I couldn't even get a nibble on a mint brand new condition Les Paul 60's listed at $1750 a couple months ago. It just sat, so I'm keeping it. Not desperate.
@@MiguelMakesMusic in general, new MIM even Indonesian fenders are going for substantially more than ever. Even some Squiers are going for 400-500 on the high side and they are supposed to the budget range. Yes, inflation but the market has to correct at some point. Also, sure there are sales now and again but I’m talking big picture.
@@cataclysmicconverter yeah, Les Pauls have been so overpriced for so long and the market is flooded with them. I bet if you bring it down to 1500, it will sell. I just sold a 2022 Gibson SG 61 for a nice price last week. Priced competitively too.
Rick Beato says that kids have pretty much stopped practicing guitar and other musical instruments. Computer Games and AI is the new thing -and learning a guitar seems like work to younger folks. The overall amount of people playing guitar has been falling for over a decade. The only bump was during Covid. It is now back to normal.
@@supernothing77Western kids are too lazy and attention-fried to learn, but kids in other parts of the world are more receptive to the arts and getting access to modern instruments for the first time in their peoples' history
No they aren't. Used prices are excellent right now. New prices haven't gone up in 70 years. A Gibson Les Paul cost $245 in 1968. That's equivalent to $2600 today. Guitar prices are exactly the same as they've what's been. Blame inflation.
Discernment... It is possible to find some great deals on Reverb. My last guitar purchase (I hope) was a Cole Clark Guitar purchased new and picked out at Acoustic Centre in Melbourne, flown to the US as checked baggage, hardly played and sold at US 60% of list, which after shipping to a big US dealer is added from Australia negates much of the exchange rate. Refurbished and B-stock items show up often, and many with minor defects that have no impact on playability. Too thin a gloss finish... sounds like an open pore satin, worth a look.
I do motorcycles for a living, and play guitars for a hobby. The motorcycle business is super similar. These are discretionary income items. Same thing happened...lots of new riders during, and following the pandemic. Prices were up, inventory was down....now it's a slow flip.
you must be talking about me, the 65-year-old that just bought 1968 Gibson J-50 perfect condition church women guitar and 1976 J-200 artist and yes thinking about a custom telecaster Lol, and a new amp. Retired and had to sell to many great guitars to support five kids.
@@crazywisdom2 I have three teles. All are customized by me. One is sorts a ZZ Top belly and arm contour with custom pickups and wiring. The other is stock except for the pick guard and the other is a Khruangbin style copy with custom wiring and some dimarzio rails pickups. I’ve had lots of guitars and the Tele is the one to have and to hold 🖤 it would be hard to chose just one Tele though lol.
@@ol48springcheck out Tease Guitar 🎸. I bought a black SBH-HD Series T Style TUMMY CUT 13.0K Alnico V Humbucker and while I was there, bought a purple one also ‼️ I'm not into budget guitars from overseas BUT I'm very happy and impressed with this guitar.... Everything about it is 👍 and it's $250
Supply side economics, guitar acquisition syndrome, add inflation, higher rents and cost of living and next thing you know that extra guitar isn't as important as paying the bills, or having an emergency fund in reserve. So in New Guitars there is no longer the wait of just 2 years ago, most Vintage stuff is dropping, although Top Tier Guitars seem to be holding steady or rising. Good time to be a buyer. You guys helped me upgrade from my Goldtop Slash for a Warrior 54 Prototype that is Magical
Yes it is, and Im snagging them up cheap as dirt. Im picking up 2500+ guitars for $1200-$1500.. Im glad I waited for the AVRI’s.. I am lowballing, absolutely I am. You betcha!
@@cataclysmicconverter Score! Absolutely, they are glad to get it sold, Im glad I got a great deal, and these guys are glad we are taking these off the market so they can get back to business as usual, its really a win win.
I suppose that I should go shopping. I heard yesterday that, according to AAA, gasoline prices are going down due to decreased demand. People are not spending money on anything.
Fun stuff, I'm in. 😁 Recently I bought a Sterling Majesty 7 with about a inch and a half finish damage by the tone knob for just over half the new price.
I’m in Canada and prices still are high if looking online at store inventories here but I’m finding individual shops are quite willing to talk and give deals lately
Good to know. I'm in Canada too and inventory is hit and miss for models I'm interested in. I like to try it before I buy it. But all the major manufacturers have had various sales recently, not great deals, but some reduction. The best was PRS pre Christmas SE factory sale with 20% off so I bought the Swamp Ash SE on that sale.
🎉 my first guitar is an 🇺🇸 fender stratocaster for $1000 in 2016 and still have it . I now just bought a Tease Guitar SBH-HD Series T Style TUMMY CUT 13.0K Alnico V Humbucker and got 2 . A great budget guitar, I'm totally impressed with this guitar.
As a lefty guitarist, I tend to frequent a website of a big guitar shop in the UK with a big lefty range. They say they are selling 300 lefty guitars, but in reality they have 200 in stock. Of those 200, over 100 are over two grand, and 50 of those are over three grand, with 20 of those over five grand. The real flood is in high end stuff, and there really isn’t much choice in the £1000-£1500 range that I would guess most people are looking for. The problem is the industry wants to sell premium stuff, but the midrange market is being ignored.
Your right that I don't see amazing deals from the big sellers, in the UK, or in Europe. The second-hand market is where to look for midrange guitars. Especially I see some great deals on left-handed guitars. On Reverb etc. I got what I needed on Reverb this year, while the second-hand prices were good. Got a Fender Vintera Tele, Vintera Strat and a Gibson Les Paul Special. Like the guys said, I didn't feel these kinds of good second-hand deals on Fenders and Gibsons would last forever. Only other thing I'd like to buy is more niche: I'd like one of those cheaper Epiphone Firebirds for around £550. Which I might grab before they discontinue those cheaper vintage burst ones, so they can push those crazy priced for Epiphone, £1500+ ones. a Danelectro 12-string would be nice, but very much not essential.
I figure manufacturers look at it as selling a few extremly over priced guitars brings in the same profit as several lower priced guitars and cuts production costs etc. Gibson fender etc have priced themselves out of the average persons spending range imho.
I'm a little envious of new players at this time with so much variety of amazing and affordable guitars, amps, and effects. To those that can afford a 2-5k guitar as their first instrument, well done! Its never to late to start a love affair with a great instrument and making music.
No kidding. The imports I grew up with were Teisco and others of the same quality from Christmas catalogs that were awful. My first "real" guitar was a used late 60's Tele for $325 and it took a lot of yard mowing to save that.
@@monstrok I had a harmony with two single coils that my parents got for $80 at a pawn shop for my first electric. I stuck with it and the next year I got a Peavey predator (made is USA) for $125 from the same shop. Traded that out for a T-30 and then landed on an Electra sg copy that I played well into my twenties. It got stolen and I got a real 82 lp in one of those once in a lifetime deals. Bought it playing pool for a bar league. Paid $450 with the original case and some random stuff dude just didn't use anymore. A Roland keyboard amp with an awesome clipping circuit... It was actually made like the newer little black stars etc... where instead of having one 6 or 8 in speaker it had 4 little tweeters. But yeah with all the gear I've had over the years I'm still amazed at the rig you could put together for $1000 or less these days.
I have given away some of my less expensive guitars to my friends kids that have been learning. Though I did pick up a perfect 1985 Ibanez Roadstar II.
Same. Some coworkers have kids getting into guitars and I've given them the stuff that after shipping and ebay or Reverb fees, not worth the trouble to compete with everyone else purging their crap and frees up space in my house. Which is the goal.
It’s not just that young people don’t want to learn how to play instruments as much as they did 40 years ago or whatever… today’s music is not guitar music. Why would teenagers want to learn how to play music from their parents generation? The used market is going to be nuts in another 10 years as boomers age out of guitar playing and want to sell everything.
That is true, but I've been amazed at all the young people out there on social media doing covers of Jimmy Page/Zeppelin, Yes, Jeff Beck, David Gilmour, etc. and digging deep in to the roots of older rock and blues. Having grown up with all the classic bands, I envy them hearing it for the first time after choking on autotune since birth. And not only the boomers aging out of playing, they'll be aging out of collecting. So it will be interesting to see THAT market with all the vintage and obscure stuff that's been hidden away so long see the light of day again.
A lot of Gen Z is actually really into 90’s alternative right now (the music of their parent’s generation). Hopefully that will encourage them to pick up the guitar. When I was a teenager the music of my parents generation (the 70’s) really inspired me to play.
