Guitar Prices Have To Change
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 ต.ค. 2024
- #knowyourgear #podcast #guitarpodcast #geekystuff
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All these companies raised prices and then never lowered them. Nobody is paying it. Then you got all these people that ran out and bought all this gear during Covid and then realized that it actually takes time and practice to learn and are dumping it all on the used market. There's shit tons of Strats, Les Paul's, and amps.
I totally agree with your comment, specifically on time and practice, having all the best equipment, amp, effect etc is going to make you Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Nolan, Jimmy Hendrix, etc again like you said it takes time and practice, yeah you need something decent to start on etc, but don’t go out buy the most expensive instrument and then it ends up collecting dust. Your comment is great!!!!
Democrats are to blame . Who funded the lab in wuhan?
I agree somewhat. Well sales have dropped significantly, guitar sales are def on the rise. Did they lose some customer base though? Absolutely. I work in sales for a retailer and yes, deals they are looking for but Gibson sales? Still happening. Will it be like pre-covid/covid again. Not for a LONG time.
Bingo
I agree with this.
I’ve hit a point in my life where I honestly have ZERO interest in getting a new guitar. I’ve gotten pretty much everything I need to play the music I want to and the desire to buy a new instrument is pretty much gone after 25 years of playing.
Same ...
but here you are still watching a gear channel 😆
im sorry to hear that for you.......i think its time to start making custom guitars and selling them for a grand or less
I'm actually glad to hear stories like this. Especially since the Advent of the internet all I see is people running around talking about buying new gear. Buying a new guitar. Buying a new amplifier. Buying a new pedal. Just play the damn things for God's sake. Spend your time playing them.
@@engelsjnI like the maintenance aspect and let’s be honest, Phil is just a chill guy that is enjoyable to listen to.
I rarely watch the instrument review videos.
What I learned is that I do not need 30 guitars and ten amps.
Yes! You only need ten guitars. And 3 amps😊
I dont either, but "want" is a strong word...
More amps than guitars is better
Yes yes you do 🙌
Shhhhhhhush
That’s riiiiiiight! Time for prices to come down on EVERYTHING.
And everyone who has played along in ripping off the middle class needs to be held accountable by NOT being supported by the middle classes' HARD EARNED DOLLARS in the immediate future. Many will surely under. GOOD RIDDANCE! Greedy opportunists, the lot of them.
PRICES NEVER GO DOWN
@@miserychannel69 Ever hear of supply and demand?
Inflation is the reason everything is so expensive because Western governments are printing money at an astronomical rate while producing relatively little product.
@@joesmith8398 Guitars became a pandemic fad. Now it's over, and there are unwanted guitars.
"Boutique" effects pedal prices are stupid, too. Paying $400 for $25 worth of components and a metal box ain't gonna happen cap'n. I understand small builder margins aren't that great, but good lord with some of those prices.
"Boutique" is supposed to imply high-end or even rare components or manufacturing. That's apparently not the case anymore and they're using the same cheapo parts as a company like Behringer.
@@jackpijjin4088 no boutique pedal is made out of $25 worth of parts. I make custom electric guitars for a living. Two 500k pots, a 3 way switch , capacitor and the wire just to do that at wholesale cost is more than that.
Cute graphics aren't going to cut it and I'm tired of cartoons on my gear.
Demonfx clones are cheap and as good if not identical to the originals.......thats where my money has went
That's one thing I've never understood is the "boutique" pedal craze. I guess in the end it's like all other things that are in search of tone.
another real bummer on reverb is sales tax on used gear that has already had sales tax paid on it, sometimes more than once
Something I learned from dealing with reverb is call the actual company selling directly. You will get a better price, just go to reverb, see who's selling it, call them up and make a deal that's what I did I saved hundreds
Pro tip, any Japanese products from Ishibashi are cheaper on their website. It's English and my bass arrived in 1 week
That’s not Reverb’s issue, that’s just normal tax law.
@@BasedHyperborean i do realize that reverb are collecting the tax for the state, however if i buy/sell on a different platform like facebook or craigslist the state tax disappears, so from a point of lost revenue it is reverbs problem.
@@dizzy7454Golden advice
My hot take, as a classical musician who's getting back into guitar, is that guitarists in general are too susceptible to the temptation to buy a shiny new guitar when most of the issues they're having with their current guitar could be addressed with a proper setup and a smart practice routine.
Conventionally, it's been the assumption that you'll get an entry level instrument to start, buy or rent a step-up instrument when you get serious, invest in a professional instrument if you start to go pro, and maybe get your hands on a utility instrument to fill a different niche if you need that (i.e. I'm a tenor trombonist, but occasionally rent a bass trombone when an opportunity arises for that role).
In the guitar world, I see a lot of people with a dozen or more guitars, seemingly all of which are lower-budget models that all happen to be imports from countries with abysmal labor practices (and to be fair, American guitar manufacturing isn't doing so great these days). It takes maturity to properly maintain what you have while you save your money for a serious instrument, and keep that as your primary workhorse, but our brains are wired to favor novelty, and the guitar industry realizes that, hence the disproportionate focus on budget models.
