So are any major guitar companies offering new instruments worthy of the pricetag?

[Luke Duke]

Re: So are any major guitar companies offering new instruments worthy of the pricetag

2-5k for an instrument may seem like a lot of money but it's really not. With proper care it will last a lifetime with minimal outlay over that time for upkeep.

I'm a PRS guy and would say they are worth every penny...heck I'd go so far as to say Paul doesn't charge enough for them. They may not be everybody's favorite flavor but nobody would say they were not well made.

Check out was a really good sax would cost or God forbid a real piano.

And as far as a "working Joe" instrument...500-700 bucks will get you a PRS SE or a MIM Strat or an Ibby.

Guitar players have it easy because we buy in bulk.

So yeah...A LOT of companies are making some really nice instruments for the $

+1000000000

We as guitarists are cheapskates by and large.

I give major props to Godin and Hamer for being great guitars that are fairly priced.

There are also a host of small builders doing some great things out there.

Luke

 

[3'scompany]

Re: So are any major guitar companies offering new instruments worthy of the pricetag

I think part of your problem is that you are in the UK and want an American made guitar. Aren't prices WAY higher there? I don't think that $2,400 for a PRS SC is too expensive for what it is, but if it was $3,000+ in the UK for a bare bones one, that would be a bit much. Just something to think about...

Just thinking with PRS selling £5k+ acoustics, EVH's £3k plus Wolfies and Fender hiking prices in general, who nowadays actually sells new instruments that are worth the pricetag? Just seems nowadays everyone's hiking prices and no-ones really giving the working musician value for money nowadays.

Also, those guitars you mentioned aren't working musician's instruments. They are pro-level guitars. There are plenty of guitars that are cheap enough for the average musician to afford. But you're not going to get a Hamer or PRS for the price of a MIM Fender. Some would argue that companies like Schecter or the PRS SE line offer a great value for the musician's money these days.




And I'm not knocking Hamer's guitars, but since when are they any more worthy of their price tags than PRS or Gibson's Historics/Custom shop stuff (just as an example)? I'm sure they're great guitars, but they are by no means cheap or a "value" guitar, no matter how you cut it.

Edit: Maybe Hamers are a great value. I just went to Willcutt guitars and put a Hamer standard in my cart and tried to check out to see what it cost, and their total was $0.00. Act fast! :laugh2:

 

[SlowGroove]

Re: So are any major guitar companies offering new instruments worthy of the pricetag

Godin (Canadian) RedLine series is worth the asking price.
Aswell as the PRS SE One & II - don't know where they are made ?


James

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: So are any major guitar companies offering new instruments worthy of the pricetag

Guys, guitarists have it pretty good compared to other instrumentalists. A $500 electric guitar is a far better instrument than a $500 violin or a $500 trumpet. I don't think you can even buy a $500 piano.

If you look at an instrument as a lifetime investment, $1500 for a really good Fender seems like a pretty sweet deal. Unfortunately most guitarists treat guitars like toys, not finely crafted instruments, and as such demand that they be priced like toys.

If you want a high quality instrument built by experienced craftsmen, be prepared to pay for it. If you're not, there's someone else who will. The big guitar builders know what they're doing, and they wouldn't have made it this far if they didn't know how to price their products. If you really want a US-made Fender, you will buy a US-made Fender. If you are put off by the cost, clearly you don't want the guitar that badly. If the rest of the guitarist community agrees with you, Fender will lower their prices, but chances are a lot of people will still want them and buy them. That's how the economy works.

 

[phil_104]

Re: So are any major guitar companies offering new instruments worthy of the pricetag

Guys, guitarists have it pretty good compared to other instrumentalists. A $500 electric guitar is a far better instrument than a $500 violin or a $500 trumpet. I don't think you can even buy a $500 piano.

If you look at an instrument as a lifetime investment, $1500 for a really good Fender seems like a pretty sweet deal. Unfortunately most guitarists treat guitars like toys, not finely crafted instruments, and as such demand that they be priced like toys.

If you want a high quality instrument built by experienced craftsmen, be prepared to pay for it. If you're not, there's someone else who will. The big guitar builders know what they're doing, and they wouldn't have made it this far if they didn't know how to price their products. If you really want a US-made Fender, you will buy a US-made Fender. If you are put off by the cost, clearly you don't want the guitar that badly. If the rest of the guitarist community agrees with you, Fender will lower their prices, but chances are a lot of people will still want them and buy them. That's how the economy works.