I needed a backup acoustic to replace my pretty poorly built, newer PRS SE Angelus. Picked up a barely played Taylor 114 CE for $375 on Marketplace the other day. Great acoustic for $375.
If the guitar market is flooded then flood it, I will buy every nice guitar that will show up. Currently I have 16 guitars. (Fender, Gibson, Suhr, ESP, Ibanez, etc.) Call it whatever you like, but I like and buy every cool guitar that shows up. I know I can't play it all but I will still buy it especially when GAS strikes. It's hard to stop.🤭 11:46 is the same reason I collect guitars...." You go into that knowing that you'll going to lose money,...but it's part of the FUN".... I do it regularly for FUN, and the adventure. Very well said.👏 Guitar collecting is the best hobby.🤘
Those are rookie numbers. We’ve gotta get those numbers up baby. I’m on 22 and bringing home 23 this week. Bought my first one in January. 😅 so that’s… almost 4 a month… fuck nevermind... maybe I should stop
@@buckkylem Haha, yes, I admit it's rookie, I want more!!😂 The problem is the house space, I don't know anymore were to put the extra. Dogs are running over them. I fear for their lives and broken neck😆....... but congrats mate on your 23rd, keep em comming and keep collecting, guitar collecting is the best and most therapeutic hobby, it always feels good when you have the best guitars in your house👍... You need to make that up to 50.😆 John Mayer has 200+, Slash has 300+, Bonammasa has 500 and counting. So you cannot have too many guitars. More is more!😁
Re: Reverb, I wanted the new PRS SE NF3 so I watched ten offerings. I received two 10% discount offers from people selling similar offers (identical Metallic Orange NF3's) and thus got the discount I could not have gotten from a big box store who knows they are going to sell out at MSRP. As far as recovery, tons of Americans have maxed out their credit and due to inflation are forced to cut back to only necessities. Ordinary people are tapped out, but people who have money have more money than they've ever had. Thus mid-range non-essentials have cratered and low-range non-essentials have moderately dropped but high end is still thriving. I think it's more likely we go into a severe recession than things return to normal this year.
I have a friend that makes crazy money and he gets he’s guitars custom built and he is getting better but definitely not a good guitar player but he eats it up and thinks he’s good which is fun to watch! Keep playing and learning most important having fun !
If you don't mind aesthetics. There are 182 factory seconds/flawed in their Reverb Demo Shop as of this posting. Which speaks volumes about their QC. Or lack thereof.
The market is flooded with new gear and used gear. All new fenders and Gibsons I’ve tried have been heavy. I’d move some guitars for an 8lb or less 335 with a thick neck, but I can’t find one.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned that every ounce counts. The lower the weight I can get (within a type of guitar I’m considering), the better. 8.2 lb Les Paul? Yes, please!
We need to correct existing guitar supply to drive up prices so that Blues Lawyers like me can pay higher prices and feel better about buying a Wood Library Custom Gold-Plated PRS Silver Sky to hang in our offices. I'm Blues Lawyer, and I approve this message.
Have you ever thought about investing in a time share startup, but not condos that’s so 80s and 90s but a yacht time share Blues Lawyer ? No quicker way to lose excess money than boats and timeshares why not combine the two. You could light your money on fire and throw it directly in the ocean from your yacht (on specific days of the year ((Tuesdays and Wednesdays)) during non peak seasons, Holidays are prohibited availability may be limited due to maintenance and or repair of the vessel.
@@brandonjackson5865 Excellent idea! I approve of this message! You could more than make up your money by setting up and selling franchises in Boat Owner Associations (BOA) at every Marina. This is a winner!
G'day Baxter & G'day Jonathon, Baxter is right about the 2021 thing - it's even happening here in Australia. In the last 25 months, I have bought 3 new Fender guitars, from 3 different shops, at 3 different price ranges, in 3 different years, and every one of them is a 2021 model! I didn't even notice that the last one, which was bought 10 days ago, was a 2021 until I bought it home. I might have to go out shopping again in the next month or two... 😁 Thanks for the great video. Keep up the good work Andrew
The thrill is gone, the thrill has gone away. I've been loathe to even look at any of my guitars for the past month for various reasons I won't get into. Maybe I'll plug in and sound the biggest electronic primal scream I can conjure. That being said, I'm thinking about buying a new guitar.
There are loads of good used beginner guitars as well, like Squier Classic Vibe and decent Epiphones. I'm literally tracking 3-6 Squier Classic Vibe Telecasters right now. They've been sitting around for quite a while. Could probably scoop one up for around $250-275 in mint-excellent condition. There are always loads of guitars for sale. Musicians are always trading up for gear.
The one part I can't wrap my head around is anyone who'd buy a vintage used guitar, sight unseen. At least with a new guitar. Especially if it's from a major manufacturer like Cortek. Your pretty much guaranteed, a very well engineered and economical product. That'll do everything it's supposed to do, right outta the box. Literally. If I'm spending over $1000U.S. on ANY guitar. I'm gonna have to have some extra reassurance that I'm getting a guitar that will at least be playable. I mean, right now I can think of 5 major brands off the top of my head. That are selling guitars at around the $1k range, and even a little more. That are being shipped to buyers in completely unplayable condition. Action so high, it's stand up bass territory. Pickups, bridges and other various parts that have stripped screws or fasteners. Electronic parts that don't function properly, or at all. I've been sent guitars that the E string on one side or the other, depending on the issue. Is falling off the edge of the fretboard! This was a $1299 dollar guitar! Right now the market is flooded with all these rejects that are brand newish, but flawed somehow. If your a savvy tech, that can sort most issues without spending more money. Then, there's absolutely deals to be had right now. BUT! I'd be very picky with what you'll accept. Used vintage guitars are not my bag. Way to risky.
Same. I buy to play not to collect so vintage stuff is dangerous in my hands especially since I’m on the road so much with singers. I actually prefer parts casters or little locally built guitars. Because they come exactly how I like with the configs I like in my electronics which can be a bit strange at times. I mean heck I play a Variax on the road a lot so that should say what I mean enough. . Plus I want to be the one to give the guitars their scars and stories not the other way around. I bought exactly one "vintage" guitar. A 1988 MIJ Fender Strat (62 reissue) in a butterscotch finish. I really fell in love with it and the story was even cooler. The owner was the original owner and brought it from Osaka to the states with him for work and to eventually perminantly stay in Seattle. Passed away. Kept it in damn near mint condition and probably put a whole 10 hours of actual playing into it. He kept it in a display case in his office as a conversation starter. And took it to a shop every year to have it kept in basicaly tip top shape. When he passed his daughter sold it to that shop. 24 hours after it came in I was there for work on my birthday and decided you know what a present for myself. At the time I was in the market for something strat style with an HSS setup, but they didn’t have it. But the guy (Knowing I wanted something with as low of action as possible and something different. Something with an interesting story) goes let me grab something. Brings this thing out and sets me up with a really nice amp from a builder in Tacoma. Tells me give it a shot…. And it was the guitar for me. I felt so bad though because this thing was beautiful. It looked like it just came off the line and I was like man I feel terrible because I’m a player. I buy to play and its going to get scuffed up and I want to at least replace the bridge pickup minimum with a mini humbucker. The coolest part? The old man had left a note with the guitar and all it said was may the next owner of this beautiful instrument play it the way it deserves and the way I just never could. Guitars are made for playing and I hope you get a lot of experience with this one. Love from Japan. So I bought it. Brought it home and showed my tech in my city and his face just went slack like how did you find this in this condition? Told him the story and he just looked betrayed when I told him it was pickup swap out time. But we did it and when he played it with the mini humbucker in it he got it. Its probably the only vintage I’ll ever buy and that is because of the really interesting story behind it. All of my guitars have a name and my wife named this one the Monogatari (The story) in Japanese. Fun fact it technically has come full circle because my wife was also born and raised in Osaka Japan before coming here to the states and meeting this big dumb goofy idiot and deciding hey I kind of like him and I kind of like it here so maybe I’ll keep him for a bit.
