2025 is gonna make or break everyone, not just guitar manufacturers. The rich are richer than ever and the middle class is drowning in debt and consumerism. This is red alert, big trouble.
We built a two trillion personal savings surplus over COVID and we’re just coming back down to neutral. People just need to go back to buying less superfluous items.
I'm a big Fender guy, but I gotta say... Seems like they're a little greasy with distributers. My local shop seems slower than usual, and I wanted to give them some business. - I asked to get quoted out on a MIM Fender and they were unable to order the instrument from Fender. My tech turned his screen to show me the portal they order through and sure enough, I could see that they couldn't order the instrument, but what's frustrating is that I could order the instrument directly from Fender on their website. I opted for a different MIM Fender instead (thinking the instrument would ship in a week), and the instrument (A CURRENT PRODUCTION RUN) was back ordered for 5 months!!!! I waited five months. - Even worse during this period of time, fender reduced that model to $999 online and I paid $1,149 or something... I could have asked them to bring the price down to match Fender's online prices... but it's not about that.... I paid full price and I bought a hard shell case, but it just seems like BS what those guys went through to get a simple MIM Fender...
6th graders aren't sitting in a classroom daydreaming about Les Paul's and Strats like when I was a kid. All the kids wanted to play music. Not like that at all now.
It’s sad really. Or it’s not because they would just do something stupid with it. Imagine a generation that grew up on Billie Eilish and the Moana soundtrack with guitars in their hands. 😂 I’m almost kidding.
@@WinstonWhite-l9j ,,its over, the writing is on the wall...I love guitar , im heart broken that is all over and done . Why would any kid learn guitar , there is nothing to do with it at this point .
@@rv6205 It’ll probably end up like violin and clarinet, 50 years ago parents paid for violin and clarinet lessons for their young kids, almost no kids today pick it up, guitar is on the same path…
Are you kidding? 50 years ago taking violin and clarinet lessons? Not a chance in hell! In 1974 we were waist deep in Purple, Sabbath and Zeppelin. No one gave a f*ck about clarinet in 1974. Ffs.
The thing is as a customer we know we are getting screwed buying from a manufacturer, they’re cutting out a whole tier of the structure and we still get to pay full price. And if any manufacturer does go full DTC then I don’t see that working, it’s certainly not likely to grow the business long term. I don’t know that the landscape will look much different in a year but some of those big companies might be starting to properly panic by then. The discounts on guitars is a sure sign they’re no longer selling everything they make and I don’t see things improving. If import tariffs push up prices it’s still not going to mean that average Joe will decide to buy a $5000 Gibson instead, they might just not buy any guitar
Someone moving to DTC maybe, but people have short memories generally. It wasn't that long ago people said they'd never order certain things on the internet or anything at all. Companies like Carvin and Kiesel which were always DTC jut took that piece out of their pricing.
the SE isnt even made by prs , look at the back of the headstock ...Its silly to even say an SE stands apart from Gibson ....I own high end core PRS and they dont stand apart from Gibson
@@rv6205 Let's be clear here, PRS have a dedicated partnership with Cor-Tek Musical Instrument Company (known for Cort), which operates the facility in Surabaya, Indonesia. This factory is exclusively focused on manufacturing PRS SE guitars to the company's specifications. I bought the latest PRS McCarty 594 Single Cut and it's an amazing quality built guitar which matches even their CE line at 1/3 the price.
I'm at the point where I'm buying cheap guitars that look cool and upgrading all of the wiring/hardware. I can be all in on a guitar that looks and sounds badass for $500-$600, as opposed to $2,000-$3,000.
You Gents are part of the old guard, where business at every level was done with that human element. There's nowhere i would rather shop. No matter how this business goes, I will always make time for shops like yours.
Many of the musical instrument shops near me that I grew up with as a teenager getting into guitar playing have closed now. I guess young people today are less interested in learning an instrument. I always try to support the few ones that are left by always going there to buy strings, capos, cleaning kits etc. I’ll also buy a guitar from them if they have it in stock, or if not I’ll wait until they order it in for me. We have to support our local music shops or pretty soon there will be none left.
There is no time like the present. No excuses, just commitment to learn and enjoy making music. Ain't no whiners in music, just stay in tune. Great show Casino.
As an American we're pretty much full up on guitars, i know me and all my friends sure as hell are. But in ROW, there is always this huge demand that hasn't even gotten started yet. As Boomers disappear, the amount of guitars that are going to pop up in the next 10 years is incredible. I'm seeing it already it's like muscle cars, as soon as the owner is gone the family just sells and moves on. that is the next phase not mentioned here.
Your right . Im a boomer. I own 13 guitars. 4 of them are expensive guitars . 1 is a custom shop Gibson Les Paul. All the others are quality guitars i paid close to $1000 ea. I leave the receipt and what i think it should sell for wholesale and retail. To make it easy on my family when they need to sell them.
Local builders have to buy parts like everyone else. Some of those parts will need to be imported, and those price increases will be passed on to the consumer
Tell me again why we’re doing tariffs? We recently increased US computer chip production with the Chips Act. Can’t we do a similar thing in other sectors? Will 45/47 abandon the tariff idea as it will drive up inflation?
It takes MANY YEARS to build out that kind of infrastructure. Tariffs will help pay for in on the backs of foreign producers AND THIER BUSINESS INTEREST. I DON'T CARE A BIT about consumer cost in the short term as a consumer. I care about NATIONAL SECURITY for critical military component supply lines. National strength and resilience if attacked are my first priority as an ADULT citizen. So you might have to suffer with one less bit of cheap CHICOM gadgetry that spies on you and your neighbors and steals your personal information. Japan gets it right. You cannot do most business or even have a bank account without a valid reason if you are a foreigner and NOT married to a Japanese. SKREW the rest of the world. Protect our own first and share if /when it SERVES OUR NATIONAL INTERST. ONLY IF IT SERVES OUR INTEREST. WE ARE NO LONGER THE WORLD SUGAR DADDY. And if you are a GERMAN citizen your only future is with AFD. All the rest are just Bolshevik-lite commiekrats.
I say let's all enjoy our guitars and music while we can. Be frugal but get out there and play music. The US economy is on fiscal life support from massive government spending. The job market is lousy. As interest on debt continues to grow as a portion of the deficit, a crisis is seemingly inevitable. But we can still have community and make friends and joy through music.
