Guitar Prices

[Midnight Toker]

Have you done any food shopping lately? The prices of everything are out of control.

No politics - the problem is inflation.

And in most cases...gouging and greed. Starts w/ fuel as a legitimate excuse, then it snowballs to price hikes for non fuel dependant vendors. Fact is, when things become borderline unaffordable for the masses, the suits on the 80th floor are making their biggest ever profits. As is happening right now.

As for guitars, we are likely getting back to typical preCovid sales numbers. During Covid, guitar sales increased over 200%. As restrictions eased, production was ramped up to restock the dwindling in store stock. (anyone remember going inside a Guitar Center 3 years ago to see mostly bare walls where all the guitars typically hang? ) They had to offer more pay/bennies just to get people back in the production facility plus new hires. Now the walls of guitar stores are well stocked, and sales are back down to "normal" (which is still dismal compared to the 80's). I suspect they have to raise prices just to stay in business at this point.

 

[zulu]

Mmmmm...ribs.

 

[lungimsam]

Been looking around for a fretless guild bass. But more affordable (and fun) to convert my 1st Starfire bass to fretless myself and keep my other Starfire fretted. Just gotta figure out where to get rosewood veneers to fill the fret slots with.

 

[bobouz]

So glad to no longer be looking for anything guitarwise. Occasionally I go to Reverb & am shocked to see how much folks are asking for some of the instruments I own. All I can say is, it’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World out there!

 

[Wilmywood]

So glad to no longer be looking for anything guitarwise. Occasionally I go to Reverb & am shocked to see how much folks are asking for some of the instruments I own. All I can say is, it’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World out there!

I pretty much ignore the asking prices there and do a 'sold listings only' search. That's what they're worth.

 

[Rayk]

I see a lot of guitars listed at high prices and they seem to go unsold. I suspect for sellers and buyers willing to accept counter offers the guitars sell. The imports occasionally go on sale. What surprised me is how Guild NS initially sold for reasonable prices with a case. Now the prices for many models are just the guitar.

Actually I’ve tried on a few but all rejected this was a good bit before the holidays . People are stubborn for that buck . lol

 

[Rayk]

Mmmmm...ribs.

Bring Me the Baby !
Sorry it just popped into me head ! Hahahaha

 

[Roland]

One consideration, just selling stuff in general, when people need the money, for whatever reason, often with guitars it is that they just gotta have this guitar right now and they have to sell one so they can afford to get one, they are going to start high and sell low, because they are anxious.I mean, asking price isn't selling price.

But a lot of people, and I include myself, aren't in a hurry. They don't care if it sits there online for a couple months. I mean, if you don't need the money and you just want to get it out of the house, price it high and wait for someone who just has to have one comes along. I think a lot of people who bought guitars during the pandemic, especially expensive ones, might not feel real anxious to dump their guitar at a loss. They aren't looking to buy another one and they don't need the money, they're just thinking that its gathering dust and in the way, so they'll just see if they can sell it.

 

[Midnight Toker]

One consideration, just selling stuff in general, when people need the money, for whatever reason, often with guitars it is that they just gotta have this guitar right now and they have to sell one so they can afford to get one, they are going to start high and sell low, because they are anxious.I mean, asking price isn't selling price.

But a lot of people, and I include myself, aren't in a hurry. They don't care if it sits there online for a couple months. I mean, if you don't need the money and you just want to get it out of the house, price it high and wait for someone who just has to have one comes along. I think a lot of people who bought guitars during the pandemic, especially expensive ones, might not feel real anxious to dump their guitar at a loss. They aren't looking to buy another one and they don't need the money, they're just thinking that its gathering dust and in the way, so they'll just see if they can sell it.

I don’t know. People were getting nice Covid checks while still working full time from home. To many it was free money. I just recently bought a $3000 Les Paul, 3 years old that looks like it may have been out of the case twice for $1800. And there were many to chose from w/ most being in the $2200-2400 price range w/ a few under $2000.

During Covid, I bought a $2500 kayak w/ the Gov check.

 

[West R Lee]

I ordered my last Collings guitar in October of '21. I ordered the guitar the day the dealers received notice of a substantial price increase, but the dealer was kind enough to give me the lower price. Everything ordered from that point forward was at least $350 more, and more than that based on options selected. I received my guitar in April of '22, and by that time, Collings wouldn't commit to a final price. You had to put 20% down and just go with the final price. There's a video somewhere of Steve McCreary discussing just that.

The reason for that at the time was that wood pricing was literally day to day, with enormous increases depending on wood type. I'm not sure how Collings handles orders these days, but I do know they are substantially more than they were in the last months of '21.

You could always find a deal in used guitars, but maybe never better than now, but even used prices have increased dramatically.

West

 

[walrus]

Recently, when I sold my Sadowsky Semi-Hollow via The Music Emporium in Lexington, MA (consignment), they suggested a price that was higher than I was expecting to ask. I said "sure". It sold as soon as they put it up, and I got what I paid for it back. In the past, with previous guitars I have sold, I usually have taken a small loss to move it, with just a few "profitable" sales. I am usually in the category @Midnight Toker mentioned, wanting to sell relatively quickly to buy another. One in, one out, has been my mantra. Clearly, investment-wise, I should have kept them all over the years and sold them now!

On the other hand, once I sold the Sadowsky, I bought my PRS S2 Standard which had been sitting at a Music Go Round near me for a while. They had dropped the price, and then I got it dropped more because of some minor finish repairs made (somewhat poorly) by the previous owner.

My goal was to take some cash out of those two deals as I approach retirement, which I did. Now I need to have the discipline to just play the two guitars I have, which I am very happy with, and watch the guitar market as a bystander.