A Musical Investment

Collecting rare guitars isn't just a hobby for rock stars: Fretted musical instruments have proven themselves to be valuable investments to dive into. While stocks and mutual funds may be anything but easy money, anyone with cash to invest can opt into a commodity like vintage guitars.

A vintage guitar is a work of art in itself, but its use goes far beyond that for professional musicians and even collectors -- it can very well be a source of income, whether played or encased and displayed.

"It is clear that prime vintage instruments have appreciated tremendously during the past five years and are likely to do well in the future," says George Gruhn, founder of Gruhn Guitars in Nashville, Tenn. "Whether one is a professional musician or not, a fretted instrument portfolio, properly invested over the past five years, would easily have done better than most any mutual fund." ...