@@strummercash5601 I was reading somewhere the wealthiest 10% own 93% of stocks. Still, we marvel at the little pile of crumbs accumulating in our accounts, most of it unrealized gains of course.
It's also taxes out of balance. Since Reagan was in office, the top tax rate has come down about 40%. That combined with around the same time, offshoring of jobs hit high gear. My dad went through it a few times in the 80s. Spending doesn't really come down. If spending gets cut at the federal level, it's just going to be pushed to the states, then state taxes will have to go up. Or, if stuff gets privatized, then basically everything will cost every time we leave the house. Think about roads. How would it be to get charged every time you drive on any road? The times people point to when things were better, like the 50s and 60s, the highest tax rates were 70%+. And strangely, deficits were few and far between.
I try to buy as much as possible from b&m stores, local or chain but prefer local. Yesterday traded a couple of less used instruments, 2 for 1 trade. Brought home an unusual beast, a Furch walnut/cedar 9 string Auditorium Cutaway acoustic. half 6 string, half Bazooki paired strings. All trade deal but as you guys said, it is both a give and a get on a deal like that. I count the happy, not the $ as much.
So happy to hear you guys getting behind Carrie Forward! She is awesome. I’ve been following Carrie’s career since she was a toddler. Cool, brothers! Get all of Carrie Forward’s vinyl. (Pro Tip: Minnesota does not experience the inflationary costs suffered by the rest y’all. During COVID, we had all the toilet paper, masks, liquor, weed…we lacked for nothing. So, in tough times, head up north. We got ya.)
I blame guitar TH-cam for the boom and for the bust. I’m as guilty as anybody for consuming it all. It’s funny how a lot of content makers are getting all political now because nobody is interested in what’s new in gear consumerism anymore.
@@palehorse1111 Cheaper than it will be when there is a 25% tariff on all imports. Those imports include parts and materials on most USA produced things..,
Your title "Which guitars manufactures will survive" was not addressed, specifically, at all. A shop like yours should not resort to click bait. I was actually interested in your perspectives and speculation about Fender, Gibson, MM, Gretch, etc. etc. Please respect your listeners. We are all busy and have limited time to go down a rabbit hole and not address the issue.
The entire episode was about that topic, just because they didn’t spoonfeed the brand to you doesn’t mean they didn’t substantially talk about the title of the topic
He clickbaited you and me and everyone else. Guess what? Now we learned they don’t have any substance to their video other than to brag that they aren’t having financial issues. We just stop watching their videos, because there is nothing of substance to it.
The problem with massive companies doing direct to consumer is typically the customer service/shipping process. Instead of real people, you get chat bots. Instead of a brick and mortar shop to try things before you buy them, you buy them return and waste shipping. Direct to consumer sounds more efficient on the surface, but it’s not.
Direct-to-consumer is far more efficient if the company offers a good product, does internal QC, and doesn't get very many returns. There definitely are downsides as well, but it's a losing argument to claim that middle men make the process more efficient. They objectively don't by every metric you can check.
While people unfortunately don’t purchase physical music any longer (with some exceptions), music is alive and well. There is so much great music out there, probably more than ever. And the big manufacturers are selling record numbers of guitars. I’m tired of the people complaining and whining about the “good old days” of The Grateful Dead and all the hippie crap. Fender sold a few thousand guitars every year in the good old days. For about $2500 inflation adjusted for a strat mind you. Now they’re selling that in a week or so.
Look for used stuff in pawn shops. A few years ago i came across an amazing deal. Bought a Made in Japan Vantage x77 strat syle guitar with 2 seymour duncan humbuckers push pull coil splitting tone controls. Some kid had owned it. Had Dr Suess stickers all over it. I paid $39.00 for it took it apart sanded the body down. Painted it with automative spray paint. Feels plays and sounds killer.
I'm not buying new guitars anymore. I go to shops to check out stuff. I go on eBay, reverb (sparingly), and my local music go round. I'm not paying these prices. I love me some Gibsons but I refuse to directly give them my money. Fenders price hikes are hella gross. PRS has about the best thing going with their current SE models. Epiphone has some great stuff going on too. However, I'm too pragmatic and I go through too much gear to reasonably pay new prices. Secondary market it is.
Guitar companies are going to be fine, guys...Guitar Center, too. Tell ya what, if Fender, Gibson, or PRS go under THIS (2025) year, I'll buy one of you a custom shop of your choice. Ya'll do the same for me. And just a hint, I'm going with a Jazz Bass.
A better question is, do they deserve to survive? Many top name brands are made in far east factories (to an incredibly high standard it must be said) . Stick a well known name on the headstock and mark up a $200 dollar guitar up to $2,000.
Cost of living goes up minimum of 25%, cost of what you sell goes up 25%.... the oligarch/wealth class will still want custom shop wall decoration, and won't be affected. Ketchup soup time.
Then they better stick with all these “sale” prices cause fack paying this much for gear. I am pretty stoked that I was able to snag a lot of my “end game” over quarantine and put a hard stop during semiconductor shortage. Only just picked up some gear again but that’s because prices finally came back down to pre quarantine days. And no guitars. Really wanted to pick up one of the noventa nocasters but just couldn’t justify. Last point these end of year best of lists are total bullshit marketing ploys. Why do these things need more exposure and sales to get into people’s hand if they sold so well. Idk.
The business model needs to change. A guitar company makes a guitar from $200-$500 in parts, sells it to a dealer for $1,000, the dealer/music store sells it for $2,000. You take your $200 guitar that you bought for $1,800 beliving that you got a deal.
The exact same situations and "miscalculations" are hapeni g in the bicycle industry (im and industry guy) the motorcycle industry is in the same place. My question is... how did so many companys in so many different industries miss the mark in basically the exact same way. Especially when so many on the grass roots side (again i own a bike shop) saw this comming from a mile away. Its almost like its a bunch of gen x ers were tought buisness from the same book at college
High end instruments will always hold their value pretty well. Companies like Santa Cruz and Collings will survive, as will elite builders like Olsen, Kim Walker and Linda Manzer. There never seems to be a shortage of people with money.
At this point in my life, I’m happier with three custom Suhr than a wall full of Fender/jackson/Charvel. I’m selling all my non-Suhr over the next few months and purchasing another Suhr.
