Query failed: connection to localhost:9312 failed (errno=111, msg=Connection refused).
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Subscribe to our Patreon, and get image uploads with no ads on the site!
Base theme by DesignModo & ported to Powered by Vanilla by Chris Ireland, modified by the "theFB" team.
Comments
You've just copied and pasted meta tags from the HTML of this site for that haven't you?
if you're taking the golf gti over the master built strat, I'm pretty sure you're not the target market for master built strats.
guitars are only considered overpriced if you are looking at it from a value objective, people don't buy really expensive guitars because they are 'good value' they buy them because they want them. All this 'ah yeah but £8k for a guitar is dumb because my £1500 one is just as good'. like honestly, who cares? do they care you like your £1500 guitar? No? do you care they paid a massive premium for the guitar they wanted? No. so what is this all about? Just all seems like utter nonsense to me.
Also the so called Standard models often come with premium features..My Les Paul Standard from the early 00's doesn't have coil splits..I think the present Les Paul Classic is more like the old Standard..
...I much prefer the Fender Performer Strat to the Professional 2 because of the bigger frets..Custom Shop Strats,you have to take off the neck to adjust it,I am not a masochist..They market the idea as better luthiery from a bygone age when in fact a better ,more convenient way was introduced..Feck that..
Seymour Duncan prices I think have raised a lot..They are getting near the prices of more boutique brands like Bare Nipples..Seymour had affordable solutions before..Kind of like the Boss pedal of the pickup world..Bare Nipples are a bit more in the Lollar type of area I think..
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog
• Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@Goldeneraguitars
I remember in the 08 recession someone asked John hall in the ric forum if he was going to reduce prices. He said no they were going to use the reduced orders to catch up the 2 year back log. Ric put their prices up by 20 per cent.
Fender and Gibson at this time had long used offshore manufacturing to make cheaper models and started making models between models. The us std prices went up when the cheaper us versions came in. Vintage went up. CS prices went up. Various limited editions such as master designed etc puts a master built 3 or 4 layers above a CS. Hence 8k for a CNC piece of alder and maple. Are they good? Oh yes 5k better than my nos? Nope.
I think all of this follows the vintage market. 10 years ago a 50s LP jr was 3 to 4 k. I saved for one. I've got the money but they are 9k. Nobody's going to spend 5k on a reissue at 3k for a real one but now?
I'm now looking at CS teles but they are about double what I want to pay. I ll watch and wait
End of last year I bought a US-made Performer Strat for £999, I'd say that's a lot more guitar for the money.
The Bell's catalogue for 1978 has a Fender Strat for £364 (not sure how typical their prices were, and it also seems to come without a case), this comes out at £1,885 - way above Performer prices, and even above Am Pro II prices, yet I'm confident those would be better guitars.
I guess a lot comes down to what years you pick to make comparisons with. On one hand we have constant but varying inflation to factor in, on the other lower manufacturing costs from mechanisation and increased competition, which will have occurred at various points over the years. In my comparison above I've tried to avoid the additional factor of labour costs in different parts of the world - but they've also been a huge factor in the overall guitar market.
Great little guitar, resonant , stays in tune and pick ups sound great.
Guitars I could and would be able to afford
Taylor GS Mini - I can afford this again
PRS SE One (used)
Fender Roadworn with RW (higher than before but I can afford to drop £1k on one
Guitars that I wouldn't be able to justify, at least not all of them.
Palir Titan Tele - they are like £2k, I paid £1k so no, probably not.
Taylor T5, new. They are about £2k now, so won't be able to justify that. I paid £1200.
PRS 305 £1500 used (I could....if I really wanted it, but I paid about the £1k mark)
PRS Custom 24 10 top, new....I am not going to spend £4k+ on a new one.
PRS SC58, new. The closest thing now would be a McCarty 594 new, again, not spending £4k on a guitar.
Gibson CS Class 5, I think it cost me £1850 used, reverb has them around £3-4k mark. I just cannot get this again.
I would probably end up with just 1 PRS and 1 Gibson if I had to buy again from the 2nd group of guitars, that would still set me back about £7-8k if to buy again, which was around the total cost of all 6 put together.
So I accept that there are 'winners & losers' in the pricing game so to speak. But I've noticed that even the cost of some Epiphone's seem to have really jumped up too.
Now extend that to each Strat built in California - there will be a separate fuel bill/ delivery charge for the alder, the maple and the rosewood for starters - The case - At least 1 fuel bill for the hardware but could easily be 2 or 3 - Bill for the 5 way switch and another bill for the pots Then ditto for the tone caps - At least one fuel bill for the scratch plate and back plate and maybe an additional bill for the knobs switch tip and trem arm tip - And again as per the above for the components to make a pickup then I day say 3/4 different factories at least - Finally the card box to be shipped to Fender in order to ship the goods to the dealer where ever that is
Shipping cost have risen a lot over recent years
And we have not even looked at the costs involved in building the guitar- How many machines have to be turned on to help with the production - How many light bulbs. The air con etc in each factory - All using electricity that has risen in price significantly -And you need to factor in those costs for both the Californian factory and for all the factories that make components for Fender in order for that Strat to be built
And we’ve not even looked at the cost of the components but take into account the extra cost of wood these days - Huge forest fires and various termites are having a big impact in this field
price of nickel has risen significantly as well due to various factors that has nothing to do with guitars
is it crazy how saying sentences backwards creates backwards sentences saying how crazy it is?
I've had an excellent condition Vintera Road Worn Fiesta Red 50s Strat for sale locally for weeks at £550 (which I thought was a good price - probably £900 - £1000 new). Best offer I've had from someone who wanted me to post it at my cost and he offered £450. I've taken the ad down now - seems to be little selling. Same gear re-advertised locally and endlessly. Some at stupid prices and some very reasonable. Nothing much seems to move though.
American Vintage II, also seemed to have softened from £2k to around £1700.
But I just happened to see this on the Peach site - Ibanez Kiko Loureiro signature, made in Japan, for £1,776. I'm not going to buy it, I don't follow Ibanez prices at all, and yes it's discounted but that seems positively "cheap" compared to some other big-brand stuff.
https://www.peachguitars.com/ibanez-signature-models-kiko100-kiko-loureiro-megadeth-transparent-ruby-red.htm
Ave UK wage today is around £600 a week - Times that by 14 and you are in excess of 8K - As you say, times that by 8 and you are looking at a very nice guitar for pushing 5K
Maybe I should go and get a real job again? Lol
• Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@Goldeneraguitars
The grass was greener, too.
The quality was better.
It sounded better.
It was simpler.
Music was better.
All bullshit. Rose tinted nonsense.
I also just wouldn't pay it, despite how amazing they are.
But they've significantly changed their model from more high volume sales to less American made guitars/basses with a focus on limited edition models. Everything else is mostly go to the Sterling range. I think covid forced this change.
My USA SG was less than half the price of the 2023 range, back in 2017. That is a BIG jump.