Agreed. My brother is a very good classical piano player, who at the age of 18, already has devoted more hours to practice than some musicians will in a lifetime. He is at the point where I seriously hope one day to be as good of a musician as he is.

Last year when I got my PRS, he came to shop with me. We went to a store called Lauzon Music here in Ottawa, which is the finest musical instrument store I have ever had the pleasure to buy from. This store also happens to be an authorized Steinway dealer, and an expert store in grand pianos.

Now, going in there, I knew I wasn't getting the most expensive guitar in the world, but I was intent on getting a finely crafted instrument like you mentioned, something I could keep and enjoy for decades ; ''my'' guitar. And I did find it.

While we visited the store and I tried some guitars, Frank(my brother) was around the store talking with a salesman and playing pianos. He was pretty much grabbing the attention of everyone in the store with his playing as he always does. On the way home, I asked him about what he thought of those grand pianos. He then told me that for the last 4 years (since he was 14), he had been saving a certain percentage of his money in a separate bank account to one day afford such an instrument.

He plans at the moment, at the rate he is going, to be able to buy a grand for about 30-40K minimum, at the age of 30. So he will have saved his cash for more than half of his life to get this instrument, to which he dedicates 4 hours a day, on top of school and work.

When I opened my case at home, with my dream guitar in it, that cost me a little over 2k, I felt both blessed and embarrassed to have thought that investing 2k in my greatest joy was ridiculous. We have it pretty easy as guitarists.

 

[blueman335]

Re: So are any major guitar companies offering new instruments worthy of the pricetag

2-5k for an instrument may seem like a lot of money but it's really not. With proper care it will last a lifetime with minimal outlay over that time for upkeep...And as far as a "working Joe" instrument...500-700 bucks will get you a PRS SE or a MIM Strat or an Ibby...Guitar players have it easy because we buy in bulk.

"$2,000-5,000 for an instrument may seem like a lot". Noooo, not all all. Considering that would be the biggest invest you make besides your house and car, and that you'd have several guitars (that "bulk" thing. How many piano players have half a dozen baby grands?). Most of us supporting a family can easily afford to tie up $10,000 to $20,000 in some high end guitars & amps, especially with the economy in the tank. Wives are very understanding about it once you point out that you can recover the cost with an occaisonal $100/man gig.

It's a small percentage of players who think $2,000 to $5,000 isn't too much to pay for a guitar. Like you said, the average working Joe, which is the vast majority of the guitar-buying public, will settle for less. And our $500 guitars will also last a lifetime. Between kids & pets at home, and crowded stages & drunks, it's hard to justify a guitar that costs as much as a used car. One gash or crack, and you're heartbroken.

For those fortunate enough to be able to still afford to buy a guitar this year or next, there will be some good deals out there, new & used, in every price range. Not that the sellers want to price them that low.

 

[SlyFoxx]

Re: So are any major guitar companies offering new instruments worthy of the pricetag

By bulk I meant the sales of guitars in general. More people are buying guitars than any other type of instrument I imagine. We can pick up our dream guitar at a fraction of what other players will have to shell out for theirs. Unless that dream guitar is some off the wall Frankinstein clone or the like.

 

[ibanezrocks]

Re: So are any major guitar companies offering new instruments worthy of the pricetag

As much as people ***** about Gibson's prices their less expensive models are a good deal. Aside from the Les Pauls you can get some nice American made guitars for under a grand. They're not the best priced guitars, but they're far from the worst, and the quality is a lot better than people give them credit for. Not every guitar from any manufacturer is perfect, I've found more dogs from other companies than I have from Gibson personally.

Godin is probably the best value of any guitar line I've found though. A North American-made instrument for around $500? You can't find that anywhere else that I know of, especially not with the quality control on those things.

As far as imports go, prices have been coming up a lot over the last decade. I think even a few years ago it was extremely uncommon for a Korean-made guitar to cost over a grand while its getting more common now. The fact is that those guitars aren't much worse than American-made, and the prices are starting to reflect that. We had things good for awhile with the imports being so cheap for almost the same thing.

