Ridiculously beautiful yet expensive Acoustics

Stevepage · March 2021

Drooling over the guitars on Dreamguitars.com

https://www.dreamguitars.com/shop/instruments/guitars/steel-string-guitars/2020-galloup-g2-c-brazilian-rosewood-italian-spruce-2002.html

Any of you own such things? Please post any videos of yours or those you love

BluesLover · March 2021

One of the builders on that site is Michael Greenfield. If you have Amazon Prime video then watch "making a guitar" a documentary about him in his workshop as he makes guitars. Well worth watching.

Stevepage · March 2021

That same video is on YouTube. I watched the whole thing from start to finish just fascinated at how he does things. Couldn’t remortgage for one though

Winny_Pooh · March 2021

Never seen that site but wow, classy guitar, I love the art deco touches and the finish

danishbacon · March 2021

Inlay work in that is superb

Tannin · March 2021

There comes a point, somewhere on the continuum between strictly utilitarian tool and outrageously beautiful object which happens to be an instrument, at which one is no longer comfortable playing the guitar. It's not a new dilemma - my granny had a tea set which was completely useless because it was too beautiful to drink out of.

So where do you draw the line? I have one guitar which was crazy expensive, beautifully decorated, and (much more important) made from very rare and special timber. Do I play it?

Too right I do! I bought it because I loved the way it played and sounded. I was both attracted and repelled by the decoration and the fancy timbers. So I'm careful with it, and it is (touch wood!) ding-free so far, but I bought it to play and I play it long and hard. Wonderful guitar! If it ends up looking hard-worn after countless thousands of playing hours one day, well, I'll have had those thousands of hours with it and that is the main thing.

But that one is pretty close to the line. Make a guitar much more beautiful (in the fine woodworking sense) than the Angel and it would become a bit of a crime to play it.

And if you can't play it, it's not a guitar anymore.

(And my granny's tea set wasn't a tea set.)

Stevepage · March 2021

Very true. But the idea of using something so beautiful really seems quite 'naughty' but right. Kind of like driving a Ferrari 250 GTO and putting your foot flat to the floor to listen to the engine. It's not something you should really do with such a valuable car but it just feels right.

Andy79 · March 2021

I’ve played one high end hand built guitar in my life and was overwhelmed with the lack of character it had
I think that particular guitar above looks pretty awful
It’s still ok to say that about expensive things,

Im glad I don’t lust after this kinda gear, would put me out of house and home.

I’m much more comfortable with battered old factory guitars and the music they represent

DavidR · March 2021

£18,067 at today's forex if anyone wants to know! That is a very beautiful guitar.

Equivalent of 16.74 Yamaha FG5's - also if anyone's interested - (although that's really like comparing a very useful steel alloy with a precious metal

)

BahHumbug · March 2021

Great work, yes, but, it belongs on furniture, possibly an altar or something else church-y. Personally, I prefer guitars to be utilitarian, but also, when this sort of thing is described as beautiful, I disagree. Guitars are usually made of wood and the natural beauty of the wood grain is all you need. This is just gaudy.

bermudianbrit · March 2021

there are advantages to being a blind guitar player sometimes. Give me the thing and I'll play it and that will determine if I like it or not. In the past, guitar stores have enjoyed giving me acoustics at various price points and getting me to do a literal blind test of them. I'm not saying I have the best ears in the world but at least I listen with them instead of my eyes lol.

Jez6345789 · March 2021

There is some truly beautiful work going on in high end lutherie these days long gone are the days of people knocking out d18 clones in there workshop the level of this stuff makes my brain hurt.

As with all things I have never bought anything I wanted as an investment so my view is use them play them. Otherwise you might as well just get a picture to hang on the wall.

most of this stuff is still designed to be a very high standard sonically it’s not just a D28 with a load of Pearl and abalone strewn across.

not sure I will ever have that sort of splash cash but nice to dream

artiebear · March 2021

If a luthier is capable of producing work to the highest standard ( it is art as well as craft ) and there is a market capable of appreciating the skills involved, why not ? The same reason that someone at CF Martin added the first abalone to an 0 guitar, which itself had already been done in Europe, probably taken from the artwork in some N. European fiddles, where a lot of pearl was added. The luthier had the chops to pull it off so they did.

