Nifty Posted August 29, 2022 Share Posted August 29, 2022 (edited) On 8/18/2022 at 4:54 PM, brad1 said: It's nothing new that the prices of guitars on Reverb and other places are very high from what they originally cost. And Gibsons probably have the highest markup. I bought an 2014 SGJ in 2014, for $480. It was at the end of the year and they had lowered the price somwhat. I now see this exact same guitar going for $700-$1000 dollars on Reverb. And I bought a Les Paul Studio in 2016 for $650. I see them all the time on Reverb for $800-$1400. It just irritates me that so many people try to rip so many people off. And yes, I know it's not new. But it just seems to be so bad nowadays. I'm really glad I bought those guitars new when I did. Because I couldn't afford to buy them used today! I know. There is a used LP Standard not far from me. I looked at it in person over a month ago. No mods, a few nics but nothing noticeably bad. They want 85% of "new" retail. WTF would I pay that? And I just checked, the guy still has it listed. Our locally owned music store sometimes lists stuff on Reverb but it's rare. I talked to the owner just today about guitar prices. He said Reverb prices were generally high or flat out absurd, and it is getting more common. He's got a Rickenbaker on consignment, but the guitar's owner set a price (based on Reverb research) that in the end won't help the guitar sell. And 8 months later it's still hanging in there. The other problem he mentioned is when people show up to trade something, they want Reverb prices for their trade or believe the item is worth more than it is. Then some get pissed off when they hear the offer. Go look at the prices on Reverb's Gibson Demo shop. I should have just bought a bunch of Classics last year and flipped them this year. LOL Edited August 29, 2022 by Nifty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted August 29, 2022 Share Posted August 29, 2022 Prices these guys are asking is a Rip Off etc.. So that’s like saying a beautiful mint original 1963 Corvette Split Window Sting Ray shouldn’t be worth more than it cost New? That’s Nonsense! Value is determined by the market & what someone is willing to pay.. Just because “One” can’t afford it doesn’t mean the rest of the World needs to change… Again, Nonsense! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brad1 Posted August 29, 2022 Author Share Posted August 29, 2022 31 minutes ago, Larsongs said: Prices these guys are asking is a Rip Off etc.. So that’s like saying a beautiful mint original 1963 Corvette Split Window Sting Ray shouldn’t be worth more than it cost New? That’s Nonsense! Value is determined by the market & what someone is willing to pay.. Just because “One” can’t afford it doesn’t mean the rest of the World needs to change… Again, Nonsense! Nobody is saying that. Were not talking about a 1963 Corvette Spit Window Sting Ray here. Were talking about a regular Les Paul Studio from 2016 that cost me $ 680 and now sells for over $1000 6 years later. How is that comparable to what a 1963 Corvette costs today???? It's not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted August 29, 2022 Share Posted August 29, 2022 12 minutes ago, brad1 said: Nobody is saying that. Were not talking about a 1963 Corvette Spit Window Sting Ray here. Were talking about a regular Les Paul Studio from 2016 that cost me $ 680 and now sells for over $1000 6 years later. How is that comparable to what a 1963 Corvette costs today???? It's not. Same principle.. If you look around just about everything has gone up in price.. A lot of things have doubled, or more, in the past 3 years.. Just because you paid X for something, whenever, there's no guarantee that it's value can go up or down in the future... Point being Something is worth what someone is willing to pay... Like it or not... It just is... There's a market for everything. We may not like it but that's the way it is.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brad1 Posted August 29, 2022 Author Share Posted August 29, 2022 48 minutes ago, Larsongs said: Same principle.. If you look around just about everything has gone up in price.. A lot of things have doubled, or more, in the past 3 years.. Just because you paid X for something, whenever, there's no guarantee that it's value can go up or down in the future... Point being Something is worth what someone is willing to pay... Like it or not... It just is... There's a market for everything. We may not like it but that's the way it is.... NO, not the same principle at all. Apples and Oranges... But you go ahead and think you're right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted August 30, 2022 Share Posted August 30, 2022 (edited) 5 hours ago, brad1 said: NO, not the same principle at all. Apples and Oranges... But you go ahead and think you're right. A new high line Gibson Les Paul Std. in 1968 was about $500.00.. Now they’re about 10 times that.. The used Les Paul I bought in 1969 for $75.00 today is worth $ Thousands.. The used 1959 Gibson ES345 I bought for $200.00 way back in the 70’s is now worth about $25,000.00.. Just because someone can profit from the Appreciation of something they own doesn’t mean they’re a rip off.. The value of things changes.. Someone who paid $500.00 for a Guitar 5 years ago who can sell it for $800.00 now because of Supply & Demand or Inflation or because prices of Guitars have gone up is exactly the same thing…. Edited August 30, 2022 by Larsongs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted August 30, 2022 Share Posted August 30, 2022 (edited) A Studio is a nice guitar and it's not a collectible one BUT compare the $800-1000 used price to a new one. Now the price doesn't seem unreasonable. Every once in a while I browse the Gibson Firebirds to see what's available and have some of those ever shot up in price. I wouldn't buy a Firebird VII at today's prices and most of the Vs are really pushing the price envelope. Edited August 30, 2022 by SteveFord Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted August 30, 2022 Share Posted August 30, 2022 "It's the economy, s....." There are literally TRILLION$ floating around out there - which weren't several years ago. Much of it is being treated by the lucky winners as 'Disposable Income'. In other words, new found money: winning $10K at the lottery, $1K at the slots - or finding Three Twenties and a Ten in your faded leather jacket when you thought you didn't have any money to buy a round. For all intents and purposes - the Minimum Wage has doubled from $7.50 to $15 for those who work. Then you have handouts like Government Covid money going to renters so they can pay their rent. In many cases it is being spent on Guitars and Cadillacs instead - because local cities have enacted laws prohibiting landlords from evicting deadbeats. So ... after the nouveau riche get past the flush of buying Patron instead of Schlitz - they sit down and ask themselves that question: " What have I always dreamed of since I was a kid ? Being able to play the guitar ! I need a good one! I deserve it." The real estate market - single family homes - exploded. (In desirable locations.) Now it's shrinking. Same will happen to the guitar market. The market always adjusts to reality: the government announced they'd issue you a $7K rebate on "electric cars made in the US". So, manufacturers increased their prices by .