What is going on with the industry???

[DanTravis62]

It is kind of weird how more people are making a living reviewing amps or guitars for a few days or months than the guitarists playing gigs or recording for a living.

Dude I complain about this all the time on rig talk and I feel like i'm screaming into a void

Then I see my fellow RTers tastes in music, and all of the sudden I'm totally not surprised that they would rather watch, listen to, and support some retarded youtuber who hoards gear and doesn't know how to use it.

It's way more interesting to them, because music isn't interesting to them.

If it was, they would all have better taste in music - and we wouldn't suffer entire threads of 90's van halen and 2020s extreme. People would post the actually interesting and cool things that are happening in the underground/guitar music.

 

[lol]

This again? CA law restricts using made in USA if there are non US components. If you're not aware, amp components are pretty much not made in the USA (resistors, capacitors, pots, tubes, etc) therefore if you're selling an amp in California you can't use made in usa on it. Same thing applies to guitars since most hardware and wood is imported from overseas or from Canada.

Never thought California would have more common sense when it comes to something like this.

 

[stratjacket]

This again? CA law restricts using made in USA if there are non US components. If you're not aware, amp components are pretty much not made in the USA (resistors, capacitors, pots, tubes, etc) therefore if you're selling an amp in California you can't use made in usa on it. Same thing applies to guitars since most hardware and wood is imported from overseas or from Canada.

There are ways around this, I always thought this scene was funny as hell. A town in China called America so they can put a “Made in America” tag on shit.

 

[Eazy-ESP]

I thought it was interesting that the Suhr Peter frampton signature amp costs $3100 but is “assembled in the USA.” Isn’t that just fancy talk for “everything is outsourced and just thrown together in the US”??

I noticed that on the back of the SL15 too.

 

[Eazy-ESP]

Maybe this is also a passing of the torch? Shouldn’t we be finding the new up and coming makers that are selling at reasonable prices?

 

[DanTravis62]

Maybe this is also a passing of the torch? Shouldn’t we be finding the new up and coming makers that are selling at reasonable prices?

Man if you know any, i'd like to hear about em.

 

[ners]

Man if you know any, i'd like to hear about em.

The approach sucks, but there's a lot of boutique guitar makers on Instagram. So if you can manipulate your algo into showing their posts you'll find a lot of them that are like 1-2 guy shops. Might not be that much cheaper than Suhr but if you're looking for the next Gen then they're on a different platform.

 

[TheBiggestJerk]

Dude I complain about this all the time on rig talk and I feel like i'm screaming into a void

Then I see my fellow RTers tastes in music, and all of the sudden I'm totally not surprised that they would rather watch, listen to, and support some retarded youtuber who hoards gear and doesn't know how to use it.

It's way more interesting to them, because music isn't interesting to them.

If it was, they would all have better taste in music - and we wouldn't suffer entire threads of 90's van halen and 2020s extreme. People would post the actually interesting and cool things that are happening in the underground/guitar music.

I’ve noticed people often like the idea of something more than the actual thing itself.

 

[romanianreaper]

My buddy bought a truck years ago for around 40k. He told me he went shopping last year for the same truck model wirh barely any changes and was like 80k. Ridiculous.

Everything is stupidly priced. Cereal is F'ing 6 bucks in some cases!!!

 

[Laputan Machine]

I don't understand this economy. Sales are way down (there are tons of businesses in luxury consumer goods like guitars going out of business, going into bankruptcy or restructuring), which should mean prices come down, but they are going up. How does that work?

 

[DanTravis62]

I don't understand this economy. Sales are way down, which should mean prices come down, but they are going up. How does that work?

Companies are trying to pad their profifts and "weather the storm" and avoid the correction that is coming whether they like it or not.

American companies have outsourced everything, import everything, and we (the consumer) lose billions while their shareholders profit.

It was always unsustainable. They are just pretending the reckoning isn't happening.... or trying to pretend

 

[BABMusic]

I don't understand this economy. Sales are way down (there are tons of businesses in luxury consumer goods like guitars going out of business, going into bankruptcy or restructuring), which should mean prices come down, but they are going up. How does that work?

There's a smaller percentage of people doing really well (at least for now) that are responsible for most of those 4K guitar and amp sales. There's a much larger majority who could only afford an imported guitar, if they can ever afford that. I don't believe what you're seeing right now with high end gear, is going to last forever. I think we will eventually see most of them have to build somewhere else or find other ways to reduce costs. My earlier comment "Boomer guitars" was meant as a joke, but a lot of boomers are responsible for the purchases of high end gear. Short version is, there's a very intentionally created wealth divide, and those at the richer end don't want to give up their overinflated assets. It's created to cause chaos so that the shit you see in Minneapolis will serve as a nice distraction from the on-purpose inflation that so few see. That's probably more than you asked for and I don't want to get political in this thread.

