So...... back in the day, I had a JS10th and JS CP - both of which were case queens.

I always wanted to play them, but didn't want them them show wear and hurt the collector/resale value.

I no longer have those guitars but have recently purchased a player JS10th and another CP - and I absolutely love that I can play them without the thought of hurting their value in my mind.

It's also changed how I consider future purchases - will I be OK to tuck this away and not play it?

Curious others thoughts and opinions on this ..... especially those with ultra-collectibles (I.e. JEM DNA, JS2, JS Donnie, etc.)

Steve

I you want to invest money, there are better ways.

Anybody want to invest in the current stock market that's already taken a steep ride with economy stagnation predicted? Not that predictions ever come true, but the time to invest is when there is blood in the street, not when it's at a peak

A player guitar might appreciate, might not, but if it's played it's used for intended purpose. If it goes up or down is just as predictable if JC Penny does. I'm sure plenty bought Sears in the 50's and 60's and held it for the dividend.

Want to invest in Detroit Bonds? Cid, where is it safe to put your money, besides in a safe?

I think this is important. If you strip away the unique aspects of these "ultra collectibles," it really helps if they are good guitars that can be used for their intended purpose, which is to be played. It adds legitimacy, but I am an outsider looking in.

Id say the only way to guarantee your guitar goes up in value is to buy something with a wide base of potential buyers, 67 Strat, 62 Les Paul etc.... I dunno if putting ab Ibanez under the bed for 20 years and expecting it to go up in value is a guaranteed thing. Owners of PRMs, Blackdogs etc will always want to think they have an ultra rare collectable which is shooting up in value... but until you try and sell it, you really won't ever know (I know guys who have lost money on ARTs already).... Personally I say play them as that's what they were made for.... sure they will get marks, etc but your enjoying them and that's what its about... if your gonna buy a guitar to hide away... your better off just putting the money in a term deposit.

btw 6 months in and I use my 1CR30 a lot.... the chrome is holding up great.... my 10th however.... more scratches than I can count....

I have lots of guitars, like most of you guys on here I can't resist a bargain but once I've worked one up if I don't like it enough I sell it, I would never consider keeping a guitar under the bed waiting for its value to increase. I have often bought guitars in the expectation of liking them and then been disappointed.
So, if you like playing the guitar then keep it, if you don't like it or are scared to play it then sell it and buy something else, I generally make a decent profit (excluding my labour) on the guitars I sell, I suspect from reading some of the for sale ads on here that many guys are actually scared to sell their prized case queens for fear that their significant other will pounce on the cash windfall and waste it on a load of worthless crap for the home.
That's a separate issue which falls into the "what's mine is mine and what's yours is mine" category best dealt with by cutting them out of the loop all together.
Play on.

So, here's my crazy world.......I had amassed a pretty big guitar collection with several high end guitars from makers other than Ibanez. Then, I bought a brand new 2005 Jem 7VWH......changed my world...became the only guitar neck I wanted to play on. I soon bought a new 2007 Jem 77VBK, same feel.. Then a mint 77BRMR 2006 model. Fast forward to now, and I ended up selling off my non JEM guitar collection to simply buy each Jem again,,,,same exact years...but used. Now, I can gig those used Jems all I want and still get to play my favorite necks and guitars, and the ones I bought new/mint get used around the house and pampered to stay like new. Bottom line is.....if you buy a new guitar that you just want to play the hell out of and gig out with but don't want the battle scars...well, buy it again used with some wear for cheaper and play that one in situations where dings and fret wear become commonplace risks. I've never been happier, and don't see myself ever buying another guitar. However, I'm not preserving my originals for resale,,,,just want to keep em minty....so maybe this doesn't relate as much to the other posts.

Dunno if I'd call it an ultra-collectable but I've played and damaged my 30th Anniversary Jem 777 LNG already, I've played it almost every day since the day I bought it so It has hundreds of hours of playtime probably, never gigged it though. What's the point in a guitar if you're not gonna play it, existing only to sit in a case and exchange hands every couple of years/decades seems a massive shame.

In the early 2001 i bought a brand new DNA. I played it at home some times and i played it for two songs during a gig, took very much care of it.. Since this time it is a case queen, because i don't want any damage. My thoughts are if i am in financial difficulties i could sell her. The money you get depends on the condition of the instrument.

But yes i know, i have to make a decision, playing or selling. Sitting here in the case year after year while i am getting older is not a good solution.

I've had 7 or 8 original LNGs, two of which I currently still have. The others were in perfect or near perfect condition, and I wouldn't touch them in fear of damaging them, so I gladly got rid of them.

Saying you had one of the iconic axes once is cool, right, but how you gonna know if it lives up to the hype if you don't give 'er a go? Saying you play one of the icons and you now know what all the ruckus is about. THIS is the real goal we try to attain when we get one anyway, isn't it? How bad would it suck if the ICON you sold without playing it out of fear of condition, ends up being the best playing ICON of the bunch, because you get to play it later, at the party the dude who bought it is having to celebrate the purchase of your guitar, because it ended up being the best playing ICON of the bunch and he wants to party to commemorate it ? To have a "holy grail" and not enjoy what that carries seems alot like having a gold brick for a doorstop, and I can find any number of ways to hold the door open without resorting to that.
Thoughts?

Knowledge through experience I say.... in know people with rare guitars who don’t play them, so they really have idea of the feel, tone, and playability of the instrument.... just the specs and value, which are least important to me.

And to think... Some folks pay a grip to get the "relic" guitars. Would the term "ULTRA-LIGHTLY RELIC'ed" ever catch on as an indicator the axe has been loved a little in the collector's world? Would it be fair to say that if it is played AT ALL, it would be "ULTRA-LIGHTLY RELIC'ed"? I think there should be a premium on playability that offsets the condition within reason when it applies.

Every one of the used guitars I bought for me got the full treatment when I'd first get them, the JS's always to break them down and verify, but they always got the works [that I was doing at the time, todays works would be more extensive], they got played for a few days, wiped down and put away. I even took a Donnie and gave it the real works, fret ends, level, radius, I left it out on the loveseat as the one permanent guitar laying around [which I hadn't had for some time]. The reason I didn't, is because I never played it and it just gets dusty. I always got my rocks off playing inventory on the way out that there was never any time left for it so I finally put it away. The new guitars I never wanted any other way but NIB. I'd never do a silver package on my EVO, but a guitar that's already been used is fair game to play, I just ran out of time to.