What I believe you’re expecting to see is more people buying directly and yet every guitar is different so either not like the way the feel the tone the neck something that they compare to somewhere else it’s gonna get returned at a local shop and then be a resale so I think the market’s gonna do some type of Switch that way ,but if support local shops by going in having a relationship with them. They will stand up to whatever happens
I love my local shop, they’re not afraid of the manufacturer selling direct because they bring value to the sale. If a B&M doesn’t do that, then it’s hard to blame the manufacturer.
@@rv6205 They inspect it, which is a given, but it took several attempts for me to get a good Tom Delonge Strat. On the third one they went and actually set it up as Fender seemingly threw it out the door as fast as possible. If I have issues, I can go to them and they'll assist for free. I can return to them within a window for no loss to me. And the biggest a B&M has is you can actually play things and take them home right away. That said, I've purchased two guitars direct from Ernie Ball and they have been absolute perfection. This same shop has also been able to get me multiple limited release guitars upon hearing a whisper of their existence. They even had a Mark IIC+ reissue available. I am for both, but when a B&M shop whines about direct sales, it's only their own fault.
I'll be honest with you, I had a personal epiphany regarding the bizz way back, when it happened I downloaded most of my guitars when I realised they were artist models instead of brand standards etc...I've nothing against the Fender's or Gibson's or the other brands etc etc, I drew the line at so-called artist inspired models, it took a while to realise Les Paul was asked to endorse a certain Gibson only because he was famous on black and white t.v. initially...marketing tricks and payed for endorsements aren't worth squat ...fact! they aren't builders, they are bought and payed for to sell stuff is all.
They are required to level the playing field across all sectors, some folk have been exploiting others and quite frankly ripping off their fellow human beings.....time to be fair has arrived.
I don’t think so. And I’m usually not big on tariffs/taxes to control market forces. But we have to start somewhere with stopping the influx of cheap crap from horrible places.
@brentgarneryou’re not wrong for that specific case. And there won’t be a trade war with Canada. Simple as that. And my German car will still be cheaper here in the US than in the Fatherland (drowning in taxes and regulations).
Rick Beato and others have observed that popular music no longer contains guitar prominence, not in intros, not in solos, not in lead breaks. Unless musical tastes return to virtuoso guitar a la Clapton, Haynes, Trucks, and a hundred others, guitars as instruments will fade. Synth and electronica allow musicians to construct sounds without any guitars.
Competition is obviously important, manufacturers need middlemen and agents to get to the end buyer for anything, they can't be on every street corner and players aren't interested in buying instruments unless they've personally selected it, I think it's nuts to buy 'anything' mail order including pre-made so-called custom shop stuff...it ain't custom unless it was built for the sole buyer who trusted the builder in the first place, -there's enough margin for middle men/women to live too in the process and most buyers understand and accept willingly that to buy direct from manufacturers is not all smooth sailing either....the rule should always be never buy any instrument unless you've played it first in all circumstances.
I would gladly buy several new guitars but the prices are just ridiculous. I'm not paying 2000 usd in order to get good features. I'm not buying the cheaper guitars which have been purposely handicapped to push me to more expensive models. And a lot of used sales, people think their worn-out 1996 model has appreciated, lol. So, i won't buy at all.
In the UK we have hit hard times, which is most likely down to the long term impact of the Lockdown. Retailers are closing on mass because overheads have increased by disproportionate amounts. As for guitars, the far Eastern factories are producing guitars of a quality so close to the big USA brands but at a significant fraction of the price making them appealing to more than beginners. The big two USA brands frankly are lacklustre and the so called CS models are little better than standard production models and not meriting the higher costs. The boutique manufacturers , especially those of the California area are way too costly in the UK, especially when you see its basically two pieces of wood screwed together. Some of these guitars are costing equivalent to $8000; an utterly ridiculous amount, although I,d concede that Tyler's and Anderson,s are nice while Suhr are more affordable. Interest in playing still seems to be there, especially from the youth, and the older guitarists who have committed years to playing continue to enjoy it, or so it would appear. Most kids fortunately recognise the reality that the dream of fame and fortune, especially for guitarists rarely go together. Opportunity for playing musicians in the UK is reducing and live venues are largely gone. Bars that frequently had live music on are reducing and those left want low volume performance. Is the future for guitar manufacturers bleak, yes, as is the opportunity and therefore motivation for guitarists. That's bound to effect sales in a market so saturated its positively sinking.
I've got some guitars that are mixed cost wise initially, some cost me an arm and a leg to get, because I'm famous they are going to go to auction eventually and cost some poor mug a country to acquire because they were played and owned by me! -there, somebody had to say it again!
The guitar market is unique, unlike say, sellers of bicycles, refrigerators and tv’s, guitar companies hope their customers will buy, buy, buy and have a roomfull of their products…
Direct to consumer can be really good if they passed on cost savings. I would much rather pay the price for a stryman Big sky with their profit margin buying directly from them. But, that's not what's happening.
Most legacy guitar companies (most name brand everything today) have been sold out to large financial firms and have no heritage or connection to the folks who actually built the brands. It's all just a name now.. so why would anyone even care? So many beautiful instruments are dirt cheap today and the market is flooded with new brands. It may be a great time to be a musician, but an expensive guitar seller run by a bank.. not so much. 🤘
Completely agree!!! Gibson and Fender are the two most recognizable especially Gibson. Owned by an investment firm and very little luthiers work. Mostly CNC assembly line production even at their "Custom (costume actually) Shop.
Nobody wants to do anything but look at a screen and raise their kids to do the same (if they have any). Is it any wonder real life activities are on the decline?
Since only the tiny number of guitarists who play professionally actually need a guitar in the first place, and since no guitarist, whether pro or amateur, actually needs more than one guitar, it's surprising there are as many brands and stores as there already are. The world could lose half of all guitar brands and guitar stores and nobody who wants a guitar would have to go without -- and the guitarists who aren't gear freaks wouldn't even notice. The hand-wringing over the guitar market in the TH-cam guitarverse is a hoot. But I know such opinions aren't popular in these precincts, so I accept that this comment will be relentlessy downvoted. And so it goes.
@peterrebhahn1113 I am downvoting your comment, in a passive and non-relentless manner, not because of the opinions and insights within, but as you chose to mention potential relentless downvoting. That the reception of your comment is such a consideration, you’ve ended your viable missive with that retort merits its own downvote. Have an awesome weekend!
