative to the US stuff when prices on the US stuff got out of control (peaking in late '07). The MIJ stuff as much as doubled between 2007-2009, but I can't see it going any higher.
Just because something was MIJ does not make it good. Hondo, Westone, and a hundred other makes are flat out garbage for the most part. Sure, maybe you'll find a few playable ones, but by and large, they aren't even close to Squier and Epi stuff of today.
I get a chuckle sometimes out of guys spending a fortune upgrading an Edwards or dropping a ton of cash on an old Burny (and I like the old Burnys btw), hoping that they'll appreciate. They're fine as players, but I don't see the MIJ market going much higher. The newer stuff? They keep making more, so as far as supply and demand goes, I just don't see any appreciation on the new stuff in the future at all. Add to that that no one famous is playing them and your chances of appreciation are reduced further.
I've been pretty good at picking trends in the past three decades-that's primarily how I turned two guitars into fifty or so at one point (no junk in there either) since 1995. Not saying that I couldn't be a little wrong, but that hasn't happened yet. Most of the speculators and people driving the market have only been buying since the upswing, so we'll see where they are in five years.

 

[Solidasrock]

Good guitars, bad investment.

I'm an older fellow but follow 'Ultimate Guitar', etc.. The only name that consistently means much to the younger generation is 'Fender'. For most the name 'Les Paul' or 'Gibson' is becoming like Grandpa's Cadillac.

Gibson prices peaked a while back as did Gretsch, Martin, Taylor and most others. Gibson prices are being destroyed by fakes...the first question anyone thinks of now ...'is it a fake'. Fakes are only going to get better. Prices will drop further

Keep your eyes out for what are good bargains 'today' that can be resold 'today' for more if you wanterd to.

I have about 70 guitars. All but my original 71 Strat bought used. I play them all. I let others play them. None of them are babied or stored away in cases so they won't get a 'boo-boo'. I don't think any will be worth more 'tomorrow'.

 

[teame1]

I've been pretty good at picking trends in the past three decades-that's primarily how I turned two guitars into fifty or so at one point (no junk in there either) since 1995.

So what is the next trend?

Have you really turned 2 guitars into 50 just by buying and selling Jap guitars?
What were the original guitars? 59 bursts?

 

[River]

While it may seem and should be obvious, many people bragging how well their guitars have held or increased their value are NOT taking inflation into account.

IMO, talk of "investing" in non-vintage guitars is a joke. Check the definition of "vintage" - it's not the same as "antique" or "rare" or "well-made". I've got rare, old, great-playing guitars that were "cheap" when they were new, and are now worth four figures. Crank in inflation and they're worth exactly what was originally paid for them. That in itself is impressive, but turning $1,000 into $1,000 over 45 years - whoopdie-doo.

 

[UITA]

Do you guys consider MIJ LP's(or others) good investments?

How do you see the values on these guitars increasing?

How much have they increased in the past 5 years.

I've only been interested in these guitars in the past year or so and don't know how the resale values have increased over the past few years.

My opinion
1. Yes
2. By looking at Ebay.
3. Loads, I keep a track of all guitars I buy so I have proof.

I've been playing for a hundred years and collecting for around 80 and must say that the whole MIJ thing wasn't an issue for me 25 years ago, I was aware and owned a good few MIJs but was limited to what the local stores stocked i.e. Tokai, Squire and Ibanez.

5 years ago I could pick up a Burny custom from Chingo for £250, the same guitar is now around £450. This is true of other Ebay seller or Yahoo auctions.

I'm onto my third paragraph and can't think of much more to say apart from my addiction has subdued and I think I have far more than is healthy. The golden days of bargains I believe are gone, but this is only because I remember them. To others there are many deals out there.

I’m 75 now so I think it’s time to move some on.

 

[GammyBird]

I’m 75 now so I think it’s time to move some on.

Let me know when/if you decide to do this

 

[BGD]

I’m 75 now so I think it’s time to move some on.

You have one of the most amazing collections I've ever seen (and I haven't even seen it in person). So many gorgeous customs. Let me know if you're looking to get rid of any...