This guitar retains its value better than any other on Earth
Would this sway your decision to buy?
Credit: Phil Barker/Future Publishing via Getty Images
It’s no secret that guitars depreciate in value over time, with some holding their value better than others. But, which guitar retains its value better than any of its rivals?
Well, according to fresh research from Wood and Fire Studio, the Fender Player Telecaster tops the rankings. It took the ten best-selling electric guitars worldwide, according to Reverb.com, and ranked them in order of depreciation.
It was the Player Telecaster which topped the rankings, with an average depreciation of 31%. It’s followed in second place by another Fender model, the Stratocaster Player Series, which has only 1% more depreciation – despite being among the cheapest Fender guitars, it’s clear that they hold their value well.
Next, there are three Gibson axes to round off the top five. They are the Les Paul ‘60 and ‘50 guitars, and the Gibson SG, known for being Angus Young’s guitar of choice. In general, Gibson guitars are more expensive than Fender guitars, so there’s a greater loss of value in absolute terms, too.
Also in the top ten are two electric guitars from PRS, the Silver Sky SE and the John Mayer Silver Sky, which have depreciation of 37% and 38% respectively. Then there’s the Fender American Professional II series – the Telecaster loses an average of 38% of its value, with the Stratocaster losing 39%. Generally, Telecasters hold their value better than Stratocasters, likely because Stratocasters are easier to come by on the second-hand market.
The list is rounded off by the ESP LTD Deluxe EC-100 – its value drops by 40%. However, this might be because Reverb’s data largely comes from the US, where domestic brands have a better reputation than international ones, and ESP Guitars is Japanese.