It’s the annual Gibson price increase thread

Anacharsis

ICBM said:

Maybe we’ll all just have to get used to owning only one, like they did in the old days.

It's not a bad point...and I have a lot of guitars. Easy for me to be sanguine, though...because I already have a lot of guitars. And because I've never gotten into Gibsons.

jonnyburgo

You can't put a price on authenticity.

Anacharsis

TeleMaster said:

It’ll just turn to expensive and wasteful consumption. Without an alternative the necessity and demand will remain, and the consumer will be charged more and be forced to pay for it.

That’s capitalism for you. 

Without an alternative? I'm not sure what you mean by that. Until a COVID-related spike (lots of people burning the home time trying to learn), guitar sales were flat, and electric guitar sales were way down. So as far as passtimes and even music making are concerned, much tom the chagrin of some people, there were and are lots of alternatives to electric guitar. More specifically, there have been plenty of Gibson alternatives for decades - as evidenced by their vain attempts to sue the competition out of business.

I don't broad brush dislike capitalism. I like entrepreneurship. But financialization of the economy and overall consumerism are likely to lead us somewhere else. I'm pushing 50 now, so I suspect I won't be around for it, but I guess we'll see.

Whitecat

jonnyburgo said:

You can't put a price on authenticity.

I wouldn’t have thought so either, yet here we are…

UnclePsychosis

On the plus side, the "silly money" (for me) guitar that I bought last year gets less and less silly by the day.

Schnozz

Musicman20 said:

dern said:

Don't buy them. There's plenty of choice.

That's my view. I just won't bother. 

I don't even look at ESP, Fender/Charvel, Gibson, Musicman and PRS anymore - I actually totally forgot about ESP until recent.

Yamaha are now off my list too.

RaymondLin

I’m happy I picked mine up 5 years ago, I do want a Special but those are not silly money so it’s not too bad.  I do feel bad for people looking to get their first one though.  

TeleMaster

Anacharsis said:

TeleMaster said:

It’ll just turn to expensive and wasteful consumption. Without an alternative the necessity and demand will remain, and the consumer will be charged more and be forced to pay for it.

That’s capitalism for you. 

Without an alternative? I'm not sure what you mean by that. Until a COVID-related spike (lots of people burning the home time trying to learn), guitar sales were flat, and electric guitar sales were way down. So as far as passtimes and even music making are concerned, much tom the chagrin of some people, there were and are lots of alternatives to electric guitar. More specifically, there have been plenty of Gibson alternatives for decades - as evidenced by their vain attempts to sue the competition out of business.

I don't broad brush dislike capitalism. I like entrepreneurship. But financialization of the economy and overall consumerism are likely to lead us somewhere else. I'm pushing 50 now, so I suspect I won't be around for it, but I guess we'll see.

We weren't talking about Guitars. We’re talking about alternatives to cheap, wasteful products.

Until there are easy to access, cheap, reusable products, cheap, wasteful products will remain king and without that alternative they’ll become more expensive as demand eventually increases so you’ll end up paying more for the same crappy materials. 

Anacharsis

TeleMaster said:

Anacharsis said:

TeleMaster said:

It’ll just turn to expensive and wasteful consumption. Without an alternative the necessity and demand will remain, and the consumer will be charged more and be forced to pay for it.

That’s capitalism for you. 

Without an alternative? I'm not sure what you mean by that. Until a COVID-related spike (lots of people burning the home time trying to learn), guitar sales were flat, and electric guitar sales were way down. So as far as passtimes and even music making are concerned, much tom the chagrin of some people, there were and are lots of alternatives to electric guitar. More specifically, there have been plenty of Gibson alternatives for decades - as evidenced by their vain attempts to sue the competition out of business.

I don't broad brush dislike capitalism. I like entrepreneurship. But financialization of the economy and overall consumerism are likely to lead us somewhere else. I'm pushing 50 now, so I suspect I won't be around for it, but I guess we'll see.

We weren't talking about Guitars. We’re talking about alternatives to cheap, wasteful products.

Until there are easy to access, cheap, reusable products, cheap, wasteful products will remain king and without that alternative they’ll become more expensive as demand eventually increases so you’ll end up paying more for the same crappy materials. 

Ahh, got it.

Part of today's level of cheap bakes in wastefulness - it's cheap because it is made shoddily to be tossed quickly and replaced. My solution is to pay more for durable and lasting, but I know that's not an easy option for many.

earwighoney

Danielsguitars said:

earwighoney said:

I hate to say but I imagine many prices (not just Gibson) will rise.

Lots of factors in the post Covid world seem to be causing prices to rise, I fear inflation for many things will be with us for a while. 

Call this inflation, try 15% in the early 90s and the housing crash, at least houses were affordable for 2 people afterwards now it's in outer space in the south 

Yeah, well said Darren. Agree entirely.

hollywoodrox

Without “Gibson” on the headstock I will never feel that connection to my heroes  slash, Joe Perry ,keef ,Ronnie , Gilby ,Izzy etc 

TTony

UnclePsychosis said:

On the plus side, the "silly money" (for me) guitar that I bought last year gets less and less silly by the day.

No, it’s still just as silly as it was (whatever it was).

However, nowadays some people are being even *more* silly.

UnclePsychosis

TTony said:

UnclePsychosis said:

On the plus side, the "silly money" (for me) guitar that I bought last year gets less and less silly by the day.

No, it’s still just as silly as it was (whatever it was).

However, nowadays some people are being even *more* silly.

Grrr. Stop it, you. 

Philly_Q

hollywoodrox said:

Without “Gibson” on the headstock I will never feel that connection to my heroes  slash, Joe Perry ,keef ,Ronnie , Gilby ,Izzy etc 

£3.99.  Bob's your uncle.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265290016881?hash=item3dc4846871:g:F1QAAOSwbTRhLN3s

NelsonP

HandwrittenHero said:

Boromedic said:

TeleMaster said:

It’ll just turn to expensive and wasteful consumption. Without an alternative the necessity and demand will remain, and the consumer will be charged more and be forced to pay for it.

That’s capitalism for you. 

Yeah, lots of predictions about late stage capitalism etc. thing is there will be a tipping point where people can't buy the latest pointless thing anymore as they won't have the money, either real or borrowed... Wonder what will happen then

That's when the system will claw in further support by whatever means needed by those "too big to fail" usually another round of Govt subsidy etc.

Socialism for the rich, capitalism for the serfs.

Of course that's once it actually gets to the point where people genuinely not just can't afford but won't afford. Never underestimate the creativity of capitalism in finding new ways to extract from the market. PCP etc. will probably look antiquated by the time they've run out of schemes and actually hit the endgame.

Good point? Gibson Les Paul Standard. Cash price £2000, or only £30 a month for the rest of your earthly days?

crunchman

Philly_Q said:

hollywoodrox said:

Without “Gibson” on the headstock I will never feel that connection to my heroes  slash, Joe Perry ,keef ,Ronnie , Gilby ,Izzy etc 

£3.99.  Bob's your uncle.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265290016881?hash=item3dc4846871:g:F1QAAOSwbTRhLN3s

Didn't Slash play a Derrig?

hollywoodrox

Philly_Q said:

hollywoodrox said:

Without “Gibson” on the headstock I will never feel that connection to my heroes  slash, