onewilyfool Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 I've noticed that Martin has started upping their prices on the 15 series, some "D" models, and various other models…..modest I guess, in the $100 range….when one of the big 3 raises, the others usually follow suit….anyone notice anything out there in new guitar land???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vacamartin Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 I've noticed that Martin has started upping their prices on the 15 series, some "D" models, and various other models…..modest I guess, in the $100 range….when one of the big 3 raises, the others usually follow suit….anyone notice anything out there in new guitar land???? Yes.......just ordered the CEO-7, and the price has gone up in the last few months. Get ready, as you said, "the others usually follow"...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 333 Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Prices just fell on the J-45 and J-45 TV. Probably some others, too, but those were the two I noticed. Red 333 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boyd Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 I've noticed that Martin has started upping their prices on the 15 series, some "D" models, and various other models Just looked and Guitar Center sells the D-15M for $1250 now. Pretty sure their price was $1100 when I got mine two and a half years ago, although I paid less than that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slinky1 Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 In '07 I had my pick of any of the Martin 15 series guitars for $750, I wish I had done it then. They seem pretty nice. I wouldn't mind having one, but I can't get myself to pay $1200 or so for one. Dang! Missed my chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajsc Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Aren't prices rising, on everything? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR GIBS Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Aren't prices rising, on everything? Yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smurfbird Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 I've noticed this, too. The shocking part of rising prices is it's being done in an economy where people are largely saving more than usual and not spending as much. Except for the tippy-top. I was told by my local guitar shop that any Martins that hit his store in July will be, generally, $50 to $100 more. Not so bad when you consider how an electric Fender ('52 Telecaster) went from $1199 to $1999 all at once a few years ago. Gibsons look to be following the trend. Unless my memory is worse than I think, prices on the higher end guitars (Hummingbirds, J-200) have been moving up at a decent clip, while they introduce lower-end models (J-15, J-35) to capture the market that can no longer afford the other models. Even a low-end Taylor like the 210 is now listed at $999 when it was $799 not that long ago. Obviously, prices rise over time, but in just a few years the prices have really taken a jump where other widgets have remained flat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smurfbird Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Could someone invite Keith (Modoc) to this discussion? Him being in retail, he can likely pull up the real numbers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichG Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 When I got my LG 2 AE about six months ago, I just got under the wire as there was a price increase coming. I think you can still find two different MAP for them on the web And yes, prices are going up and people have less disposable income. The term is "stag-flation" when an economy is in the toilet yet prices keep rising. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin 1940D28 Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Don't recall the last increase on the paycheck, other than on the with holding side. Keep shelling out your hard earned bucks folks. How much more saturation of the market can we take with this stuff? Martin serial numbers approaching 1,500,000. Gibson right behind. Taylor? Never heard of them 'til recently. Best wait till the panic begins when all the "investors" decide to "cash in". Then, the Harmony and Stella will be the way to go. I know, I know. Come on losers, tell me how wrong I am. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boyd Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Aren't prices rising, on everything? But the Fed thinks we don't have enough inflation in the US... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modoc_333 Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 Martin is going up. It has been a while since they have though, and inflation is real so i can't really blame them. As for Gibson models, they HAVE added some stuff on the low end but the rest hasn't really gone up. some of it has a little bit, but some have come down. As mentioned earlier, the J45 came down by several hundred dollars recently. the Hummingbird went up, but only by $50. There have been plenty of recent limited runs that have major upgrades and are more than fairly priced... some are cheaper than the standard model that they are upgrade over! Taylor has come down too. the new 618, 618e, and 618ce all dropped in price shortly after coming out. they 100 and 200 series from Taylor has had some wonderful price drops where you basically get a free pickup system. Martin has maintained pricing longer than the others when Gibson and Taylor had to go up just to follow inflation. It's time for Martin to catch up on that. Will everyone else reverse course and follow suit? Only time will tell. This reminds me of a few years ago when Fender went up. Basically, when there is inflation (or to put it another way, as time passes on) prices must go up. The same dollar just doesn't stretch as far. That's the point in inflation. So, whether we like it or not, let's assume that all of the builders have to deal with it. Then, there are 2 ways to do it: 1. small price increases often. 