Resale Market Slow?

[uhoh7]

I have some long-time clients who had their house on the market for 20 years. Through all kinds of up and downs. Then a month ago boom it sold, and they are moving back to midwest family and friends. "What happened?" I asked. "Oh, we lowered the price"

The end times are getting closer...for me personally...I know because my friends are dying on a regular basis Which is why I've been buying LOL Burning daylight, baby.

[Maryc-k]

I gave a really nice, basically brand new Squier ‘69 telecaster that I had tucked away in my office closet along with a small Orange amp to a friend’s grandson. He has become interested in Metallica.

He was tickled pink and has sent me some videos of himself playing. He’s one of four children, money is tight, and it gives the kid an outlet from all that teenage angst. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. That said, I asked him not to give his parents my number (although the amp has a headphone jack, and my friend gave him a set of headphones to use).

But the best line out of the entire conversation his grandmother had with him when she brought him the guitar and amp was when she told him that the members of Metallica were “our age”….he looked at her and said “but they sound young.”

It’s interesting because my grandson has totally different taste in music and the only instrument he asked for was a banjo. He took the Gold Tone resonator banjo I had in storage.

My plan is to donate a lot of the lower level gear I have, including some amps to one of the local community music schools.

[soups]

Consequently the trading market is great. Those of us who like to move Guitars around are having an easier time because people are frustrated with not getting what they feel like their guitar is worth out of the market, and that renders some pretty neat options for trading guitars that you’ve had for a while. I’m on my second trade (incoming today) in the last several months.

[sevenpalms]

Originally Posted by soups

Consequently the trading market is great. Those of us who like to move Guitars around are having an easier time because people are frustrated with not getting what they feel like their guitar is worth out of the market, and that renders some pretty neat options for trading guitars that you’ve had for a while. I’m on my second trade (incoming today) in the last several months.

Thats a great way to look at it! I would tend to agree with you on that.

[guitargabor]

Yes,I think the market is slow here on the AGF buy and sell.
Many sellers have priced their guitars quite high.
Those that offer a good deal sell pretty quickly.

[digman52]

As an owner of several Olson SJ's over the last 15 years I have seen them selling much slower than in the past.

It appears that the $24-25k range for a regular SJ not blinged out has now dropped to the low $20's.

I sold a 1997 SJ back to the guy I bought it from for $24k 2 years ago. He wanted the narrower neck that this one had, and evidently that is quite rare.

I bought a 1995 SJ 8 months ago for $20k through a national seller, and it will be my last Olson purchase I hope.

That is what I am seeing.

[rllink]

I don't know if my kids represent their generation or not, but my son, mid thirties, is not struggling to make a living. He makes good money, owns his own home, doesn't owe money on his BMW, and he doesn't play guitar. Mine will get sold when I'm gone, I'm sure of that. But he and his friends are not as materialistic as my generation. They don't buy things just to have them. They do spend their money, they aren't frugal, but it isn't on things, it is on trips, skiing, spending the weekend at a rental on the beach. If he ever did decide to play guitar, from what I've seen he wouldn't buy up as many as he could afford to buy.

[LAPlayer]

Originally Posted by rllink

One thing, everybody got stimulus checks during the pandemic and a lot of people didn't need it to pay the rent and buy food.

Maybe you didn't need it but most people in the service industry, and many others, did. It kept (# unknown to me) many thousands of people from being evicted, homeless, hungry and destitute. It kept businesses able to pay employees that would have been terminated or furloughed, even though many times reduced income, but able to cope. These things aren't entered into quickly or without forethought. For anyone not wanting, or needing, the assistance (like me), you can - even now 4 years later - donate it to your church, synagog, local boys/girls club, the YMCA, American Heart Assn.......... you could have, and still can, pass it on if you are against it.

[Zissou Intern]

Originally Posted by rllink

I don't know if my kids represent their generation or not, but my son, mid thirties, is not struggling to make a living. He makes good money, owns his own home, doesn't owe money on his BMW, and he doesn't play guitar. Mine will get sold when I'm gone, I'm sure of that. But he and his friends are not as materialistic as my generation. They don't buy things just to have them. They do spend their money, they aren't frugal, but it isn't on things, it is on trips, skiing, spending the weekend at a rental on the beach. If he ever did decide to play guitar, from what I've seen he wouldn't buy up as many as he could afford to buy.

That has also been my experience with the teens as well as twenty and thirty something’s in my sphere. They place a higher priority on experiences and relationships over possessions.

