How do Charis guitars age?

[Jamiejoon]

Hi all, new poster here, appreciate all your wisdom and good humor. I have a question for you: in your opinion, do Charis guitars age well? I know Bill Wise is a respected luthier and takes great care in his work, but I have noticed his guitars do not seem to fetch high resale value (relative to, say, a Ryan). I know this is a subjective question, but I value your opinions. For context, I have a 2014 Lowden O-35 and a 2008 Petros Applecreek, and in my opinion both are amazing. Thanks!

[BGS]

It's probably worth pointing out that Bill's base price was quite a bit lower than Kevin's for quite some time, so that may explain resale value. I'm not sure where it is now ($5500-ish? $6K?), so it's getting closer. I think Kevin's is still $7200.

I don't think you'll find many guitars of this calibre that don't age well, and Charis is no exception. I've played many older models that are superb. A lot of builders have gotten noticeably better over the years, but Bill's have been consistent as far back as I've gone.

[ship of fools]

Well the obvious answer is one day at a time like the rest of us , but to be honest I have only come across one ( Charis ) here in BC but was an older model and was a joy to play but like all things is subjective to the person playing and owning them. ship

[Jamiejoon]

Thanks Jesse and Ship for your perspectives. Anyone who has purchased a Charis new and watched it develop over time? Jamie

[Howard Klepper]

The resale price of guitars is no indicator of how well they age.

[iim7V7IM7]

Originally Posted by Howard Klepper

The resale price of guitars is no indicator of how well they age.

Sames goes for wine... 🍷

[Vee_Voe]

I've only play one older/broken in Charis. Same spec'ish as mine, cedar with madagascar rosewood. It's more mellowed out than mine. The way Bill Wise braces his guitars for optimal balance(shifting the 2 bottom tone bars a tad) I would say they mellow out very nicely. Fit/finish wise the Charis I got to play has seen the road and played lived many times. The owner kept good care of it, aside from minor dings and pick scratches, neck angle still good and neck is dead straight. Solid guitar from a great builder

[Jamiejoon]

Howard, do you mean to say that the resale value is more a function of fashion (who's "hot") than the quality of the used guitar? How would you explain the lower resale value of Charis guitars? For the record, I don't buy guitars with the expectation of selling them. I am just trying to really understand what I am getting, before making a big (for me) purchase.

Vee Voe, thanks very much for sharing your perspective.

Jamie

[GraceMusik]

I owned a cedar/EIR Charis GC for a little over 4 years and just recently traded for a cedar/EIR Charis that is over 7 years old now. I know the one I owned for 4 years since new sounded better as it was played and got older (and it sounded heavenly to begin with). The one I own now sounds just as great if not better than the one I owned before before I sold it, so I'd say they age just fine

I doubt the resale value has anything to do at all with the tone. It's all about supply/demand on top of a market flooded with used guitars. There are just really a LOT of fantastic single-luthier-built guitars out there on the market. You don't need to doubt the quality of guitar you're getting with a Charis for a millisecond, as pretty much anyone who's owned one (at least that I've spoken to) will also attest. It might not be someone's cup of tea in terms of tonal palette or other subjective things, but that applies to any guitar, even ones costing multiple tens of thousands of dollars. In terms of build quality and tone quality, however, they are world class.

[Jamiejoon]

Jon,
That's very helpful, thanks very much! At some point soon this community will see a very pretty blingified Charis as it is born.
Jamie

[Vee_Voe]

Originally Posted by Jamiejoon

Jon,
That's very helpful, thanks very much! At some point soon this community will see a very pretty blingified Charis as it is born.
Jamie

I just posted a "New guitar day" thread a couple days ago on my new Charis, if you like bling then I think you'll find it entertaining should be on the 1st or 2nd page of the forum index, or you can look on my profile

[Jamiejoon]

Vee Voe, I know your Charis, from Bill's website. It is such a beauty!

[Howard Klepper]

Originally Posted by Jamiejoon

Howard, do you mean to say that the resale value is more a function of fashion (who's "hot") than the quality of the used guitar? How would you explain the lower resale value of Charis guitars? For the record, I don't buy guitars with the expectation of selling them. I am just trying to really understand what I am getting, before making a big (for me) purchase.

Vee Voe, thanks very much for sharing your perspective.

Jamie

Many things affect resale. It's a big topic that gets discussed here regularly.

I hear only good about the quality of Charis guitars; I've never personally looked at one. You asked specifically about aging, and whether resale prices are a reflection of that, and I am confident that it is not a significant factor.

[Orfeas]

Of course they do. Charis is an exquisite luthier who works with very high-grade tone woods.

[Jamiejoon]

Orfeas,
I think that lots of guitars made with very nice wood, can sound great initially but do not age well (and other guitars start great and become incredible). I suppose you could argue that most of that has to do with not taking proper care of the guitar, but it is not everything.