Frenchy wrote:
Well since you say that The PE-R80 is never in your price range and the RX80 is.... I would go with the RX80...
I probably shouldn't have stated that as, "Never," as that's probably an overstatement. I haven't seen one with a total cost under $800, and I can get the RX80 shipped (new, with a hard shell case) for $800. I'm seriously torn on this one. First and foremost I want a PE (and the R80 is the model I've always wanted), but the RX80 sure looks like it's as good as the classic early 80's guitars. Looks are sometimes deceiving with guitars, though.
The other thing is something my brother brought up. The collector's value of an R80 is going to go up, while the value of the RX80 is likely to drop once I take possession of it and it's no longer new. I'd be buying it mostly just to have it and play it and I'm not looking to make a profit, but someday, when I've got arthritis in my fingers and I can't play anymore, I would like to be able to get my money back out of the guitar (adjusted for inflation). Is there a huge collectors bias against the Korean RX80's? Or will it eventually hold it's value so I won't lose half my money? Obviously, those are a couple loaded questions, but I'm curious as to what the feelings are among those in the know about Aria guitars.
I haven't been on this board in years, so I'm a little out of touch. (I've been buying other types of instruments for my family, and my disposable income that I used for guitars diminished at the same time, so my guitar collecting has taken a back seat for about 4 years.)
Anyway, thanks for your help!