Yea my buddy loves playing on a $200 bass and guitar from some brand I’ve never heard of, but it plugs in, turns on and plays. Sounds fine, in the real world people don’t give af about what pups, what wood, string gauges or any of that bs. I agree it’s amazing that there’s already so many brands
Gibson and Fender have too much history amongst players to ever fail. Gretsch, PRS, Martin, and Taylor will all survive as long as the families keep control. The rest are up in the air depending on how well they manage quality vs value.
I consider this hogwash. Those manufacturers are selling more guitars than ever. At all price points. And yes, it would be good if somebody of the cheap Chinese junk went away and people saved up for good instruments again, instead of stockpiling junkers. All those that are complaining are the ones who have ten crappy guitars at home.
Hey yall! Look, im such a fender fanboy! Pure geekery! Just wanna say Im wondering how Eastwood might get a little attention? I have often wondered how they stay in business as I don't know anyone who owns Eastwood except me. These guitars feel and play so incredible. It's just interesting to me because there is so many amazing guitars out there produced by Fender Gibson and we all know and love these guitars! This is just such an interesting untapped Market.... Real quality for sure. Just a shout out! From Asheville! ❤🎸🙌🏁
I feel the golden age of the guitars and amps are going the way of dinosaurs as the aging musician population leaves us. Collectors and pro musicians will be the last men standing with a small group of average players
Ya'alls good people and I feel sorry for all mom and pop local music companies who have to deal with the overpriced 💩 people paying crazy money just keeps moving the price up, which destroys your profit margin.
IMO, it’s naive to place too much weight on inflation’s impact. People couldn’t spend enough a few years ago. Consider the fact that most of these products don’t self destruct like a cell phone and don’t need replaced. The world only needs so many guitars and the gazillions of guitars sold during COVID didn’t disappear. IMO, it’s going to take years for the oversupply to dissipate.
Tariffs aren't an issue because those were not taken away from the first time. Media wants everybody to believe it's the end of the world of course, because of who know who... But they've been there the whole time.
@@jamesbenson1579qc has been horrendous these past couple of years for fender. I sold all my MIM fenders due to qc issues. My Chinese strats play way better and feels 100% times better too
I have no idea what all these guitar shops are going to do with all these guitars. I think a working class person who has a few guitars should concentrate on playing. I can barely "support" my family busting my ass. If you run a business, you had better get ready for the rough times. Like Elon Musk said, " It's going to be painful for awhile."
2025 is gonna make or break everyone, not just guitar manufacturers. The rich are richer than ever and the middle class is drowning in debt and consumerism. This is red alert, big trouble.
Yes the USA couldn’t continue on the path we were on or we would all be doomed.
Let the oligarchy begin
@@MatthewPeskay lol it’s been an Oligarchy for a long time.
@@trailblazeratv6306 we still are doomed. You actually believe anything is going to change?
We built a two trillion personal savings surplus over COVID and we’re just coming back down to neutral. People just need to go back to buying less superfluous items.
I'm a big Fender guy, but I gotta say... Seems like they're a little greasy with distributers. My local shop seems slower than usual, and I wanted to give them some business. - I asked to get quoted out on a MIM Fender and they were unable to order the instrument from Fender. My tech turned his screen to show me the portal they order through and sure enough, I could see that they couldn't order the instrument, but what's frustrating is that I could order the instrument directly from Fender on their website. I opted for a different MIM Fender instead (thinking the instrument would ship in a week), and the instrument (A CURRENT PRODUCTION RUN) was back ordered for 5 months!!!! I waited five months. - Even worse during this period of time, fender reduced that model to $999 online and I paid $1,149 or something... I could have asked them to bring the price down to match Fender's online prices... but it's not about that.... I paid full price and I bought a hard shell case, but it just seems like BS what those guys went through to get a simple MIM Fender...
6th graders aren't sitting in a classroom daydreaming about Les Paul's and Strats like when I was a kid. All the kids wanted to play music. Not like that at all now.
Yea, when I was in HS, every other teen dreamt of guitar stardom, how many kids today want to learn guitar and form bands?
It’s sad really. Or it’s not because they would just do something stupid with it. Imagine a generation that grew up on Billie Eilish and the Moana soundtrack with guitars in their hands. 😂
I’m almost kidding.
@@WinstonWhite-l9j ,,its over, the writing is on the wall...I love guitar , im heart broken that is all over and done . Why would any kid learn guitar , there is nothing to do with it at this point .
@@rv6205
It’ll probably end up like violin and clarinet, 50 years ago parents paid for violin and clarinet lessons for their young kids, almost no kids today pick it up, guitar is on the same path…
Are you kidding? 50 years ago taking violin and clarinet lessons? Not a chance in hell! In 1974 we were waist deep in Purple, Sabbath and Zeppelin. No one gave a f*ck about clarinet in 1974. Ffs.
Nothing says Merry Christmas like making already rich people even richer 🎄
Only a very small percentage of guitars and amps bought today will ever see the light of day at a live gig.
Prices will go up no matter what direction things go…. It’s just a matter of how much.
I mean tariffs have the potential to cause a bump that even would take a decade with high inflation.
The thing is as a customer we know we are getting screwed buying from a manufacturer, they’re cutting out a whole tier of the structure and we still get to pay full price. And if any manufacturer does go full DTC then I don’t see that working, it’s certainly not likely to grow the business long term.
I don’t know that the landscape will look much different in a year but some of those big companies might be starting to properly panic by then. The discounts on guitars is a sure sign they’re no longer selling everything they make and I don’t see things improving. If import tariffs push up prices it’s still not going to mean that average Joe will decide to buy a $5000 Gibson instead, they might just not buy any guitar
Someone moving to DTC maybe, but people have short memories generally. It wasn't that long ago people said they'd never order certain things on the internet or anything at all.
Companies like Carvin and Kiesel which were always DTC jut took that piece out of their pricing.
Percentage of young people playing guitar has dropped considerably also
PRS has the SE line which stands apart from Gibson and Fender.
the SE isnt even made by prs , look at the back of the headstock ...Its silly to even say an SE stands apart from Gibson ....I own high end core PRS and they dont stand apart from Gibson
@@rv6205 Let's be clear here, PRS have a dedicated partnership with Cor-Tek Musical Instrument Company (known for Cort), which operates the facility in Surabaya, Indonesia. This factory is exclusively focused on manufacturing PRS SE guitars to the company's specifications. I bought the latest PRS McCarty 594 Single Cut and it's an amazing quality built guitar which matches even their CE line at 1/3 the price.
