How do you guys afford buying guitars???

[andy474x]

Best advice I can give for planning for financial success at 19 is to figure out where your abilities and interests intersect with opportunities and potential for making money. Which sounds capitalistic and unromantic, but it’s not a crime to desire a comfortable standard of living!

I suppose my point of view is jaded from the fact that I graduated college at the height of the Great Recession, and tons of my classmates were working as restaurant servers or otherwise significantly underemployed after graduating - the engineers and nurses, and other very specific career path degree earners all got jobs, but the philosophy, communications, and even folks like myself with chemistry or biology degrees, couldn’t beg a job to save our lives. We were the “follow your dreams” generation, and that was… incomplete advice.

I then went in to grad school for a career that I knew was a ringer (dentistry), not for the big money, but for the security. Don’t get me wrong, it can be lucrative, but my wife (also a dentist) and I find joy in living comfortably but also well within our means - no crazy house, luxury cars, etc., we keep a middle class standard, so we have the ability to do something special from time to time without breaking the bank - mine was getting a couple WL core guitars and nice amps in the past few years.

Look to the end point and see where the opportunities are, don’t just blindly go down the road with hopes of everything “working out.” It does “work out” for a lot of folks, but it also doesn’t for many others.

When it comes to gear, don’t discount what you can do with affordable stuff. PRS makes some excellent grade gear in their budget lines, you could do a lot with a few SE’s and a couple amps, like the HDRX 20 and MT15. I had a lot of fun with SE’s during college and grad school, and still have and use most of them. Get the nicer gear when the work will pay for it. Bonus points, depending on where you are, you may get a tax write off if your gear is a business related expense!

 

[László]

 

[alex1fly]

So the answer for affording multiple Cores is either…
Save for a long time
Use financing/debt
Use somebody else’s money

Boggles my mind to see folks with 3, 4, 5 or more $3000+ guitars. I’d have to be pulling in well over $100,000/yr to justify that after covering the rest of my regular expenses.

Plenty of folks will guide you towards less expensive guitars, getting a professional setup done, and then playing the bejeezus out of the guitar. That’s what I’ve done and while I’m not a virtuoso I can play most things pretty darn well. Consistent practice will take you to success way more than an expensive wood top will.

Plenty of fantastic guitars can be had for $300-1000. Plenty of professionals using said guitars to make their living. And not just SEs either - Squier, Epiphone, Fender, used Gibsons, Ibanez’s, the list goes on. The key is getting a good setup, maintaining that good setup, and like I said earlier playing the bejeezus out of it.

 

[64 Tele]

At 19, I was working my way thru 6 years of college studies.

I did have a couple nice guitars that I bought while living at home in my teens and working nights/weekends after high school.
I bought the majority of my current guitars the last few years before retiring, and have only bought one after retiring.

It's a matter of priorities.....roof over our heads, food on the table, funding retirement accounts, then guitars.
Forty one and a half years practicing my profession was enough, so hung it up a couple of years ago.

I've got one used PRS Wood Library, 2 used Gibsons, 3 MIM Fenders, 3 used PRS SE's.
The MIM Fenders and SE's are good enough to play out live with.

 

[ElrytNamrogo]

What once seemed like a pipe dream finally came to fruition maybe five or ten years in.

That being said, prices have jumped so much - and at a pace greater than the increase of my income - that it may be becoming another pipe dream. Definitely glad I have been able to acquire the guitars I have now.

I will say, it's great you have an idea of what you want at 19. The earlier you're able to set your eye on the prize, the earlier you can make it a reality.

 

[Ruben Bernard]

What once seemed like a pipe dream finally came to fruition maybe five or ten years in.

That being said, prices have jumped so much - and at a pace greater than the increase of my income - that it may be becoming another pipe dream. Definitely glad I have been able to acquire the guitars I have now.

I will say, it's great you have an idea of what you want at 19. The earlier you're able to set your eye on the prize, the earlier you can make it a reality.

This is literally exactly what I wanted to hear. Is it easy... no. Is it definite... no. But eyes on the prize and optimism at the possibilities

 

[Max Headroom]

At 19 I had an old Aria strat copy from the seventies I think and some old combo amp I don't even remember the name of.
I thought that guitar was the bomb...mainly cos I didn't know any better and even if I did I could not afford any better at the time.
Fast forward MANY years with all the normal sh!t taken care of and behind me and yes I have disposable income to literally do what I want with.
But this is after working 44 years in the same trade and becoming the "Red Adair" of my profession and it pays very well now.
Even 10 years ago while still putting my daughter through college some luxuries went on hold.
And a core or PS PRS was said luxury, I had a number of SE guitars(3 I think) and was quite happy with them.
Now?
Well that's another tale!