 

[Jet-Jaguar]

Re: So are any major guitar companies offering new instruments worthy of the pricetag

I gotta disagree with people here. Coming from the multiple-moving part, R&D heavy computer industry, I believe guitars are over-priced.

Comparisons to other instruments like Pianos and Saxophones are invalid, because those are much more complex; a grand piano has 230 strings, for example, and each key has multiple moving parts to strike the keys just so. A saxophone uses a lever and spring mechanism for each key, as well as leather pads, cork for the mouth piece, etc.

I think the imports are getting more expensive because a) people think the quality is good when the prices are higher (look at the wine industry) and b) the quality of life in third-world countries is increasing overall. In fact, I've heard that a lot of industries are moving to Viet Nam and Indonesia because China is considered "too expensive".

I think the problem is not customer expectations, but "John Thain" style CEO lifestyles.

 

[blueman335]

Re: So are any major guitar companies offering new instruments worthy of the pricetag

That's how the economy works.

Well, that's how the economy worked before the biggest recession since the great depression. It's a whole new ball game & we're going to see some guitar companies go down the tubes in the next year or two (if banks & Wall Street giants are failing regularly, and the big car companies are teetering, musical instruments aren't exactly immune). The entire world economy is in trouble.

You guys need to stop judging guitar pricing by what happened in a booming economy. That doesn't apply anymore. Guitars are not a basic necessity like food & shelter. Consumer spending is dropping every month. More & more people aren't going to fit guitars into their budgets. Manufacturers that haven't figured this out are in for a surprise. Denial only works for so long.

 

[ricc]

Re: So are any major guitar companies offering new instruments worthy of the pricetag

buy used

 

[drew_half_empty]

Re: So are any major guitar companies offering new instruments worthy of the pricetag

gretsch electromatics have really been impressing me & everyone I show mine to, including people who own the pro line stuff. I think the actually just discontinued the hollowbodies with the single coils cause they were too close to pro line stuff actually. Not necessarily a good thing but it's sayin somethin

Hwy 1 fenders still seem worth it to me

I only paid 450 for my Tempest but I woulda payed the full price for it, it's way more like a LP than an Epi LP

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: So are any major guitar companies offering new instruments worthy of the pricetag

"$2,000-5,000 for an instrument may seem like a lot". Noooo, not all all. Considering that would be the biggest invest you make besides your house and car, and that you'd have several guitars (that "bulk" thing. How many piano players have half a dozen baby grands?). Most of us supporting a family can easily afford to tie up $10,000 to $20,000 in some high end guitars & amps, especially with the economy in the tank. Wives are very understanding about it once you point out that you can recover the cost with an occaisonal $100/man gig.

Let's be honest though how many 15 and 20 dollar meals do we eat a month when we could be eating 3 and 4 dollar meals at home? I mean that adds up quick-like!

There's a difference in saving up and getting what you want and blowing your load to keep up with the Joneses. So you don't take the kids to Chuck E. Cheese this weekend and you stay home and watch a movie. You put 15 bucks in the guitar account, and the Mrs. puts 15 bucks in the shop-till-she-drops account.

Besides, nobody said someone has to go out today and invest 20K in guitars and amps, G.A.S. is a chronic disease/process that doesn't happen overnight....well for most of us!

Luke

 

[SlyFoxx]

Re: So are any major guitar companies offering new instruments worthy of the pricetag

This IS NOT the worst economy since the great depression. Things were much worse in 1980. Study some history for Pete's sake!

 

[uOpt]

Re: So are any major guitar companies offering new instruments worthy of the pricetag

Music Man.

 

[infrared72]

Re: So are any major guitar companies offering new instruments worthy of the pricetag

I'm a big fan of Godin Guitars (see my avatar) for the money, they are fantastic instruments. I got my Freeway Classic for about $300 used, and I think it's one of the nicest instruments I have. I realize there's stuff that's probably better, but this guitar means a lot to me personally. At the end of the day, that's really what matters - do you connect with your instrument. Godin has a number of different guitar models, and I've played a whole bunch of them. They seem to have an instrument that fits each style of guitar playing really well. If you can find a used Godin, they usually are really good deals.