2. less frequent changes to price, but bigger changes when it happens. Looking at electrics, Gibson took option 2. Few people noticed over the years as a Les Paul standard went up $50 or $100 at a time. what's the big difference between 2299 and 2399? Most people didn't care. Gibson kept doing it and now they are even more. but people took the medicine slowly and accepted it. They also added features when they made these changes. That made it easier to justify. (even if those features didn't cost more to produce). They still had a backlash from some people saying, "man, Gibson is just always going up!" Fender took option 1. they held out as long as possible. people loved it. an American Strat cost the same for 10 years. The economy didn't stay the same though. something had to give. Fender made a lot of loyal customers in this time because they stayed the same. but something had to be done. they raised the price and it was a huge amount. basically they made up for 10 years of inflation all at once. there was a HUGE backlash! Fender had to give in and they dropped the price to in between the old and new price. It nearly killed them. Look at when Fender attempted an IPO. They had so much debt and such a thin profit margin. This is why. they bet on people loving the fact that they weren't going up as often. it looked good for a while, but they bet wrong. all of this being said..... do i hate to see them go up? of course! I can't buy as many. It's harder to sell as many. Do I understand why they do it? Absolutely. I well be buying or selling ANY guitars if the companies making them go under. The REAL thing to be mad at here is the shape of our economy as a whole. It ain't just guitars folks. Milk costs more too. I will go ahead and throw in one more statement here.... it's NOT some super rich investment guy buying all of these guitars. And frankly, that image is getting pretty old. Almost every $2000- $4000 guitar we sell goes to someone who loves playing the instrument. I'm not saying they are all great players, but they aren't buying it to invest and sell later. That is NOT the truth. Most aren't struggling, working musicians either. They are just regular guys that love guitars. Some have a good bit of money, and some buy the guitar with their savings instead of taking a vacation. Most are pretty regular dudes though. Just see who posts here that own these things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajsc Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 I will go ahead and throw in one more statement here.... it's NOT some super rich investment guy buying all of these guitars. And frankly, that image is getting pretty old. Almost every $2000- $4000 guitar we sell goes to someone who loves playing the instrument. I'm not saying they are all great players, but they aren't buying it to invest and sell later. That is NOT the truth. Most aren't struggling, working musicians either. They are just regular guys that love guitars. Some have a good bit of money, and some buy the guitar with their savings instead of taking a vacation. Most are pretty regular dudes though. Just see who posts here that own these things. Amen to that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slinky1 Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 I will go ahead and throw in one more statement here.... it's NOT some super rich investment guy buying all of these guitars. And frankly, that image is getting pretty old. Almost every $2000- $4000 guitar we sell goes to someone who loves playing the instrument. I'm not saying they are all great players, but they aren't buying it to invest and sell later. That is NOT the truth. Most aren't struggling, working musicians either. They are just regular guys that love guitars. Some have a good bit of money, and some buy the guitar with their savings instead of taking a vacation. Most are pretty regular dudes though. Just see who posts here that own these things. Amen to that! +1, amen! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted June 25, 2014 Author Share Posted June 25, 2014 I remember before the economic melt down of a few years back, every time Martin or Gibson raised their prices, sometimes by $2-300 for certain models…and almost yearly…Sellers f USED guitars would raise their prices on CL and Evilbay, by the same amount…of course after quoting the current "List" prices for a new comparable model!!! It was wild watching those used prices jump!!! I'm with some of the other commenters on this thread…at some point…in the US at east, Saturration of the market HAS to be a factor!!!! Unless India and China get a new middle class part of their population with disposable income…who will Martin and Gibson sell to??? The US market is becoming saturated!!! The US population isn;t rising fast enough to provide a built in future buyer pool!!! I know I can't take on any more guitars…check on AGF and UMGF…every time I go over there I see stuff like,,,too many guitars, have to thin the herd…stuff like that, and guys with 30 guitars in their signature….lol…..I think market saturation and "price too high" for a fragile recovering market may put a lot of new guitar purchases on the back burner for a lot of folks!! Put in the equation the rapidly rising profile of asian guitar manufacturers, with fit and finish equal or superior to some US makers, and the sound quality constantly catching up to US standards, and you have to wonder if these price raises are smart or even realistic!!!???