I know of a luthier that will not build a guitar for under a very large sum.
His reasoning is not only that he builds a limited number per year but also....you ready...the big one...
because his customers will have bragging rights. That's right. Nothing to do with the instrument and his skills (although he is very skilled)...it's to do with the friggin' ego of those players. Unfriggin' real that people have that kind of coin to feed their sick minds....and he is smiling all the way to the bank.
 
What a wonderful world.
 
 

My attitude about it is that any high school kid ought to be able to bolt a cheap factory neck on a block of wood and be playing guitar a few days later.

Just like Les did.

The other end of things...  Note that labor is NOT included in either of these totals! 
 

• Donor Variax $910
• Neck and fretboard $420
• Body $150
• Top $300
• Inlay $92
• BKP Crawlers $370
• Baggs T-Bridge $168
• Tune-o-matic conversion interface board $25
• Stop bar tail piece $25
• Bone nut $5
• Planet Waves Auto-Trim Tuners $70
• Shaller Strap-locks $14
• Misc. materials (paint, sand paper, etc.) $161
• Les Paul case $130
• Shipping $110

TOTAL $2,950 (plus labor!)
 
Or...

• Neck and fretboard $830
• Body $95
• Top, back & covers $575
• Inlay $445
• Two BKP Sultans $210
• BKP Rebel Yell $145
• Misc. materials (paint, sand paper, etc.) $230
• Gold pickup rings $50
• Bone nut $5
• Planet Waves Auto-Trim Tuners $60
• Shaller Strap-locks $20
• Super Strat 5-way switch $21
• Fat-O for Fatties $31
• Les Paul case $130
• Shipping $190

TOTAL $3,037 (plus labor!)
 
Result:
 

 
AND
 

(Now a part of Space Cowboy's collection.)
 
There's also a third guitar still being built (for the last five years - lol) that will be more RAWK and less glitter.  Cost sans labor is under $2k.  I should note that the two that were finished, replaced several that I already owned taking the best parts from each and combining them into a single scale and body shape.  These included two Gibson Les Pauls (a Custom and a Studio Double-Cut), a Fender Strat (Lone Star Special), a Musicman Axis, a Peavey Wolfgang, a Korina Flying-V, a Line 6 Variax and three Ibanez's.  When that's considered I think I came out ahead indeed!

mike_mccue
My attitude about it is that any high school kid ought to be able to bolt a cheap factory neck on a block of wood a be playing guitar a few days later.

Just like Les did.

Mine isn't.
To many things about building require special tools and there is a very big danger envolved.
 
My attitude is that people should inquire and seek information before spending large sums of money.
We live in a world that has many smart options if one takes the time to investigate.
 
I started this thread with the intention of sparking that prospect. It's not hard to find the answers but one has to know the questions first.
 
What can I do to determine what is the best that I can do if I have a large  amount of dollars to spend on a guitar?
The answer- ask a few well known luthiers. Their goal is to make a "real" guitar that will keep the player happy for a lifetime.
 
If you don't know of any well known luthiers to ask...ask who they are and how to contact them. Easy.

Make 2 cents are that learning to play on a cheap (and usually unplayable) instrument will kill the motivation and might turn the person off forever.  My major gripe (especially with Gibson) is that some of their $2,500+ guitars have fallen into the almost unplayable category over the last few years!  (Or, at least, require post purchase work which is ridiculous when you're paying that much.)
 
Great guitars for the money are out there.  Try Yamaha Pacificas, Agile Guitars or Tokais.  Chances are, you may never find yourself buying the overpriced "name" guitar anyway.

  There are a few companies out there I think I would be getting my monies worth from. One of those is Carvin. You can get a really nice well made Gibson look alike, probably better made. Not inexpensive but well made for the money. Ernie Ball comes to mind. 
 I have found out the hard way that buying name recognition isn't always a winner,especially if buying their mid range line. I did recently luck out though buying a lower end Martin that is well made and sounds as good as the higher end models to me. Kind of hit and miss sometimes trying to get a good guitar for a fair price. They all look good from a distance.

Starise
  They all look good from a distance.

When I was in high-school, we used to say this about some girls......nice from far, but far from nice. Applies to guitars as well?

"My attitude is that people should inquire and seek information before spending large sums of money.
We live in a world that has many smart options if one takes the time to investigate.
 
I started this thread with the intention of sparking that prospect."

 
I like that idea.
 
:-)
 
I still dream about a custom Spacey guitar every day.

To me, there are two kinds of guitars... the ones I know I can sell anytime, for more than I paid... and all the others... I have no interest in the latter... I don't care how good a player it is, or how great it sounds, or how pretty it is...
As a recovering vintage-guitar-collector, I haven't always felt that way... just the last 30 years or so...
(grin) they still don't make old guitars anymore...    

To me there is only one kind of guitar...the ones I'd never want to sell.
 
 
 
 
 
 
That is the thought that has started and finished every guitar I've built.
When it is not...I will quit.
I've also told every person that received one if they didn't feel that way...don't keep it. I'll take it back.