Can you tell the difference between a $200 and a $200,000 guitar?

Note also that acoustic guitars really respond to being played frequently. Richard Hoover (Santa Cruz guitars) tells a story about a Stradavarius in Cremona that gets played a little every day to keep its tone "alive." Hoover also likes mahogany a lot, and will tell you you really have to play these guitars often to make 'em sing. There are gizmos that will vibrate a guitar for you to break it in which means maybe you don't have to play it at all...give your friends a break from your crappy guitar playing. I use my 3 fave acoustics on a rotating basis as they all sound great and utterly different from each other and I feel bad if one doesn't get played enough.

I've been a professional guitarist since 1967. I've owned a LOT of guitars and tonewoods make a huge difference even in electrics. Interestingly every seasoned electric player sort of gets their own tone going...listen to Billy Gibbons using all his weird guitars and his feel and desired tone is kind of the same. I currently own electric guitars with identical pickups that sound and feel utterly different from each other. There are vintage or "collectable" instruments that are stupidly expensive (a store nearby just sold a vintage Les Paul to Joe Bonamassa for 450 grand), but the 200 grand comparison is sort of silly really...stick any Collings guitar in the hands of somebody used to playing a Takamine and watch 'em smile.