 

[garrett]

I bought my first PRS at age 19 and my second at 23. It was all about working and being frugal and patiently saving back then.

I'm sure some people have lucrative careers that enable them to splash out, but I suspect the vast majority of us put guitar funds into our budgets. It's one of those things that seems impossible at first, but you can get there with some planning and prioritizing.

That said, the current SE models are incredibly good, so anyone would be well served by one of those (with maybe an upgrade or two along the way).

 

[Going Modal]

 

[nac]

So the answer for affording multiple Cores is either…
Save for a long time
Use financing/debt
Use somebody else’s money

Boggles my mind to see folks with 3, 4, 5 or more $3000+ guitars. I’d have to be pulling in well over $100,000/yr to justify that after covering the rest of my regular expenses.

Plenty of folks will guide you towards less expensive guitars, getting a professional setup done, and then playing the bejeezus out of the guitar. That’s what I’ve done and while I’m not a virtuoso I can play most things pretty darn well. Consistent practice will take you to success way more than an expensive wood top will.

Plenty of fantastic guitars can be had for $300-1000. Plenty of professionals using said guitars to make their living. And not just SEs either - Squier, Epiphone, Fender, used Gibsons, Ibanez’s, the list goes on. The key is getting a good setup, maintaining that good setup, and like I said earlier playing the bejeezus out of it.

Uhhh no. How about I work my tail off to afford the things I want? Work hard, play hard. Never financed any gear, ever. Never used anyone else's money.

You do you but don't assume that others aren't out their busting their tails and just luck in to Private Stock or Core guitars.

 

[DreamTheaterRules]

Come on man, you're 19! You can't expect to have the money of someone who is well into a career. That's just the way life is. When I was 19 I had an Ibanez Artist (great guitar, high school graduation present) and a cheap Peavey amp. I missed some great concerts because I just couldn't afford to go to all of them that I wanted. I worked full time all summer, but only part time during school and only part of the school year because I played two sports in college, so I had NO extra money for buying gear or anything. I can actually remember breaking a string and going in to buy one string because I didn't have the spare money for a whole new set.

I'm also going to tell you that when you do get into your career, save money first! Don't get caught up in what this society teaches young people now, which is to buy whatever you want and worry about paying for it later. Or buying it now on high interest credit cards. SAVE MONEY FIRST. Then save up to buy a nice guitar or amp. Then you can actually FULLY enjoy it, knowing it's yours and you don't have to pay 21% interest every month just to play it. Your statement about money is telling and common these days! Learn about managing money and budgeting FIRST, and your whole life will be better moving forward!

 

[DreamTheaterRules]

p.s. Besides, this is the PRS forum. Don't you know that we're all doctors, dentists and blues lawyers here?

 

[Quimper Sound]

I now own a store that sells them....
OK before that. Here is my secret. I lived like the poor person I was and spent all my money on guitars. I had roommates. I did not eat out a lot. I did not vacation. I just prioritized my gear as that is what was most important to me.
Later into my 40's and after I started the store which made zero dollars for the first 5 years I lucked into a stupid real estate deal and took advantage of finally being in the right place at the right time. This made home life easier. The trick I use to keep that going is I live in my means. I have never carried personal debt for consumer goods.

 

[Ruben Bernard]

Uhhh no. How about I work my tail off to afford the things I want? Work hard, play hard. Never financed any gear, ever. Never used anyone else's money.

You do you but don't assume that others aren't out their busting their tails and just luck in to Private Stock or Core guitars.

I don't plan on borrowing money, or financing. I'm too dumb nd unreliable to even consider debt. It'd kill me. I plan on saving my ass off all my life and buying the stuff that I want with my hard earned money hahah

 

[Toolmaster Of Brainerd]

I'm 24, so I think I'm a lot closer to you than most people on this forum. I'm in grad school, so I have a salary for being a TA, but I'm also still a student. I bought a used core custom 24 a year and a half ago. It was a huge purchase for me, but I've put a lot of hours on it since then.

It's the only nice guitar I own. I only own 1 nice amp. I own 1 nice pedalboard. Each was expensive, but it all gets used heavily, and it makes me happy. After rent, bills, and food, music gear is basically the only other thing I buy. My death metal band just released its first single, home recorded in my basement with a small recording setup.