You're approaching this dilemma from strictly a utilitarian and budget point of view. I can't speak for other instruments, but guitar purchases apply to basically three groups: (1) players, (2) collectors, and (3) player-collectors. Some people have the money and storage space to buy whatever their heart desires. Collectors strictly go after the historical guitars, aesthetically pleasing guitars, and those that were owned by great guitarists. Players focus on the specific sound each guitar produces. Different guitars produce different sounds based on whether they're acoustic or electric and the specific materials and parts used in the construction of the guitar. Guitars sound very different based on the combination of these features. A Les Paul style guitar sounds fat and rich. A Stratocaster style guitar sounds more shrill and thin. Acoustic guitars made with different kinds of wood and seasoning will sound different as well. There can be many variations in guitar design ergonomics and layout of pick-ups on electric guitars. For any guitarist who plays a variety of different genres and is trying to achieve authentic sounds will need more than one guitar. I currently own three, and I'm looking to buy two more, a Stratocaster and a Resonator. With these five guitars, I can play almost everything I care to play. Inexpensive import guitars are largely very well made now, and they offer the budget player the opportunity to own the guitars needed to play music they care to play. The player-collectors are people who like the best of both the players and collectors' worlds.
Now do houses.
😂 supply and demand.
Houses are supply and demand. There's too much demand a very little supply because we haven't really built houses in over a decade.
@@TheSammyreynolds it’s actually a combination of immigration and boomer selfishness.
@@AnAxetoGrind yup, blame people for wanting to keep what they bought and paid for.
@@leftyo9589 boomers would rather their grandkids live in Detroit than sell them that 3rd home they own (in a state they don’t live in) at an affordable price.
Im speaking of gear in general, but ive noticed alot of people on both marketplace and craiglist posting USED gear for the price of what it costs brand new (and sometimes even more than what it costs new)... I dont think people are doing their homework on prices or some crap... (i.e.-a Boss Blues Driver (non-Waza) for $100. Its like $89 brand new, or a PRS MT-15 for $800, etc)... Its very strange.
Almost every listing on Sweetwater’s Gear Exchange is like that, too! 😂
I've got an EVH 5150III 50W head for $900 as well as a 2x12 EVH cab for $300 on marketplace, cheaper than what they are going for on Reverb. I bought the stuff new at about $1,900 in '18, now selling it in excellent condition for a total of $1,200. But no one is biting. Probably a few factors in play, such as the growing popularity of modelers, less interest in rock/metal than there used to be, live music/garage bands aren't as much of a thing as back in the rock heyday, etc... I think my price is fair for the rig.
That's the problem with $1500 Epiphones is now everyone thinks their $400 Les Paul is worth $1200
Absolutely. Especially the lower end models like Eart and Harley Benton, i've noticed people charge maybe $20 less than what it costs to buy it brand new. And with the Hb's they're selling are actually the b-stock ones, which they then try to sell off as being one of the "new" ones. So if you buy from Thomann instead of the random person on marketplace you'll actually save like $80-100 lol
It's a ton of people that started during covid finally realizing you can't just buy all the gear and be decent without putting in the practice. Besides that it's just people with "like new" gear thinking that's how the secondhand market works, even for stuff still in production. Modelers are a big deal too; many people are downsizing their rigs to one of the big competitors. I could sell almost all of my gear and still be able to play anything with 1 guitar and the quad cortex. I'm not and I won't, but I could lol
I have just taken an opportunity this past week. Have been looking to get a LTD EC401 white for almost a year. Went to this small store in the city I live in Canada and it was marked down by $400, brand new! I spoke with the guy and I was saying how much I've been looking for that guitar and he literally said "if you take it now, I'll throw in the ESP TKL softcase for free" which is not actually a softcase, it's a very good bag with hard sides and back, like a mid-point between a softcase and a hardshell case.
It was a no-brainer! And I ended up helping this small store instead of giving money to big music store chains. I'd advise everyone here to do that, go visit your local shops instead of big retail stores, they are all struggling in some way (some more than others) but the big guys can hold stock for longer. ✌️
That's what's up. I bought my EC401 in 2018 for $300 used. I absolutely cannot believe they're $1000 new now. It's a nice guitar but nowhere near the quality of other $1000 guitars I have. The prices on just about everything are ridiculous now.
Looking at Music Man. Their prices are absolutely bullshit on the Majesties right now. I bought a 7 string when they first came out for $2200. They're now $4k and some of them are closer to $6k.
I've got a Copper fire majesty 6 that I wouldn't take less than $2700 for . One of the best guitars in my collection. But yeah the prices are nuts
They've all lost their minds. ESP, Gibson etc.
this right here - for that money, I can easily go to any nice custom shop builder and get my very own signature guitar
Jackson too, out of their minds.
My first 7 string was a Schecter C-7 Blackjack that I paid 350 bucks for used. And it was an amazing guitar. Times sure have changed.
My brother had a music store in the early '70s. When you walked in the door, you automatically got a 20% discount on Fender, Gibson, Guild, Yamaha, Ovation, Epiphone guitars and we were happy to give it. Nowadays, greedy Fender and greedy Gibson want full pop and that, directly from them so they get ALL the money! Guitars these days are good quality, no doubt. But give people a break on the costs, good grief.
