Article: Why are guitars getting more expensive?

[Any Name You Wish]

I like your post, but I don't see anything wrong with "Then, 99.99% of the folks who buy it keep it on two and (maybe) play it at home. It sure looks cute in pictures, though!" and I don't think you were being particularly negative either. This fact is actually a great thing. It is awesome that players that never got beyond playing in a local cover band (that would be me) are out there buying these great guitars be they vintage, reissue, or modern. It is wonderful, especially if they spend more time playing and maybe still get a chance to play out in a band once in a while (that would be me again). I don't think this has anything to do with the prices of guitars except maybe the vintage market. There are indeed folks that will buy an expensive Custom Shop guitar and never play it. These end up on Craig's List and are often a great deal. No harm done, except maybe the original owner not finding true happiness in a new expensive guitar (a perennial problem particularly acute amongst us Americans). Prices going up are the result of our government being a big spender, and going trillions into debt, and then (incredibly) printing dollars to buy this debt. Blaming it on some kid that wants a nice guitar to learn on, or some old person that buys one to ease the pain and loneliness of old age, or the company that makes the products, or even a collector, is absolutely ridiculous. The people that are causing rising prices are very happy to see us blaming each other. Very happy indeed.

 

[Amp360]

Yeah, please don't take it as something negative. It's just the way I see it.

Things that were considered luxury items not that long ago are now considered the standard. For example, in the 1970s/80s, I don't remember premium coffee, beer, or clothing being something that the average person had. Granted, I wasn't drinking alcohol in grade school, but coffee came in a white Styrofoam cup or out of a thermos.

Birthday parties used to be held at people's homes; maybe there was pizza or hotdogs and a cake. These days, things are way more elaborate.

I don't know if credit is more accessible, but I don't remember my dad or grandparents having a charge card (Sears, maybe?). For all the talk about living wages and how people used to make a decent living, people also lived much simpler lives. I don't have cable television or any streaming services. I still buy books.

It's great if someone wants to spend their disposable income on guitars they don't play or video games. It doesn't hurt anyone and keeps China's economy humming.

As someone who has made a living in one way or another in the music industry for the past 25+ years, I feel disconnected from the state of 'guitar' these days. When I was young, I loved reading about guitars, looking at guitars, playing guitars, and talking about guitars. I still enjoy those things, but focusing on minutia and the wide variety of fancy choices is mind-numbing and confusing - and I'm not too fond of it.

There are so many products and opinions, and the bombardment of social media and advertisements makes me lose interest in anything new. Plus, there's so much groupthink out there that it's depressing. This goes beyond guitars, but I don't spend much on clothing, dining out, or fancy things.

 

[MarcB]

I have to agree with the above statement..
I was schooled in the old school way.. being taught the basics of the music scene and guitar world by older musicians and store owners.. which had been the way since it all started back in the 50s.. it was a right of passage.. it gave us the foundations on which all other guitar players were based on.. this was the foundation on which we discussed our art and instruments upon.. in music stores, gigs, rehearsal rooms.. wherever we bumped into other musicians..
I feel this route has now been lost due to the modern collectors market and subsequent changes in the guitar market.. we now have swathes of uneducated, profit hungry private sellers and stores, whose only remit is to make money..
The “work horse/tools of the trade” aspect of instruments has now gone to usher in this new wave of instruments being “luxury goods” to make the owner have bragging rights on ownership, while they attempt to learn the lick to “sweet child of mine” for a decade .. and all the while we are still trying to conduct ourselves in the same manner as was taught to us 30/40 years ago.. with guitar playing and the art thereof.. being why we do it and are still doing it after all these years..

 

[MattD1960]

Social Media changed the guitar world maybe not for the better or the worse but just changed it. you can even see it right here on the LPF, the Old guard who I came here to read when i was 13/14 they knew things and would post things I didnt know and couldn't find but was curious about this was a fantastic place to learn. NOW you just go on instagam type in "Les Paul Burst" into the search and you find thousands of posts with Pics and Videos and comments giving opinions, facts, doubts all manner of information from anyone smart enough to come up with a half clever screen name. same for fenders, martins Etc.

why has this effected guitar pricing? I think the guitar community has reacted like the rest of the world really, we see large expensive collections of really cool stuff and go hey I want that in my Jam room, basement,garage ect. The Market is being driven by free advertising on social media thats telling us all "you aint cool till you have 10 of these things" where before in "The Day" you might see a picture of Jimmy Page in a guitar magazine or a picture of Mike Bloomfield on an album cover and you and your buddies would try and figure out " ohh man whats he got i gotta get me one of those" and you went tried to find it settled on what could get ur hands on and off you went. now its a 24/7 bombardment of U NEED THIS SPECIAL THING TO FINALLY SOUND GREAT. and these companies are all to aware of that. Demand for "luxury goods" is up across the board (try and buy a rolex) Guitars are not immune and as demand grows they are gonna see how far they can push it and push it and push it with pricing.

when i was in 8th grade a Standard Fender Mexican Strat was 299$ this was 2002/3 that same guitar is now 799. thats not JUST politics and inflation. thats a brand capitalizing on what we are now willing to spend.

 

[MarcB]

you can even see it right here on the LPF

I’m a relative newbie here.. but always knew of the forum and the level of expertise here..and only joined last year .. when I got my first LP.. (I only felt justified joining if I had a LP)
I still think there is a wealth of knowledge on here.. but unfortunately there’s also “issues” but I guess you get that everywhere..
I still have faith that even though there is the peripheral new online guitar scene that we’re having to contend with.. there is still the old guard, core that remains within the scene.. and this core is the real epicentre of the guitar world.. and you know a full time member when you meet one .. that’s for sure.. and places like the LPF is where those newbies can learn the old guard ways.. and carry the torch forward.

 

[Dave P]

I think most of it is manufacturers trying to capitalize on their 'name/legacy' or endorser's names. When I start seeing Chinese made signature Epiphones selling for $1500, I have to scratch my head. Especially when the guitar isn't any better than a very similar non-signature model for $650. You can find Chinese no name brands selling decent guitars that are very similar to say an Epiphone for $250. It doesn't cost a Chinese manufacturer any more to make an Epiphone Les Paul than something like an Indio Les Paul knockoff.

 

[RocknRollShakeUp]

In China, the world's largest manufacturers of guitars ,It was on the news this morning they are experiencing DEFLATION . Everything is going Down in price over there. This is due to collapsed property market, weak exports, low consumer demand, stock market downturn.They will start dumping excess product on the world market.

Unfortunately a guitar made in China holds no interest for me..

 

[MarcB]

Unfortunately a guitar made in China holds no interest for me..

“If it don’t say USA.. I ain’t gonna play”

 

[Bryansamui]

Unfortunately a guitar made in China holds no interest for me..

That's fair enough. I can understand that..
..I own CS Gibsons and some expensive vintage pieces and they're nice of course.
My enjoyment with the Chinese stuff is modifying them... Changing this or that and the excitement of where that goes..
Exactly the same approach as Brian Mays (cheap originally $20 ) but now priceless Red Special guitar or Eddie Van Halens cheapo parts Frankenstein guitar.
Ive just put some $15 P90 Pickups in a cheap Chinese Alder Strat, OffSet the pickups unconventionally and thing sounds off the charts amazing.It has a great neck with low action..
It's a great deviation from my purist approach and something I clearly can't do on my expensive guitars.

 

[Any Name You Wish]

That's fair enough. I can understand that..
..I own CS Gibsons and some expensive vintage pieces and they're nice of course.
My enjoyment with the Chinese stuff is modifying them... Changing this or that and the excitement of where that goes..
Exactly the same approach as Brian Mays (cheap originally $20 ) but now priceless Red Special guitar or Eddie Van Halens cheapo parts Frankenstein guitar.
Ive just put some $15 P90 Pickups in a cheap Chinese Alder Strat, OffSet the pickups unconventionally and thing sounds off the charts amazing.It has a great neck with low action..
It's a great deviation from my purist approach and something I clearly can't do on my expensive guitars.

I like this idea! Free oneself from the expensive guitar modification worry! I always wanted something with P-90's in it. Like a double cut LP. Hmmmm.

 

[Bryansamui]

I like this idea! Free oneself from the expensive guitar modification worry! I always wanted something with P-90's in it. Like a double cut LP. Hmmmm.

