Over the years, the guitar has been an iconic instrument, captivating audiences with its versatile sound and expressive capabilities. From rock legends to blues virtuosos, countless guitarists have made their mark on music history. However, in recent times, we have witnessed a shift in the dynamics of the guitar world.
In this captivating video, we explore a concerning trend in the guitar industry—the dwindling availability of affordable guitars. Join us as we delve into the factors contributing to this shift, uncover the challenges faced by guitar makers, and discuss the impact on musicians and enthusiasts alike.
For decades, guitar manufacturers have catered to a wide range of players by offering instruments at various price points. This inclusivity allowed aspiring musicians and enthusiasts to access quality guitars without breaking the bank. However, recent years have seen a noticeable decline in the production of affordable guitars, raising questions about the future accessibility of the instrument.
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I have an SE 24 08 and its awsome. It may be an entry level PRS but its no entry level GUITAR, thats for sure. It looks plays and sounds beautiful. Its ONLY draw back is that its big brothers are so much more beautiful! My dream used to be a Fender custom shop, it still is, but now the drean is a private stock, or wood library PRS. I would, however, settle for an old Carvin from the 80s. One of the beautiful catalog examples would be nice.
There's this video of George Harrison in the 80s playing a MIJ Squier Strat and getting some nice slide tones.
I bought my Gibson J-45 studio in early 2020 that was priced at $1500.
It was months ago when I thought about selling my Studio and buying a J-45 Standard. The Standard was at $2700.
Now they’re $2900.
I think I’ll stick with my Studio.
By the way, the Studios are now $2100. That’s crazy.
Fender makes some great guitars, but I don't understand why Fender sells "Classic guitar case made in China" that does not even have space for my Fender stratocaster. Fender also sells utter Chinese crap. Be careful what products you buy from Fender.
If I were spending $1500+ on a guitar it needs to be EXACTLY what I want it to be, right out of the box. No alterations or mods needed. Every bit of grain in the wood needs to make me happy. Usually I go for a $400~$600 that has the core aspects I want, and then mod it. I'm in the process of putting together a fully custom parts guitar and the total tab is probably not more than $1200.
I think Squier Classic Vibes are awesome. Bought a Tele custom and upgraded pickups and pots and will gig w it Sunday. Having written that my #1 is a Jimmy Vaughan custom strat and my #2 is a Gibson 9r quilt top. I bought both of those for less than half retail by purchasing used guitars. The market dictates used guitar prices and this summer (2023) used prices are coming way down. Great video thanks guys
A MIDRANGE GUITAR IS SOMETHING THAT IS OWNED BY SOMEONE WHO LIVES IN A SUBURB!
The Fender JV series is a pretty damned good mid priced guitar…cheaper than some US Fenders and better build quality…that said its certainly driving the price up on the used market – especially for Custom Shop. Great vid again!
Everyone sells guitars, Gibson and Fender sells prestige
They rsise the prices because they aren't selling near as much as the pandemic that lined their pockets.
I bought a Gibson Traditional new in 2017 for $1799. So to get basically the same guitar today it’s $3100.. In 6 years that’s ridiculous. I have 15 guitars ant the Traditional is the only one I use to play out.
There will come a point where the guitar companies will have to realize that their sales will drop if they charge too much for players to buy them. In the real world musicians aren't wealthy and make the same amount of money did in the 1960's. Manufacturers should stop worrying about their corporate board members over bloated salaries and investors demanding more profits. They need to understand that the musicians can only afford what they actually make. If the pay scale, greedy agents, promoters and venue owners doesn't make them quit the business, the price of gear will.
I recently got a 1959 Epi lp std and its gorgeous and so expressive.
I have a Fender am pro 2 miami blue tele, a Larrivee usa D-03r recording model 2022, and my Epi 1959 lp std. So they cover all my textural bases.
The math in your video is inaccurate and misleading.
In 2002 (as far back as I remember), the Fender Standard Stratocaster was $499. In 2023, the equivalent guitar is $849. $499 in 2002 literally equals $838 in 2023, inflated. If you account for inflation, they've increased the price by ~$11, or 1.3%. The only difference in argument is that they removed the gig bag but the last thing I need is another dust cover. Now quality is certainly subjective, but in my experience, the Fender Player Stratocaster absolutely destroys those old Fender Standards – it's not even a contest. Just having good AlNiCo pickups over those awful ceramic pickups is worth $50 alone.
Essentially the same math can be applied to American Pro II which I believe was $999 in 2002 and is now $1699, and when adjusted for inflation is a ~$9 increase, or ~0.5% increase.
