The RandyMan Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 From a Gibson brochure called "True Stereophonic Sound" printed in 1959 that I have on the wall in the Man Cave: the MSRPs . . . ES-345T--$345.00 ES-350T--$410.00 ES-355T--$495.00 Byrdland--$590.00 L5-CES--$615.00 Super 400-CES--$675.00 (all of the above available on special order with . . . stereo wiring, $25.00 extra. "Vari-tone tone selector, $40.00 extra. Stereo wiring and "Vari-tone" selector, $50.00) All those in favor of a price roll-back say, "Aye" . . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andre S Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 They claim to be doing reissues.....why not reissue the price too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rokkstar 2210 Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 59 reissues with the 59 prices?? AYE AYE Cap'n !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damian Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 Aye !!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrosurfer1959 Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 You kind of need to remember inflation and all things considered it would take approximately $37,400 to buy the same amount or product that $5000 would purchase in 1959. Some things were much less if you remember that the average salary was something like $106 dollars and a typical 3 bedroom home was well under 15k. so nope doesn't really make me want to cry or anything else. A $500 dollar guitar was still a pretty extravagant purchase. How Much things cost in 1959 Yearly Inflation Rate USA 1.01% Yearly Inflation Rate UK 0.9% Average Cost of new house $12,400.00 Average Yearly Wages $5,010.00 Cost of a gallon of Gas 25 cents Average Cost of a new car $2,200.00 Movie Ticket $1.00 Loaf of Bread 20 cents Kodak Movie camera $67.50 Ladies Stockings $1.00 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lungimsam Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 I think I remember Frank Marino saying he paid like $160 for his first SG back in the '60's. Now THAT hurts me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 ES-345T--$345.00 ES-350T--$410.00 ES-355T--$495.00 Byrdland--$590.00 L5-CES--$615.00 Super 400-CES--$675.00 And those were still "premium" priced guitars compared to Fender (and MOST others). Around that time a Stratocaster went from $199 to $249 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silenced Fred Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 You kind of need to remember inflation and all things considered it would take approximately $37,400 to buy the same amount or product that $5000 would purchase in 1959. Some things were much less if you remember that the average salary was something like $106 dollars and a typical 3 bedroom home was well under 15k. so nope doesn't really make me want to cry or anything else. A $500 dollar guitar was still a pretty extravagant purchase. How Much things cost in 1959 Yearly Inflation Rate USA 1.01% Yearly Inflation Rate UK 0.9% Average Cost of new house $12,400.00 Average Yearly Wages $5,010.00 Cost of a gallon of Gas 25 cents Average Cost of a new car $2,200.00 Movie Ticket $1.00 Loaf of Bread 20 cents Kodak Movie camera $67.50 Ladies Stockings $1.00 +1 There were threads before, and if the price stayed the same and just went up with inflation, the price of the guitar would be more than the price of a guitar now. So its actually cheaper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fl00dsm0k3 Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 stop teasing me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Namvet Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 Sir, Yes Sir! Aye Aye Sir!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbreslauer Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 i just used a CPI calculator online (grain of salt) that tells me the $615 1959 L5 would cost me $4,753.17 in 2011... the question is, what is a '59 L5 worth now? :) here's the link if you're interested: CPI Inflation Calculator Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geff Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 If you want a cheap guitar, look elsewhere, Gibson is (and was back then) a luxury brand. One thing the owners of luxury brands are acutely aware of is how easy it is to damage their own brand image by reducing prices. Would a rolex be worth owning if it cost the same as a seiko? No. Is it more accurate than a seiko. No. The prestige is in the price tag! The product also has to maintain at least enough quality not to loose its reputation. IMHO Gibson will not drop their prices but may need to up their game in terms of quality control if they want to keep their market share. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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