Yeah. I'm done with buying guitars, enough is enough. On to basses... :)
basses are WORSE. A good bass is gonna run a grand, easy. With guitars, you at least have a lot of viable options under that. With basses, not really.
@@UseTheSupeRsonic Not true. I found a 1984 MIJ Ibanez bass for less than $700 as my starter bass to learn on. There are far cheaper basses like Squier, Harley Benton, Sire, etc too. Tired of spending a ton of money on gear...
@@Smart-Alex That's a pretty killer "starter bass," although if you were already swimming in guitars it's prolly easier to drop $700 on your first bass.
@@Typical.Anomaly yeah not selling my guitars, love them :)
Then piano's and Violins and banjos. ♥️🎸🎹.
I will NEVER pay more for a non-collectable guitar than its original retail price. Reverb just looks like Ebay sharks hawking beanie babies anymore.
Taylor continues to raise prices. Last quarter, they raised hardshell case prices from 199 to 299. Ridiculous. I work for a mom and pop shop, and they're handcuffing the owner from expanding other lines - and he's been a Taylor dealer since the 80s. Something has to give.
God I wish I’d sold my gear off during the pandemic boom.
Including boats and pets
As someone trying to unload a guitar right now, I feel you.
@@100DollarHeadache It's so hard. its like about 4 months ago or so, the marketplace on facebook just died for used gear. i can't move anything anymore.
It’s funny with guitars, I mean, if you tried to sell your 4 yr old bowling ball or sofa, you’d be happy to get 1/2 of what you paid, but selling a 4yr old Cort acoustic, people expect 90% of what they paid…
All music equipment is like that. Synthesizers especially. It's gotten so bad that people already resell the Behringer PolyD (a synth that started sub-$900, around 600 when I got mine) as "RAREVINTAGE" *FOR $1600.*
Sofa is getting worse with age and its not as comfortable as it used to be when it was new.Whats the reason for a guitar price to go down at half after some years if it is in good condition and plays like a new one?
@juventinos81 Unknown electronic condition, no manufacturer warranty, unknown if the truss rod has been messed up, potential fret wear, could need a neck reset or new bridge if it's an acoustic, "they're selling it so there has to be a reason".
@@jackpijjin4088 I am talking about guitars that are in good condition.You describe instrument that its better to throw away than try to fix it.Usually only fret wear is something that someone has to deal with when buys a guitar and it can be easily done with 150-200 euro/dollars.
I have an electric guitar that i bought 20 years ago for 1400 euros.The only thing that i changed was the frets because they were in bad condition.From nickel i put stainless steel frets.If i am going to sell this guitar why should i sell lower than i got it?With the new frets its better than it was,the paint is still great without any dings and scars,that particular guitar is still in production and now it costs more than i bought it.
@jackpijjin4088 nahhhhh..I used to score guitars for a fraction of what they cost new.
I’ve just started making partscasters tbh
All I know is Katana's should basically be free at this point. GC's online used section is packed with them. But, the prices for those are pretty much where they've been for two years. I can't imagine how many new in boxes Katana's are sitting in warehouses around the world.
I have one sitting in my house. I bought the stupid thing as a cheap alternative to a JC but don’t even have the gumption to take it out of the box.
So I can have to get another app on my phone and learn to tweak 75 different settings to get a JC sound out of it?
What a waste
@@OldManDoom totally understand. But, take it to a GC to trade on something else and you'll be lucky to get 40% of what you have in your new amp.
I used the Katana amp as an example of prices being artificially high on a lot of gear. GC and retailers on Reverb are probably stuck with a bunch gear that no one really wants yet they're still asking way too much in a heavily saturated market.
I'm thinking we're headed toward a bursting bubble at some point and a lot of retailers are gonna take a bath.
Tell that to Nintendo. They like to rerelease 15 year old games for $60
@@OldManDoom
I just plugged mine in and started jamming. Never even hooked it to the internet. It sounds just fine without downloading some app. I can’t imagine a bunch of people returning them unless they were dumb enough to think it would replace their tube amp for live performances. I bought mine for couch jamming. 🤷🏻♂️
Absolutely right...I counted one day on GC used gear page ...149 used Katanas between $149 and $199. They're everywhere.
The problem some people are having in the used market is that they bought high and the market has crashed. It sucks to lose, but it will take a long time for value to rebound. For manufacturers, they are profit driven corporations. Sales shot up during a huge demand surge. Everyone was able to charge whatever they wanted and consumers would buy. Now, that inflation of prices is proving to be obvious and predatory gouging, consumers are speaking with their wallet and refusing to participate. No one is mad about a company making reasonable profit. You can't tell us prices are up because costs are up and take in record profits though.
I work in a music shop and what I’ve noticed is high end guitars are selling three times faster than mid to low. Every second customer just wants strings.
I'm proof of this... I picked up a $18K PRS, a $16K PRS a $6K PRS and a 10K Les Paul all this year... no desire to even look at the base line USA, or Import stuff.
The rich get richer. Bottom line.