While more traditional acoustic music, like Americana, singer-songwriter, old time country, and blues still have audiences, rap, hip hop, and dance have a massive, mainstream, worldwide following. Is Jay-Z or Megan Thee Stallion going to inspire any kids to pick up a guitar like Jerry Garcia, Kurt Cobain, Bonnie Raitt, or Bob Dylan? Is Taylor Swift our only hope?

I suspect over the next two to three decades there will be multiple metric kilotons of high-end acoustics left behind by all of us Boomers and Gen-Xers, and they will be looking for new owners.

[mcduffnw]

Originally Posted by Zissou Intern

That has also been my experience with the teens as well as twenty and thirty something’s in my sphere. They place a higher priority on experiences and relationships over possessions.

While more traditional acoustic music, like Americana, singer-songwriter, old time country, and blues still have audiences, rap, hip hop, and dance have a massive, mainstream, worldwide following. Is Jay-Z or Megan Thee Stallion going to inspire any kids to pick up a guitar like Jerry Garcia, Kurt Cobain, Bonnie Raitt, or Bob Dylan? Is Taylor Swift our only hope?

I suspect over the next two to three decades there will be multiple metric kilotons of high-end acoustics left behind by all of us Boomers and Gen-Xers, and they will be looking for new owners.

Yes THIS^^^absolutely!!!

And how will those metric kilotons of higher end guitars find new owners, when the kids/generations following we boomers, and who will have come well of age at that point, did not listen to the guitar centric music that we boomers did and did not develop the bond to those musicians and those guitars that we boomers did?


duff
Be A Player...Not A Polisher

[rollypolly]

Originally Posted by rllink

I don't know if my kids represent their generation or not, but my son, mid thirties, is not struggling to make a living. He makes good money, owns his own home, doesn't owe money on his BMW, and he doesn't play guitar. Mine will get sold when I'm gone, I'm sure of that. But he and his friends are not as materialistic as my generation. They don't buy things just to have them. They do spend their money, they aren't frugal, but it isn't on things, it is on trips, skiing, spending the weekend at a rental on the beach. If he ever did decide to play guitar, from what I've seen he wouldn't buy up as many as he could afford to buy.

Your son may be an outlier in his generation. Look up the stats for home owners, 401k account holders, etc among millenials and you'll see that the income and wealth gap is quite large. Good luck to young people buying a house right now, they're probably paying double compared to a few years ago.

[LAPlayer]

Originally Posted by rollypolly

Your son may be an outlier in his generation. Look up the stats for home owners, 401k account holders, etc among millenials and you'll see that the income and wealth gap is quite large. Good luck to young people buying a house right now, they're probably paying double compared to a few years ago.

The prices are up, like with every generation, but they're paying 3-5% interest instead of the 12-20% we were paying in the '80s.

[SCVJ]

Originally Posted by LAPlayer

Maybe you didn't need it but most people in the service industry, and many others, did. It kept (# unknown to me) many thousands of people from being evicted, homeless, hungry and destitute. It kept businesses able to pay employees paid that would have been terminated or furloughed, paid (even though many times reduced income, and able to cope. These things aren't entered into quickly or without forethought. For anyone not wanting, or needing, the assistance (like me), you can - even now 4 years later - donate it to your church, synagog, local boys/girls club, the YMCA, American Heart Assn.......... you could have, and still can, pass it on if you are against it.

Excellent point, and well put.

[rllink]

Originally Posted by LAPlayer

Maybe you didn't need it but most people in the service industry, and many others, did. It kept (# unknown to me) many thousands of people from being evicted, homeless, hungry and destitute. It kept businesses able to pay employees paid that would have been terminated or furloughed, paid (even though many times reduced income, and able to cope. These things aren't entered into quickly or without forethought. For anyone not wanting, or needing, the assistance (like me), you can - even now 4 years later - donate it to your church, synagog, local boys/girls club, the YMCA, American Heart Assn.......... you could have, and still can, pass it on if you are against it.

I wasn't saying that there weren't people who needed it. There were. But people got it whether they needed it or not and a number of those people spent it on guitars. That is all I'm saying, nothing more.

It wasn't a judgemental statement. I don't care what people spent their checks on. If they bought guitars with it, that's fine with me. If they used it to make ends meet, I'm glad they could. As far as your response, if you really must know, I gave mine to my kids. They needed it more than I did. I didn't need it to buy a guitar if I wanted one, I have money.

[Bowie]

Originally Posted by rllink

I wasn't saying that there weren't people who needed it.
It wasn't a judgemental statement.

I took it that way when you first posted it. Thanks for clarifying though as I see how some could take it another way.

As a small business owner, I know that many saw it as "extra money" and splurged. I was told such by numerous customers. I also have friends who used it to keep the kids fed and rent paid.