Why are amplifiers so expensive now?

[NS10Fan]

It seems like amp prices have gotten out of control! You can't get an American made high end, well built, great sounding high gain EL-34 or 6L6 amps new for less than $1800 and you can't get one used for less than $1200 if you are lucky.

When weren't they? This thread makes it sound like US made amps of this caliber were available for 1800 and under up until just recently. As far as I recall, it's been like this at least for a couple years (and not just US made amps). At least at this price point, amplifiers are being made and shipped instead of just promised.

 

[5150clone]

Add the words, "Custom, Boutique " and you can add $1000-1500.

 

[DoomBuggi]

I think thats the deal. Allot of Americans expect something for nothing. Tools are expensive, if you want quality, you are going to have to pay. $1,800 for an isn't cheap, but it isn't expensive either. If you take a price like that, and divided by the number of days in a year, its pretty affordable. As far as "Boutique (such a ridiculous, overused term)" or "Custom" built amps, I would pay the extra amount for something hand made. There is allot of knowledge/experience that goes into making most of the "Custom" amps that are on the market. The people that are making these amps dedicate much time to research, and experimentation. It cost loads of money for them to make these, especially if you consider the trail, and error. It costs money, and there is health risk involved in making these. So spending a stack of money to buy something of quality made by an artist is totally worth it to me. Especially when you consider that you may have it for a life time.

By the way, I'm not rich, and I don't have a good high paying job. I just make sure I know what I want before I buy, and don't give in to the wanting of gear that I'll end up selling in a couple months.

 

[Shiny_Surface]

No disrespect intended, but why are you stuck on it being "American made" exactly? There are well built amps being made at a lot of places nowadays. I personally don't go by what is perceived to be "high-end"....I just let me ears decide that. There are a lot of "high-end" amps out there, that are simply overpriced. If you don't want to pay for what those guys are asking, you should just find a cheaper alternative and piss on 'em. Or, just buy used.....nothing wrong with that.

Because (most) companies don't usually make the decision to make amps elsewhere with the idea of better parts/construction in mind, but to save costs.

 

[midnightlaundry]

I built an amp over the winter. It was a simple hand wired amp as far as modern amps go. It took me a week to put it together (and I'm a very capable builder), with about 1G in parts. If you were an amp builder trying to make a profit, how much money should you pass to the customer to make back your 1 week and 1G in parts? What about packaging and shipping? What if you have employees and shop overhead?

Amps made overseas are so cheap because their governments allow them to be raped on labor costs.

 

[blackba]

Amps to be seem as expensive as they have always been. And if you have to save up and plan to buy things, welcome to the club. You will always want something, so just accept it and try to be happy with what you have.

One thing I find interesting is is the consumer electronics industry we talk about handwired or hand operations as bad. Yet with guitar amps, hand wired is considered good and desirable.

 

[killertone]

I've been saying this about musical gear for years. I have beautiful stuff but I bought nothing new. I let other people take the depreciation hit on most everything from cars to gear.
I can afford to buy stuff new, but why? I'd rather take a nice trip with my family or save the money.
I watch my friends waste SO much money. Its not very smart, but hey, it's their money.

Bingo.

Plenty of flippers out there to take advantage of if need be. There will always be someone who has to buy the new thing immediately be it guitar gear, home audio, car etc. I always let them take the hit; it is just simple economics.

 

[steve_k]

This thread should bring on the butt-hurt we've come to expect at RT.

 

[ratter]

Because shit ain't cheap. Ask sah5150 how much it costs to produce an amp and get an amp company online. If you want quality, it costs money. If you want to send your kids' future up the river, go buy the latest $599 MF/GC special.

 

[Shiny_Surface]

The future of our children lol.

Personally if they used good iron and same (or better) parts I wouldn't care
where it was assembled.

 

[rupe]

Amps made overseas are so cheap because their governments allow them to be raped on labor costs.

Not to mention little or no regulations regarding environmental factors, safety, etc.

At that point, buying "Made in USA" can have ethical implications for many people.

 

[ratter]

The future of our children lol.