I'm at the point where I'm buying cheap guitars that look cool and upgrading all of the wiring/hardware. I can be all in on a guitar that looks and sounds badass for $500-$600, as opposed to $2,000-$3,000.
doesnt work that way for real quality acoustics. i'll keep buying USA Martins
@ratwynd obviously doesn't apply to acoustics, but I only have and plan to have one acoustic, so not a concern.
@@ratwyndhow many do you or people need though?
@@ratwynd Their super strats are incredible....
I'm with you, Plenty fun to be had on cheap guitars ..Id rather have ten than one
You Gents are part of the old guard, where business at every level was done with that human element. There's nowhere i would rather shop. No matter how this business goes, I will always make time for shops like yours.
I want to buy an Epiphone Casino from Casino Guitars some day, just…cause, cool!
Enjoy the weekend!
Many of the musical instrument shops near me that I grew up with as a teenager getting into guitar playing have closed now. I guess young people today are less interested in learning an instrument. I always try to support the few ones that are left by always going there to buy strings, capos, cleaning kits etc. I’ll also buy a guitar from them if they have it in stock, or if not I’ll wait until they order it in for me. We have to support our local music shops or pretty soon there will be none left.
I'm seeing guitar stores being branded more as warranty/service places for the manufacturers.
There is no time like the present. No excuses, just commitment to learn and enjoy making music. Ain't no whiners in music, just stay in tune. Great show Casino.
America gave two companies a monopoly on food prices- and then they complain about the prices at the grocery.
We didn’t give them shit. It was taken from us.
We need the return of Teddy Roosevelt to break up the monopolies and require the private equity companies to break up their conglomerates.
@@Chiller11 or a population with a backbone
As an American we're pretty much full up on guitars, i know me and all my friends sure as hell are. But in ROW, there is always this huge demand that hasn't even gotten started yet. As Boomers disappear, the amount of guitars that are going to pop up in the next 10 years is incredible. I'm seeing it already it's like muscle cars, as soon as the owner is gone the family just sells and moves on. that is the next phase not mentioned here.
Your right . Im a boomer. I own 13 guitars. 4 of them are expensive guitars . 1 is a custom shop Gibson Les Paul. All the others are quality guitars i paid close to $1000 ea.
I leave the receipt and what i think it should sell for wholesale and retail.
To make it easy on my family when they need to sell them.
In my area All the mom and pop music are closed . The only music stores left are Guitar center.
Amp manufacturers will have it even harder .imo
This may be a good season for local builders than huge companies. It’s painful, but it does have its upsides too
Local builders have to buy parts like everyone else. Some of those parts will need to be imported, and those price increases will be passed on to the consumer
Tell me again why we’re doing tariffs? We recently increased US computer chip production with the Chips Act. Can’t we do a similar thing in other sectors? Will 45/47 abandon the tariff idea as it will drive up inflation?
No he won't... not the kind of guy to admit mistakes
@@billbowers7553 He'd abandon it, but then never mention it and ignore anyone who asks or deny that's what he did.
It takes MANY YEARS to build out that kind of infrastructure. Tariffs will help pay for in on the backs of foreign producers AND THIER BUSINESS INTEREST.
I DON'T CARE A BIT about consumer cost in the short term as a consumer. I care about NATIONAL SECURITY for critical military component supply lines.
National strength and resilience if attacked are my first priority as an ADULT citizen.
So you might have to suffer with one less bit of cheap CHICOM gadgetry that spies on you and your neighbors and steals your personal information.
Japan gets it right. You cannot do most business or even have a bank account without a valid reason if you are a foreigner and NOT married to a Japanese.
SKREW the rest of the world.
Protect our own first and share if /when it SERVES OUR NATIONAL INTERST.
ONLY IF IT SERVES OUR INTEREST.
WE ARE NO LONGER THE WORLD SUGAR DADDY.
And if you are a GERMAN citizen your only future is with AFD. All the rest are just Bolshevik-lite commiekrats.
we pay tariffs on Japan guitars. Doesnt stop the legions of ppl on reddit saying Japanese Fenders are the best.
@@PhilDietzthey are for the price
I say let's all enjoy our guitars and music while we can. Be frugal but get out there and play music. The US economy is on fiscal life support from massive government spending. The job market is lousy. As interest on debt continues to grow as a portion of the deficit, a crisis is seemingly inevitable. But we can still have community and make friends and joy through music.
Cheers to that!
Amen!
Thank the “Lord” my stock portfolio has so handsomely outperformed inflation.
From COVID through today, my net worth has just gone up and up.
@@strummercash5601 I was reading somewhere the wealthiest 10% own 93% of stocks. Still, we marvel at the little pile of crumbs accumulating in our accounts, most of it unrealized gains of course.
It's also taxes out of balance. Since Reagan was in office, the top tax rate has come down about 40%. That combined with around the same time, offshoring of jobs hit high gear. My dad went through it a few times in the 80s. Spending doesn't really come down. If spending gets cut at the federal level, it's just going to be pushed to the states, then state taxes will have to go up. Or, if stuff gets privatized, then basically everything will cost every time we leave the house. Think about roads. How would it be to get charged every time you drive on any road? The times people point to when things were better, like the 50s and 60s, the highest tax rates were 70%+. And strangely, deficits were few and far between.
Merry Christmas! Yes! Support your local Mom & Pop Shops!
I try to buy as much as possible from b&m stores, local or chain but prefer local.
Yesterday traded a couple of less used instruments, 2 for 1 trade.
Brought home an unusual beast, a Furch walnut/cedar 9 string Auditorium Cutaway acoustic.
half 6 string, half Bazooki paired strings.
All trade deal but as you guys said, it is both a give and a get on a deal like that.
I count the happy, not the $ as much.
So happy to hear you guys getting behind
Carrie Forward! She is awesome. I’ve been following Carrie’s career since she was a toddler.
Cool, brothers!
Get all of Carrie Forward’s vinyl.
(Pro Tip: Minnesota does not experience the inflationary costs suffered by the rest y’all.
During COVID, we had all the toilet paper, masks, liquor, weed…we lacked for nothing. So, in tough times, head up north. We got ya.)