@@Joe-mz6dc For sure, but I also don't think the market is as flooded on high end stuff and vintage, so it comes down to supply and demand as usual.
@@Sams911 then I'm proof opposite, I picked up a $400 Schecter, a $180 Schecter, and a $80 project Harley Benton this year. No desire to even look at the asinine prices of custom shop USA etc.
Really? They’re not busy buying kempers?
Twenty years ago I bought a brand new American Telecaster from guitar center for $650. Same thing is two grand now. Back then a top end boutique instrument was 2k. My how times have changed. I miss those days
20 years ago, a burger and fries at my favorite joint was 3.25, today it’s 9.95, so the ratio is about the same…
Yup. I bought an American Strat for $650 back then, too. And I bought a Mexican Tele for $275. I also bought a new Mesa Dual Recto for $1300, and that amp is now $2900.
Everything is 300% the price it was 20 years ago, and none of it is as good as it was back then.
I bought my stuff 20 years ago for reasonable prices…. Has been true for just about every market…
The cost of the materials has maybe more than quadrupled to make that guitar. And so has the labor. So its not really a wonder the base American stuff is $1500 20 years later.
@@MicroSBs has your pay quadrupled?
This year, I've picked up:
1. ESP LTD BW-1 (lists: $1999, paid: $1450)
2. Fernandes Burny RLC95-S (lists: $1299, paid: $795)
3. Fernandes Burny RLC-85 (lists: $1299, also paid $795)
Also picked up a rare and unique Copley for under $500.
I good year...
In a market, the correct price is that price at which the buyer is willing to pay and the seller is willing to take. There is nothing else. If the seller has no buyers and refuses to accept a lower offer, then the product won't sell and will be a drag on the business.
Overall inflation,
groceries, gas, insurance, utilities etc are all up leading to very little discretionary income! (at least for low to middle income people)
6 years ago, I bought an American made Stratocaster Deluxe, brand new. It was the high-ish end guitar that I had always wanted after 30 odd years of playing. My 401K was through the roof and I had plenty of money to splurge on a dream item.
I sold it last year because I had to. I lost my $125K/year job in the beginning of 2020 and started a business. Things were going GREAT in the beginning, but this has been a shit storm 4 year period, economically. My biggest customer’s sales have been reduced to 1/8 what they were in 2021, so my sales to them have been cut down from $50k/year to $6k so far this year. Trying to say anything more about that without getting into politics is impossible, so I’ll leave it at that………….
@@danielduplantier3741you don’t know much about economics if you think one guy has that much influence over things. Also inflation is up everywhere in the world do some research.
@@mbrownie22
Inflation under Biden: 20.3%+
Inflation under Trump: 7.2%
I think I know who I'm voting for.
@@mbrownie22relieve all student and CC debt, and inflation vaporizes overnight. It's historically normal to do this. It's weird that we don't.
@@gracefromabove9057”inflation would be worse under Trump than Biden,” WSJ
I built a strat for under $200 Bought a neck from a Chinese factory that Forsure stole some fender blue prints. $90, bought a junked squire body $5, the pickups I stuck In it were $30. Sounds and plays better than both Fender Strats I own, Sad to say.
For real? Hard to believe that your home brew plays better than your Fender Strat's. What brand and model pick-ups did you use?
@@audiophileman7047 just random ceramic ones I found on Amazon lol. and yes it really does play better than both my Fenders; as crazy as that is to say, the neck I bought was a carbon copy of a fender neck.
@@audiophileman7047 just random ceramic ones I found on Amazon lol. And yes it really does play better than both my Fenders; as crazy as that is to say. The neck I bought is a carbon copy of a fender neck.
What models are your fender strats?
@@didamnesia3575 I have an American Performer 2018 and a MIM Player series 2023. Both sound different but feel exactly the same. When compared to the Chinese neck; the radius of the neck was spot on, and The headstocks fit like puzzle pieces.
The quality of the low end Chinese guitars have greatly improved and for prices $225 - $375 that knocks the snot out of most $500 branded options. These are solid backup guitars or a great starter.
I paid 1500 for a BRAND NEW Fender American Vintage II 57 Stratocaster when regular price is 2200. Came with the case and everything. Got it about a month ago.
How do you like the Vintage ii?
@@jameslonglove it’s a great guitar but if you don’t like the big 50’s V neck don’t bother.
@@DK-nq9wv Exactly. No way in hell did he get it brand new from a dealer for 1500. Maybe what they were when that came out at 2099.
@@DK-nq9wv found it on reverb from a mom/pop shop. It’s a 2022 model, but it never left the box. They had a floor demo model and 3 in the back sitting in boxes that they never sold. When I got it, everything was in the original box and all the case candy was still in its plastic so I believed their story. If you look you can find things.
Excluding collectability, no strat on the planet is worth more than $800. YMMV.
In 1975 i bought a new les paul standard with case for $550.00.that was more than a months pay for a lot of people back then.
This is one of the reasons I felt compelled, along with my partners, to create our own brand of instruments. We can offer semi-customizable instruments with all the bells and whistles for under $1k and still make a living. There are too many people with their hands out in some of these big companies, and we wanted to challenge that. Our mission is to provide our colleagues with high-quality, affordable instruments while maintaining the integrity of true craftsmanship.
