sugarcool6 Posted September 19, 2023 Share Posted September 19, 2023 In the pandemic a lot of guitars were in demand for home playing, study etc. Yet the pandemic is over. You'd expect a lot of 'guitarlovers' to sell of their guitar because of being a bit too hasty in deciding to buy one. In this inflation crises people need their money for different more urgent spendings. So you'd expect the secondhand market to rise and prices drop, also for new guitars. Now I am saving money for a Gibson Les Paul Standard '50s GT. So i looked after some month's saving at a website that sells them....€ 2900,- Two years ago € 2200,- How in G. name is this possible and how can people catch up with this? Furthermore even the old price got criticised for " Gibson should by now lower its prices' Who on earth is Gibson going to sell these guitars? Rich people spend way more and sniff at anything below € 4000,- and those who would like to buy the € 2000,- and up range just can't afford this? Are these Gibsons made of real Gold now? Listen I don't want to put Gibson down, I am just curious how this is possible when most people have to save money to get this, yet if you do...by the time you're there the guitar is a € 1000,- higher. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinch Posted September 19, 2023 Share Posted September 19, 2023 (edited) 21 minutes ago, sugarcool6 said: So i looked after some month's saving at a website that sells them....€ 2900,- And that's comparatively "cheap". It'll be interesting to see if there will be a lot of guitars collecting dust at retailers for a long time now. Try running it by your partner - "oh, gas is up again, but I stockpiled canned goods that were on sale and saved ten bucks. Oh, btw, how about I buy a guitar for three grand?" Hell, try running it by yourself. I think fewer retailers will stock Gibsons in a few years? As for how it's possible, well, Gibson has sold a lot of guitars in the last five years, so of course they won't do a pre-emptive slashing of the prices. But the past five years won't resemble the next five years, I don't think. Edited September 19, 2023 by Pinch 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted September 19, 2023 Share Posted September 19, 2023 Oh you think Gibson knows who you are and cares about you, and is not in the business of making money like every other company that makes a product. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinch Posted September 19, 2023 Share Posted September 19, 2023 1 minute ago, Sgt. Pepper said: Oh you think Gibson knows who you are and cares about you, and is not in the business of making money like every other company that makes a product. That's the slightly less diplomatic version, but yes, there you go. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sugarcool6 Posted September 19, 2023 Author Share Posted September 19, 2023 Answer to Sgt Pepper. Oh its obvious but you don't really discuss my topic, you only give a very general comment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted September 19, 2023 Share Posted September 19, 2023 (edited) 4 minutes ago, sugarcool6 said: Answer to Sgt Pepper. Oh its obvious but you don't really discuss my topic, you only give a very general comment Guitar prices every year go up. You think the the Wuhan Flu was gonna change that? If a person is holding on to a guitar and wants $XXXX for it, well they own it and can do what they want with it and sell it for what they want. When they need or want to sell it they will. Gibson is not the guitar maker for the average Joe anymore. Edited September 19, 2023 by Sgt. Pepper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvi Posted September 19, 2023 Share Posted September 19, 2023 EVERYTHING costs too much, its capitism and not for the faint hearted (or light pocketed)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinch Posted September 19, 2023 Share Posted September 19, 2023 (edited) To be fair though, I would say the Gibson price hike is more extreme than the Fender price hike, right? Then again, there was a lot of demand once they stopped drilling cheese holes in guitars. So they've capitalized on that. If all of a sudden there was a sudden huge demand for Strats, Fender would likely do the same. Like you guys say, it's capitalism. But the question is if it's sustainable and where it'll go. Edited September 19, 2023 by Pinch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted September 19, 2023 Share Posted September 19, 2023 29 minutes ago, Pinch said: To be fair though, I would say the Gibson price hike is more extreme than the Fender price hike, right? Then again, there was a lot of demand once they stopped drilling cheese holes in guitars. So they've capitalized on that. If all of a sudden there was a sudden huge demand for Strats, Fender would likely do the same. Like you guys say, it's capitalism. But the question is if it's sustainable and where it'll go. There is. Fender is only a few percentage points away from Gibson's share. I think G is at 34% and F is a 30%. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karloff Posted September 19, 2023 Share Posted September 19, 2023 If I want something bad enough I'll pay for it. meanwhile, theres always used ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted September 19, 2023 Share Posted September 19, 2023 4 minutes ago, Karloff said: If I want something bad enough I'll pay for it. meanwhile, theres always used ... David Gilmour's Strat was used. It went for a heap ton of cash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gearbasher Posted September 19, 2023 Share Posted September 19, 2023 If Gibsons stop selling for the current prices, I bet they will cut costs by using lesser quality wood and cut back on craftsmanship. So, you might get a cheaper guitar, but it won't be the same. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrdinaryNimda Posted September 19, 2023 Share Posted September 19, 2023 Gibson (and other makers of things, not just guitars), have their Suggested Retail Prices. When they sell their stuff to retailers at a (say) 40% discount off this SRP, it is up to the retailers, to formulate a retail price, which will maximize their sales and their income. These days, we all see retailers selling Gibson guitars at their SRPrice, which means demand for new Standard LPs has NOT waned. And the second-hand market will follow this lead. So if you don't like the price, you have to wait it out (a recession, when it comes, should do wonders, for example). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narwhal6 Posted September 19, 2023 Share Posted September 19, 2023 5 hours ago, Sgt. Pepper said: Guitar prices every year go up. You think the the Wuhan Flu was gonna change that? If a person is holding on to a guitar and wants $XXXX for it, well they own it and can do what they want with it and sell it for what they want. When they need or want to sell it they will. Gibson is not the guitar maker for the average Joe anymore. In much the same way as RUB's have become the typical Harley Davidson customer, RUG's have done the same with Gibson the last ten or twelve years. Glad I got mine before it became a midlife crisis thing for the affluent. I blame rich collectors like Bonamassa (Rich-urban-biker) (Rich-urban-guitarist) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 It ain’t just Gibson… It’s everything.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparquelito Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 I take the wife out to lunch at least once a week. We also meet her father and his wife for Sunday brunch, after the old man gets out of Catholic Mass. The ticket for those meals is currently twice or thrice that which I used to pay, before the covid hysteria. Sucks being on a fixed income in such times. Am grateful to have my old used Gibsons and Fenders. I don't plan to buy any new ones, that's for sure. 🙁 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanHenry Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 The biggest this inflation is caused by central banks printing money, it's a fool's solution to any economic problem, you only need to look at what happened to Germany during the 1930's when people needed a wheelbarrow full of money in order to buy a loaf of bread, the consequence being the rise of the Nazi party. I fear we could be headed down the same route, history has a habit of repeating itself. You can't decide that your country is short of money, so okay, let's print some more! all that does is devalue any money people have in their pockets and push up prices. So the point is, it's the Government's and central bank's fault you have to pay more for your Gibson. 1 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 Someone posted earlier about a Les Paul Standard possibly going for $3,000 by the end of the year. They're $3,000 right now, $200 cheaper with P90s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NighthawkChris Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 Prices across the board are awful. Inflation is “normal” but the hikes on the things we have to buy were substantial in such a short period of time. Whoever’s fault it is I’m going to bet that it was someone/something rich and not feeling the effects of it all. So I’m sum, miser your money because everything is a rip today. Nothing we can do about it other than this to some extent. Have to give these greedy corporations their money or the world will end. Whatever is at fault, the effects of this inflation have impacted me and still continuing to adjust here and there with my budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 The prices are not going up. The value of your money is going down. Welcome to socialism. 1 2 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 (edited) 3 minutes ago, Murph said: The prices are not going up. The value of your money is going down. Welcome to socialism. So if there are more numbers on the hanging tag this year as compared to last year, and its the same model, then I think by definition the price went up, and also what you said about money too. Hey were Socialist now. Edited September 20, 2023 by Sgt. Pepper 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 did ya price a PRS lately? I rest my case Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'Scales Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 have the prices really risen that much? - i read that in the 2018 catalog for US models (not custom shop) prices were $1000-$3500. Checking the range now it seems $1000-$3000. For those (like me) outside the USA exchange rates and shipping costs are obviously considerations, but its not necessarily inflation if US buyers are paying same as 5 years ago for US made product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karloff Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 19 hours ago, Sgt. Pepper said: David Gilmour's Strat was used. It went for a heap ton of cash. lol, I didn't want it that bad ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'Scales Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 58 minutes ago, Murph said: Welcome to socialism. Private equity company KKR (the owners of Gibson) would be giggling if they ever bothered to visit here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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