The GINI coefficient is supposed to be an economic measure of distribution of income across a country.
Taking it as a concept and applying it in a slightly strange lopsided way to acoustic guitar prices, things don't seem to be improving in that department either as regards balance. To my mind the costly but non-luthier end of the market and the really quite good budget end seem to be diverging in the last few years.
£119 for a Fender CD60/£259 for a Yamaha FG800 vs. £3,899 for a Martin OM28 Modern Deluxe/£6,500 for an Atkin 25th Anniversary J43 for example.
Am I really going to have that much more fun on the expensive instruments? Thirty times more???
I know there's a very welcome cost spectrum of instruments out there in comparison with 'the good old days' and so people can choose what they want at their own budget point. I suppose the point I'm making is there must be a huge mark up in the business models of some of the supposedly premium but non-luthier brands. I don't begrudge anyone a profit and I guess they know their own businesses. It just strikes me as increasingly odd.
Comments
modern day guitar marketing at it’s worst
imo
1. Companies charging these higher prices are a rip-off.
or
2. You (generally) get what you pay for.
The tricky bit is that at the same time they have to find reasons to stop you simply switching to another company. They are very good at it. One method they use is decision fatigue. By presenting you with endless choice after choice after choice - none of them easy or obvious or clearly explained - they hope that you will throw up your hands in confusion and just buy the top model (which has the biggest profit margin of all, naturally). Classic examples are power and gas supply contracts, phone contracts, insurance, car models, air travel ... and in many cases guitars. Gibson, Fender, and Martin do it as mere routine. Other companies are not immune.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
And also because the transition logo is far less widely faked than the spaghetti...
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein