software

When I think of Classic guitars, it's usually the 50's/60's, and it includes Gibson, Fender, Martin, Gretsch, Guild, Rickenbacher.

If you were to forget about the true classics and focus on 2000 , what would be your list, in order of historical importance? This would be my order.

Fender
Gibson
PRS
Martin
Taylor
Jackson
Musicman
Ibanez
Schecter
ESP/Dean tied.

thats a tough one i could only list 5, but heres what i think:

Gibson
Fender
Taylor
Martin
PRS

10. Daisy Rock
09. Schecter
08. Brian Moore
07. Dean
06. Hamer
05. PRS
04. Ibanez (Ibeenhad. Oops... Did I say that out loud?)
03. Fender
02. Gibson

And the number one, most important historical guitar of the 2000's is:

01. First Act

Goodnight, everybody! lol


Originally Posted by strat_masterthats a tough one i could only list 5, but heres what i think:

Gibson
Fender
Taylor
Martin
PRS

Those are definitely the one's that will always be considered modern day classics, and be viable as collectibles. Most of the others will never rise above face value, unless there's something particularly special about a certain model.
I think Taylor and PRS replaced some of the past classics like Gretsch and Richenbacher. Gretsch went downhill, and people just aren't playing Richenbacher like they used to. Guild has some good models, but they've slipped out of the limelight. I like some new Gretsch's, but Fred Gretsch really cashed out and sold out.

definitely not quot;myquot; top 10 but the ones i think had the most impact?!

1. PRS
2. Fender
3. Gibson
4. Taylor
5. Musicman
6. Schecter
7. Martin
8. Ibanez
9. Washburn
10. Ovation

1. PRS
2. Gibson
3. Fender
4. Taylor
5. Martin
6. Schecter
7. Hamer
8. Ernie Ball Musicman
9. Ibanez
10. Ovation

The Top 10 in my mind (in no particular order:

*Fender
*Gibson
*PRS
*Taylor
*Schecter
*Parker (not common, but they made hybrid guitars viable instruments)
*Hamer
*Ibanez
*Musicman
*Peavey

I think you guys are all probably spot on. But for me, the most important company in recent years has only just started to make guitars:

Line 6.

Now those guys have definitely messed with the playing field.


Originally Posted by Hot _GritsI think you guys are all probably spot on. But for me, the most important company in recent years has only just started to make guitars:

Line 6.

Now those guys have definitely messed with the playing field.

I was wondering when someone would mention them. I think they have definitely been the most innovative guitar maker of the past 5 years ... no one else can touch them in that regard.

From a business standpoint, I think FMIC is the clear winner though.

As for who is making the best products, that's a tough call. I think the collectors of the future will probably want today's US made Jacksons, and maybe PRS.

I doubt there will be a lot of collectibility of guitars from this era. Certain custom shop guitars will always be heavily sought after, but because mass production has practically put a guitar in the hands of every teenager, I don't see a lot of guitars having any real value in the future. Anyway...

Gibson, Fender, Martin... have seemingly been around forever, and continue to be amongst the leaders in the industry. All three produce guitars that are considered timeless classics. With regard to Gibson and Fender, the work that comes out of the respective custom shops is second to none in terms of build quality and attention to detail.

Line 6 - Given the speed at which the digital industry is evolving, it may be a matter of time before these guys have their names up at the top of the list. They may never be known for the high degree of craftsmanship that goes into each individual product, but the research and development they've put into the digital realm is unprecedented. I do not believe that the true breadth of their impact on the guitar industry has even come close to being realized. However, given the evolution of digital technology, Line 6 stuff gets outdated very quickly, so I would not say that a 2005 Line 6 product will be worth much in 2025.

PRS #8211; A true collector#8217;s guitar, their instruments will continue to be sought after by collectors and players who demand both high build quality and timeless piece of artwork.

Schecter #8211; Schecter isn#8217;t the newest kid on the block, but they certainly do not have the street credit of a Gibson, Fender, or PRS. However, if they continue to produce their upper echelon instruments without raising the consumer cost, they may start to gouge into the market of those looking for high quality instruments that both play well and look phenomenal.

That is 6 solid companies#8230; there are plenty of other companies producing great guitars, but none that I think will get much attention in 20 years. Jackson, as I see, is too deeply pigeonholed into the metal scene to really be much more than a novelty in 20 years. Great instruments? Sure, but not worth anything unless that#8217;s your bag.

jackson/charvel
schecter
esp/ltd
prs
ibanez
fender
gibson(QC crap aside)
dean
martin
taylor
(no order)

Taylor RULES the acoustic market right now.

Breedlove is making some amazing acoustics, and the non-traditional material market, like Rainsong and Adamas are making some amazing instruments.
Has anyone seen the prices of Ernie Mall/MM lately? The 'vintage' EVH models are going for insane prices, and other signature models are holding or slightly increasing value through the years.
Fender has perfected the 'Strat at any price point' and basically sell 100s of versions of the same guitar. They rule for certain in the marketing department.
Many people laugh at Line6, but what an idea!!! Has anybody seen the Workbench software? Build any guitar out of anything.

Imagine if Duncan came out with a pickup that you could download a sonic 'signature' to. You could change and combine pickups endlessly. I'd buy it in a second. (uh oh, did I just give away an idea? thats gotta be worth a shirt or a beanie from the new catalog...)

I have one to add to the existing lists: Epiphone.

I might normally count this under Gibson, but I think they deserve their own entry, especially since their nearest analogue, Squier, does NOT imo qualify for this list. While Fender has tried very hard to change Squier's corporate identity from quot;a reasonable place to startquot; to quot;good copies plus some interesting offshoots,quot; its Epiphone that has really managed to make this work. While the debates on whether or not Epi's copies are true to the originals will continue to rage, only the most snobbish of us still try to argue that Epi's aren't quality instruments in their own right. And no one can deny the amount of market they've managed to capture. They've got a price range almost as wide as FMIC's and have managed to shake off much of the little sibling stigma that still haunts Squier.

A quot;virtualquot; pickup? My pucker factor just went off of the top of the scale. Perish the thought!


Originally Posted by GearjoneserThose are definitely the one's that will always be considered modern day classics, and be viable as collectibles. Most of the others will never rise above face value, unless there's something particularly special about a certain model.
I think Taylor and PRS replaced some of the past classics like Gretsch and Richenbacher. Gretsch went downhill, and people just aren't playing Richenbacher like they used to. Guild has some good models, but they've slipped out of the limelight. I like some new Gretsch's, but Fred Gretsch really cashed out and sold out.

Come to think of it now, Ernieball music man is also pretty good but i dont know how far they would go as collectable and holding thier value on the market. But your right GJ, i listed the ones i saw as collectable or the ones that will sell mroe easier on the market and for higher dollars. But of course that should be correlated to quality, the brands i originally listed are top notch most of the time.

Howdy,
Rickenbacker should be on the list Eggman

Agile
Squier
Cort
Rogue
OLP

Wow. I'm surprised only two people mentioned ESP.

I'd have to say, in no order:

Fender
Gibson
ESP/ltd
Schecter
Yamaha (don't believe me? That AES line is a modern classic!)
Taylor
Ovation
Parker
PRS
Ibanez...Ibanez and PRS would have definantly been towards the very top if I ordered this list.

C'mon... ESP? what have they contributed to guitar other than mimicing everything else that's ever been made, and having them quot;builtquot; from parts manufactured in the same factories as all the other quot;private labelquot; guitars.

I think that in 20 years we'll all look back at these sort of brands as a time when anybody with some money could go overseas with a check, order some guitars from a catalog and start a quot;guitar company.quot;

I'm not saying that they are bad guitars, but it's just a financial exercise basically. Line 6 is one of the few companies that is doing something unique, and PRS has taken the Hamer quot;boutiquequot; concept and made it mainstream. Those two get high marks for creativity!

GS