Love watching you guys.. seasonings greetings from Toronto, Canada, Earth.
I blame guitar TH-cam for the boom and for the bust. I’m as guilty as anybody for consuming it all. It’s funny how a lot of content makers are getting all political now because nobody is interested in what’s new in gear consumerism anymore.
TH-cam is an advertising platform, period. Anything else from it is happenstance.
With the incoming tariffs guitars are going to be even more expensive to manufacture and purchase.
Or within a few years, they'll shift Chinese production to somewhere like Vietnam where labor costs are still low.
Yeah that thousand dollar mexican strat is such a great deal, free trade makes everything cheaper!
@@palehorse1111 Cheaper than it will be when there is a 25% tariff on all imports. Those imports include parts and materials on most USA produced things..,
@@brandonthompson8413 Yes, "quality" third world slave labor.
@@brandonthompson8413 here is a person who believes what TV "experts" tell him.
Your title "Which guitars manufactures will survive" was not addressed, specifically, at all. A shop like yours should not resort to click bait. I was actually interested in your perspectives and speculation about Fender, Gibson, MM, Gretch, etc. etc. Please respect your listeners. We are all busy and have limited time to go down a rabbit hole and not address the issue.
Maybe they just don’t want to name names out of professional courtesy
The entire episode was about that topic, just because they didn’t spoonfeed the brand to you doesn’t mean they didn’t substantially talk about the title of the topic
The big name manufacturers will survive. A lot of boutique makers will probably be forced out of production and forced into a made to order model.
He clickbaited you and me and everyone else. Guess what? Now we learned they don’t have any substance to their video other than to brag that they aren’t having financial issues. We just stop watching their videos, because there is nothing of substance to it.
Covid, and the last consumer confidence in this country has absolutely beat up small business.
Covid wasn’t beating up guitar manufacturers during covid.
The problem with massive companies doing direct to consumer is typically the customer service/shipping process. Instead of real people, you get chat bots. Instead of a brick and mortar shop to try things before you buy them, you buy them return and waste shipping. Direct to consumer sounds more efficient on the surface, but it’s not.
Direct-to-consumer is far more efficient if the company offers a good product, does internal QC, and doesn't get very many returns. There definitely are downsides as well, but it's a losing argument to claim that middle men make the process more efficient. They objectively don't by every metric you can check.
@@ryanh7167except that guitar players want the middle man to actually play before purchase
Thank you for doing these videos. It’s good to hear your perspective
Music in general is slowly fading away as we now have to have real jobs to survive
While people unfortunately don’t purchase physical music any longer (with some exceptions), music is alive and well. There is so much great music out there, probably more than ever. And the big manufacturers are selling record numbers of guitars. I’m tired of the people complaining and whining about the “good old days” of The Grateful Dead and all the hippie crap.
Fender sold a few thousand guitars every year in the good old days. For about $2500 inflation adjusted for a strat mind you. Now they’re selling that in a week or so.
I remember when a gallon of milk was like a buck and a half.
5 years ago
@@h20s56 Nah, that was like 1978.
Back before the “Me” generation voted in “trickle down economics”. Now we have the greatest wealth inequality since the days of the Robber Barons.
I remember when breathing was free
Best of luck in the coming year, here's hoping manufacturers stick to manufacturing.
Thx guys! Happy holidays
Look for used stuff in pawn shops. A few years ago i came across an amazing deal. Bought a Made in Japan Vantage x77 strat syle guitar with 2 seymour duncan humbuckers push pull coil splitting tone controls. Some kid had owned it. Had Dr Suess stickers all over it. I paid $39.00 for it took it apart sanded the body down. Painted it with automative spray paint. Feels plays and sounds killer.
I'm not buying new guitars anymore. I go to shops to check out stuff. I go on eBay, reverb (sparingly), and my local music go round. I'm not paying these prices. I love me some Gibsons but I refuse to directly give them my money. Fenders price hikes are hella gross. PRS has about the best thing going with their current SE models. Epiphone has some great stuff going on too. However, I'm too pragmatic and I go through too much gear to reasonably pay new prices. Secondary market it is.
Yep!
Guitar companies are going to be fine, guys...Guitar Center, too. Tell ya what, if Fender, Gibson, or PRS go under THIS (2025) year, I'll buy one of you a custom shop of your choice. Ya'll do the same for me. And just a hint, I'm going with a Jazz Bass.
People in the comments have no idea where most of the hardware and wood for "American" guitars comes from.
I didn’t get any information related to the subject title of the video. Am I just dense?
I thought these two Trumpers would he happy. Interesting.
Trumpers are the dumbest.
They're Trumpers? I'm out of here. No time for fools.
Yeah? Well, farewell to both of you! LOL! MAGA
A better question is, do they deserve to survive? Many top name brands are made in far east factories (to an incredibly high standard it must be said) . Stick a well known name on the headstock and mark up a $200 dollar guitar up to $2,000.
Cost of living goes up minimum of 25%, cost of what you sell goes up 25%.... the oligarch/wealth class will still want custom shop wall decoration, and won't be affected. Ketchup soup time.
Agree on supporting your shops. Forget online orders (if you can)
I think the answer is shopping malls! Guitar shops in shopping malls! Like in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure! 😂
Sam Ash had a shop in the Franklin Mills Mall in Philly. They closed up shop this year.
Then they better stick with all these “sale” prices cause fack paying this much for gear. I am pretty stoked that I was able to snag a lot of my “end game” over quarantine and put a hard stop during semiconductor shortage. Only just picked up some gear again but that’s because prices finally came back down to pre quarantine days.
And no guitars. Really wanted to pick up one of the noventa nocasters but just couldn’t justify.
Last point these end of year best of lists are total bullshit marketing ploys. Why do these things need more exposure and sales to get into people’s hand if they sold so well. Idk.
The business model needs to change. A guitar company makes a guitar from $200-$500 in parts, sells it to a dealer for $1,000, the dealer/music store sells it for $2,000. You take your $200 guitar that you bought for $1,800 beliving that you got a deal.
The exact same situations and "miscalculations" are hapeni g in the bicycle industry (im and industry guy) the motorcycle industry is in the same place. My question is... how did so many companys in so many different industries miss the mark in basically the exact same way. Especially when so many on the grass roots side (again i own a bike shop) saw this comming from a mile away. Its almost like its a bunch of gen x ers were tought buisness from the same book at college
I think it's a good time for a bargain for a used Guitars , I got a lot off Guitars so I will wait & see if something interesting comes alone .