A lot of people, even in large suburban areas, don't have a lot of options to go look and play at local guitar stores. I have one Guitar Center in my area that hasn't had anything much worth looking at in years, a couple small chain stores that only sell cheap learner models, and maybe a little boutique shop. Sure, you can always get new guitars from brands like Cort, but you know what? They're hit or miss too. My first brand-new electric (bought just before the covid boom) was a Strat built by Cort, and even though it was highly reviewed, I could never get it to the point where I enjoyed playing it. Since then, I've bought two used, out-of-production MiM Fenders sight unseen, and they both blow that Cort out of the water, for not much more $. As for vintage, if you're talking *real* vintage (not like '90s-'00s), that's a whole different beast. If you're shopping for a '62 or whatever, then you definitely need to know what you're looking at. But then you're definitely not cross-shopping a modern import.
@@CHChris A "lot" of people? Don't you mean alot of people? Don't have alot of options? I value my Sweetwater connections more than ANY other I can think of? With the internet and the constant stream of new information available on guitars. I think anyone with even half a brain, can make fairly educated decisions on new guitar purchases. If they do some homework. When it comes to used guitars that are still worth at least $1k. I'm not sure too many Cortek products make the cut? Sure there's some exceptions. But generally speaking, I'm not paying over $1000 for a used guitar unless it's something limited edition, or in very high demand. Now, a vintage used guitar. That's a whole nother ball of wax. ANY, decent vintage used guitar, should fetch a minimum of $1000U.S. these days. If it doesn't? Why would you even bother? Listen, the guitar market, and the guineas that are involved with it. Are a fickle bunch. Everyone thinks they're an expert. Yesterday Gibson featured Paul Stanley from the band K.I.S.S. in the archives the band has. Senior Stanley happens to be building another house right now, so ALL his gear is at the archive. It was very interesting to listen to how he approaches what he personally for him, considers a vintage collection. Every example is meticulously went over, and done properly for what HE wants. And THAT right there, is the secret to the whole game brother! ANY, guitar can be "the one". If you make it the one.
@@CHChris I like buying new and used guitars from Guitar Center. GC gives a long period of time after the sale to try out the guitar, and if you decide to return it at your local GC store, the most you lose is the roughly 25 dollar shipping if they had to ship a used guitar to your local store.
yeah, over the past 30 years and 100 guitars ive bought and sold, ive had like 2 new guitars, the rest have been used. i go to pawn shops and most of the time i find them in mint condition. and they are usually so cheap i even make a profit when i decide to sell
30 years ago I found a great guitar for $100 at a pawn shop. Strat body with a Guild 3x3 neck. Got rid of it when I moved to Vegas. regret that. Now I can buy a new guitar for less than what they want for used. Maybe it's just Vegas.
@@KnuckleheadStuey THAT was the time, man. Even around 1997 before pawn shops got internet savvy and ebay came along. I picked up a bone stock, clean '68 SG with orig. case for $650 out the door and shortly after a minty '79 LP Deluxe for $799. Even let me put them on lay-away. End of an era.
I like buying new guitars so I can own something that some other fat dude hasn't sweated and farted over. Having said that I have purchased a few nice Used Guitars as well. But it's nice to have that brand spanking new guitar with no other person's DNA on it already. (Or their negative Karma) LOL
$100 to take a family of 4 to the movies would be a dream. I took my kid to AMC to see Godzilla x Kong and it was $55 for just the two of us. Granted we saw it in either IMAX or Dolby Cinema, but still. We also got a Large Pop + Popcorn to share. That’s madness. There’s a reason Tuesdays are now the most popular day of the week to see a movie (a lot of theaters offer tickets for all movies for $5 on Tuesdays… pretty awesome). But back to to guitars… you guys should get your hands on a Heritage H-150 and give us your thoughts.
Random but last month I became a Proud owner of a 1995 USA standard Stratocaster , got it on the used market and man best deal of my life for real not exaggerating
Over the last few years I've bought pretty much all the gear I want. Picked up 4 guitars over the last 2 months including my holy grail. I'm pretty much done. I've got a little of everything now. I don't see me buying much else but every time I see a great deal I'm tempted.
Been in relative business similar to this for 45 years , the gluttony of guitars is going to be a backlash when reality comes Crashing Down , the entire music industry is changing and even the guitar will Fall to history's past... as now we are seeing all the past favorite songs turning into static that will fade into white noise as a new culture and a new era begins
I see a trend at my local music store. The used guitars that sell have regular trems or fixed bridges. The guitars with locking trems seemed be nailed to the wall. Used American and Mexican Strats sell right away (if they have standard trem). Another thing people are giving up is 7, 8, 9 string guitars. Economics aside, I'm guessing younger people don't want a closet full of guitars.
Tried to sell my reverend roundhouse to my local shop. They were full of guitars with names people actually know. So they couldn't afford to take the chance
It's true. I decided to get what I wanted this year, while I could get a great deal on a second-hand Gibson Les Paul Special on Reverb this Spring. And similar with a Fender Vintera Vintage Modified Telecaster and a Fender Vintera 60s Strat, both in matching surf green. It's a shame the second-hand amp market isn't such good value. I think people are looking for too much for second-hand tube amps here in Europe. It was better when I lived in the UK, especially when it was collection in person only. Bass tube amps is even worse, rarely anything good / good value. But I suppose most bass players aren't using tube amps, and more guitar players have multiple guitars than multiple amps, and plenty using modelers. Like guitars, deals on recently built, but second-hand synthesizers have been pretty good too, because lots of studios have a bunch, and many people over-bought during the pandemic, driving demand and prices crazy.
The market was on fire during the pandemic. People found something for past time. Guitars went high from what I saw. I thought to sell but guitars are my babies !
@@pandaman1968 I'm starting to see them drop down around 2k, people were listing them for close to $3500 which is absolutely insane. Of course it's no pre-covid price. I recently scored a '69 Princeton for $1000, like the guys are saying, if it sits long enough you make a reasonable offer. Good luck!
I must live in the one corner of the country where this doesn't hold. None of the shops in my world (including GC) will move off retail, even a little.
Music stores are only going to offer half of what they can get out of it themselves. It's like buying new motorcycles and cars. If you drive it off the lot and around the block then bring it back, you will not get near what you paid. It's used.
I was on the waitlist for the Gibson Greeny (the $3100 version), but I didn’t pull the trigger. Fast forward a year, and they’re all over Reverb for $2500 (just click the heart on the listing and most shops instantly drop the price). Prices are falling on the mid/upper priced guitars for sure.
The bargains are out there, to take advantage of them you need to buy 2nd hand not new for a start and also go for a brand that is good quality (there are so many inexpensive well made guitars (by CNC machines) out there, Harley Benton, JHS Vintage etc for example) but which doesnt have much brand history. In the case of High end guitars there is a huge drop off in value due to diminishing returns. Spend a bit of money upgrading a well made cheap guitar (especially on the appointments) and you will have a guitar that can compete with something far more expensive.
In the UK, you can get a new Les Paul for £2k and new ‘61 SG for £1.5k but they’re not selling. The used prices are at the same price point and are going nowhere. No improvement in the economy is going to bring back the Covid days, I think manufacturers will be dropping catalogue prices next year.
He’s going around to dealers trying to trade a newer Les Paul straight across for something vintage. So, of course he’s not getting any joy. That tells you two things: the vintage market and used market are not the same thing, and sell your used guitar yourself, don’t trade it in.
I can't comment on the new guitar market but the used market is awash with all the would be players disposing of the ones bought and never played. I have just sold the ones that i bought and never played and they sold for peanuts. Only the Fenders and Squires returned close to what i paid long before 2021 I often wonder how many buy new guitars only to never play them ? My local store told me that for every 10 they sell only one or two become players. No wonder that the market is flooded.
Come to Japan! The shops are full of great brand new guitars and the yen is cheap. The used shops are also full of great guitars (the vast majority are in excellent condition). I have a guitar so I take a look every now and then when I go to get picks and strings. But, I don’t have GAS, one and done.
@@mattjackson7859 yes I was just there. New, Made in Pennsylvania Martins were actually cheaper than you can get them in the States at current exchange rates. I’m not sure how that’s possible as shipping to Tokyo ain’t free.
@@seniorp9444 The Japanese guitar market is a little different than the American market. So the price that a Martin can be sold at in a shop here might be a little lower than in America even when taking the currency exchange rate into consideration. It may be higher for other brands, but I don’t pay much attention to it since I like to play not shop.
@@pandaman1968 Yeah, I hammered and hammered on Wild West Guitar on a $15999 MSRP PRS Private Stock and after a lot of effort and a week.. I got them down to $13000 delivered to my door... but that's no 50% off ... more like 20... which I've had on guitar's many times over the years... I also tried to get a Gibson Custom 5A 1 piece top directly from Gibson, they're asking $10199... and they won't go down a cent.. just offered me "Free overnight" shipping.