The particular guitar featured is hardly outrageously blingy while giving a nod to certain iconic New York jazz arch tops. Non of the prices currently on Dream Guitars web site are particularly out there for the particular builders involved.

DavidR · March 2021

Rule 14b/12 when buying an acoustic - Don't listen with your eyes.

FunkyGibbon · March 2021

At the risk of having to rapidly don a helmet and Kevlar body armour....

It seems to me that guitars are both works of art and made to be used. I might buy a work of art as an investment but I’d also make sure I enjoyed it by looking at it rather than leaving it in a vault in Zurich.

Similarly, for me, guitars are made to be played. If they’re not played one could, quite cogently, argue that they had never been truly fully appreciated or even approached realising their potential.

I am fortunate enough to own some guitars way beyond what my humble upbringing ever suggested might be possible or I ever imagined I might own. They are all looked after carefully, but they are also played (not as much as I would like) and the wear that results is part of the life and use that makes them part of my life and therefore enjoyed and valued for the joy they’ve brought.

I have no intention of lying on my deathbed and regretting not playing them because their beauty
somehow enslaved me, held me captive and prevented me from realising their full beauty as living, and vulnerable, musical instruments.

I understand why people ‘collect guitars’ but somehow, I can’t help thinking they have somehow missed the point!

As they say, your mileage may vary!

But, whatever you do enjoy the guitars you have to the max!

icu81b4 · March 2021

FunkyGibbon said:

At the risk of having to rapidly don a helmet and Kevlar body armour....

It seems to me that guitars are both works of art and made to be used. I might buy a work of art as an investment but I’d also make sure I enjoyed it by looking at it rather than leaving it in a vault in Zurich.

Similarly, for me, guitars are made to be played. If they’re not played one could, quite cogently, argue that they had never been truly fully appreciated or even approached realising their potential.

I am fortunate enough to own some guitars way beyond what my humble upbringing ever suggested might be possible or I ever imagined I might own. They are all looked after carefully, but they are also played (not as much as I would like) and the wear that results is part of the life and use that makes them part of my life and therefore enjoyed and valued for the joy they’ve brought.

I have no intention of lying on my deathbed and regretting not playing them because their beauty
somehow enslaved me, held me captive and prevented me from realising their full beauty as living, and vulnerable, musical instruments.

I understand why people ‘collect guitars’ but somehow, I can’t help thinking they have somehow missed the point!

As they say, your mileage may vary!

But, whatever you do enjoy the guitars you have to the max!

I have to agree with this, and am also fortunate to own some nice guitars, but they all get used... sometimes in places where you need to keep a close eye on them. (Pre pandemic)

TheBigDipper · March 2021

Some guitars can be fantastic pieces of furniture or art. I happen to prefer plain guitars, but that's just a personal preference. For me, the function dictates the form that delivers it - and usually a plain guitar sounds just as good as a beautiful one for less money. I don't think I've every bought a guitar because of its looks... yet.

But when they're really, really beautiful, the work involved in making it beautiful must have some bearing on the cost.

LastMantra · March 2021

How a guitar looks is the most important thing to me. If I don't like how it looks I don't care how good it sounds or plays.
Luckily I don't like the look of fancy blingy guitars.

If I was mega rich I think I'd quite like a cool guitar to put on the wall as art. I'd probably appreciate that as much as a painting or sculpture or something.

pjf · March 2021

My nicest sounding acoustic is also my best-looking and most bling

Chris_J · March 2021

Tannin said:

.......at which one is no longer comfortable playing the guitar. It's not a new dilemma - my granny had a tea set which was completely useless because it was too beautiful to drink out of.

So where do you draw the line?

I guess everyone draws the line in a different place?

For some, they'd never think of spending £1,000 on a guitar, for others, maybe £5,000 or £10,000... or £100,000!

I've been guilty of shying away from taking my nice guitars out before. Its daft. I'm over it now and love to play and hear them. I'm sure everyone else does too.

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories

In this Discussion

Become a Subscriber!

Ridiculously beautiful yet expensive Acoustics

Comments