howdy,
while i agree with the idea that collectors, rather than players, are driving prices unrealistically upwards in the guitar/bass market - - and am bothered by this - - it also brings up the question of what people are willing to pay - - what their prioritics are.
it wasn't super long ago that a roland sde-3000 cost something like $800-1,000 retail (if memory serves). if you bought a guitar/bass for about the same amount of money back then, people might think you crazy. however, the instrument that cost $1,000 back then might be easily worth 3 times that much now (and it might even be something that you've used every day of your life since then); whereas the poor old digital delay is worth a fraction of its price (in the case of the sde-3000, it's a pretty good fraction, but a fraction nonetheless).
so . . . having all of us tech-head/gear-mongers out here, are we more inclined to spend the big $$ on digital stuff that might not have a good shelf life versus something like a guitar that might actually appreciate in value???
not having priced a gibson guitar, i don't know what the price is, but i *probably would* blanch at a factory-made guitar for what they want.
in my own case, i have the audacity to believe that i am *good* enough to deserve $2,500+ basses (and not "vintage") . . . amd maybe they'll be worth something when i die and my kids sell 'em on ebay ;-)
stig
<< I also think that Gibson has priced their guitars out
of the range of working professionals which I find
frustrating and sad. >>
Amen to that! The Les Paul, SG, et al prices ARE
ridiculous. Seems to me that it's more of a 'status'
thing than a quality (not to disparage the quality of
course) or feature thing. Man, there's (or was) a lot of
liquidity in this country. Collectors have been buying
up guitars, etc. like there's no tomorrow--driving the
price up of used and new stuff.
Regards, Paul
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