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Relative values - the Gilmour auction


tauzero

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7 hours ago, phil.c60 said:

Last night at rehearsal i mentioned that these wee all coming up for sale and the drummer reckons that when Guy Pratt first went to audition for Pink Floyd, Dave Gilmour was noodling on the black Strat. Guy, waning to break the ice a bit said "Is that an old one?" to which Dave Gilmour replied " Well they don't get any older, old boy". I'd like to think it happened.

The story is in Guy's book My Bass And Other Animals. Well worth read. I have a signed copy. 

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9 hours ago, mep said:

The story is in Guy's book My Bass And Other Animals. Well worth read. I have a signed copy. 

So do I - as the old joke goes, I think the unsigned ones are worth more money! -  but I didn't remember that being in it. Perhaps I should read it again!

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The thing with guitars and other stringed instruments, is that they are nice to look at. They are works of art in their own right. That's why there are collectors who aren't players. They simply like the look of them, which is understandable because they are things of beauty. You don't need to be able to play them to appreciate their sheer loveliness.

If I won the Euromillions and had a hundred-plus million in the bank, I would buy them just to look at. Not just guitars either, but violins, violas, cello's etc. They just look "right", in a way that a piano or drum kit doesn't. They are sculptures, for want of a better word.

That drives the price up of (a) influential instruments such as the first Martin D-28 produced (b) instruments owned by famous people such as "blackie", and (c) vintage instruments.

If they didn't look as pretty as they do, the cost of them would be much lower. But because they are art, their prices are influenced in the same way that paintings or sculptures are.

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It's a shame that modern instruments aren't treated as old classical ones. I believe investments businesses will buy things like Strads but then loan them to the top players to use. That way they have their investment but the instrument is still used.

A lot of instruments end up in vaults as purely an investment and that's terrible for a guitar.

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6 minutes ago, Steve Browning said:

It's a shame that modern instruments aren't treated as old classical ones. I believe investments businesses will buy things like Strads but then loan them to the top players to use. That way they have their investment but the instrument is still used.

A lot of instruments end up in vaults as purely an investment and that's terrible for a guitar.

I think you are anthropomorphising guitars here. They are well protected and not at risk of damage in a vault. The guitar doesn't care, but if it did I'm sure it would prefer that life to being knocked about in the back of a van.

Surely buying instruments as investments isn't a bad thing is it? The only downside is that some people who really want to play an original 64 Strat or Precision but can't afford to will be disappointed, but then again if they want to hang the Mona Lisa up on their bedroom wall, they are going to be disappointed there as well. Why should musical instruments be immune from the economics of supply and demand?

I'm no milk-and-water liberal, but even I can see that investing in musical instruments is a much better use for one's money than investing in an arms manufacturer!

Edited by Deanol
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2 minutes ago, Steve Browning said:

It's a shame that modern instruments aren't treated as old classical ones. I believe investments businesses will buy things like Strads but then loan them to the top players to use. That way they have their investment but the instrument is still used.

A lot of instruments end up in vaults as purely an investment and that's terrible for a guitar.

It’s a good point. I was in a celtic rock band before, and our violinists day job was playing in orchestras. Her violin was worth as much as the estimate on Gilmour’s black Strat, but was owned by a trust who had loaned it to her. 

Side note... she didn’t use this for live work with us! Her electric violin was a much better fit!

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What’s funny here is that DG like Clapton before him is essentially saying that the guitar he uses isn’t what creates the magic - it’s the player. 

We fetishise old instruments but DG will sound incredible on any guitar you give him I imagine. 

Theres no magic in a old guitar, just in the hands.

Personally I’d like the government to stick an export embargo on these and buy them for the nation. Stick them in a museum and celebrate how a tiny island has transformed music and popular culture for decades.

The 4 guys in Pink Floyd have probably changed more lives that than every single author and every single novel published in the last 50 years combined.

Edited by Burns-bass
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13 hours ago, Deanol said:

The thing with guitars and other stringed instruments, is that they are nice to look at. They are works of art in their own right. That's why there are collectors who aren't players. They simply like the look of them, which is understandable because they are things of beauty. You don't need to be able to play them to appreciate their sheer loveliness.

But where that falls down is that Gilmour's black Strat looks pretty much the same as a Squier Affinity. The collectors are buying more than decorations, they're buying the associations too.

I rather hope a few of them are bought by talented guitarists who will use them at least occasionally, and others by institutions like the Hard Rock Cafe which will display them for the public. It's a bit sad to think of them disappearing into vaults, never to be seen again until whichever auction the new owner decides to sell them at.

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2 hours ago, Burns-bass said:

What’s funny here is that DG like Clapton before him is essentially saying that the guitar he uses isn’t what creates the magic - it’s the player. 

That's pretty much what he said on BBC Breakfast.

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On 30 January 2019 at 10:26, wateroftyne said:

DG is just completely awesome.

It's great that both him & Roger are getting knee-deep in trying to make a difference (whether you agree with some of the causes or not). 

Compare and contrast with Bono and Bob 

Edited by gareth
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46 minutes ago, gareth said:

Compare and contrast with Bono and Bob 

Yet Bob seemed to have some sway with messrs Gilmour & Waters. I personally can’t stick the fella but each to their own I suppose.

Edited by Deedee
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20 hours ago, Deanol said:

The thing with guitars and other stringed instruments, is that they are nice to look at. They are works of art in their own right. That's why there are collectors who aren't players. They simply like the look of them, which is understandable because they are things of beauty. You don't need to be able to play them to appreciate their sheer loveliness.

If I won the Euromillions and had a hundred-plus million in the bank, I would buy them just to look at. Not just guitars either, but violins, violas, cello's etc. They just look "right", in a way that a piano or drum kit doesn't. They are sculptures, for want of a better word.

That drives the price up of (a) influential instruments such as the first Martin D-28 produced (b) instruments owned by famous people such as "blackie", and (c) vintage instruments.

If they didn't look as pretty as they do, the cost of them would be much lower. But because they are art, their prices are influenced in the same way that paintings or sculptures are.

Yea but most of the none playing collectors buy simply to own what they hope will be a appreciating asset. Then flog it on when it is worth a lot more. Instruments were made to be played.

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  • 3 months later...
22 hours ago, Drax said:

Full list .. Some gems, some random old things, and a 52 P bass..

Also this vid worth a watch, appreciate this is bass not guitar chat, but the provenance on the 3 guitars here is something else

 

Wonderful stuff.

I remember seeing a photograph of that Zemaitis fretless bass with its Love Heart soundhole in 'The Ultimate Guitar Book' many years ago, the no.1 strat too.  

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