Guitar Center’s $1 billion in debt reveals this truth about musical tastes

[rogthefrog]

Originally Posted by Mbroady

I understand your point but I don’t think one can compare The artistes you mentioned to the legendary guitar (gods) players of the 60s and 70s. This is not to belittle the new artists but they do not have the same mass guitar mystic as Hendrix, J. Beck, Clapton, Page, Howe, Gilmore, Betts ...and the list goes on. And it is the interminable Solos that made them legends. Times change.

That's my point. There are guitar heroes today. They just don't play the same kind of stuff those 60s dudes used to play.

So yeah, if you're looking for guitar heroes who play the same licks and 20-minute solos Clapton et al used to play, those are gone. But that's a very narrow view.

[Watt]

Originally Posted by Mycroft

Derek Trucks is 37. Joe Bonamassa is 40. John Meyer is 40. Dad is hardly going to be inspiration to some 14 year old.

Where are the hot popular guitar heroes who are 25 or under?

All due respect, but you're asking the wrong crowd. I can tell you that my 21-year-old guitar-playing daughter's guitar hero is Sungha Jung. Not sure about her sisters, 18 and 25. Both very good guitar players. But I'm sure that it's no one who has been mentioned.

[printer2]

New music, not the stuff your parents listen to. Kids like what is new and different. Been like this since the start of R&R. Blues into jazz, blues crosses the ocean to Brittan which sent it back over with a twist. Disco. Rock got heavy, technical virtuosos and studio techniques alienated kids. Early R&R got recycled into punk. 80's synth bands. Board kids again, grunge. Hip hop, kids got to dance. DJ's as stars spinning Vinyl! (how cool is that?) Now too many other things to do for kids rather than sitting around playing albums.

[BoneDigger]

The concept that kids only listen to kids? Where did that come from? In the 80s, my favorites were AC/DC, ZZ Top, Ozzy, etc.for hard rock and pop rock, etc. I was also into James Taylor , Paul Simon and similar. ALL of them were in their late 30s or older by then!

[Gordon Currie]

Also, I remember the early 70s (and I was there) and among my little crowd, we were very aware of the guitar heroes. However, many if not most of our contemporaries were not. They might have known the BAND so-and-so was in, but not the guitarist's name.

Then there were people who had no clue who anybody was, but liked songs. Ten years later, you meet again and BANG they're the biggest Taj Mahal fan you've ever seen. And now they're playing guitar.

People progress and discover at their own pace. It's clear the resurgence of what is called Americana is a desire to participate in something more organic for some. When Nickel Creek appeared, I realized there is a perennial desire to make music with wood and steel, and those kids (at the time) were awesome.

I'm not worried one bit. Big waves in music are always made by a relatively small amount of people.

And to the topic, Guitar Center is a victim of greed by the likes of Bain et al. I will be sad to see a place like that - packed full of music making equipment - no longer available to kids and others looking to put toes in the water, so to speak.

[archerscreek]

Originally Posted by BoneDigger

The concept that kids only listen to kids? Where did that come from? In the 80s, my favorites were AC/DC, ZZ Top, Ozzy, etc.for hard rock and pop rock, etc. I was also into James Taylor , Paul Simon and similar. ALL of them were in their late 30s or older by then!

I agree. Maybe some need a similar age idol, but many do not. I knew Clapton, SRV, and the like were much older than I was when I got hooked. Heck Hendrix was long dead when I first heard “Hey Joe,” “Purple Haze,” and “Red House,” but that didn’t matter. I heard Jimi and knew his instrument was the coolest thing out there. Also, most of the rock guitar heros of the past were heavily influenced and inspired by blues players much older than themselves.

A factor not raised yet is the rise of social media. In the past people used music as a means to express emotion and their ideas and perhaps many did so musically because there weren’t any other outlets/means to do so. Now they can get online and write their thoughts down in a blog or some other form of social media post. And unlike playing the guitar in their living room, they might receive feedback and attention from people all over the place, even across world.