My advice:
- Buy used
- NEVER buy gear on a payment plan. Always save first and then buy in full, when it comes to hobbies
- After paying rent, bills, food, save at least half of whatever money is left for life stuff, and save the other half for hobbies.
- It's easy to spend frivolously on things you don't need. Make your purchases count, even the small everyday kind of purchases.

 

[jak3af3r]

I was 19 or just turned 20 when I bought my first "core." I saved pretty much everything I could and went and narrowed down what I wanted through playing lots of guitars and settled on a custom 24 with a rosewood neck. Then I watched and waited about 3 months looking for the right one to come up for sale and I bought it.

That was almost 10 years ago.

Every core PRS I own (I have 4 now) was used and purchased significantly below market value and only if I had cash available to spend at that time.

 

[archtop]

At 19 I scrimped and saved for a year to buy a new Strat while in college, I worked overtime and what put me over the top was winning a pie eating wager! At that time I focused on school, work and gigs - no other social life, no partying, no spending on booze, i.e. no "college life". Then, decades of 12 - 16 hour days, often 7 days a week, put my in a position to afford a few Cores and other Custom Shop guitars.

BTW I still have that Strat, but to this day I'm not a fan of pie!

 

[shinksma]

I had one "OK" electric guitar until I was about 28 years old, a Flying-V knock-off by El Degas. And a couple of (bad) acoustics. Oh, and a tolerable but still not great bass. No good guitar amps - just a cheap Peavey solid state. No bass amp. (Not sure why I bought the bass back then, tbh.)

I bought a Squier mexi-Strat and then a 1979 Gibson LP Deluxe in those years from 28 to 32-ish?, and finally a pretty good low-cost acoustic (Norman).

I filled out a few more guitars here and there over the next few years.

I never paid more than $400 CDN for any of them. I was super careful with my guitar budget, because I knew I wasn't a good enough player for anything more expensive.

I finally figured out, in my late forties, that a PRS was within my reach, and that frankly "I" was worth it, regardless of talent. Plus, I was in a band, making tens of dollars each month gigging!

Since then I've spent a lot more money on guitars, specifically PRS guitars, than I ever thought possible - no Private Stocks though (yet?). But my wife (who also plays now) understood how much I enjoyed playing (and "collecting") them, and now her experience with her collection of bass guitars has taught her that there really are differences in them all.

So the point being - give yourself time. Your two SE Tremontis are waaaay more guitar than I had at your age. Just make sure you understand the priorities you set when deciding between a new-to-you guitar (hint: buy used) and something that might also be important, like a healthy savings account to help you if you get laid off or decide to make an investment in a house or car or something.

Eventually you may find yourself in a position to be ordering a Private Stock, maybe even before you turn 46 (lol). Or you might be glad you didn't spend it that way, because Timmy and/or Tammy need funds for college. (Although the price of a PS buys only about a year or two of in-State college tuition now!)

 

[shinksma]

So the answer for affording multiple Cores is either…
Save for a long time
Use financing/debt
Use somebody else’s money

Uhhh no. How about I work my tail off to afford the things I want? Work hard, play hard. Never financed any gear, ever. Never used anyone else's money.

You do you but don't assume that others aren't out their busting their tails and just luck in to Private Stock or Core guitars.

Well, that was the first option that @alex1fly offered: Save for a long time. "Long time" is subjective, and if you bust your tail enough you can shorten the time frame in a few different ways.

The second option is not what I would ever suggest. But some people exercise it, and live with the risk. Perhaps because they have Option 3 at the ready:

The third option I assume alludes to having well-to-do parents who don't mind splurging, getting an inheritance (perhaps from aforementioned well-to-do parents), or acquiring a sugar-daddy/mommy.

 

[alex1fly]

Uhhh no. How about I work my tail off to afford the things I want? Work hard, play hard. Never financed any gear, ever. Never used anyone else's money.

You do you but don't assume that others aren't out their busting their tails and just luck in to Private Stock or Core guitars.

Good on you if you can "work your tail off" and come up with $4000 for a guitar real quick. Any working professional I know has to spend months or even years saving up that kind of fun money. Saving money was the first thing I listed BTW.

Point is for our 19 year old OP that most people can't afford multiple Core guitars - this group is obviously an exception - so no need to chase that dream when money is tight. But the good news is that there are amazing instruments to be had for way less money, and time + practice is the key to excelling at the instrument.