kendall is probably right, an old Martin is just about the safest investment you can make. At the very least, you won't LOSE money.

The ironic thing is that before Martin standardized their neck-making operation, all their necks were individually hand carved, and it is a crapshoot as to whether you get a playable instrument or not. I used to own a D-18 in the 70's that had a neck which looked like it was carved by a chinpanzee. I refined it to make a really nice playable instrument, and ruined its value in the process. Did I care? No. The whole concept of guitsrs as investments pisses me off almost as much as woodworking tools as investments. Invariably, the items (which were designed to be used by experts) end up unused in the hands of the unskilled.

Murray