 

[Geo]

I don't understand this economy. Sales are way down (there are tons of businesses in luxury consumer goods like guitars going out of business, going into bankruptcy or restructuring), which should mean prices come down, but they are going up. How does that work?

The dollar is weaker, it takes more dollars to produce anything.

Just wait until the federal reserve has to buy up 10 trillion in maturing treasuries that are due this year.'

We may get to the point where we need a wheel barrow full of money to buy a loaf of bread.

 

[harddriver]

I don't understand this economy. Sales are way down (there are tons of businesses in luxury consumer goods like guitars going out of business, going into bankruptcy or restructuring), which should mean prices come down, but they are going up. How does that work?

The dollar is weaker, it takes more dollars to produce anything.

Just wait until the federal reserve has to buy up 10 trillion in maturing treasuries that are due this year.'

We may get to the point where we need a wheel barrow full of money to buy a loaf of bread.

The law of large numbers eventually goes into effect and when the majority of the public loses faith in the currency hyperinflation soon follows according to the historical record. The Keynesians argue to the contrary.

Weimar Republic.......1922-1923

 

[Laputan Machine]

The glimmer of hope I have is that the amount of fraud and reckless spending going on is so extreme, that our economy is probably functioning at 5% efficiency. So when the reckoning does come, that shit will be cut out real quick which will be a pretty large amount of slack to play with.
The US has to start manufacturing again and cut like 50% of public sector employment. They have to either actually open up health insurance so it's an actual free market and make doctors and hospitals stop colluding with insurance companies and force them to publish costs, or just go full socialized. Socialized will suck, but the position now is untenable.
I imagine legit war in Europe unless they magically form into a single country, which would be needed to form a competitive manufacturing base. Europe seems like they have no options.

 

[rsm]

Maybe this is also a passing of the torch? Shouldn’t we be finding the new up and coming makers that are selling at reasonable prices?

Kiesel?

 

[rsm]

The glimmer of hope I have is that the amount of fraud and reckless spending going on is so extreme, that our economy is probably functioning at 5% efficiency. So when the reckoning does come, that shit will be cut out real quick which will be a pretty large amount of slack to play with.
The US has to start manufacturing again and cut like 50% of public sector employment. They have to either actually open up health insurance so it's an actual free market and make doctors and hospitals stop colluding with insurance companies and force them to publish costs, or just go full socialized. Socialized will suck, but the position now is untenable.
I imagine legit war in Europe unless they magically form into a single country, which would be needed to form a competitive manufacturing base. Europe seems like they have no options.

Western Europe is being overrun by invaders; give it another generation or two before the grand caliphate of europistan is founded.


All of the industry-based industrial complexes (including healthcare industrial complex, insurance industrial complex, pharma industirial complex) funnel money to malfeasant, feckless uniparty politicians to maintain these industrial complexes - to the detriment of the American people.

I still have this info from around 2018, though I don't have the source any longer:

In the last 5 years alone, the 200 most politically active companies in the U.S. spent $5.8 billion influencing our government with lobbying and campaign contributions.

In return, those same companies received $4.4 trillion in taxpayer support from our "elected" ruling parasites – earning a return of 750 times their investment.

Just imagine the access and influence of these 200 companies on our "elected" politicians.

Still think the vote of average Americans counts?

 

[HellraiserJohnny]

Man if you know any, i'd like to hear about em.

I was a dyed-in-the-wool Gibson & Fender guy all my life. Last year I wanted an Explorer with a FR since most of my other guitars have them and I use it all the time. As you may know. . . Gibson has no such animal. Custom shop wanted $4,800 to build one. Just as I was ready to give up and have my luthier chop the crap out of my 120th Ann Explorer, I saw the Brandon Small Ghost Horse by Epiphone . . . . . . $800.00. This guitar is stunning in every way. Top quality everything, ebony fingerboards, jumbo frets and solid electronics. There's the first place we should be looking . . . . Epiphone is no longer second best to a Gibson.
I think in the end we have to lose the pre-conceived notion of who is the best and try these other lower priced brands. I think many of us would be amazed at what we find.

PS: The Squire Affinity line is truly making Fender look like second best. How they are building quality guitar for around the $200 mark fascinates me. I've played 10 or 12 off the shelf and they play great, sound good and stay in tune after me pounding on them for an hour or so each. Yeah, I'll replace the PU's or tuners if needed but hell, if I can walk out the store with a decent, comfortable guitar for $200 who wouldn't?

 

[Eazy-ESP]

Kiesel?

I’ve been considering them.

 

[reilly]

Everything good is pretty much $4k or more, a Gibson les paul custom is $5500, if you think guitars are bad recording equipment is getting silly , outboard compressors and preamps are $3k plus. An La-2A compressor is $5k. Inflation has pushed the price of everything up a lot. $3k-$4k for a Guitar amp. For the most part if you want something made in the USA this is how it is.