The Guitar Gallery Forums - The Guitar Legacy of Matsumoku

Very Clean Vantage

Good deal or bad deal?

https://reverb.com/item/63868436-vantag ... _sold=true

Bit steep for me. Looks like it's already gone.

I debated buying this for 2 days. It was a painful debate because I had just bought the CS 400 from GC and wasn't
wanting another. I looked at the page over and over and actually hoped that someone else would buy it so
that maybe the pain would go away. I say maybe, because I thought that I could suffer remorse if I didn't buy it.
So in a moment of weakness I offered $725 and they accepted it. Now hopefully it arrives safely. No remorse... yet.
I do have 15 days to return it if there's a problem, if not I'll surely keep it.

Hopefully it is in as good a shape as the pics suggest.

Guitars that routinely go for this much used to go for much less. Part of the reason is this site (probably the biggest part). It started out as a noble effort to educate and collaborate but wound up shooting us in the foot. It created a Mastumoku craze that has completely spiraled out of control. I see so many listings and ads peppered with "Matsumoku" even for guitars that are OBVIOUSLY NOT made by Matsumoku and priced accordingly. Any more if I see a listing or ad with the word Matsumoku in it I usually scroll away. I'm actually impressed this listing did not mention it. The guitar was listed for what it is, a Vantage VP825. No hype, just the facts. Kudos.

Rarity also has something to do with it. Finding a VP825 like this or in my case a PE-R60 ($545 with OHSC) in excellent to near mint condition is a task in and of itself. I simply lucked out with the PE-R60 but it was listed simply as an Aria Pro II and nothing more. If money was not an issue I suspect I'd have more Mats than I do now. I have begun to look elsewhere and found gems that slipped through the cracks such as Ashland (Crafter), the Drive Wildfires, the Greg Bennets, J R Beck and Karera to name a few.

Congrats on the score!

According to this you made off like a bandit!

Beautiful guitar!

https://reverb.com/item/61912311-vantag ... le-stripes

That guy is not only on drugs but not in touch with reality.

And $225 shipping? Gold plated box maybe?

Shipping costs, particularly cross border and even from the UK, have killed more than one potential transaction for me in the past several years.

Even today I was looking at GFS's current 20% off sale and spotted one or two possible purchases. I found a nice Strat for a (relatively) reasonable price, with the discount, which almost covered the exchange rate for me. But when I factored in the shipping! Holy bankruptcy Batman! It was just shy of the cost the guitar itself!!

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$65 or less is about standard from Texas to Missouri.

I did once pay $119 for an Ashland Crafter from the UK but the agreed upon price for the guitar made up for it. From Germany it is about $75. My Brian May Red Special from the UK cost $115.

$225 for only two states away is highway robbery. Well, the asking price probably qualifies also.