Comments

• VicBulbon SeattleNew Ivanovski Busato

  September 18 Posts: 85

  Great points from everybody. WE have Siganos and Altamiras for the more affordable end, but I think Michael is right, smaller markets are compressed. You see the same thing with acoustic archtops. Archtops that actually sound good unplugged are a niche these days and so the decent ones you'll get start with expensive Loars and Eastman, although the top end of archtops is still a little more expensive than GJ guitars in my opinion. The Gibson l5s and DiAngelicos bringing up the collector value.

  
  

  I think most crucially however, a good for life gj guitar could be found easily for 2 to 3k. You barely get a standard factory American made Martin with that money.
• MikeK Asheville, NCNew Altamira M-30 D-Cedar, Gitane DG-320 John Jorgensen

  September 21 Posts: 511

  I understand how at first glance, the OP could be mystified by the price tag on some of the high end and/or vintage GJ guitars. But in my view, a couple of the coolest things about getting into this magical style of music are:

  a. you can break into it without having to spend a fortune. There are good deals on brand new low-end Asian GJ guitars from Michael here (Altamira, Gitane, Dell Arte, etc). Additionally, there seems to be a constant flow of affordable used ones ($800 to $1400) on this forum and elsewhere, if you're patient and know where to look.

  b. In my experience, these guitars (even the low-end Asian ones) hold their value well. I've owned 5 Altamiras & 1 Gitane, and I've always been able to get most if not all of my $ back when the time came to sell.

  The high-end/boutique/vintage world of these guitars is something I know little about (although I enjoy reading about those guitars occasionally here on the forum). But I've always appreciated how, with around $1K and some time/patience, you can get a cool looking, sounding & playing used GJ guitar that you can gig with.

  
• littlemark New

  September 21 Posts: 464

  The OP seems like a younger lad. It's also good to remember what $1500 felt like in your youth.

  I remember saving up for a year to buy my vintage music man bass for $1500. It felt like fortune and took forever.

  
• Joonas EstoniaNew Taylor 210

  September 21 Posts: 84

  @MikeK Do you happen to have owned an M or MD model Altamira? That's the cheapest one, with light coloured laminated maple sides and back? In case you have, how did it compare to the other Altamiras?
• voutoreenie New

  September 21 Posts: 268

  Bit of thread drift from me as always...but I'll add in that if you're actively looking to buy, it's never a bad idea to keep a steady eye on Reverb and always make offers if you see something good because any reasonable offer can easily get accepted by the seller - I got my Park Encore a few years ago for just a little over $2k after shipping and although it needed some TLC elbow grease to get it back into good playing condition, was a great deal for a luthier instrument (and it sounds fantastic too, perfect contrast to my Dupont Busato).

  Also, absolutely keep an eye on Michael's inventory...he always has some nice deals to be found and sometimes guitars get marked down as well - he recently had a used Dupont D hole (MD100?) that was originally at $3,500 but was discounted to $2,800 before it disappeared and if I had the coin, would have strongly considered buying. Another recent example, Michael had an older (I believe) MD50 a few months ago for a great price that got scooped up like within like a week of him posting it.

  And always keep an eye on the forum as well - good-to-great deals pop up on here from private sellers at least a few times every year.

  Last, if you've saved up like $900-$1,100, that should be enough to find a good deal on a used Asian model; personally, I'm a fan of Altamiras and Eastmans as providing the most "bang for your buck" and if you see one for sub-$1k in decent condition, I'd jump on it.

  
• MikeK Asheville, NCNew Altamira M-30 D-Cedar, Gitane DG-320 John Jorgensen

  September 21 Posts: 511

  https://www.djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/comment/123018#Comment_123018

  Joonas--my first GJ guitar was an Altamira M-01D that I bought new from Michael. If I remember correctly, it had a spruce top & laminated rosewood back & sides. It was the perfect starter guitar for me. The other 4 Altamiras I've owned (an M-10, an antique M-10, an antique M-30 and an antique M-30 D cedar) have had better tuning machines & bridges, as well as solid backs & sides. To me, the M-01 D was excellent to start with and the others have been nice steps upward, as I've progressed with this music. I hope that answers your question.

  
• Joonas EstoniaNew Taylor 210

  September 22 Posts: 84

  @MikeK Yes, well they make those M (just an M) models, without any numbers added, which should be like the 01 models but instead of laminated rosewood back and sides they have laminated maple. There are a few promotional videos on Youtube.
• MikeK Asheville, NCNew Altamira M-30 D-Cedar, Gitane DG-320 John Jorgensen

  September 22 Posts: 511

  Ah, now I get it. I didn't know about those. It would be interesting to know what they're like & how they compare. If someone else has tried one, maybe they can chime in. Sorry, OP, for drifting a bit from your topic.