Do you believe this stat?

[tcon]

I recently read this in Acoustic guitar.

How many guitars make up 90% of the guitar market? All of those in the $300 or less range. I find that hard to believe. How do Martin, Taylor, Gibson, Larrivee, Fender, etc. survive?

[Larry Pattis]

It's a BIG market.

[Allman_Fan]

Hello Kitty.

[Glennwillow]

A lot of people never make it far enough on the guitar to justify or appreciate a more expensive guitar.

[BULLSPRIG]

I believe it because there's a guitar in probably 90% of today's households, it seems.

[HudsDad]

Well, Gibson (Epiphone) and Fender (Squier) sell a LOT of those sub-$300 guitars.

The stat seems legitimate to me. Most people who think they want to learn guitar start on a cheap one. And most of those people never buy another guitar.

[bkharmony]

Seems right to me.

[Bingoccc]

BUT - what was the figure before Estaban?

[patticake]

i've spent a lot of time at guitar stores in the past 18 months, and i'd say 95% of the guitars i've seen sold were $400 or less.

[leeasam]

I was rtold at one time that Sammick make over 50% of the guitars sold world wide. Not all are sold with the sammick name though. many have other names like Epi etc.

[220volt]

Originally Posted by tcon

I recently read this in Acoustic guitar.

How many guitars make up 90% of the guitar market? All of those in the $300 or less range. I find that hard to believe. How do Martin, Taylor, Gibson, Larrivee, Fender, etc. survive?

Seems about right. They said 90% of the guitar "market", not 90% of the guitar "players".

[tcon]

Originally Posted by 220volt

Seems about right. They said 90% of the guitar "market", not 90% of the guitar "players".

That's a great statement. I have a piano in my living room but nobody in my family plays. I imagine that there are quite a few guitars out there that stay in houses where someone picks it up for a few months and then never touches it again. Although I wonder how prominent this trend is. I find it hard to believe that there are many guys who are serious about playing who stick with a warped neck and plastic.

[220volt]

Originally Posted by tcon

That's a great statement. I have a piano in my living room but nobody in my family plays. I imagine that there are quite a few guitars out there that stay in houses where someone picks it up for a few months and then never touches it again. Although I wonder how prominent this trend is. I find it hard to believe that there are many guys who are serious about playing who stick with a warped neck and plastic.

I agree. I bet you that stats for guitar players is actually inverted. 90% of the guitars owned by actual "guitar players" are $300 or more.

[tcon]

Originally Posted by 220volt

I agree. I bet you that stats for guitar players is actually inverted. 90% of the guitars owned by actual "guitar players" are $300 or more.

That is probably a bit extreme. There are quite a few guitar players (I imagine) barely making it on minimum wage. To them, Arby's is a luxury. And I imagine that in a rough neighborhood, in a poorly controlled climate home, having anything worth more than a couple of hundred dollars is absurd. Only 10% of guitar players fall into this situation? I highly doubt it. Musicians and poets are supposed to have the reputation of the "starving artist."

[220volt]

Originally Posted by tcon

That is probably a bit extreme. There are quite a few guitar players (I imagine) barely making it on minimum wage. To them, Arby's is a luxury. And I imagine that in a rough neighborhood, in a poorly controlled climate home, having anything worth more than a couple of hundred dollars is absurd. Only 10% of guitar players fall into this situation? I highly doubt it. Musicians and poets are supposed to have the reputation of the "starving artist."

They're called starving artists because they have $x,xxx guitars