They definitely overshot expectations not realizing that the pandemic drove those sales increases, and that as soon as it would be over, so would the demand. Now not only do they have more stock than needed, but they also have to compete with the used market which features all of those pandemic guitars that people are selling off. Bad time for salespeople, good time for buyers.
Baxter looks like Keith Richards stunt double. How come every time I watch these guys show I feel like I need to take a shower and an enema right after
Call me first if you ever run across a basically new Les Paul Standard that you can sell me at $1500. I've been in the market for a long time for that guitar but nobody ever seems to be willing to come off that $2000 price tag, and in my opinion (and budget), that's just not a thing I can convince the wifey is a good deal.
Here in phoenix I'm seeing tons of mint les Paul's on craigslist for 2200, 2300... and they ain't moving for months. So I think 1800 is about right if you want to move one.
So basically in order for this to happen, someone would have to pay $3000-ish for a new Les Paul Standard, baby it for however long so it still looks brand new, take it in to Casino Guitars to trade it in, Casino Guitars decides for some reason to make an insulting offer of $900-ish so they can sell it at $1500, and the guy would somehow accept that offer. And then it would somehow have to not sell for long enough for them to call you for you to try to see if they could knock a couple hundred off and then take a couple days to convince your wife. Do you see how ridiculous this is starting to sound?
Get yourself a nice Tokai for 1500 that’ll probably be built better than the Gibson standard anyway and if you must upgrade the pickups and hardware, you can find some pretty nice Tokai Love Rock (that’s what they call their LPs) for around 1500 you can even find MIJ Tokai around that 1500 dollar mark.
@@brandonjackson5865 actually now that you mention it the Eastman LP’s are damn near Gibson Custom Shop level guitars and those can be had used for around $1500-ish. They blow the typical Les Paul Standard out of the water.
I went to Guitar Center and tried the Player II, which was good, as is the original Player. However, it feels like a marketing tactic to rebrand overproduced stock with vintage tuners and aged plastic, calling it Player II to boost novelty and sales. This approach makes my MIM Player seem inferior, pushing me to buy the same guitar again with minor tweaks. While the Player II might be cool, it's frustrating to feel manipulated. MIM guitars are great-just sell them without making previous models seem outdated.
some player 2 models have weight relief. there was a Tele at GC near me that probably weighed low 6lbs. Maybe 6.5 lbs. But I agree with some of what you're saying. They have to move models and keep finances healthy
Funny I've been playing guitar since 1980 and in all that time until 2010 I never owned more than one guitar somehow today I own 10 now I'm regretting it and coming to the realization maybe two with an acoustic is the most that you need. Now I want to unload all of these guitars but it seems like everyone did the same thing over the last 15 years😅 the Market's been flooded because of old men with disposable income and not a lot of young men or women actually learning to play and buying. now we're all starting to die and no one's left to buy all these Used Guitars😅
I bought 4 guitars this year for half or better of retail it ain't a vehicle people don't need them I bought a 2k Taylor for 400 because it was given to them and they had no idea of it's value
I don’t know what you guys are getting at, I’m in the market for a 335, the prices are crazy ridiculous high on reverb , went to two GC’s nothing is on sale for 4th, it’s NOT a buyers market at all.
Reverb, guitar stores are full of new and used guitars, but the prices are still high. The Cash-Flow is big king, the big SALE period is very close. The music gears are overpriced cca 15-2O%.
It's flooded because nobody will buy anything for fair to good price. Everyone wants you to give everything away. I have had the worst time on market place for the past year. I have steadily sold/ traded on facebook, crsigslist, and reverb for many years. People just message anything except buying the guitar. When and if you ever talk about selling, they want to give you 500$ for something worth 2k. Or 100$ for something worth 600$. Heck, even in trades. If they have something worth 1200$, they want a custom shop for it. People have become delusional. Nobody's ever gave me a damn thing in life. I've worked hard for everything I have. Go to work, save, and break out the wallet like I do.
Definitely an interesting time to buy and sell. I bought a brand new 59 reissue LP Murphy lab from a smallish shop (online purchase) and for 20% off, no tax, and free shipping. I have also seen the phenomenon that was mentioned about reverb sellers consistently sending offers that are pretty good. I did sell a couple of LP standards that I bought new I lost some money but not too much. I bought a slash LP in 2020 for 2500 and I sold it on reverb last year for 2100. I see guys trying to sell used guitars on reverb for like 300 less than new which is absurd. If I’m going to buy a used guitar that I have never played with no return policy, that discount is going to have to me like 1/3 off.
Esteban is the only way to go. Never goes up in value and hardly goes down in value. That is because it is already low end. If you can make one sing you can probably play any other guitar very well.
Flooded should mean better prices for new gear, but prices aren't coming down much if at all. The best bet is the used market - cooler mojo too.
where are you looking? I can find fenders and gibsons for significant discounts all day.
I couldn't even get a nibble on a mint brand new condition Les Paul 60's listed at $1750 a couple months ago. It just sat, so I'm keeping it. Not desperate.
@@MiguelMakesMusic in general, new MIM even Indonesian fenders are going for substantially more than ever. Even some Squiers are going for 400-500 on the high side and they are supposed to the budget range. Yes, inflation but the market has to correct at some point. Also, sure there are sales now and again but I’m talking big picture.
@@cataclysmicconverter yeah, Les Pauls have been so overpriced for so long and the market is flooded with them. I bet if you bring it down to 1500, it will sell. I just sold a 2022 Gibson SG 61 for a nice price last week. Priced competitively too.
@@Smart-Alex i'm seeing Player strats at $620 all day, Squier had a massive blowout last year and some Classic Vibe strats were around $200.
I check Reverb regularly but it’s seems like the used gear isn’t that much cheaper than buying new. Great video guys.
sellers want value from their used gear
Rick Beato says that kids have pretty much stopped practicing guitar and other musical instruments. Computer Games and AI is the new thing -and learning a guitar seems like work to younger folks. The overall amount of people playing guitar has been falling for over a decade. The only bump was during Covid. It is now back to normal.
I see endless kids on youtube playing
@@supernothing77 Agreed. I constantly get reels of 10 year olds nailing complete Yngwie or EVH solos note for note on Instagram.
Beato is wrong. Theres a two page waiting list for lessons at the music shop I work at.
@@supernothing77Western kids are too lazy and attention-fried to learn, but kids in other parts of the world are more receptive to the arts and getting access to modern instruments for the first time in their peoples' history
@@VictorVectorMusicThat could be a function of local supply of teachers vs demand in the area. Your really limited anecdote doesn’t mean he’s wrong
Where is all this silliness coming from? Prices on Reverb, Ebay, Craig's List, Music Go Round, you name it -- all VERY high.
No they aren't. Used prices are excellent right now.
New prices haven't gone up in 70 years. A Gibson Les Paul cost $245 in 1968. That's equivalent to $2600 today.
Guitar prices are exactly the same as they've what's been. Blame inflation.
Dude... A guitar shop just encouraged me to go to reverb. Love these guys!
Its good for us today but also benefits them if we take all these guitars off the market for them. Its win win..
the most expensive place to buy an instrument
Discernment... It is possible to find some great deals on Reverb. My last guitar purchase (I hope) was a Cole Clark Guitar purchased new and picked out at Acoustic Centre in Melbourne, flown to the US as checked baggage, hardly played and sold at US 60% of list, which after shipping to a big US dealer is added from Australia negates much of the exchange rate. Refurbished and B-stock items show up often, and many with minor defects that have no impact on playability. Too thin a gloss finish... sounds like an open pore satin, worth a look.
I do motorcycles for a living, and play guitars for a hobby. The motorcycle business is super similar. These are discretionary income items. Same thing happened...lots of new riders during, and following the pandemic.
Prices were up, inventory was down....now it's a slow flip.
you must be talking about me, the 65-year-old that just bought 1968 Gibson J-50 perfect condition church women guitar and 1976 J-200 artist and yes thinking about a custom telecaster Lol, and a new amp. Retired and had to sell to many great guitars to support five kids.
I’m good, I got my Tele. Done and done.
Exactly. I got my brad paisley MIM tele. And called it a day. Great guitar. I had too. It got way out of hand.
@@crazywisdom2 I have three teles. All are customized by me. One is sorts a ZZ Top belly and arm contour with custom pickups and wiring. The other is stock except for the pick guard and the other is a Khruangbin style copy with custom wiring and some dimarzio rails pickups. I’ve had lots of guitars and the Tele is the one to have and to hold 🖤 it would be hard to chose just one Tele though lol.