Yes, well they become kind of 'one off' bespoke instruments that can have unique qualities, and yet it's not 'the end of the world 'if you ding it or if some thieving magpie steals it.Its a fun sideline . Doesn't mean ya can't buy the new 50 pce limited edition $50,000 Jimmy Page Double Neck just released at the other end of the market. (Too expensive for my wallet )

 

[Wound_Up]

For some perhaps. But I know that many a young/older guitar newbie has tried their luck with a very cheap first time guitar, only to lose interest in learning, because they thought it was their fault only that it sounded shitty.

They didn't want to learn to play. They just thought they did. When one has the determination to learn to play, almost nothing will stop them. You know the kind. I'm pretty sure I fall into that category. TBH, I'd bet many of us do. Not particularly the shitty guitar part but having that determination to learn, with quitting never having entered your mind.

When I bought my first guitar in Dec 2019, I had already firmly decided that no matter what, I wouldn't ever quit. Doesnt matter if it takes me 20 years to learn 1 song. I'm learning to play.

There was no "give up in 6 or 8 weeks". Or ever, for that matter. It wasn't an option. And as soon as I learned the first riff that was more than 1 string and 2 or 3 frets, I was 100% certain that quitting wouldn't ever happen. But I've love electric guitars since I was a kid, so I knew what I was getting into and the motivation behind it.

 

[Bryansamui]

They didn't want to learn to play. They just thought they did. When one has the determination to learn to play, almost nothing will stop them. You know the kind. I'm pretty sure I fall into that category. TBH, I'd bet many of us do. Not particularly the shitty guitar part but having that determination to learn, with quitting never having entered your mind.

When I bought my first guitar in Dec 2019, I had already firmly decided that no matter what, I wouldn't ever quit. Doesnt matter if it takes me 20 years to learn 1 song. I'm learning to play.

There was no "give up in 6 or 8 weeks". Or ever, for that matter. It wasn't an option. And as soon as I learned the first riff that was more than 1 string and 2 or 3 frets, I was 100% certain that quitting wouldn't ever happen. But I've love electric guitars since I was a kid, so I knew what I was getting into and the motivation behind it.

Spot on, further, if one could get really good in a matter of weeks, it simply wouldn't be worth doing.(because anyone could do it.) We admire great players because of the thousands of hours they've spent honing their skills..

Sorry, we've gone off topic a bit..

 

[Amp360]

So, folks were spending LOTS of money during the pandemic on what vintage stuff was available. We're not talking about people who just got a $600 check feeling like they could now afford a $25K vintage strat. What this told me is that people with a lot of disposable income--probably relatively wealthy older people (who we know are more into guitar music than younger people, generally speaking)--were spending some savings on expensive guitars. And as more relatively-well-off, older people (and there are A LOT of them in the US) continue to retire, this trend will continue, I think.

To your point, the person with some disposable income wasn't going out to dinner, concerts, sporting events, etc. so that four to five figure guitar wasn't as big a deal as it would have been non-pandemic.

Many people spend money on their indoor/outdoor living spaces, making things more luxurious. If you're not taking the big vacation, dinners, and drinks, there's more money for other things.

 

[bursty]

I'm not a fan of inflation but it is what it is.

I'll take being a citizen and residing in the USA and putting up with some first world inflation; better than being stuck in some of those 3rd world SHCountries as our previous looney tunes leader called them ....... gnome sain' ?

 

[AA00475Bassman]

You guy's are paying these crazy prices that's why for one reason - the others are obvious , I'm done paying these CS prices play the several I own .

 

[SpencerD]

There's one important fact that hasn't been addressed in this thread man.

When people complain about shit on the internet ....... everything changes!

Pretty soon we're all gonna be riding on flying unicorns across a sky of rainbows. Sweet!

 

[MarcB]

There's one important fact that hasn't been addressed in this thread man.

When people complain about shit on the internet ....... everything changes!

Pretty soon we're all gonna be riding on flying unicorns across a sky of rainbows. Sweet!

A good point.. I did mention the “trend” factor which does relate to online influencers effecting the market.. it would seem this only lasts for about a year after publication.. this could even be said for LPF influence too!?
Which is why my LP 60s RI standard is the best guitar ever made and will ever be made ever in the history of anything.. and is now worth seventeen times what I paid for it.