I really do like Fender Guitars as well, and to a point I agree that if you spend more on an instrument you're going to get more. Case and point with Fenders - the American Standard guitars are fine instruments. They hold their value well, and usually have very good hardware and electronics. Granted they are a little more expensive, but they are not ungodly expensive like some of the Gibson stuff. I also like PRS, and some of the stuff that ESP and Schecter are doing. Suhr makes super nice instruments, and I'm sure there are other builders I'm forgetting right now.

I realize we're talking about new instruments here, but I really wish Guild and/or Dearmond would start making electric guitars again. I really like their designs - especially the hollow and semi hollow guitars.

-Peter

 

[pzaxtl]

Re: So are any major guitar companies offering new instruments worthy of the pricetag

This IS NOT the worst economy since the great depression. Things were much worse in 1980. Study some history for Pete's sake!

We haven't seen the bottom yet, either! Give it a year or so and I think you will find that this recession is going to be much worse than the one in 1980. Actually, this economy has more in common with 1930 than 1980, especially given the potential for large-scale bank failure and governmental (local, state and federal) insolvency. Cross your fingers and say your prayers because there's a whole lot of hurtin' that has yet to happen.

 

[Petrovsk Mizinski]

Re: So are any major guitar companies offering new instruments worthy of the pricetag

Apart from Godin, I can't think of a mass producing North American guitar company that doesn't over price it's stuff.
I can get a KxK guitar custom made to my exact specificaitons for 3000 dollars in Australia.
And this is an American made guitar to boot.
A stock, mass produced PRS is about 5 large.
A Les Paul Standard is 5 large.
A Fender American Deluxe strat is about 3.3 grand and I'm not getting half the guitar I would with a KxK.
An Ibanez RG 1527 is 2399, and comes factory with crappy stock pickups, so add another 400 bucks for good pickups.

Because of these prices, I will simply never buy a new mass made production guitar ever.
I can get far more guitar for my dollar by going to a small to medium size custom shop maker.
If I buy a mass made guitar, it's a used guitar.
Unless made producers drop their prices, I remain firm to buying used or custom.

 

[drew_half_empty]

Re: So are any major guitar companies offering new instruments worthy of the pricetag

I realize we're talking about new instruments here, but I really wish Guild and/or Dearmond would start making electric guitars again. I really like their designs - especially the hollow and semi hollow guitars.

-Peter

They got bought by FMIC, IIRC, OG LMNOP. Anyways, squier i think had a repro of a couple of their hollowbodies, one of em had flames on it.

Gretsch is also a good place to go for that tone. They just discontinued these electromatic hollowbodies that came with dearmond 2000's stock & rocked. They need new pots & all that, and a 1" bigsby spring, but you can still get em used for not much & they come in an array of colors.

there's also this jet that comes with their pickups, I've never played it though so I can't vouch for it. To my ears the pickups sound kinda like underwound p90's, but a little different. I dig em

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Gretsch-Guitars-Electromatic-Special-Jet?sku=511585

Looks awesome in black though. I never got down on red guitars for some reason...

 

[Rod Turtle]

Re: So are any major guitar companies offering new instruments worthy of the pricetag

Apart from Godin, I can't think of a mass producing North American guitar company that doesn't over price it's stuff.
I can get a KxK guitar custom made to my exact specificaitons for 3000 dollars in Australia.
And this is an American made guitar to boot.
A stock, mass produced PRS is about 5 large.
A Les Paul Standard is 5 large.
A Fender American Deluxe strat is about 3.3 grand and I'm not getting half the guitar I would with a KxK.
An Ibanez RG 1527 is 2399, and comes factory with crappy stock pickups, so add another 400 bucks for good pickups.

Because of these prices, I will simply never buy a new mass made production guitar ever.
I can get far more guitar for my dollar by going to a small to medium size custom shop maker.
If I buy a mass made guitar, it's a used guitar.
Unless made producers drop their prices, I remain firm to buying used or custom.

Well,you're talking about prices on your country,and here we are talking about prices in the U.S.A.

I live in Brazil,and due to high taxes imported instruments are very expensive.However I could get a custom made neck-thru bodied guitar with top notch parts and brasilian rosewood for under 1500 american dollars (which here is less than a fender american standard),but that said,it won't have a high resale value,so most of the people buy standard guitars instead of going custom.