You are right on his negotiation technique. It works in all aspects of life, not just buy/sell/trade deals. Love works like that. The one who is more willing to walk away, is the one in total control.
Interesting thought about what he has on the press - but I think it isn;t much more than they do what they do just to get ratings.
I only deal with what I know, and that’s Pre 1955 Martins and some others made by excellent but lesser known luthiers.
I picked up a guitar, a 025, made by Lowden, and Irish guitar builder. It was made in the late 90s. Oh my, the sustain is unreal.
I love the sound of an old wartime D18 or D28. The D18s from before 1955 are light as a feather, and the sound resonates. I bought a ‘44 D18 from a pawn shop last year. The guitar was in such bad shape, it was almost unrestorable, ie from a money stand point. The owner had glued two rattle snake tails on the sound board. I sent it to Martin and they wanted $5000 to restore it.
I found a Martin authorized guy who did it for a fraction of that.
Anyway, I wanted to say, that when I first got it, and took the strings off of it, I was holding it and talking on the phone and I could feel it vibrating.... haha.
If you’re interested in Taylor’s I’ll direct you to them....cheap....