Guitars, Basses and amps have risen in price..

Rocker

...here in Ireland.

A few months ago I bought a new USA Fender Precision, retail price €1850 - now these retail at €2230.

Markbass amps, combos and speakers have gone up in price by a considerable margin too.  I don't think I could justify the cost of a new Markbass if my own unit 'disappeared'.  Used Markbass amps in Ireland are very rare birds, buyers tend to hang on to them!

Likewise guitars - prices new seem to have gone through the roof.

I know that most buyers negotiate a price with the dealers but that was always the case.  The price of ownership has increased.  And by a significant margin.

thermionic

Brexit. Oh, wait.

dindude

Prices are getting crazy I agree. Not so long ago a Custom Shop Strat was around 2K. There are a few still floating around for c.2.5K but mostly a fairly standard team built Strat is £2700-£2800 ish. Just getting used to this and then GG sent an email this week with their Custom Shop new arrivals and nothing was under £3k for a team build guitar. Just seems that every batch of USA guitars that make it through have £300 added on to the last price.

That’s just one example, but it’s across the whole lot - I did a “John Mayer” the other and sorted “high to low” for a change on a few websites and was amazed how long it took to get below £2K, and then it was very ordinary stuff like Fender American Elites etc.

Then try and sell something you don’t like and bath-time is ever increasing.

I truly thought for the first time in a long time I’m out of the guitar buying game.

octatonic

Buy used.

crunchman

I'm not sure prices are sustainable at current levels - at least not in the quantities they are being manufactured at.  There will always be a few people willing to pay higher prices, but I don't think there will be a large market at the really high prices.

MtB

And if there's a trade war between Europe and the USA you can look forward to an additional 25% or so.

57Deluxe

Eirexit is what you want...

DefaultM

Doesn't really bother me. No one needs to buy a new €2230 Fender bass, and no one needs to buy a new £3k Fender custom shop strat. Plenty of people WANT to buy them; me included, but they're too expensive for me and therefore out of my league. They could go up to £5k and it wouldn't matter.

I'd be annoyed if I was about to buy at 1800 and they went up to 2230 before I could, but then I'd probably just buy used instead.

earwighoney

Fender's illegal price fixing for you!

Bucket

Rocker said:
I don't think I could justify the cost of a new Markbass if my own unit 'disappeared'

Insure it and you won't have to think about that.

Philly_Q

Funnily enough, the last guitar I bought was from a shop in Dublin. 

It's a 2008 PRS and I thought it was a bit pricey so I did attempt a bit of a haggle, but the guy assured me it was the going rate in Ireland.  That could just be hard sell, but maybe your current prices are that bit higher than UK ones?

thermionic

octatonic said:

Buy used.

That won't work. People are now routinely asking £700 for used items which you can get for £800 new. And if you say "well, they don't sell at that price" it often means they don't sell at all!

Rocker

The guitar market in Ireland is small compared to the UK. Buying used is not as easy as you guys find it. There are a few shops specialising in used guitars, basses and amps. Even used items don't come cheap...

english_bob

earwighoney said:

Fender's illegal price fixing for you!

Interesting that nobody seems to have taken much interest in the price fixing probe that's going on. Perhaps when more information comes out.

pintspiller

Rocker said:

The guitar market in Ireland is small compared to the UK. Buying used is not as easy as you guys find it. There are a few shops specialising in used guitars, basses and amps. Even used items don't come cheap...

The market is such that with price increases over the last few years that some try to sell nearly-new gear for the price it originally cost as to buy new it's now 20% more expensive