High end instruments will always hold their value pretty well. Companies like Santa Cruz and Collings will survive, as will elite builders like Olsen, Kim Walker and Linda Manzer. There never seems to be a shortage of people with money.
At this point in my life, I’m happier with three custom Suhr than a wall full of Fender/jackson/Charvel. I’m selling all my non-Suhr over the next few months and purchasing another Suhr.
CAN YOU GUYZ PRICE MATCH CREGSLIST?
We will end up eating the costs on our end. They’re not going to cut into profits with any other option available.
Google pricing elasticity.
Interesting, I had no idea this channel filters out comments. Good to know!
Baxter, was the word you were looking for Detente?
Relaxation of strained relations, especially political ones, through verbal communication.
What I believe you’re expecting to see is more people buying directly and yet every guitar is different so either not like the way the feel the tone the neck something that they compare to somewhere else it’s gonna get returned at a local shop and then be a resale so I think the market’s gonna do some type of Switch that way ,but if support local shops by going in having a relationship with them. They will stand up to whatever happens
PRS has it figured out well...their SE line beats so many others in quality!
I love my local shop, they’re not afraid of the manufacturer selling direct because they bring value to the sale. If a B&M doesn’t do that, then it’s hard to blame the manufacturer.
oh ya, what value do they bring ?
@@rv6205 They inspect it, which is a given, but it took several attempts for me to get a good Tom Delonge Strat. On the third one they went and actually set it up as Fender seemingly threw it out the door as fast as possible. If I have issues, I can go to them and they'll assist for free. I can return to them within a window for no loss to me. And the biggest a B&M has is you can actually play things and take them home right away. That said, I've purchased two guitars direct from Ernie Ball and they have been absolute perfection. This same shop has also been able to get me multiple limited release guitars upon hearing a whisper of their existence. They even had a Mark IIC+ reissue available.
I am for both, but when a B&M shop whines about direct sales, it's only their own fault.
I'll be honest with you, I had a personal epiphany regarding the bizz way back, when it happened I downloaded most of my guitars when I realised they were artist models instead of brand standards etc...I've nothing against the Fender's or Gibson's or the other brands etc etc, I drew the line at so-called artist inspired models, it took a while to realise Les Paul was asked to endorse a certain Gibson only because he was famous on black and white t.v. initially...marketing tricks and payed for endorsements aren't worth squat ...fact! they aren't builders, they are bought and payed for to sell stuff is all.
The tariffs going to be the most insane self-inflicted wound ever.
They are required to level the playing field across all sectors, some folk have been exploiting others and quite frankly ripping off their fellow human beings.....time to be fair has arrived.
@@LIKEFUNK I want what you're smoking if you think they are actually going to bring manufacturing back to the US lol
I don’t think so. And I’m usually not big on tariffs/taxes to control market forces. But we have to start somewhere with stopping the influx of cheap crap from horrible places.
@@swampscott2670 I am very interested to see how 25% on raw materials from Canada is going to effect you all. There are no winners in trade wars.
@brentgarneryou’re not wrong for that specific case. And there won’t be a trade war with Canada. Simple as that. And my German car will still be cheaper here in the US than in the Fatherland (drowning in taxes and regulations).
do you guys have a quality control person for the content or are you guys just winging it?
Rick Beato and others have observed that popular music no longer contains guitar prominence, not in intros, not in solos, not in lead breaks. Unless musical tastes return to virtuoso guitar a la Clapton, Haynes, Trucks, and a hundred others, guitars as instruments will fade. Synth and electronica allow musicians to construct sounds without any guitars.
Y’all misspelled ‘Manufacturers’ in your title 😊.
Competition is obviously important, manufacturers need middlemen and agents to get to the end buyer for anything, they can't be on every street corner and players aren't interested in buying instruments unless they've personally selected it, I think it's nuts to buy 'anything' mail order including pre-made so-called custom shop stuff...it ain't custom unless it was built for the sole buyer who trusted the builder in the first place, -there's enough margin for middle men/women to live too in the process and most buyers understand and accept willingly that to buy direct from manufacturers is not all smooth sailing either....the rule should always be never buy any instrument unless you've played it first in all circumstances.
I would gladly buy several new guitars but the prices are just ridiculous. I'm not paying 2000 usd in order to get good features. I'm not buying the cheaper guitars which have been purposely handicapped to push me to more expensive models. And a lot of used sales, people think their worn-out 1996 model has appreciated, lol. So, i won't buy at all.
In the UK we have hit hard times, which is most likely down to the long term impact of the Lockdown.
Retailers are closing on mass because overheads have increased by disproportionate amounts.
As for guitars, the far Eastern factories are producing guitars of a quality so close to the big USA brands but at a significant fraction of the price making them appealing to more than beginners.
The big two USA brands frankly are lacklustre and the so called CS models are little better than standard production models and not meriting the higher costs.
The boutique manufacturers , especially those of the California area are way too costly in the UK, especially when you see its basically two pieces of wood screwed together. Some of these guitars are costing equivalent to $8000; an utterly ridiculous amount, although I,d concede that Tyler's and Anderson,s are nice while Suhr are more affordable.
Interest in playing still seems to be there, especially from the youth, and the older guitarists who have committed years to playing continue to enjoy it, or so it would appear.
Most kids fortunately recognise the reality that the dream of fame and fortune, especially for guitarists rarely go together. Opportunity for playing musicians in the UK is reducing and live venues are largely gone. Bars that frequently had live music on are reducing and those left want low volume performance.
Is the future for guitar manufacturers bleak, yes, as is the opportunity and therefore motivation for guitarists. That's bound to effect sales in a market so saturated its positively sinking.
Huh? Private equity owning guitar manufacturers or any company, ain't the greatest thing? Merry Christmas to all...
The Squier Sonic Series Bronco Bass is completely guaranteed to keep their business intact
Gibson, PRS and Fender will make it.... but they're going to have to cut back production quite a bit... supply and demand are not in equilibrium
I've got some guitars that are mixed cost wise initially, some cost me an arm and a leg to get, because I'm famous they are going to go to auction eventually and cost some poor mug a country to acquire because they were played and owned by me! -there, somebody had to say it again!