Personally if they used good iron and same (or better) parts I wouldn't care
where it was assembled.

I know right? lulz. So silly.

Companies outsource manufacturing to save money. They close factories, lay off workers. That manufacturing, that money, doesn't come back. We lose the ability to ever do it again without significant effort that a weakened economy couldn't put forth even if it wanted to. Our standard of living drops and drops but we don't care because we can buy cheap Chinese goods. The cycle continues.

China owns a quarter of the US deficit. All this garbage that we import from them, we're buying with money that...wait for it...they lend us! Pretty sweet, right? Until they decide to stop lending us money and/or ask us to repay our debt. Then it's game over. They own us.

But enjoy your $99 amps and guitars...

 

[Shiny_Surface]

If they used good parts it wouldn't bother me (as much), but usually it's a package deal of cheaper labor and cheaper parts. If they used the same parts it might bring in more potential buyers imo.

 

[rlord1974]

If you want to send your kids' future up the river, go buy the latest $599 MF/GC special.

 

[rlord1974]

Why are amplifiers so expensive now?

It seems like amp prices have gotten out of control! You can't get an American made high end, well built, great sounding high gain EL-34 or 6L6 amps new for less than $1800 and you can't get one used for less than $1200 if you are lucky.

"Now" relative to when, exactly?

I don't think $1,800 is "expensive" at all, in fact.

Since 1990, inflation in the U.S. has been 76.3%. What does that mean? If you bought a new Marshall or Boogie for $1,000 in 1990 (which was pretty much the going rate at the time), that same amp would cost you $1,763 today.

Therefore, it seems like amp prices are highly correlated with the rate of inflation which, to me, makes the current prices just right. If the prices of amps were increasing at a faster rate than that of the general inflation index, then I would wonder what was up.

 

[Heritage Softail]

If it is priced out of your reach, then get more money or choose less expensive.

Imagine going to the local whore house with that mentality. Ya want the 1000$ chic for the 50$ crack ho price.

They laugh you outta there...

This is almost like bitchin about the price of an SLO.

Don't buy the MF'er then

I like guns and shooting. You never hear this stupid shit at the range. You want the excellent scope, $1500 bucks, the pachmayer grips, another $300, on the Kimber ACP, another $2500.

 

[Meathead]

The future of our children lol.

Personally if they used good iron and same (or better) parts I wouldn't care
where it was assembled.

I know right? lulz. So silly.

Companies outsource manufacturing to save money. They close factories, lay off workers. That manufacturing, that money, doesn't come back. We lose the ability to ever do it again without significant effort that a weakened economy couldn't put forth even if it wanted to. Our standard of living drops and drops but we don't care because we can buy cheap Chinese goods. The cycle continues.

China owns a quarter of the US deficit. All this garbage that we import from them, we're buying with money that...wait for it...they lend us! Pretty sweet, right? Until they decide to stop lending us money and/or ask us to repay our debt. Then it's game over. They own us.

But enjoy your $99 amps and guitars...

Scary stuff. I hope Canada isn't living above China one day. I don't want to learn Mandarin.

 

[Mudder]

The future of our children lol.

Personally if they used good iron and same (or better) parts I wouldn't care
where it was assembled.

I know right? lulz. So silly.

Companies outsource manufacturing to save money. They close factories, lay off workers. That manufacturing, that money, doesn't come back. We lose the ability to ever do it again without significant effort that a weakened economy couldn't put forth even if it wanted to. Our standard of living drops and drops but we don't care because we can buy cheap Chinese goods. The cycle continues.

China owns a quarter of the US deficit. All this garbage that we import from them, we're buying with money that...wait for it...they lend us! Pretty sweet, right? Until they decide to stop lending us money and/or ask us to repay our debt. Then it's game over. They own us.

But enjoy your $99 amps and guitars...

China can't call our loan, we'd just tell them to get bent. Then they're out the money and look stupid. That's the difference between loaning some money and loaning a shitload of money. With some money the bank owns you, with a shitload you own the bank. They can't close without being out all the capital.

 

[glip22]

Its because of the oil.

 

[Heritage Softail]

It's Bush's fault....