Got a $200 Ibanez Gax70 back in 2001, has lasted longer than all my other, more "prestigious" expensive guitars.
Add a zero and you get an ibanez that will probably last a lifetime or two. Best bang for your buck
@@ovol1ty My Gax70 is magik. It's missing o rings on some tuning pegs and still stays in tune. I've adjusted the truss rod only once decades ago. It's just lucky somehow.
I'll sit on my guitar collection until the market becomes stable. I've got mostly higher end guitars and I bought them before the prices went insane.
I can only play one guitar at a time, so I only own one at a time.
That's just crazy talk bro
It’s that your philosophy with a pair of underwear too?
You sell your electric every time you want to play an acoustic guitar, which you now have to go buy? And vice versa?
Loook at the over consumers justifying their 60 guitars 😂
@@WinstonWhite-l9j I doubt it. Why are you conflating two unlike items?
Data analyst here, prices aren’t gonna go down until the C-suite starts to want to make less money. Sales are to make room for inventory that’s likely more expensive with a negligible difference. If you see stuff that’s good quality at a good price, that’s an outlier and you should support that company in their efforts. The people at the top have lost sight of organic growth and are at the mercy of shareholders who will divest if profits dip.
Guitars have been overpriced for a long time. As the quality of Asia-built guitars improve, it’s hard to justify the high cost of an American-made instrument. Moreover, with companies like Fender having so many different flavors of their guitars, you need an algorithm to figure out which guitar might be right for you. It’s ridiculous.
I was in the local GC this morning for some strings. Was killing time between two doctors appointments and took a little look around. When I saw a $1000 Epiphone I thought that the Apocalypse must be right around the corner.
Guitars are becoming ridiculously expensive, especially Gibsons.
In 2019, I bought a Gibson Les Paul Standard 60’s for $3,200 (Australian dollars), the current price is around $4,700 to $5,500 (Australian dollars).
Gibson reportedly spent over $3 Million in legal fees suing Dean, and they just had their verdict overturned by an appeals court. I bet they think the guitar buying public should pick up the tab for their frivolous lawsuit. And if Gibson uses their option to retry the case they will try to pass on the additional legal bills to their customers. The lawsuit and initial verdict were stupid in the first place. Nobody with half a brain could look at a Dean V and mistake it for a Gibson Flying V.
Any guitar new or used is only worth what a potential buyer is prepared to pay.
Here in the UK one of the largerst sellers have sales on both new and used guitars with large reductions
on the daily deals and this has been continuing for several months,.
The harsh reality is that sales have slumped, a lot of previous buyers don't have any spare funds so they
are selling and flooding the used market hence values are down.
Great for buyers with deep pockets, but not great if you are trying to sell.
I am on a roll... I have purchased a new guitar every month this year so far (except July).🎸
This only seems applicable to the lowest end of the market. The most expensive newer guitars don't seem to have this same issue...
Gibson and Fender have put their prices up way to high making their core guitars unattainable for most people.
This has been pretty much my exact view for a while.
A lot of buyer entitlement.
A lot of seller delusion
Buyers would rather not part with their money, and sellers would rather not sell.
I’ve been on both sides recently and the interactions with some people is just mind boggling.
I think people still want things but it’s more difficult to part with their money nowadays, a lot of people need the validation that they’ve got more than just a little deal to justify the spend when life costs are high atm as well. Hard to justify a $2k purchase when you’ve gotta eat, but if that guitar is reduced to $1k from $2k it gets the brain working.
On the other side, a lot of sellers think they’ve got something super rare and priceless, and treat the sale like their easy opportunity to cash in. It gets to a point where it’s completely absurd, for example, I’ve been looking for used kids guitars recently, 60-70% have a list price equal to or more than new, new guitars that are in stock, not backorder, collectable, rare, or unique, just stock standard in stock guitars.
It’s a crazy world.
I bought an EVH 1979 Eruption relic new last year from Sweetwater. $1899 and a month later they were $1599. Awesome guitar though.
I hate when that happens. Ammo and precious metals can be the same way.
I have the money for a new PRS, but I am no way spending that kind of money. I am still waiting for the deal.
The market is finally falling back to earth I’m so sick of seeing nice guitars that nobody can afford.
I sold my guitar last week, but it sat for at least a month. It was an artist guitar, and I bought during COVID, but I did realize I'd take a haircut - but not that much of one...I didn't NEED to sell it. I refused to go below a certain point (two price drops from $1150 down to $980). I got some low offers, but declined, and had one offer that was worse (after the free shipping and reverb fees) than simply putting it out on the street for the racoons to enjoy. Glad I just let it sit.
I've been watching the used guitar market on Facebook Marketplace and used guitars/amps aren't moving. Even I'm not buying guitars like I used to.
Also, for those of us who’ve made a living playing gigs for many years, most gigs are paying less, are less frequent, or are taken over by “open-mics” where amateurs play for free and the club makes money with little regard for quality… hence, who can afford a new guitar? I’m just keeping what I’ve got!