@@ol48springcheck out Tease Guitar 🎸. I bought a black SBH-HD Series T Style TUMMY CUT 13.0K Alnico V Humbucker and while I was there, bought a purple one also ‼️ I'm not into budget guitars from overseas BUT I'm very happy and impressed with this guitar.... Everything about it is 👍 and it's $250
Supply side economics, guitar acquisition syndrome, add inflation, higher rents and cost of living and next thing you know that extra guitar isn't as important as paying the bills, or having an emergency fund in reserve. So in New Guitars there is no longer the wait of just 2 years ago, most Vintage stuff is dropping, although Top Tier Guitars seem to be holding steady or rising. Good time to be a buyer. You guys helped me upgrade from my Goldtop Slash for a Warrior 54 Prototype that is Magical
The guitar market is flooded, and so is my guitar room😂
I bought a 01 s.g. black for 100.00 It's a epiphone but after I cleaned it up it's the four knobs nice clear knobs .
Thanks! The Pink Teles are killing it.
dude, save your money
Yes it is, and Im snagging them up cheap as dirt. Im picking up 2500+ guitars for $1200-$1500.. Im glad I waited for the AVRI’s.. I am lowballing, absolutely I am. You betcha!
Heard that! I recently scored a mint NOS condition American Original 50's Strat for $1400. If they accept a lowball, it's not your fault.
@@cataclysmicconverter Score! Absolutely, they are glad to get it sold, Im glad I got a great deal, and these guys are glad we are taking these off the market so they can get back to business as usual, its really a win win.
@@simonsmith2642 Thank you! Yeah, with the all lacquer finish and beefy neck, it's a slice of heaven and rings like a bell.
@simonsmith2642 Are you offering on reverb or marketplace or where are you having the best luck?
@@silvel2edge Reverb offers, FB, and calling shops and just asking for deal on a wall hanger.
I suppose that I should go shopping.
I heard yesterday that, according to AAA, gasoline prices are going down due to decreased demand. People are not spending money on anything.
I really appreciate your pretty refreshing common sense observations and advice. Thanks!
Fun stuff, I'm in. 😁 Recently I bought a Sterling Majesty 7 with about a inch and a half finish damage by the tone knob for just over half the new price.
I’m in Canada and prices still are high if looking online at store inventories here but I’m finding individual shops are quite willing to talk and give deals lately
Good to know. I'm in Canada too and inventory is hit and miss for models I'm interested in. I like to try it before I buy it. But all the major manufacturers have had various sales recently, not great deals, but some reduction. The best was PRS pre Christmas SE factory sale with 20% off so I bought the Swamp Ash SE on that sale.
🎉 my first guitar is an 🇺🇸 fender stratocaster for $1000 in 2016 and still have it .
I now just bought a Tease Guitar SBH-HD Series T Style TUMMY CUT 13.0K Alnico V Humbucker and got 2 . A great budget guitar, I'm totally impressed with this guitar.
As a lefty guitarist, I tend to frequent a website of a big guitar shop in the UK with a big lefty range. They say they are selling 300 lefty guitars, but in reality they have 200 in stock. Of those 200, over 100 are over two grand, and 50 of those are over three grand, with 20 of those over five grand. The real flood is in high end stuff, and there really isn’t much choice in the £1000-£1500 range that I would guess most people are looking for.
The problem is the industry wants to sell premium stuff, but the midrange market is being ignored.
Your right that I don't see amazing deals from the big sellers, in the UK, or in Europe. The second-hand market is where to look for midrange guitars. Especially I see some great deals on left-handed guitars. On Reverb etc. I got what I needed on Reverb this year, while the second-hand prices were good. Got a Fender Vintera Tele, Vintera Strat and a Gibson Les Paul Special. Like the guys said, I didn't feel these kinds of good second-hand deals on Fenders and Gibsons would last forever. Only other thing I'd like to buy is more niche: I'd like one of those cheaper Epiphone Firebirds for around £550. Which I might grab before they discontinue those cheaper vintage burst ones, so they can push those crazy priced for Epiphone, £1500+ ones. a Danelectro 12-string would be nice, but very much not essential.
Completely agree.
I figure manufacturers look at it as selling a few extremly over priced guitars brings in the same profit as several lower priced guitars and cuts production costs etc. Gibson fender etc have priced themselves out of the average persons spending range imho.
I'm a little envious of new players at this time with so much variety of amazing and affordable guitars, amps, and effects. To those that can afford a 2-5k guitar as their first instrument, well done! Its never to late to start a love affair with a great instrument and making music.
No kidding. The imports I grew up with were Teisco and others of the same quality from Christmas catalogs that were awful. My first "real" guitar was a used late 60's Tele for $325 and it took a lot of yard mowing to save that.
@@monstrok I had a harmony with two single coils that my parents got for $80 at a pawn shop for my first electric. I stuck with it and the next year I got a Peavey predator (made is USA) for $125 from the same shop. Traded that out for a T-30 and then landed on an Electra sg copy that I played well into my twenties. It got stolen and I got a real 82 lp in one of those once in a lifetime deals. Bought it playing pool for a bar league. Paid $450 with the original case and some random stuff dude just didn't use anymore. A Roland keyboard amp with an awesome clipping circuit... It was actually made like the newer little black stars etc... where instead of having one 6 or 8 in speaker it had 4 little tweeters. But yeah with all the gear I've had over the years I'm still amazed at the rig you could put together for $1000 or less these days.
Also a lot of trash to swift through "affordable" guitars cut a lot of corners
I have given away some of my less expensive guitars to my friends kids that have been learning. Though I did pick up a perfect 1985 Ibanez Roadstar II.
Same. Some coworkers have kids getting into guitars and I've given them the stuff that after shipping and ebay or Reverb fees, not worth the trouble to compete with everyone else purging their crap and frees up space in my house. Which is the goal.
It’s not just that young people don’t want to learn how to play instruments as much as they did 40 years ago or whatever… today’s music is not guitar music. Why would teenagers want to learn how to play music from their parents generation? The used market is going to be nuts in another 10 years as boomers age out of guitar playing and want to sell everything.
That is true, but I've been amazed at all the young people out there on social media doing covers of Jimmy Page/Zeppelin, Yes, Jeff Beck, David Gilmour, etc. and digging deep in to the roots of older rock and blues. Having grown up with all the classic bands, I envy them hearing it for the first time after choking on autotune since birth. And not only the boomers aging out of playing, they'll be aging out of collecting. So it will be interesting to see THAT market with all the vintage and obscure stuff that's been hidden away so long see the light of day again.
@@cataclysmicconverter yep, sadly, high end vintage guitars usually last longer than people so they are all hitting the market at some point
A lot of Gen Z is actually really into 90’s alternative right now (the music of their parent’s generation). Hopefully that will encourage them to pick up the guitar. When I was a teenager the music of my parents generation (the 70’s) really inspired me to play.
I totally agree. Music these days is not your guitar band music.
I am happy with my twenty guitars and not about to buy another.
@@pitviper7924 20? Clearly, I have some catching up to do.
I needed a backup acoustic to replace my pretty poorly built, newer PRS SE Angelus. Picked up a barely played Taylor 114 CE for $375 on Marketplace the other day. Great acoustic for $375.
Have a 100 series Taylor, also. Played every guitar GC had under $600 (quite a few years ago), went in to buy a Seagull, went home with the Taylor.
If the guitar market is flooded then flood it, I will buy every nice guitar that will show up. Currently I have 16 guitars. (Fender, Gibson, Suhr, ESP, Ibanez, etc.) Call it whatever you like, but I like and buy every cool guitar that shows up. I know I can't play it all but I will still buy it especially when GAS strikes. It's hard to stop.🤭
11:46 is the same reason I collect guitars...." You go into that knowing that you'll going to lose money,...but it's part of the FUN".... I do it regularly for FUN, and the adventure. Very well said.👏 Guitar collecting is the best hobby.🤘
Those are rookie numbers. We’ve gotta get those numbers up baby. I’m on 22 and bringing home 23 this week. Bought my first one in January. 😅 so that’s… almost 4 a month… fuck nevermind... maybe I should stop
@@buckkylem Haha, yes, I admit it's rookie, I want more!!😂 The problem is the house space, I don't know anymore were to put the extra. Dogs are running over them. I fear for their lives and broken neck😆....... but congrats mate on your 23rd, keep em comming and keep collecting, guitar collecting is the best and most therapeutic hobby, it always feels good when you have the best guitars in your house👍... You need to make that up to 50.😆 John Mayer has 200+, Slash has 300+, Bonammasa has 500 and counting. So you cannot have too many guitars. More is more!😁
My first guitar was not a $2,000 acoustic. It was a Hondo. My fingers still hurt (and I still have the guitar).