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vacamartin Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 ….".I think market saturation and "price too high" for a fragile recovering market may put a lot of new guitar purchases on the back burner for a lot of folks!!" Most assuredly. But I still talk to plenty of players that are selling and buying all the time. The Boomers are fueling this surge, just as they've fueled everything, in every decade for the last 50 years. It's not over yet.....I give it another 10/15 years before the slowdown begins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smurfbird Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 It's an interesting market. I do wonder what the marketplace will be like when the millennials become the prime driver of the economy. While there are still plenty of young musicians playing acoustic guitars, there's also a strong amount who do everything on the computer. It sure does seem like there are a lot of used acoustics out there that even with serious price drops sit for longer than expected. Markets are cyclical, so things can change rapidly. I"m glad to hear from Keith (modoc) since he's on the front lines selling guitars and seeing firsthand how the prices change over the years. Even then, though, he's in a good region for acoustic guitars. The dealers I've spoken to in the NYC area tell a different story. But then the amount of financial guys buying up guitars is more likely way up when you're blocks away from Wall St. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted June 26, 2014 Author Share Posted June 26, 2014 I think prices WERE stable for the past three years or so, after steady increases for years in a row……downturn in the economy and such….but they are on the rise again….looks like our used guitars are evaluating try well!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted June 26, 2014 Author Share Posted June 26, 2014 I've watched the Craig's List market for years…..for USED guitars, if some kind of acoustic guitar bubble bursts when us baby boomers pass into the that fair night…….I will bet that Gibson's and Martins are STILL in high demand, while other US makers and Asian guitar companies will struggle to get a fraction of their original cost……just saying…. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin 1940D28 Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 Reply number 13 hogwash!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 1403787974[/url]' post='1534184']Reply number 13 hogwash!!! Martin, sort of tacky labeling a long, insightful post by a knowledgeable member who is actually in the retail market , has first hand knowledge on pricing and was asked for input - "hogwash". It would have been more helpful if you had instead posted a more detailed, more insightful comment. But, at this point, maybe just some reasons why you labelled Reply#13 in it's entirety as 'hogwash' . Some folks here are concerned with the trend towards longer term members getting disgusted with bickering and dropping off. So it would be nice if this doesn't turn into something negative. IMHO. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin 1940D28 Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 "a long, insightful post", just may be justifying an employment position. Politicians always have "long insightful" reasons for we, to understand, the reasons for the need for tax increases, etc, etc. As a seventy two+ year old fool, my opinion and mine only, considers this hogwash. (60 years pickin', myself) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vacamartin Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 "it's NOT some super rich investment guy buying all of these guitars. And frankly, that image is getting pretty old. Almost every $2000- $4000 guitar we sell goes to someone who loves playing the instrument. I'm not saying they are all great players, but they aren't buying it to invest and sell later. That is NOT the truth. Most aren't struggling, working musicians either. They are just regular guys that love guitars. Some have a good bit of money, and some buy the guitar with their savings instead of taking a vacation. Most are pretty regular dudes though. Just see who posts here that own these things. " Right friggin' on the mark! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modoc_333 Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 "a long, insightful post", just may be justifying an employment position. Politicians always have "long insightful" reasons for we, to understand, the reasons for the need for tax increases, etc, etc. As a seventy two+ year old fool, my opinion and mine only, considers this hogwash. (60 years pickin', myself) Well i didn't really say anything that would help me professionally or hurt me. Just talked about what has happened, and how I hate to see things go up. I would appreciate a more detailed breakdown of your disagreements with what i said though. The fact that you are older or have been playing guitar longer doesn't give any more insight or credibility into the current market. The guitars, the industry, manufacturing techniques, the customer base, and retail itself has sure changed a lot since you started playing. If you have other insight and experience other than age, I would love to hear it and learn from it. I have no problem with someone disagreeing with my views of the market. Only the facts themselves (prices, etc) are concrete. the rest is opinion and I love to hear insightful, well articulated opinions. I have ready many posts from you that seem to only promote owning vintage gear like you do. That's not really what we are talking about here though. We are looking for a discussion on the current market of new guitars, not vintage. That is a whole different discussion. As for the other comment about deceptive politicians.... That is where I take some offense. Indirectly (or directly) calling me dishonest and dishonorable is completely different from just having a different opinion of the current market. I pride myself on being an honest, ethical and trustworthy man in all that I do. If you doubt my character in such things, I am sure a quick search of these forums will show plenty of support for that. Either way, please let's keep the personal stuff out of it. So, please, share your market insight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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