Even though I am attempting to sell a couple guitars I did buy a Fender Japan Aerodyne Telecaster because one of those insanely to good to pass by deals. It's a really great guitar though so no regrets.
Drums prices are still over the top. To have a high end kit with cymbals you are easily at £10k. And this is without stands, microphones and other things. Hi-hats are at £550. It's insane... I am really expecting a crash sooner or later, because the market is way overpriced.
As for guitar, it seems to be like clothing, where you can see the perpetual sale/deal and where the original price has never been intended to be the sale price.
Sales have slowed, but are they CONTINUING to slow? Are we on a slope or was there just a discontinuity in prices?
The # of existing guitars+ guitars manufactured daily will ultimately cross a threshold that is just unsustainable.
Last year was when PRS had 20% off most SE models, and Fender has had 10% off in a number of places for months now.
But they still had recent price increases!! 🙄🙄
Fender has been ripping consumers off for a LONG time. Charging hugely inflated prices, just because they hit the guitar body with some chains, and chipped off some paint. Gibson while generally higher than Fender, saw that, and now they are asking $5k for SG's.....that is really no different than any other SG. So, they made their bed, and they can lay in it. I have made my last 10 guitars, for less money, and way more tailored to what I want.
Fender hasnt lowered their guitar prices 30%. Maybe some sh!t MIM ones, but that is it. The MIA Fenders are still inflated from $200 to $400 since 2022.
@@johnsmith-ug5tp I think dealers on reverb that aren’t box stores may have dropped their prices just to get the old stock out the door cuz they have to buy the new stuff or they lose their dealership status but as a whole fenders dropped nothing.
Nothing wrong with the MiM Player series at all. Played several and they feel every bit as good as the double priced American counterparts. The Player Plus is even better.
@@ckatheman Not my experience. Total junk! To compare the MIM to MIA is laughable, Night and day.
@@johnsmith-ug5tp There were subtle differences, but nothing that affected my playing or the sound compared to one another - both the player and player plus were just fine - the plus especially with the rolled fingerboard - I literally could not have distinguished the necks apart if I were blindfolded. I also have an Indonesian Squire that (with the exception of the junk tuners and saddles) - also plays and sounds just fine - for a lousy 150 bucks.
@@ckatheman My history with MIM fender, I went through 3 vintera 50s modified teles nut cut so bad, high E string hanging off fret, string tree hole drilled in wrong spot on head stock, string popping up, sharp fret ends, toggle switch wouldnt move, bridge plate drilled off center. After the 3rd total POS I called up 1 of the big three online shops and the customer rep said, "yeah, we see this alot with the MIM, we get a whole lot of subpar runs of guitars with ZERO QC. They just dont care."
70s deluxe tele, the worst fret ends I ever encountered ! It literally would slice your fingers! Bridge pickup drilled in and mounted so far over the high E string was off the frets!!! Dead and lifeless sounding. Player strat was the same E string hanging off fret and there was no adjusting the neck over in the neck pocket game. Also, another talk about a dead and sterile guitar! I will NEVER buy another MIM POS!
I have 2 MIA strats that are perfect and came perfectly set up from Corona. There is zero comparison in feel, quality and tone between MIM and MIA.
All these youtubers are blowing smoke up people's butts saying mIM guitars are great. The same goes for epiphones. I bought 3 epiphones les pauls, A 50s LP, A Junior and a 59 standard LP, that everybody said was so great. Another supbar DEAD/lifeless guitar.
I own a 2022 Gibson LP 50s standard and a 2023 Gibson LP junior and they are beautiful instruments with mojo feel and tone. Buying MIM and MIC is a waste of time and money. Like the old saying goes, You get what ya pay for.
Yeah a lot of the "deals" across all markets is a face-saving move of dropping prices w/o really dropping them. I see it across several luxury areas and not just guitars.
People that have money have more money than ever, while people in the middle are forced down to the cheaper guitars and people at the bottom have pretty much zero disposable income in this economy. Mo debinitely a buyer's market. Just picked up a beautiful PRS SE NF3 by watching a dozen or so. Got two 10% off offers, one of which was from a legitimate music store in my state with which I'm familiar so I jumped on that. Hadn't even watched one from them, which means they're paying Reverb extra for push notifications. Also, Guitar Center's big sale was offering MIM Strats for $599. If I hadn't decided to pick up the PRS I'd definitely have jumped at that as my only real Strat is a MIM Noventa with P90 pickups. I can wait longer though - the deals will last longer than my money. Still want to pick up a CMG double cut this fall (man, I wish he'd do an SG style) as Chris makes beautiful, great playing instruments and so far he's held the price at $899 throughout COVID.
Good video. I’ve noticed Fender made some BIG upgrades to the Player series (Player II’s) and the pricing is finally decent. Backstock players are like $679? So thats cool. I returned TWO for crappy fretwork over the last 2 yrs. LOVE my Classic Vibe tele though. Might get a Warmoth neck with Jumbo’s though. Fender , Gibson and PRS never seem to have models with Jumbo frets wth?
JIgsaw puzzles boomed during covid as well but that market cooled too. One of the oldest lessons in business is busts almost always follow booms and that is true in collector markets as well...oh well, darn the bad luck...