Still have my Hondo electric. Heavily modded, currently in pieces but still have it. Cost $300 in 1983
My first guitar was a hondo h 50, it sucked so bad, but it had the very best tone ever, and yeah my fingers still hurt too
I wish I still had it, I'd make a guitar with the neck and dress the frets add locking tuners use floyed, you know
I tried selling a couple of my guitars a few weeks ago and the offers were so low, I decided to just keep them.
Re: Reverb, I wanted the new PRS SE NF3 so I watched ten offerings. I received two 10% discount offers from people selling similar offers (identical Metallic Orange NF3's) and thus got the discount I could not have gotten from a big box store who knows they are going to sell out at MSRP. As far as recovery, tons of Americans have maxed out their credit and due to inflation are forced to cut back to only necessities. Ordinary people are tapped out, but people who have money have more money than they've ever had. Thus mid-range non-essentials have cratered and low-range non-essentials have moderately dropped but high end is still thriving. I think it's more likely we go into a severe recession than things return to normal this year.
I have a friend that makes crazy money and he gets he’s guitars custom built and he is getting better but definitely not a good guitar player but he eats it up and thinks he’s good which is fun to watch! Keep playing and learning most important having fun !
@@applehead252 lol.
Is this the golden era for Gibson... They feel and sound best I've ever experienced. What do you guys think?
If you don't mind aesthetics. There are 182 factory seconds/flawed in their Reverb Demo Shop as of this posting. Which speaks volumes about their QC. Or lack thereof.
The market is flooded with new gear and used gear. All new fenders and Gibsons I’ve tried have been heavy. I’d move some guitars for an 8lb or less 335 with a thick neck, but I can’t find one.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned that every ounce counts. The lower the weight I can get (within a type of guitar I’m considering), the better. 8.2 lb Les Paul? Yes, please!
If the market is flooded, does that slow production? If so, how does that adversely effect employment and the workers/craftsman making guitars?
Great questions- but the answers aren’t good.
Ya if skilled workers move back to cabinet making...@@ironsave3201
Yes
The market Is flooded with people asking ridiculous prices for gear. It’s not that great of a time to be a buyer …yet.
We need to correct existing guitar supply to drive up prices so that Blues Lawyers like me can pay higher prices and feel better about buying a Wood Library Custom Gold-Plated PRS Silver Sky to hang in our offices.
I'm Blues Lawyer, and I approve this message.
Have you ever thought about investing in a time share startup, but not condos that’s so 80s and 90s but a yacht time share Blues Lawyer ? No quicker way to lose excess money than boats and timeshares why not combine the two. You could light your money on fire and throw it directly in the ocean from your yacht (on specific days of the year ((Tuesdays and Wednesdays)) during non peak seasons, Holidays are prohibited availability may be limited due to maintenance and or repair of the vessel.
@@brandonjackson5865 Excellent idea! I approve of this message! You could more than make up your money by setting up and selling franchises in Boat Owner Associations (BOA) at every Marina. This is a winner!
G'day Baxter & G'day Jonathon,
Baxter is right about the 2021 thing - it's even happening here in Australia. In the last 25 months, I have bought 3 new Fender guitars, from 3 different shops, at 3 different price ranges, in 3 different years, and every one of them is a 2021 model! I didn't even notice that the last one, which was bought 10 days ago, was a 2021 until I bought it home. I might have to go out shopping again in the next month or two... 😁
Thanks for the great video. Keep up the good work
Andrew
I'm hoping the sales begin this Summer because I haven't seen much discounted as of yet.
Good....Maybe we'll have more guitar players in the future.
For sellers, the only thing hot is the vintage market.
The thrill is gone, the thrill has gone away. I've been loathe to even look at any of my guitars for the past month for various reasons I won't get into. Maybe I'll plug in and sound the biggest electronic primal scream I can conjure. That being said, I'm thinking about buying a new guitar.
🤣
I just got a used magnatone super 15 for 1200... I'm enjoying this!! The price AND the amp head!!
There are loads of good used beginner guitars as well, like Squier Classic Vibe and decent Epiphones. I'm literally tracking 3-6 Squier Classic Vibe Telecasters right now. They've been sitting around for quite a while. Could probably scoop one up for around $250-275 in mint-excellent condition. There are always loads of guitars for sale. Musicians are always trading up for gear.
I think this holiday season will be great for guitars! Especially if someone else or anyone else is running this country!
The one part I can't wrap my head around is anyone who'd buy a vintage used guitar, sight unseen. At least with a new guitar. Especially if it's from a major manufacturer like Cortek. Your pretty much guaranteed, a very well engineered and economical product. That'll do everything it's supposed to do, right outta the box. Literally.
If I'm spending over $1000U.S. on ANY guitar. I'm gonna have to have some extra reassurance that I'm getting a guitar that will at least be playable. I mean, right now I can think of 5 major brands off the top of my head. That are selling guitars at around the $1k range, and even a little more. That are being shipped to buyers in completely unplayable condition. Action so high, it's stand up bass territory. Pickups, bridges and other various parts that have stripped screws or fasteners. Electronic parts that don't function properly, or at all. I've been sent guitars that the E string on one side or the other, depending on the issue. Is falling off the edge of the fretboard! This was a $1299 dollar guitar!
Right now the market is flooded with all these rejects that are brand newish, but flawed somehow. If your a savvy tech, that can sort most issues without spending more money. Then, there's absolutely deals to be had right now. BUT! I'd be very picky with what you'll accept. Used vintage guitars are not my bag. Way to risky.
Same. I buy to play not to collect so vintage stuff is dangerous in my hands especially since I’m on the road so much with singers. I actually prefer parts casters or little locally built guitars. Because they come exactly how I like with the configs I like in my electronics which can be a bit strange at times. I mean heck I play a Variax on the road a lot so that should say what I mean enough. . Plus I want to be the one to give the guitars their scars and stories not the other way around. I bought exactly one "vintage" guitar. A 1988 MIJ Fender Strat (62 reissue) in a butterscotch finish. I really fell in love with it and the story was even cooler. The owner was the original owner and brought it from Osaka to the states with him for work and to eventually perminantly stay in Seattle. Passed away. Kept it in damn near mint condition and probably put a whole 10 hours of actual playing into it. He kept it in a display case in his office as a conversation starter. And took it to a shop every year to have it kept in basicaly tip top shape. When he passed his daughter sold it to that shop. 24 hours after it came in I was there for work on my birthday and decided you know what a present for myself. At the time I was in the market for something strat style with an HSS setup, but they didn’t have it. But the guy (Knowing I wanted something with as low of action as possible and something different. Something with an interesting story) goes let me grab something. Brings this thing out and sets me up with a really nice amp from a builder in Tacoma. Tells me give it a shot…. And it was the guitar for me. I felt so bad though because this thing was beautiful. It looked like it just came off the line and I was like man I feel terrible because I’m a player. I buy to play and its going to get scuffed up and I want to at least replace the bridge pickup minimum with a mini humbucker. The coolest part? The old man had left a note with the guitar and all it said was may the next owner of this beautiful instrument play it the way it deserves and the way I just never could. Guitars are made for playing and I hope you get a lot of experience with this one. Love from Japan. So I bought it. Brought it home and showed my tech in my city and his face just went slack like how did you find this in this condition? Told him the story and he just looked betrayed when I told him it was pickup swap out time. But we did it and when he played it with the mini humbucker in it he got it. Its probably the only vintage I’ll ever buy and that is because of the really interesting story behind it. All of my guitars have a name and my wife named this one the Monogatari (The story) in Japanese. Fun fact it technically has come full circle because my wife was also born and raised in Osaka Japan before coming here to the states and meeting this big dumb goofy idiot and deciding hey I kind of like him and I kind of like it here so maybe I’ll keep him for a bit.