The guitar market is unique, unlike say, sellers of bicycles, refrigerators and tv’s, guitar companies hope their customers will buy, buy, buy and have a roomfull of their products…
First commenter yay.
Im wondering if this is going to make the Used Guitar market go up (Tariffs)?
If they’re imported wait will.
Interesting question. Curious to see how it works out in the market.
Direct to consumer can be really good if they passed on cost savings. I would much rather pay the price for a stryman Big sky with their profit margin buying directly from them. But, that's not what's happening.
Most manufacturers sell at full msrp because they're set up to sell to retailers in quantity
Ahhh…the Stryman Big Sky!
What a fine pedal it is.
Bruh there's no way that PRS is going away any time soon.
Good luck guys.
Most legacy guitar companies (most name brand everything today) have been sold out to large financial firms and have no heritage or connection to the folks who actually built the brands. It's all just a name now.. so why would anyone even care?
So many beautiful instruments are dirt cheap today and the market is flooded with new brands. It may be a great time to be a musician, but an expensive guitar seller run by a bank.. not so much. 🤘
Completely agree!!! Gibson and Fender are the two most recognizable especially Gibson. Owned by an investment firm and very little luthiers work. Mostly CNC assembly line production even at their "Custom (costume actually) Shop.
Hold on everybody its going to be a bumpy ride
Rockin' the serious Magnatone outerwear swag
Nobody wants to do anything but look at a screen and raise their kids to do the same (if they have any). Is it any wonder real life activities are on the decline?
Since only the tiny number of guitarists who play professionally actually need a guitar in the first place, and since no guitarist, whether pro or amateur, actually needs more than one guitar, it's surprising there are as many brands and stores as there already are. The world could lose half of all guitar brands and guitar stores and nobody who wants a guitar would have to go without -- and the guitarists who aren't gear freaks wouldn't even notice. The hand-wringing over the guitar market in the TH-cam guitarverse is a hoot. But I know such opinions aren't popular in these precincts, so I accept that this comment will be relentlessy downvoted. And so it goes.
Need is the word , a word that has alot of different destinations for different people. All the best
@peterrebhahn1113
I am downvoting your comment, in a passive and non-relentless manner, not because of the opinions and insights within, but as you chose to mention potential relentless downvoting. That the reception of your comment is such a consideration, you’ve ended your viable missive with that retort merits its own downvote.
Have an awesome weekend!
Facts
Yea my buddy loves playing on a $200 bass and guitar from some brand I’ve never heard of, but it plugs in, turns on and plays. Sounds fine, in the real world people don’t give af about what pups, what wood, string gauges or any of that bs. I agree it’s amazing that there’s already so many brands
You definitely need more than one guitar 😅
Gibson and Fender have too much history amongst players to ever fail. Gretsch, PRS, Martin, and Taylor will all survive as long as the families keep control. The rest are up in the air depending on how well they manage quality vs value.
People used to say that about the bike industry.
The ending of an era...maybe the next era is handmade guitars.
I consider this hogwash. Those manufacturers are selling more guitars than ever. At all price points. And yes, it would be good if somebody of the cheap Chinese junk went away and people saved up for good instruments again, instead of stockpiling junkers. All those that are complaining are the ones who have ten crappy guitars at home.
Hey yall!
Look, im such a fender fanboy! Pure geekery! Just wanna say Im wondering how Eastwood might get a little attention? I have often wondered how they stay in business as I don't know anyone who owns Eastwood except me.
These guitars feel and play so incredible. It's just interesting to me because there is so many amazing guitars out there produced by Fender Gibson and we all know and love these guitars!
This is just such an interesting untapped Market....
Real quality for sure.
Just a shout out!
From Asheville! ❤🎸🙌🏁
The next step is Fender offering guitar subscriptions.
I feel the golden age of the guitars and amps are going the way of dinosaurs as the aging musician population leaves us. Collectors and pro musicians will be the last men standing with a small group of average players
I will only speak on the guitars themselves, and we are in the golden age for guitars right now.
Grassroots ESP are great budget guitars made in China, but set up in Japan.
Ya'alls good people and I feel sorry for all mom and pop local music companies who have to deal with the overpriced 💩 people paying crazy money just keeps moving the price up, which destroys your profit margin.
Sound like the car industry.
IMO, it’s naive to place too much weight on inflation’s impact. People couldn’t spend enough a few years ago. Consider the fact that most of these products don’t self destruct like a cell phone and don’t need replaced. The world only needs so many guitars and the gazillions of guitars sold during COVID didn’t disappear. IMO, it’s going to take years for the oversupply to dissipate.
Prices.
Fewer purchases, less sales tax. Looking forward to 2030.
They’re never gonna’ survive, unless they get a little crazy.
These two are the most depressing faces to put on a video. As soon as I scrolled past I was like “Jesus who died?”
Tariffs aren't an issue because those were not taken away from the first time. Media wants everybody to believe it's the end of the world of course, because of who know who... But they've been there the whole time.
You said nothing. Yea times are tough. But get specific like is Fender on the outs or something. You gave ZERO specifics
Tariffs are always passed on and Americans spent record amounts of money over the Christmas holidays!
RIP Fender’s Mexico Guitars
Fender mexico's guitars started out cheap&good quality..not so in 2025..they've gotten quite a bit more expensive..& the q.c.has gone down a bit..😢😢😢😢
@@jamesbenson1579qc has been horrendous these past couple of years for fender. I sold all my MIM fenders due to qc issues. My Chinese strats play way better and feels 100% times better too
@@jamesbenson1579 And they are going to go up in price by 25%
Well, they shouldn’t have existed in the first place.
@@swampscott2670 yeah people don’t need affordable quality instruments. 🤡
"What guitar manufactures will survive what many are calling a make or break year in 2025."
Well?
I have no idea what all these guitar shops are going to do with all these guitars. I think a working class person who has a few guitars should concentrate on playing. I can barely "support" my family busting my ass. If you run a business, you had better get ready for the rough times. Like Elon Musk said, " It's going to be painful for awhile."
Organic milk?? what have you got against ordinary real milk from cows.....geeze!
Do you even know what organic means? From your comment I think not. lol.
@@benedekgabor. Yeah like nobody with any ounce of sense knows about organic milk made from nuts and berries etc etc....duh!