I just ordered a new Kiesel the other day during their 4th of July sale for $2300, $250 off the normal price. That said, I have a 2018 screenshot from Kiesel's old configurator for a nearly identical guitar, and the normal non-sale price was around $500 less than the current sale price. That's getting to be a lot of money for a guitar, but I'm left-handed and the selection is generally terrible. If I were right-handed I probably would have bought an SE DGT and called it a day.
I did buy one guitar without a deal.. the prs se nf 3... which was really hard to do :D
The balance of any business is to price your product where you get the most profit, but low enough to get enough people to buy it. I have a collection of guitars of all types I could possibly want and am pretty satisfied with my collection. Looking at the prices now (Les Paul’s that used to be £1800 five years ago now being £2700 for example), I feel like things are more than I am willing to pay for again.
Inflation is an issue, but if the product doesn’t sell it doesn’t matter either way.
It's crazy what used prices are. I have been looking for a used Gibson Standard. Locally, One guy is asking list and another is $300 under list. I know Gibson's hold their value, but that seem ridiculous. Not in a hurry, got way more guitars than I need anyway
If the manufacturers are shortening their timeline because orders have come down do you think the quality control at these places will go up?
Maybe, depends on the factory. If they have less work to do they’ll likely lay people off to reflect the demand.
Yup this is why I have switched from actual fender to squier. Upgrade a little bit so a little bit of set up and bam got myself a great “fender”. Granted I have had my fair share of custom shop strats in the past. Still have one but forget even used in today’s market.
I was looking at the Wolfgang guitars a couple years ago for about $600. Now they are $1000
Keep an eye on Reverb - I got the Tahitian sunset model for $450 last year.
What do you say about used market, I have been notice that on marketplace the guitars are getting more expensive
I am a "Main Axe" kinda guy. I get very comfortable with a guitar and hardly touch another one. I play worship music at my church. My guitar, "Amber" is a Schecter Blood Burst C-1 S-1 Elite. Beautiful guitar with a Floyd Rose 1500, Fishman Fluence bridge pickup and a Sustainiac neck pickup. The Push-Pull tone knob adds even more tone options. The single coil pickup that comes with the Sustainiac is a great sounding pickup.
You can see this in the UK. Loads of used high end Covid guitars going for almost half the retail price. PRS, Fender Custom Shop etc. Amazing deals.
I hope people heard more often to smaller builders who don’t change an added premium for the name. Economics have changed and the availability of the premium brands to younger generations is decreasing because of lower SES in that group relative to boomers.
I think you correctly addressed the new guitar market. I'm always watching The used guitars. This is a great time to get a used PRS. This is a great time to step up and get an awesome Eastman. It's actually a pretty good time to get used if that is what you want. I see near-mint condition of all of these guitars going for half price sometimes less. I saw a PRS core McCarty with case mint condition asking $1,200 on my local FB marketplace. That's originally a $4,000 guitar and yes it's in mint condition
some guitars seem expensive in the UK and it doesn't really make sense about where they were made, some gibsons that are made in USA are fairly cheap but Fenders and Charvels that are made in the USA are expensive, also some MIJ are really expensive and some aren't. The problem i have is that the stores don't get the stock in, they are mainly concerned with online purchases now so it's difficult to actually try out a guitar that i want locally.
This is why I’ve always bought low end Squiers, mostly second hand. I will not pay big name prices when I can have nearly identical sound and setup for a fraction of the price. These guys use to have a bigger cut of the pie, but now with the market being super competitive, and Asian factories churning out awesome guitars for 1/10 of the price or cheaper…..why tf would anyone want to pay more for a logo or headstock design 😂
Been playing for since the 90’s. I got over the hype years ago. Most of us are at home players and really no one gives a shit what guitar you play or how you sound.
Just spent over $1,600 on a new Charvel Super Stock Silver Bengal with a single humbuker. At least it comes with a deluxe gig bag... Everything is just way too expensive now...
I bought a firefly guitar and upgraded it and it's pretty good I just can't see paying as much for a guitar that I did for my car.
I have seen a 18 month old Masterbuilt Strat which was bought for £11,000, sell for £6,500 last week. The shop must have paid £5,700 or maybe less for it. That is not a deal, it’s exposure of reality!
i would like to switch up some things with my holdings, but that would mean i have to sell low and buy high. people listing on reverb are smoking some wacky stuff. and its not just guitars, i bought a used drum shell kit in 2016 for $2k and most new and existing listings are $3k (not getting sold) so there is a huge gap if you want to move something now and jump into something different.
The only way I can afford a new instrument is to buy parts on eBay and put it together myself. I can’t afford it $1500 guitar $$2000 guitar. It’s hard enough putting the food on the table and paying housing expenses
I have a 1981 Guild Starfire IV that I have been trying to sell for over a year now. But the good part is I picked up a 1973 SG standard for $1899. I guess I will just wait until the prices go back up again to sell the Guild.
Ain't paying $1k for a Chinese guitar
No kidding
I gig with a HB i got for 130$ swapped the pickups and bone nut for tusq. Total 275$ stainless steel frets it feels and plays perfect. Soon picking up a used acoustic for under 600
Totally agree, that's why I respect PRS for creating their SE line, Paul understands and is responding to the market.
