In my book it all depends how you view a guitar, if you want good stuff your going to pay for it. Rest assured - It will hold its value over time, I started out with a Highway 1 strat and will never sell it because of the amount of dings it has now - but its mine and it sounds nice. I then bought a us deluxe tele and there is simply no comparison as regards finish, tone and overall quality. People think im crazy and wonder why i didnt get a tele copy for 200/300 euro but then again they have no problem spending a fortune on plasma tv's or cigarettes.