outlived their original owners. A
manufacturer who only guarantees
workmanship and materials for five
or ten years expects problems to
occur after the warranty period.
Ask about the manufacturer’s
reputation for service and parts
availability. If you have a problem
with your instrument, you will want
it fixed quickly and correctly.
RULE 3
RESEARCH THE
MANUFACTURER
We’re building a lot more guitars,
so we have a lot more experience.
We know what might cause trouble
later on.
Experience is the best teacher
in guitarmaking. A maker who
hasn’t been around long enough
to experiment extensively with
materials and manufacturing
methods still has mistakes to
make. The simple truth is, a guitar
without a past may not have much
of a future.
RULE 4
CONSIDER APPRECIATION
I think you could buy any of
Gibson’s classic models and in a
few years, if you wanted to trade
it in, get your money out of it. You
can’t do that with many things.
Your primary reason for buying
a guitar is to play it, but you
would also like an instrument
whose trade-in or resale value is
likely to increase over time. Few
instruments will match a 1959
sunburst Les Paul Standard,
which listed for $250 originally
and brings over $100,000 in
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