I remember looking at an Epiphone Explorer about 15 years ago. It was around $485 at the time. Now its about $900
What’s with this “we’ve made it through my gf going to college”? Why is this kid on the hook for a gf not a wife’s fees? She should have studied harder and got scholarships.
Mexican Fenders aren't worth the money anymore. Save a couple hundred more and get an MIA or MIJ.
Cheaper guitars are getting higher quality these days I'll buy a Harley Benton and just dump some better pickups and sometimes hardware and end up with something that sounds and plays better than the few high price top tier guitars I got.hell I play my stock Ibanez GIO more often than anything just cause it plays the best and the pickups are way hot enough for anything
Guess I'm bucking the trend. Bought a new guitar a few months ago, a Squier Bullet strat that was on deal. Bought it because I liked the color. After a few mods it's one of my fav guitars and it's definitely the cheapest. The more they raise prices the more cool it is to grab a cheap guitar and play the hell out of it.
I have always bought used guitars.
Ahh the good ole days when you could get a badass guitar for 700bucks.
Squier Classic Vibe is great bang for the buck, especially when Ron Thorne says his # 1 “go to” is an old Squier.
I'll be the old man… When I started playing guitar a Mexican standard strat and tele were $349.99. A Gibson Les Paul Standard was $1,999.99.
Pretty bad neck pocket gap on the bass side of that custom shop strat
Classic Vibe = narrow tall frets = equals my least favorite frets . . . otherwise ok . . also don't like nickel plated hardware because of nickel allergy . . which is actually very common and a bad move by fender to favor nickel plated hardware on most of their lines
It would be nice if fender would make a left handed mim guitar that wasn’t garbage cause every left handed guitar I’ve gotten has had major issues since 2015
Y'all need to revisit this conversation after you set your standards for low, to middle, to high-end. Some people think anything below $900 is low.
On another point. The quality of lower price guitars have come a long way. A $200-300 guitar today will often be far better quality than 80s and 90s. With few exceptions. Those were brand new import lines from brands like Hamer and BC Rich. Those factories wanted to keep those contracts and put their best foot forward. Few kept qc on point after the first couple years.
PRS has increased pricing by like $200 for a couple of years now. CE24s are now $2600 and not that long ago they were $1999. Look at other brands.
Vola actually just dropped their prices by like $300 by selling direct.
I think Fender just gives guitars to players just to get that statistic.
Brand names dont mean as much to younger players because they can't afford the big brand names. The fact that cheaper guitars are better built and play better now as a "reason to buy" is just a coincidence. This is happening with plenty of other products in other industries.
Well the guitar boom is basically over so u can get good deals on used guitars. I went into a local used gear shop and they had 5x the guitars and amps ive ever seen them have and they told me yeah “all the people that bought guitar stuff during covid are selling it now”
How much do you think it costs to produce a "standard" $1750 guitar?
Men in distant nations have decided it is time for America and the nations of Europe to become third world nations. We are all watching the decision of men. Soon, you children will be living at the dump, living in and eating the garbage of the wealthy.
Deny it if you want, but denying reality will do nothing to change it.
Yeah I would say the majority of gigging musicians are midrange. We have a joke in my band, anything over $1200 is a “dentist guitar”.
Yeah I noticed this.. cheap guitars straight to 1000 dollar lines
I love how the original reaction is almost as if the Standard like was a long time ago, when it was like 2017 they discontinued it. Everything has gone up several hundred in just about 6 years
I like how these guys are talking about some of these guitars, I agree with more of this than I thought I would. I do think thr midrange prices are coming down some. It's getting easier to find MIM Fenders on sale for hundred or more off…
I just don't get it, and honestly I'm glad I don't. I wanted so bad to like Gibson. A Les Paul was the epitome of Rock and roll to me growing up. When I started getting decent at guitar I went to play some Gibsons expecting to finally get to play that rock and roll machine and was completely disappointed. I didn't like the way they felt at all. I've I've played several thousand dollar custom shops from gibson, fender, and PRS and just don't get what the hype is about. I enjoy them somewhat, especially the fender custom shop ones, but if I'm being honest I prefer my $1,000 schecters more. I also took a flyer ordering a $599 Sire S7 from Sweetwater that I enjoy playing close to as much as the custom shops. The only reason I can see paying that much money is if you're planning to play it for a few years then turn around and sell it for about the same value if not a little bit less. If I ever buy a fender custom shop it will be with the intent to enjoy it for 5 years then sell it to get most of my money back.
I bought MIM Telecaster Midnight Wine with a flame maple neck for $200 in 1995. I had Fender TexMex pickups installed. I can’t believe the prices for MIM Telecaster now and I’m sure there won’t be any flame maple neck on any of them