Love your channel(s), been watching for years. You should put a sign near your camera facing you that says "Take a Breath". :)
I noticed the PRS 'switch' a while back - I think they have made very smart decisions and will reap the rewards from bringing prices down (where they can) and quality up with the S2 line! Much as I like the SE line I think a little more attention to the wiring / electronics side of things in Indonesia would be a big help - of the 4 I have played 2 have been a problem, a 245 brand new in the shop (bridge did not engage at all) and my own Custom 24-08 (bridge cutting out after less than 2 years). The 2 SE Tremontis both seemed fine - I like the 'Gibsonish' scale and the trem so may grab one to mod. I live in HK, which is a duty free port and the 2 main suppliers handling Fender, Gibson, PRS, Gretsch, Ibanez, Yamaha, Epiphone, Squier etc. enjoy very high turnover, particularly from overseas visitors picking up instruments at a considerably lower price than at home in 'the west'. In the last 2 years I got lucky: a 2019 Japanese made Gretsch solid-body reduced from USD 2.5K to 1.2K (they had just taken delivery of all the new China made Electromatics and were clearing stock) and a 2009 Gibson LP Special that had been literally sitting 'under glass' in the floor of the showroom untouched for years - as new quality @ USD 620. I worked as a guitar salesman back in the '70s and still enjoy visiting these 2 bricks and mortar shops every few weeks and checking out sales of 'old stock' going for a steal - highly recommend it! 😅
I waited for a new Mustang PJ in a cool color. It's 799. So I just went and bought a Sire U5 for 369 on a good deal.
I have a Martin (midrange) for bluegrass and a G&L (very cheap) for country. I currently play through a Fender Rumble with a Boss IR2. I have no need to buy much else, other than a few pedals. I see cheaper brands doing more with less too.
Times have changed!! Very few kids where I am play music and very few play guitar. Garage bands have become far and few between. If kids are not involved it stands no chance!
Guitars right now are too much for too little! $1K gets you an import usually without a case.
I expect either they drop their price or they go out of business.
I was very happy with my Guild Surfliner HH at $269 on Reverb. Though it was a great guitar at that price point.
Totally agree that guitar prices are insane right now. I just bought a Schecter C-1 Platinum Blackout through Musican's Friend because it was on sale for $499.00. Which is what it is worth in my book. Not worth the $749.00 regular retail price. It's backordered because they sold out. So hoping to get it in October!
How perfectly timed. I just bought a PRS NF3 demo. 10% off and interest free financing for 6 months.
I dont feel the need to buy another guitar and i havent for the last 10 years. But all I have to do is walk in a pawn shop and i have to just say no to myself. My best guitars i own high and low end came from pawn shops where i got insane excellent deals.
Not around here . Pawnshops have insane prices on off Brand guitars and on good brands super crazy prices.
Pawn shop with 15 percent off deals around here and not just instruments. And the ones they do have I wouldn't pay 40 percent off used. Lots of junk. Scratchy pots, dings, flat frets...and they are asking more than the price of the same guitar when it was bought 3-5years ago.
Bought an American Standard Stratocaster 20 yrs ago for $450 from a pawn shop. Still own this guitar. Bought. a Jimi Hendrix Fuzz pedal for $29 about 4 yrs ago. They sell for $160 new. You just got to know what your looking at. Just saying.
I have the long and McQuade catalogue from 2018. Godin session. Is 579 cdn. Same guitar 6 years is 1149...that's much higher than inflation.
Fender FSR Candy Apple Red HSS - $499 when it came out in 2014/2015. Used around $300-350. New in 2024: $729.99. Used for $550-600.
Same mid guitar it always was.
Consumers suck. They want gloss finish, high quality, flame tops, and all at import prices. Gibson has a great deal on the Les Paul modern lite but it’s not as flashy as import guitars of lower quality. No one wants plain and simple, they want something that resembles something expensive for less than a week’s wage.
Availability needs to change too. There are so many popular brands....legator, kiesel etc.... that nobody around where I live can at least pick up and play to see if they like it. I've been very curious about both of these brands but I'm not gonna order a guitar I never played before.
I think the smart play for some makers would be to add some "enhancements" but keep the price the same, so folks can rationalize spending the same amount on a new model when the market softens. Upgrading pickups or pots, electronics, paint options etc cost a manufacturer very little relatively but that way they can say the '24 model is better than the '23 so it's still a good deal at the same price.
Lower guitar prices will start when the big manufacturers lower their dealer fees.
I had to sell some gear and it was a little rough, always got way less than I wanted - but then again, I bought used too, so I profited from that whole thing and it came out quite balanced in the end I think.
researched epiphone modern sg's...the 2 new colours were 750 usd and the old black was 550usd...went with the black..200 bucks for for a new colour? lame
Ibanez prestige guitars are way too high as well. I bought a brand new one for 2500 that had two hairline cracks by the neck joint. Maybe shipping or the heat have done it, but returned it. I see them used for under 1500 now.
New generations buy only deals.
Good or bad deals, but it's the new "normal" to have deals every single day on a calendar.