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The cream one has been Ebay'd like 3 times already. The seller lowered his BIN price from the original $499 he was asking. The pics don't show enough of it to comment.

That second one is sweet! I got it my watch list. It's too bad that that's the only thing I can afford to do right now... watch it.

Prediction: It will sell for between $400-$450 right at the end of the auction. I just saw an Aria Les Paul go for just under $600 earlier this afternoon...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... %3AIT&rd=1

Crazy, ain't it?

I guess the fact that it went for so much money, is both good and bad.

Good in the sense that maybe the "vintage" Aria Pro II's are coming up in value and people are recognising them as good instruments, and worthy of collectable status, or bad in the sense that those of us who collect these guitars, may no longer be so able to afford them, and collect them.

With so many name brand guitars being produced in Korea, and China these days, I would think that the quality and collectabilility of the MIJ guitar's should eventually catch on in the guitar world. For those of us unable to afford, (or are not crazy enough) to get into the vintage Gibson/Fender/Gretch world, these guitars offer another, more sane, vintage avenue.

Maybe there time is coming?

I think an item has to prove itself worthy in order to become collectable, or vintage.

For instance, when Japan first started to produce cars and guitars, they were pretty much ridiculed for being junk, just as most Korean and Chinese products are today. But after many years, they have proven themselves very worthy producers of both. They have stood the test of time, and are now considered to be fine automobiles and guitars, right up there, if not better than American products. Maybe some day, the Korean and even the Chinese products might make the list, but it takes time to get there and to buildup the reputation.

Also, take into consideration that the babyboomer generation now has money to burn, and they want to drive the cars of their youth at any cost, and that has driven the market for vintage cars out-of-control, pretty much the same with American guitars.

So yes, being old doesn't automatically mean much, unless it has proven the test of time, and it is a good product that people want. There will be only so many people that can afford vintage Gibsons, so eventually they will turn to the next best thing, MIJ...

IMO, of course!

I agree with you on the Baby Boomer theory. I'm curious, I'm in USA, and the Baby Boomer generation here gets lots of attention, for things such as buying up stuff from the 50's, 60's, 70's. Is the same thing going on in say, Great Britain, Germany, France, etc.? I mean, are there post WWII large Baby Boomer populations moving through these countries as well, with some financial inplications?

Just to speculate (I'm going to be 56 in June, so I'm just off the leading edge of the Baby Boomers in America), I think that the Baby Boomers who have bought instruments with the sole purpose of speculation on a rise in value, could be in for a disappointment. I mean, if it is indeed a Baby Boomer phenomenon that is driving up the prices as collectibles, then what happens when we start needing more medical care, say, and try to sell the collectibles? Won't more Baby Boomers be selling than buying at that point?

Better, I say to be a player, and enjoy the instrument. That's what investment advisors say about collecting artwork as well. No one can predict for sure what that artwork will sell for at a later date when you need to sell it. But if you have bought it because you truly enjoyed that artwork, then you have that satisfaction and enjoyment as a return on your investment, even if you don't get the price you were hoping for.

Good points Jeffster.

I also think the whole collectible craze could become a big bust for the boomer generation. Just because we as baby boomers have such a huge interest in 60/70's muscle cars, and guitars, doesn't mean that the Gen X and Y will have the same interest, so we may become stuck with things that nobody wants. We already know that they prefer to hop-up small Japanese cars, tuner cars, instead of American muscle cars. Maybe they'll prefer Japanese guitars to? Another potential problem I see is that we don't know if they will have as much expendable cash as we do. They are also far smaller in numbers than we are. So yeah, I agree, play your guitars, and drive the old cars!

Good question you asked about boomer generations abroad! I'm interested to know if they are other baby boomer generations out there to.

And, if there are, are they also called baby boomers, or something else?

Things are always collectible when they're from your childhood. Older than that... well, there's a big drop in interest. I have a couple of vintage cars, including one from the 30's, and one of the things commented on in the old car field is the declining interest in older cars. Sure, the rare valuable stuff goes up and up, but there's declining interest in the normal stuff when it's older than what you had as a kid. I'd expect the same to hold true with the Boomers... but remember too, the people with most of the power and wealth in the world are mostly those in their 60's, 70's, and 80's... the Boomers are only just starting to come into power.

well.....theres always exceptions to the rule.....im only 23, and i would much rather have a 60s/70s muscle car than one of those stupid little japanese things....and the majority of my guitars come from the 70's-before i was even born. i find new stuff to be boring. old stuff has character.

Well, I predicted $400 to $450 for that Aria Tele and it went for $455!!!!

I also saw a Westbury Standard in average condition go for $322 a few days ago.

Are Matsumoku guitars finally becoming "collector's guitars??"

I asked that exact question in an earlier post here.

I think they could be myself. There are alot of guitar players out there, probably the majority, that are more hobbyists than working musicians, and many of them would like to collect guitars. But how many are willing, or can afford to collect vintage American guitars? Even with the expendable cash of the boomers, I don't think there are to many. So I think that eventually, they'll look for the next best thing, something they can afford, and remember from their youth, (and that won't get them thrown out of their house!)and that would probably be the MIJ Uncle Matt guitars, or maybe Ibanez or the original Peavy's which are also still cheap. You never know what the next hot collectable will be.

Good call on that Tele price Buck!