Guitar and amps out of control.

[glassjaw7]

It does suck. But people are still buying it.

 

[sahlomonic]

In 1979 my parents bought a brand new Z28 for . . . . under $7,000. Buy a 2014 Z28 today and you'll pay . . . . $75,000.

As said earlier it's all relative.

Tech/electronic products seem to be what continually gets cheaper by the year, but most other things go up with inflation and everything else.

Now concering Gibson guitars, seems to be a lot of complaints of quality these days and they "aren't built the way they used to " sort of thing. I've seen ESP guitars take a huge hike for Lynch's sig guitars, and that's around a 100% increase just over the past decade. THAT, to me, is out of control so I agree with you on some points.

 

[jsp]

I generally agree with Bob here, but Mesa and Carvin seem to have found a model that I think works well. I love Mesa amps and they are not outrageously expensive. Carvin guitars are hideous, but that could be fixed. But they are built reasonably well and I love the options.

I don't think they're too hideous.

BTW, everything in that picture was made in the US, all reasonably priced for the quality of the product

 

[glassjaw7]

I generally agree with Bob here, but Mesa and Carvin seem to have found a model that I think works well. I love Mesa amps and they are not outrageously expensive. Carvin guitars are hideous, but that could be fixed. But they are built reasonably well and I love the options.

I don't think they're too hideous.

BTW, everything in that picture was made in the US, all reasonably priced for the quality of the product

They look great!

 

[Chris6870]

How many of you think that this has got out of hand over the past 10 to 20 years? I can remember being able to buy a brand new les paul custom for $800 back in the late 70's now these guitars are going from 3g's and up and not just Gibson but a lot of companies in general. And amps are the same way and I know because I own a few of them. This not meant to be a nasty thread, but to see how many of you agree.

I am at the point that I am going to be moving a lot of gear and go back to marshall's either modded or boosted up front.

I will keep just a few things but the rest are going bye bye.

The funny thing is you'll probably get just as good of a sound out of an old Les Paul and and an old boosted Marshall as you would get out of the pricey modern stuff your complaining about.

 

[cardinal]

Not to drag the thread off topic, but the lines of Carvin's bodies and headstocks just aren't quieter right to me. The six strings are better, but I only play 7 strings. The CT looks pretty good, but the rest of them are not my thing.

But back on topic, it seems like any CNC shop could offer what Carvin does. Suhr and Anderson essentially do, just not direct. Why Fender and Gibson won't/can't do it seems strange, but maybe they're not equipped to handle such a large volume of custom requests.

And why I criticize Carvin for the aesthetics, I reiterate that I think they build solid guitars for solid prices. I just wish they'd spend an hour or so with each model to fine tune the shapes.

 

[squank]

I own two PRS' and love'm and have played some of the SE line but they aren't worth the $$ they are retailing for.

I don't even think the PRS USA guitars are worth what you pay for, personally. Don't get me wrong, they really are wonderful guitars, but custom shop prices for standard guitars? I don't buy into it.
There's a much more intimate construction process with the smaller guitar builders that I think better justifies a premium.

Plus PRS charge a premium for the different tops. If i'm paying nearly 4000 bucks for a guitar, I don't want to know that the maple top on my guitar isn't the 'best' top I could have had. For that money I expect to be given the best top they could find & not just for them to mass produce a bunch of exactly the same spec guitars & for them to say "That one's pretty nice, we'll write a 10 on the head stock in silver marker & charge someone more for that one". It's a totally subjective classification by PRS.

I have a PRS SC58 and for $2200 brand new it has a better top on it than any Gibson I could find up to 4k. And what's a custom shop price? 4k? Charvel custom shop prices are through the roof for basically a bolt on glorified strat and you don't even get a maple top.

EXACTLY.

Don't forget that a stock PRS is at least on par, and usually better fit, finish, and playability than Gibson Custom shop guitars. And stock PRS guitars don't cost what Gibby CS do.

 

[Hard&Heavy]

How many of you think that this has got out of hand over the past 10 to 20 years? I can remember being able to buy a brand new les paul custom for $800 back in the late 70's now these guitars are going from 3g's and up and not just Gibson but a lot of companies in general. And amps are the same way and I know because I own a few of them. This not meant to be a nasty thread, but to see how many of you agree.

I am at the point that I am going to be moving a lot of gear and go back to marshall's either modded or boosted up front.

I will keep just a few things but the rest are going bye bye.

The funny thing is you'll probably get just as good of a sound out of an old Les Paul and and an old boosted Marshall as you would get out of the pricey modern stuff your complaining about.

I am not complaining just wanting to see what everybody else thinks that's all ... And you are right I love the boosted sounds of old Marshalls I played a ton and I mean a ton of shows that way for many years.

 

[jlbaxe]

I generally agree with Bob here, but Mesa and Carvin seem to have found a model that I think works well. I love Mesa amps and they are not outrageously expensive. Carvin guitars are hideous, but that could be fixed. But they are built reasonably well and I love the options.

I don't think they're too hideous.

BTW, everything in that picture was made in the US, all reasonably priced for the quality of the product

I like the orange Im trying to add some color to my rig

 

[Enjolras56]

Heck… what about $150+ overdrive pedals being commonplace?

 

[nevusofota]

I agree that everything is going up. I took up cycling a couple of years ago and when I went to purchase a modern bike I was shocked at how much these bikes are going for. When I go on some rides you're the odd man out if your bike is under $3K.

When it comes to amps however, I have come full circle and have come back to an old Marshall, a good guitar, and a couple of pedals. I'm amazed now when I see someone spend $3K on a channel switching clone when you can get a used old Marshall and a couple of overdrives for a third of the price.

 

[sivad]

yep everything is high these days--fast food is getting expensive--I try not to buy anything new anymore gear wise

 

[Anonymous]

I generally agree with Bob here, but Mesa and Carvin seem to have found a model that I think works well. I love Mesa amps and they are not outrageously expensive. Carvin guitars are hideous, but that could be fixed. But they are built reasonably well and I love the options.

I don't think they're too hideous.

BTW, everything in that picture was made in the US, all reasonably priced for the quality of the product

I like the orange Im trying to add some color to my rig

those are awesome looking...im betting the caps were made overseas though....and the pickup wire.....

 

[blackba]

I'm amazed by the cost of everything.
I don't buy stuff anymore.....unless it's on sale, used, or I need it.
Of course I need food and clothing, but besides that and things for the house and cars...

Agreed, everything is expensive. Don't even get me started on food.

As far gear, I generally buy if its on sale or used. Very rarely do I pony up full fair for a new item. I am also much more carefull about what I buy, since its much harder to flip gear than it used to be. The mid 2000's had to be the hey day of flipping gear, as ebay was in full effect and the economy was still pretty good.

 

[jsp]

Yup, a lot of things costs more now, not just gear. Salaries aren't keeping up with inflation, the dollar is weak, and the economy still isn't so great overall.