Man, you have to give them away right now....

[colder]

Originally Posted by skinnerb

I've lost on the aggregate, with my guitars, about as much as any hobby that isn't for free.

That's how I look at taking a modest loss on a guitar that just wasn't a keeper

[Pickcity]

Originally Posted by Jefff

Inflation is almost non existent and that keeps prices low. Which is nice depending on what you want to buy, but not so nice depending on what you want to sell.

I am in the market for a High Endy acoustic. The guitars I have seen for 3000.00 are almost mind boggling. These are guitars that would go for 6-8K if they were new. Even Loyd Loar Mandolins have dropped 30 to 50 k in the last two years.

If you don't need or want a brand new guitar, this is a great time to buy one...
Not so good to sell one.

For me, I try to buy any instrument just to play it. As an investment, it's probably not a great idea.


Also, I feel vintage amps will plummet in price over the next 10-20 years. I work with a bunch of young players and they all want high gain preamp distortion. If you live long enough, I think you'll be able to pick up and old 15 watt fender for next to nothing.

Great post! I could not agree more about why I buy a guitar, and man I hope you are right about those vintage amps.

[The Growler]

Originally Posted by Dominus Mortem

Yeah, Ferraris mainly. Like the 350, 400 etc.

Ummmm.... Those are sports cars, not F1 race cars. Very nice sports cars you could race, but not F1 race cars.

Originally Posted by The Growler

Ummmm.... Those are sports cars, not F1 race cars. Very nice sports cars you could race, but not F1 race cars.

O.K., fine, you got me, I'm an idiot when it comes to cars, if that wasn't already obvious. I don't know why Ferraris exist, except people like driving legal stuff that are modeled after race cars—that's what I meant. My buddy is always saying stuff like, "the 350 is based on this xxx F1/Le Mans car," and stuff along those lines. So yeah, I tune out until we can talk about something I care about, like guitars, which he also loves. You can't drive faster than 25mph in most of SF or much more than 55 in most of Marin County, so I don't see the point of all those McClarens they sell on Van Ness. I'll take one of those Bentleys though.

[topographic]

With guys like Luther Dickinson around, the acoustic guitar's future seems just fine to me:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPGmrkr3W6U

[aknow]

Originally Posted by Pickcity

Great post! I could not agree more about why I buy a guitar, and man I hope you are right about those vintage amps.

The other side of that story is there is a finite # of vintage amps. There is an infinite # of mediocre sounding "hi-gain" cheap amps, and more everyday.
Overall, there are too many guitars being built, and for sale.

[DHart]

Originally Posted by aknow

Overall, there are too many guitars being built, and for sale.

And in the end, the consumer will benefit from that... and the market will adjust.

[BrunoBlack]

I just came across this article that appears to be published in July 2017 that states "The number of guitars made annually in the United States today is the highest in the history of the market." Add the increased number of guitars that are imported and you can imagine how an abundant supply will impact demand and sales prices.

http://mmrmagazine.com/1390-the-elep...itar-shop.html

[Authentic]

Originally Posted by fitness1

No, that's kind of the point of the whole post here.....as many are saying (the ones that are actually watching) the market is VERY soft.

You've demonstrated in your earlier post that you are commenting on the value of a brand you've never even heard of.

And I guess you're demonstrating that you aren't able to view things as objectively as you may think...

Hey, this is a CHARIS with BEARCLAW THEREFORE it must be due to economic factors!

And not due to the fact that Charis is largely not popular outside of worship circles that can't afford Olsons, and people who can afford Charis guitars aren't necessarily interested in a Sitka/Mahogany combination. Someone who thinks that obviously is "new here" and unable to understand that it's due to the market being "soft", not because this sort of guitar simply isn't as popular as you'd like to think. One could also imply that's why you're selling it... Because you yourself don't value it highly enough to want to keep it, so maybe you can take a step back and think about why other people aren't necessarily interested in buying it, even though they may have the disposable cash. There are just more popular options out there. If your Charis was a Martin and had Adirondack over Rosewood, and had similar appointments (such as the abalone purfling), you'd sell it in no time at the same price.

[fitness1]

Originally Posted by Authentic

And I guess you're demonstrating that you aren't able to view things as objectively as you may think...

Hey, this is a CHARIS with BEARCLAW THEREFORE it must be due to economic factors!

And not due to the fact that Charis is largely not popular outside of worship circles that can't afford Olsons, and people who can afford Charis guitars aren't necessarily interested in a Sitka/Mahogany combination. Someone who thinks that obviously is "new here" and unable to understand that it's due to the market being "soft", not because this sort of guitar simply isn't as popular as you'd like to think. One could also imply that's why you're selling it... Because you yourself don't value it highly enough to want to keep it, so maybe you can take a step back and think about why other people aren't necessarily interested in buying it, even though they may have the disposable cash. There are just more popular options out there. If your Charis was a Martin and had Adirondack over Rosewood, and had similar appointments (such as the abalone purfling), you'd sell it in no time at the same price.

Well - it sold yesterday, so I guess it's popular enough.

And I was referring to you not even knowing what a D'angelico was - a brand that's been around for over 100 years (which also has apparently sold, by the way)

As most here will tell you, I have as much experience buying and selling guitars as some dealers - I think I know the market pretty well. Members contact me all the time to ask what my opinion on value is.

Your personal attack is a little overboard and presumptuous - the only reason I'm selling this guitar is to help finance some issues for my very ill elderly parents - is that OK with you?

[DanR]

Originally Posted by fitness1

Well - it sold yesterday

Congrats

[Ted @ LA Guitar Sales]

Originally Posted by Haasome

I just came across this article that appears to be published in July 2017 that states "The number of guitars made annually in the United States today is the highest in the history of the market." Add the increased number of guitars that are imported and you can imagine how an abundant supply will impact demand and sales prices.

http://mmrmagazine.com/1390-the-elep...itar-shop.html

..and so is the US population.

About 2.5 million guitars were sold last year, which includes imports, and $29 "student" models. Compare that to the 4 million new Americans that were born in the same year, and the numbers don't seem that high.

[Thrillhouse]

It's definitely a buyers market. That being said gear moves fast when priced accordingly. I have seen many sellers that are simply not willing to accept "fair market price" for their gear and end up sticking it back in the closet. That's fine but I'm not sure what makes them think the price is going to rise on their production model guitar in the future.

Originally Posted by Thrillhouse

It's definitely a buyers market. That being said gear moves fast when priced accordingly. I have seen many sellers that are simply not willing to accept "fair market price" for their gear and end up sticking it back in the closet. That's fine but I'm not sure what makes them think the price is going to rise on their production model guitar in the future.

They're butthurt they overpaid. With inflation in most necessities pretty high and guitars manufactured at a record pace, they're in for a rude awakening regarding future prices.

[Bruce Sexauer]

I see this thread has run up some, but I am quite surprised at the premise. I am having the best year in the last 9, and that is largely because my considerable inventory of trade-ins and spec guitars have been selling like hot cakes. Also, my back order list has grown from barely at all to most of a year, all in the last 6 months. I would say that there is a real turn araound in my corner of the industry. Yay!!! I have been in this business continuously for 52 years, so it's not as if I'm just getting going.