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nifty Posted August 30, 2022 Share Posted August 30, 2022 (edited) It's an illusion. Things are not priced to buy outright, things are priced to obtain through loans. This started eons ago with homes, then we went to automobiles. Now, it seems everything no matter the "price" can be obtained via taking on debt. When I was younger, the thought of using a credit card hardly ever happened. We carried them in case of emergency. Now look at the 20 something year olds and the crap they buy. I know college kids who have multiple credit cards, department store cards, some maxed out already. (This is the same group for the most part that wants their student debt erased) So, sellers continue to sell things at a higher price because the market/buyers cooperate and continue to pay. Think about the car. The question that dealers throw out is "what do you want your monthly payment to be?" People take out 72 month loans now which is insane. Reverb always has a "as low as XX month with Affirm" reminder. I wonder how many go this route. Imagine what would happen if there wasn't this option. I make good money, but I'm not ever going to pay 5k for a guitar. There are 100 other things I could or should purchase before that will give me a better value years from now. So as there are more avenues for obtaining a guitar, the prices will continue to remain high, and continue to increase. The "new" prices will then impact the perceived value of the used prices, and those selling will use that as some gauge. Edited August 30, 2022 by Nifty 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbluesplayer Posted August 30, 2022 Share Posted August 30, 2022 I swear my buddy has one of those '52 Mickey Mantle cards. We used to play some kind of baseball game at his house using the cards as the players, running them around some imaginary bases in his room. We'd announce the players as they came up to bat and read off the stats from the back of the card to all the fans that were listening. He always had good cards, and I know he had a mint Mantle card and I swore it was the rookie card. Good friend. Very good friend. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitefang Posted August 30, 2022 Share Posted August 30, 2022 Hope he kept it mint. I cringe when I think about the millions of kids, me included, who probably tore up many what may now be valuable baseball cards by fastening them to our bike's fenders and sticking them into the spokes to make that phony motorcycle sound. Whitefang 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted August 30, 2022 Share Posted August 30, 2022 I've got about 10 Guitars & 3-4 Amps I seldom use.. I should sell them.. If I did I'd be able to pay Cash for a $12K-$15k Guitar, (maybe more), or a couple really nice Guitars.. A J-200 is definitely on the list.. Or I'd love a Gibson Vintage Sunburst Reverse Firebird VII! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brad1 Posted August 30, 2022 Author Share Posted August 30, 2022 Got an email today from Sweetwater. Looks like they are joining the fray for selling stuff. They have something now called the “Gear Exchange “. You can buy/sell gear on it. Maybe the competition will help lower some of the fees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted August 31, 2022 Share Posted August 31, 2022 8 hours ago, brad1 said: Got an email today from Sweetwater. Looks like they are joining the fray for selling stuff. They have something now called the “Gear Exchange “. You can buy/sell gear on it. Maybe the competition will help lower some of the fees. They’ve been doing it for a while & may be another way for Musicians to move their Gear on to others.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanHenry Posted August 31, 2022 Share Posted August 31, 2022 Most "high end" product's increase or retain their value in the long term, be it Rolex and Omega watches, Ferrari's etc, and I think you can include Gibson's in that as well. Those products will lose money immediately after you buy them but over a period of time, probably decades they will increase in value. Markets fluctuate with the economy, they've been high for a while now , so it wouldn't be much of a surprise if they crash now, but having said that there's always the chance that people could see that the interest rate on their savings isn't keeping up with inflation and use their money to buy a 1959 ES335 or a classic car. At the end of the day the going price for a product is what it is, you can either put up or shut up, your choice. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted August 31, 2022 Share Posted August 31, 2022 23 hours ago, badbluesplayer said: I swear my buddy has one of those '52 Mickey Mantle cards. We used to play some kind of baseball game at his house using the cards as the players, running them around some imaginary bases in his room. We'd announce the players as they came up to bat and read off the stats from the back of the card to all the fans that were listening. He always had good cards, and I know he had a mint Mantle card and I swore it was the rookie card. Good friend. Very good friend. Hah - not having read this, I commented on this on the "You know you're getting old" thread, simply because someone mentioned 'bubble gum cards' ! I think the Mantle cards go for $5M to double that. I try not to think about it, knowing I had at least one. Long gone now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nifty Posted August 31, 2022 Share Posted August 31, 2022 40 minutes ago, fortyearspickn said: Hah - not having read this, I commented on this on the "You know you're getting old" thread, simply because someone mentioned 'bubble gum cards' ! I think the Mantle cards go for $5M to double that. I try not to think about it, knowing I had at least one. Long gone now. I've still got packs - unopened - that contain gum. Late 70s, early 80s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.