A lot of people, even in large suburban areas, don't have a lot of options to go look and play at local guitar stores. I have one Guitar Center in my area that hasn't had anything much worth looking at in years, a couple small chain stores that only sell cheap learner models, and maybe a little boutique shop. Sure, you can always get new guitars from brands like Cort, but you know what? They're hit or miss too. My first brand-new electric (bought just before the covid boom) was a Strat built by Cort, and even though it was highly reviewed, I could never get it to the point where I enjoyed playing it. Since then, I've bought two used, out-of-production MiM Fenders sight unseen, and they both blow that Cort out of the water, for not much more $.
As for vintage, if you're talking *real* vintage (not like '90s-'00s), that's a whole different beast. If you're shopping for a '62 or whatever, then you definitely need to know what you're looking at. But then you're definitely not cross-shopping a modern import.
@@CHChris A "lot" of people? Don't you mean alot of people? Don't have alot of options? I value my Sweetwater connections more than ANY other I can think of? With the internet and the constant stream of new information available on guitars. I think anyone with even half a brain, can make fairly educated decisions on new guitar purchases. If they do some homework.
When it comes to used guitars that are still worth at least $1k. I'm not sure too many Cortek products make the cut? Sure there's some exceptions. But generally speaking, I'm not paying over $1000 for a used guitar unless it's something limited edition, or in very high demand.
Now, a vintage used guitar. That's a whole nother ball of wax. ANY, decent vintage used guitar, should fetch a minimum of $1000U.S. these days. If it doesn't? Why would you even bother?
Listen, the guitar market, and the guineas that are involved with it. Are a fickle bunch. Everyone thinks they're an expert. Yesterday Gibson featured Paul Stanley from the band K.I.S.S. in the archives the band has. Senior Stanley happens to be building another house right now, so ALL his gear is at the archive. It was very interesting to listen to how he approaches what he personally for him, considers a vintage collection. Every example is meticulously went over, and done properly for what HE wants. And THAT right there, is the secret to the whole game brother! ANY, guitar can be "the one". If you make it the one.
@@CHChris I like buying new and used guitars from Guitar Center. GC gives a long period of time after the sale to try out the guitar, and if you decide to return it at your local GC store, the most you lose is the roughly 25 dollar shipping if they had to ship a used guitar to your local store.
It's been 50 years and counting and I have never bought a NEW guitar, (or amp). Bargains have always been out there.
Almost 100% the same here. And with Music Go Round stores I am in instrument heaven.
yeah, over the past 30 years and 100 guitars ive bought and sold, ive had like 2 new guitars, the rest have been used. i go to pawn shops and most of the time i find them in mint condition. and they are usually so cheap i even make a profit when i decide to sell
30 years ago I found a great guitar for $100 at a pawn shop. Strat body with a Guild 3x3 neck. Got rid of it when I moved to Vegas. regret that. Now I can buy a new guitar for less than what they want for used. Maybe it's just Vegas.
@@KnuckleheadStuey THAT was the time, man. Even around 1997 before pawn shops got internet savvy and ebay came along. I picked up a bone stock, clean '68 SG with orig. case for $650 out the door and shortly after a minty '79 LP Deluxe for $799. Even let me put them on lay-away. End of an era.
I like buying new guitars so I can own something that some other fat dude hasn't sweated and farted over. Having said that I have purchased a few nice Used Guitars as well. But it's nice to have that brand spanking new guitar with no other person's DNA on it already. (Or their negative Karma) LOL
"The light at the end of the tunnel "
"The silver lining"
$100 to take a family of 4 to the movies would be a dream. I took my kid to AMC to see Godzilla x Kong and it was $55 for just the two of us. Granted we saw it in either IMAX or Dolby Cinema, but still. We also got a Large Pop + Popcorn to share. That’s madness. There’s a reason Tuesdays are now the most popular day of the week to see a movie (a lot of theaters offer tickets for all movies for $5 on Tuesdays… pretty awesome).
But back to to guitars… you guys should get your hands on a Heritage H-150 and give us your thoughts.
Be lucky you have a theater around you. Last movie I saw in theater was finding Dory when we brought my young kid. That was probably 9 years ago now
imagine having a family of 4 and going to olive garden !!!!!!
One thing that not a lot of people are talking about is Reverb hit 500k listings, that's crazy! It hit 400k a few years ago.
Random but last month I became a Proud owner of a 1995 USA standard Stratocaster , got it on the used market and man best deal of my life for real not exaggerating
Over the last few years I've bought pretty much all the gear I want. Picked up 4 guitars over the last 2 months including my holy grail. I'm pretty much done. I've got a little of everything now. I don't see me buying much else but every time I see a great deal I'm tempted.
Been in relative business similar to this for 45 years , the gluttony of guitars is going to be a backlash when reality comes Crashing Down , the entire music industry is changing and even the guitar will Fall to history's past... as now we are seeing all the past favorite songs turning into static that will fade into white noise as a new culture and a new era begins
I see a trend at my local music store. The used guitars that sell have regular trems or fixed bridges. The guitars with locking trems seemed be nailed to the wall. Used American and Mexican Strats sell right away (if they have standard trem). Another thing people are giving up is 7, 8, 9 string guitars. Economics aside, I'm guessing younger people don't want a closet full of guitars.
@@metalfatigue whammy trem guitars were mostly 80s rockers. Newer music doesn't seem to use that.
economics: It's actually cheaper to buy an expensive guitar first than to GAS for 2 years
Gibson Les Paul Gold Top?
Tried to sell my reverend roundhouse to my local shop. They were full of guitars with names people actually know. So they couldn't afford to take the chance
Fender's goal was 500 guitars a day not too long ago. I can't image there's that many people in the world playing guitar.
Beginner player here. Got two strats (maple and rosewood), i'm done buying guitars. I originally only wanted to have one.
Damn 😖!
So the trade in value of my guitars plummets while the price of that 66 Jazzmaster stays the same…….😢
Correct.
It's true. I decided to get what I wanted this year, while I could get a great deal on a second-hand Gibson Les Paul Special on Reverb this Spring. And similar with a Fender Vintera Vintage Modified Telecaster and a Fender Vintera 60s Strat, both in matching surf green. It's a shame the second-hand amp market isn't such good value. I think people are looking for too much for second-hand tube amps here in Europe. It was better when I lived in the UK, especially when it was collection in person only. Bass tube amps is even worse, rarely anything good / good value. But I suppose most bass players aren't using tube amps, and more guitar players have multiple guitars than multiple amps, and plenty using modelers. Like guitars, deals on recently built, but second-hand synthesizers have been pretty good too, because lots of studios have a bunch, and many people over-bought during the pandemic, driving demand and prices crazy.
The market was on fire during the pandemic. People found something for past time. Guitars went high from what I saw. I thought to sell but guitars are my babies !
Silver Panel prices are starting to come down too, scoop up those '68-'70 Fender Amps.
@@pandaman1968 I'm starting to see them drop down around 2k, people were listing them for close to $3500 which is absolutely insane. Of course it's no pre-covid price. I recently scored a '69 Princeton for $1000, like the guys are saying, if it sits long enough you make a reasonable offer. Good luck!
The used market is a "Fire Sale" right now and I love it!!!!!
I was thinking part deux, like “HotShots. “
Then it comes to be that the soothing light at the end of your tunnel was just a freight train coming your way.
It’s comin your wayyhayyyyyaahhhhhh!
I must live in the one corner of the country where this doesn't hold. None of the shops in my world (including GC) will move off retail, even a little.
Music stores are only going to offer half of what they can get out of it themselves. It's like buying new motorcycles and cars. If you drive it off the lot and around the block then bring it back, you will not get near what you paid. It's used.
I was on the waitlist for the Gibson Greeny (the $3100 version), but I didn’t pull the trigger. Fast forward a year, and they’re all over Reverb for $2500 (just click the heart on the listing and most shops instantly drop the price). Prices are falling on the mid/upper priced guitars for sure.
The bargains are out there, to take advantage of them you need to buy 2nd hand not new for a start and also go for a brand that is good quality (there are so many inexpensive well made guitars (by CNC machines) out there, Harley Benton, JHS Vintage etc for example) but which doesnt have much brand history. In the case of High end guitars there is a huge drop off in value due to diminishing returns. Spend a bit of money upgrading a well made cheap guitar (especially on the appointments) and you will have a guitar that can compete with something far more expensive.
In the UK, you can get a new Les Paul for £2k and new ‘61 SG for £1.5k but they’re not selling. The used prices are at the same price point and are going nowhere. No improvement in the economy is going to bring back the Covid days, I think manufacturers will be dropping catalogue prices next year.
Any hardtail stratocasters? New or used in stock?