I don’t think the guitar will ever die off. It is too great an instrument to drift away. But it might lose a grip on those who were only going to be casual players to begin with. For those in the business, however, the casual players probably numbered in the tens to hundreds of thousands and that’s significant.

[Speedwagon]

Originally Posted by BoneDigger

The concept that kids only listen to kids? Where did that come from? In the 80s, my favorites were AC/DC, ZZ Top, Ozzy, etc.for hard rock and pop rock, etc. I was also into James Taylor , Paul Simon and similar. ALL of them were in their late 30s or older by then!

I agree. I was 15 in 1980 and I listened to bands from the 60s and early 70s - rock,punk, funk, R&B, blues, easy listening...just about everything. My sister, three years younger than me, listened to New Wave music...still does.I still listen to what I listened to the music I lestened to then but I also listen to artists like Chris Stapleton and classic country music, as well as John Prine, John Hiatt, etc. I just like good music. I am one of those guys who has always enjoyed the music of artists older than me. I can’t name one artist I’ve listened to who is a contemporary of mine.

[Jim-W]

If guitar sales are down why are prices skyrocketing?

[rogthefrog]

Originally Posted by Jim-W

If guitar sales are down why are prices skyrocketing?

Citation needed?

Everybody is complaining about guitars not selling without massive price cuts in the classifieds.

Gibson raised prices a couple of years ago, sales tanked, prices dropped again.

I just checked yesterday and a Taylor 810 today costs literally exactly the same as it did in 1995 when I bought mine, adjusted for inflation.

[AndyC]

Originally Posted by Sagebrush Tom

Rev Roy, you it stated it perfectly....
I started playing guitar at 60 and it took over 2 years to get half way decent.

Tom

I started playing almost 50 years ago and I'm still not as good as I'd like to be....

[Ozark]

Originally Posted by LoboR1

I predict that in the next two years, the next Beatles/Zeppelin/Nirvana will hit it big and we won't be so worried about guitar-based music and instrument sales dying off. The music market is so ready for a change from the Pop/Rap/Beiber-esque style that has been dominant on the radio and TV.

Right place, right time!

Greta Van Fleet. 3 brothers and their friend who is the drummer. All under 23 years old and all playing real instruments.

They grew up listening to their parents music and now they are making and playing that style of music. Rock and Roll in every way. They are very good and are really starting to get nationwide air play.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXdM1rqSlSQ

[Jim-W]

Originally Posted by rogthefrog

Citation needed?

Everybody is complaining about guitars not selling without massive price cuts in the classifieds.

Gibson raised prices a couple of years ago, sales tanked, prices dropped again.

I just checked yesterday and a Taylor 810 today costs literally exactly the same as it did in 1995 when I bought mine, adjusted for inflation.

So it looks like to me that a J-200 has gone from like $3500 to $5000 in 2 years, which way outpaces inflation and definitely outpaces wage increases. Taylor's have taken a big increase as well in the last 2 years.

[mz-s]

Originally Posted by Jim-W

So it looks like to me that a J-200 has gone from like $3500 to $5000 in 2 years, which way outpaces inflation and definitely outpaces wage increases. Taylor's have taken a big increase as well in the last 2 years.

Yes, Gibson's prices have increased quite a bit this year. Not sure what they're thinking over in Bozeman. I suppose they're thinking if you can't afford a Gibson, get an Epiphone.

[L20A]

I would agree that today's youth in general are not interested in playing guitar or any other instrument.
There are a few that do play instruments but not like it was when I was young.

How this contributes to the debt that CG had acquired, I can't say.

[rogthefrog]

Originally Posted by Jim-W

So it looks like to me that a J-200 has gone from like $3500 to $5000 in 2 years, which way outpaces inflation and definitely outpaces wage increases. Taylor's have taken a big increase as well in the last 2 years.

Gibson prices are... Unpredictable.

If Taylor raised their prices recently, then they were underpriced compared to the mid 1990s factoring in inflation, because as of today they're exactly where you'd expect them to be wrt inflation over the past 23 years.

That said, I believe you. I haven't looked at the guitar market for many years now because I have what I need.