Are some of these guitars REALLY worth the dollar?

I know I'm not the only one who ponders this, but are some of these uber-expensive guitars really worth their price tags?
Can the manufacturers give someone a break down of how they do their pricing stuff to come up with their figures? And in these breakdowns, will I reall see the value for my money?
I got a catalog from Taylor guitars (www.taylorguitars.com), and to tell you the truth, those acoustics look yummy. And according to the catalog, they paly and sound just as yummy (well, d'oh, what do you expect a catalog to tell you? "...this guitar is a bit substandard. The frets are rough at the edges, the actions a bit too high for most people's liking, oh, and the wood was not quite dry when we made them, so there's a chance the neck is gonna warp after two or three months..."). The current object of my desire from the taylor catalog is the Taylor 614CE guitar. Mahogany (I think flamed) back and sides, Spruce odr Cedar top, ebony neck, gold tuners, blah blah, you can see the specs on the web.There's also a special Fall Limited for that same model, which features a three piece back, two mahogany pieces with a koa centre wedge, koa binding, blah blah blah. I can imagine how sexy it looks even without seeing the picture.
Well, the normal model is listed for US$ 3800 or thereabouts. The koa wwedge limited is another US$400-500 more.
Are these prices REALLY justifiable, in terms of how it sounds and stuff. Can one hear the dollar in the recording made with such a guitar? Or in a live gig where I play that guitar?
I wonder?
Taylor also have released an electric/acoustic hybrid. Looks good. Rave reviews and all. Same obscene prices.
Martin and everyone else who considers themselves "Premier" all have guitars costing well over US$ 10,000.
Just how much is too much fro a guitar?

If someone will do me a favour, go to your nearest Taylor guitar dealer. Check it out. Play the damn thing.Test their acclaimed (according to them) amplification system. Then tell us what you think.

Do guitar makers think we're morons or something?

PS: Just to give you an idea, on the section of the site where they tell you whp owns a Taylor, everyone's There. Even Joe Satriani. If it's not Satriani, it's one of the Dream Theatre guys. He owns three or four of them.

I HATE GUITAR MAKERS!!!!

Ok, not a lot, coz then I wouldn't be a guitarist if it wasn't for them making the guitars, but then.....

UP THEIRS!!! :mad:

Had Rant. :)

It kind of is the same way with everything else... If you want the best, you have to pay for it. I can't afford the high end Taylors but I do have a Taylor Big Baby... and it's one of the best sounding acoustics I've played. I've also played just about every other model of Taylor out there, and they ARE worth the money. If you can afford them, I'd say go for it. If you build guitars you might know about some of the woods that they use... Rare woods cost money... lots of it. Especially when they get the highest quality possible. Think about it... For a Koa top they need atleast a 20-30" x15-20" square piece of wood. Koa is expensive as it is... but they use a piece with the tightest grain and absolutly no knots or irregular grain. It'd be similar to a jeweler picking out a diamond to put in a ring for....say... the queen of England. He's not going to use anything but the clearest diamond he can find. If it costs a ton, who cares. They're going to charge as much as people will pay. I think the quality of their guitars justify the prices... BUT... I myself cannot justify spending that much money for a guitar. I got other things that I can drop 3 grand on.

Originally Posted by: aschleman...I've also played just about every other model of Taylor out there, and they ARE worth the money. If you can afford them, I'd say go for it...

I guess it's OK to hear that I'm not lusting after nothing. :)
I'll probably end up buying a 614 in this lifetime. The baby Taylor's aren't expensive, like 380, 500 dollars, that sort of thing. I'd get one, but I'd want one with a preamp.
Ever played a Taylor Presentation? And how about the new T5?

I've seen both but never played them. The T5's look so nice though. It was locked up in a case at the store I visited. But yeah, I picked my Big Baby up for like 425 USD. It's probably one of the best deals I can think of. There are other good guitars that are under a grand but I have 2 other acoustics (Ovation Celebrity 12-string A/E and a Washburn Cumberland Jumbo A/E) so I just wanted something to strum around the house and stuff.