I shoulda invested in analog synths

[Seeker]

Recently I broke out my Juno 60 for some overdubs on a project, after being blown away by its awesomeness and kicking myself in the ass for letting it sit on the shelf for the past decade, I took a glance around to see what these things are going for... looks like about 2k-2500 in the condition mine is in with the dcb to midi, etc... I bout it 15 years ago with a case, a dw8000 with case and an A frame stand for $250.  That works out to be about 10-15% annually for the juno alone...  ;D  not that I'm going to sell it.

 

[Phrazemaster]

Recently I broke out my Juno 60 for some overdubs on a project, after being blown away by its awesomeness and kicking myself in the ass for letting it sit on the shelf for the past decade, I took a glance around to see what these things are going for... looks like about 2k-2500 in the condition mine is in with the dcb to midi, etc... I bout it 15 years ago with a case, a dw8000 with case and an A frame stand for $250.  That works out to be about 10-15% annually for the juno alone...  ;D  not that I'm going to sell it.

Way better than the S&P! Well done!

Now if only our DIY stuff appreciated...or even just held its value  :

 

[Seeker]

thanks!  But now I've got a hunger to build some analog synths that will (of course) sound amazing, and yet have a value less than the parts cost...  C'est la vie. 

 

[living sounds]

Yes, synths got more expensive during the recovery from the financial crisis. But what you should have invested in 8-10 years ago is, of course, Bitcoin. If you had put 250 $ into the cryptocurrency then, you would now be a millionaire and could buy all the Junos you will ever need. ;-)

 

[Phrazemaster]

Yes, synths got more expensive during the recovery from the financial crisis. But what you should have invested in 8-10 years ago is, of course, Bitcoin. If you had put 250 $ into the cryptocurrency then, you would now be a millionaire and could buy all the Junos you will ever need. ;-)

Hindsight is 20/20

Only thing is, Bitcoin is supposed to be a currency - not an investment. Currencies are not supposed to swing wildly up and down in value. So as a currency I think it’s an epic fail.

As a highly volatile digital commodity it’s brilliant.

 

[pucho812]

having repaired a lot of synths lately I can tell you how shocked I am at how much a vintage one in good condition can go for... the right synth to the right person can fetch as much as new a small car. 

 

[living sounds]

Hindsight is 20/20

Obviously, hindsight 20/20 is what this thread is all about.

 

[Phrazemaster]

Obviously, hindsight 20/20 is what this thread is all about.

If it was so obvious, why did you need to point it out?

 

[living sounds]

If it was so obvious, why did you need to point it out?

My intend was a funny, friendly comment about the absurdity of hindsight bias. We've all been there. I used to wish I bought that CS-80 in 2009 for 1,100 EUR. But I should have bought the Bitcoin then - one year ago I could have sold that for more than 70 million $$. Don't you think that's worth pointing out? 

 

[Phrazemaster]

My intend was a funny, friendly comment about the absurdity of hindsight bias. We've all been there. I used to wish I bought that CS-80 in 2009 for 1,100 EUR. But I should have bought the Bitcoin then - one year ago I could have sold that for more than 70 million $$. Don't you think that's worth pointing out? 

Sorry, I misread it as sarcasm. No problem 

My mom bought 10 shares of Google at $300 a few yrs ago; today it’s at $1200. So yeah, wish we had a crystal ball 

 

[boji]

If it was so obvious, why did you need to point it out?

To remind me I should still be sad, apparently. 
I was that guy in late 2014 keeping his house warm with graphic cards. 

Suffice it to say, I made many poor choices. Had I simply bought and held... which brings us back to the OP. 

Edit: imo I still think crypto is a valid long-game investment.  It's not going away.

 

[Phrazemaster]

To remind me I should still be sad, apparently. 
I was that guy in late 2014 keeping his house warm with graphic cards.

Too bad you weren’t using them to mine Bitcoin...I was amazed when I found out you could do that.

 

[boji]

Too bad you weren’t using them to mine Bitcoin...I was amazed when I found out you could do that.

I was!  Had about 45GPU's working a single LTC pool, which peaked at about 18GH/s once I had it all dialed in.

Edit: TMI. But, they really did heat my house in the winter!  ;D

 

[dmp]

I recently bought an restored a Juno 6, it sounds amazing and has a great layout. I'm not surprised at all at the value.
Personally I think vintage mics, synths, and instruments will hold and continue to gain in value.

Interesting way to think about crypto and other currencies, as voltages where they are all floating references.
As vintage synths gain in value, the dollars you hold have lose potential (i.e. talked about as inflation in economics).

You really want to store your value in something that doesn't lose it's potential (value), even if it is less liquid

While what you want for something short term that has high liquidity (i.e. US dollars).

The really great thing about storing value in a old guitar or synth is it pays dividends every time you play it.

 

[Phrazemaster]

I was!  Had about 45GPU's working a single LTC pool, which peaked at about 18GH/s once I had it all dialed in.

Edit: TMI. But, they really did heat my house in the winter!  ;D

Touché!

Did you make any money?

 

[Script]

The really great thing about storing value in a old guitar or synth is it pays dividends every time you play it.

Love this one 

 

[sodderboy]

I’ll save you the hindsight 15 years from now- save 10% of your ongoing DIY budget and buy a robot/automation ETF.  I did so for Christmas when there was”blood on the streets” but it is a good buy today for a 15 year horizon.
Thinking about trends, what would YOU guys buy?
Mike

 

[MountCyanide]

Back in '99 a friend of mine told me he got a keyboard from a pawn shop. He said that it's probably broken and there were no sounds in it. It was a Juno-6. I plugged it in and made an arpeggiation and twisted the hell out of the filter and resonance like Pink Floyd On the Run. He said, "Oh this is some white boy sh*&. You can have it." I still use it all the time.

 

[living sounds]

Thinking about trends, what would YOU guys buy?

As an investment? Right now I think is a bad time to buy stuff. Wait until the looming recession hits and prices fall before you start buying. Only exception might be crypto currency and stocks that rise during a recession (lipstick?) and maybe gold. Disclaimer: This is not advice!

 

[JohnRoberts]

I’ll save you the hindsight 15 years from now- save 10% of your ongoing DIY budget and buy a robot/automation ETF.  I did so for Christmas when there was”blood on the streets” but it is a good buy today for a 15 year horizon.
Thinking about trends, what would YOU guys buy?
Mike

+1 robotics and automation is a trend that has legs (wheels?)..... Amusing anecdote police were called by a lady who was scared when her roomba got stuck in her bathroom, and she thought it was an intruder. 

===

It is hard to pick long term single company winners with certainty (things change  ) but these days I like fintech (financial technology) as a general growth category. Companies like square and paypal for their novel solutions to mine inefficiencies in the banking system.

An ETF that spreads the risk across the entire sector could be smart.  FINX and ARKF (hold both SQ and PYPL and more). These ETFs are also a way to play Blockchain without the risk of Bitcoin.  I do not own either ETF, and ARKF looks brand new so caveat emptor.

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Bitcoin looks like it may be bottoming again...    I am still even because I still wouldn't buy any. My small JIC position in gold (GLD) is only down 12% now, not that long ago it was down more than 20%.  Bond yields and Interest rates are still too low IMO (likely still causing economic distortions from too easy borrowing). Let's wait to see what happens to our sovereign debt service when interest rates return to historic levels. 
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Absolutely do not "invest" in musical instruments as a pure investment unless buying some famous musician's personal instrument, with solid documentation. An investment you can play and enjoy will change that calculus, but maybe don't count on it for your entire retirement funds. 

JR