Nope! Already sold them all to buy crack rocks
The guitologist just did a video on this. 🤔
I recently got a new JV Modified 50s Strat. Paid full price. Couldn't be happier!!
He’s going around to dealers trying to trade a newer Les Paul straight across for something vintage. So, of course he’s not getting any joy. That tells you two things: the vintage market and used market are not the same thing, and sell your used guitar yourself, don’t trade it in.
I can't comment on the new guitar market but the used market is awash with all the would be
players disposing of the ones bought and never played.
I have just sold the ones that i bought and never played and they sold for peanuts.
Only the Fenders and Squires returned close to what i paid long before 2021
I often wonder how many buy new guitars only to never play them ?
My local store told me that for every 10 they sell only one or two become players.
No wonder that the market is flooded.
ive picked up some bargains over the past 18 months. But im done for a while now.
Come to Japan! The shops are full of great brand new guitars and the yen is cheap. The used shops are also full of great guitars (the vast majority are in excellent condition). I have a guitar so I take a look every now and then when I go to get picks and strings. But, I don’t have GAS, one and done.
@@mattjackson7859 yes I was just there. New, Made in Pennsylvania Martins were actually cheaper than you can get them in the States at current exchange rates. I’m not sure how that’s possible as shipping to Tokyo ain’t free.
@@seniorp9444 The Japanese guitar market is a little different than the American market. So the price that a Martin can be sold at in a shop here might be a little lower than in America even when taking the currency exchange rate into consideration. It may be higher for other brands, but I don’t pay much attention to it since I like to play not shop.
@@seniorp9444 possibly old contract pricing and Japanese unwillingness to raise prices.
@ yes I thought old stock but the bargain prices extended to the satin D-18 and D-28 which had not been out for long at that time
I'm always up for a new BASS LINE. ;)
Not really seeing the smoking hot deals on the premium segment (PRS private stock, Gibson Custom, etc)
Because the wealthy are still getting bank.
@@pandaman1968 Yeah, I hammered and hammered on Wild West Guitar on a $15999 MSRP PRS Private Stock and after a lot of effort and a week.. I got them down to $13000 delivered to my door... but that's no 50% off ... more like 20... which I've had on guitar's many times over the years... I also tried to get a Gibson Custom 5A 1 piece top directly from Gibson, they're asking $10199... and they won't go down a cent.. just offered me "Free overnight" shipping.
They definitely overshot expectations not realizing that the pandemic drove those sales increases, and that as soon as it would be over, so would the demand. Now not only do they have more stock than needed, but they also have to compete with the used market which features all of those pandemic guitars that people are selling off. Bad time for salespeople, good time for buyers.
@@pandaman1968 Sounds like a major win.
Baxter looks like Keith Richards stunt double. How come every time I watch these guys show I feel like I need to take a shower and an enema right after
I'm trying to do my part guys.
Buyer's, IT'S CELEBRATION TIME! 😃🍸🍾🌟🎉
I gotta sj-200 custom shop for 1400 off. Still cost 5k but still!
@@pandaman1968 uh nah man the ending cost was like 5200 once u add in shipping and tax after this discount. TLDR: gear prices still insane
Theese days i like custom made guitars of my own design, its the only way to really get what you want
I paid only 1350 for my used LP Standard
Call me first if you ever run across a basically new Les Paul Standard that you can sell me at $1500. I've been in the market for a long time for that guitar but nobody ever seems to be willing to come off that $2000 price tag, and in my opinion (and budget), that's just not a thing I can convince the wifey is a good deal.
Here in phoenix I'm seeing tons of mint les Paul's on craigslist for 2200, 2300... and they ain't moving for months. So I think 1800 is about right if you want to move one.
So basically in order for this to happen, someone would have to pay $3000-ish for a new Les Paul Standard, baby it for however long so it still looks brand new, take it in to Casino Guitars to trade it in, Casino Guitars decides for some reason to make an insulting offer of $900-ish so they can sell it at $1500, and the guy would somehow accept that offer. And then it would somehow have to not sell for long enough for them to call you for you to try to see if they could knock a couple hundred off and then take a couple days to convince your wife. Do you see how ridiculous this is starting to sound?
Get yourself a nice Tokai for 1500 that’ll probably be built better than the Gibson standard anyway and if you must upgrade the pickups and hardware, you can find some pretty nice Tokai Love Rock (that’s what they call their LPs) for around 1500 you can even find MIJ Tokai around that 1500 dollar mark.
@@brandonjackson5865 actually now that you mention it the Eastman LP’s are damn near Gibson Custom Shop level guitars and those can be had used for around $1500-ish. They blow the typical Les Paul Standard out of the water.
@@Plexi417Stranger things have happened 🛸
I'm seeing American Stratocasters on the used market going for under $1,000 - with a hard case.
People are struggling
What market isn’t flooded?
I went to Guitar Center and tried the Player II, which was good, as is the original Player. However, it feels like a marketing tactic to rebrand overproduced stock with vintage tuners and aged plastic, calling it Player II to boost novelty and sales. This approach makes my MIM Player seem inferior, pushing me to buy the same guitar again with minor tweaks. While the Player II might be cool, it's frustrating to feel manipulated. MIM guitars are great-just sell them without making previous models seem outdated.
some player 2 models have weight relief. there was a Tele at GC near me that probably weighed low 6lbs. Maybe 6.5 lbs. But I agree with some of what you're saying. They have to move models and keep finances healthy
@@matthouston8411 Agree. I guess if they don't sell new guitars they vanish and I certainly don't want Fender to vanish!
Funny I've been playing guitar since 1980 and in all that time until 2010 I never owned more than one guitar somehow today I own 10 now I'm regretting it and coming to the realization maybe two with an acoustic is the most that you need. Now I want to unload all of these guitars but it seems like everyone did the same thing over the last 15 years😅 the Market's been flooded because of old men with disposable income and not a lot of young men or women actually learning to play and buying. now we're all starting to die and no one's left to buy all these Used Guitars😅
I bought 4 guitars this year for half or better of retail it ain't a vehicle people don't need them I bought a 2k Taylor for 400 because it was given to them and they had no idea of it's value
Guitar Center used is absolutely flooded with Fender Custom Shop lol
The electric guitar market is absolutely flooded. However, this is perhaps not true of the flamenco and classical guitar market.
I don’t know what you guys are getting at, I’m in the market for a 335, the prices are crazy ridiculous high on reverb , went to two GC’s nothing is on sale for 4th, it’s NOT a buyers market at all.
Just paid two fiddy for a casino worn. Olive drab so ugly but it’s fun! Temu hard case $64! 😊
Reverb, guitar stores are full of new and used guitars, but the prices are still high. The Cash-Flow is big king, the big SALE period is very close. The music gears are overpriced cca 15-2O%.
It's flooded because nobody will buy anything for fair to good price. Everyone wants you to give everything away. I have had the worst time on market place for the past year. I have steadily sold/ traded on facebook, crsigslist, and reverb for many years. People just message anything except buying the guitar. When and if you ever talk about selling, they want to give you 500$ for something worth 2k. Or 100$ for something worth 600$. Heck, even in trades. If they have something worth 1200$, they want a custom shop for it. People have become delusional. Nobody's ever gave me a damn thing in life. I've worked hard for everything I have. Go to work, save, and break out the wallet like I do.
Musical instruments, in particular, attract time-wasters. One reason I stopped selling
It's the silver light at the end of the rainbow tunnel, cloud
Definitely an interesting time to buy and sell. I bought a brand new 59 reissue LP Murphy lab from a smallish shop (online purchase) and for 20% off, no tax, and free shipping. I have also seen the phenomenon that was mentioned about reverb sellers consistently sending offers that are pretty good. I did sell a couple of LP standards that I bought new I lost some money but not too much. I bought a slash LP in 2020 for 2500 and I sold it on reverb last year for 2100. I see guys trying to sell used guitars on reverb for like 300 less than new which is absurd. If I’m going to buy a used guitar that I have never played with no return policy, that discount is going to have to me like 1/3 off.
@CasinoGuitars4 no way !
@CasinoGuitars4 ohh, I see this is not really casino guitars. Let me guess. You just want my credit card number.
Esteban is the only way to go. Never goes up in value and hardly goes down in value. That is because it is already low end. If you can make one sing you can probably play any other guitar very well.
Better prices will bring more folks to the stores. Support your local music shops!
2:46 is the key to life
Can't wait for prices to smooth out a bit..getting ridiculous out there for working class musicians.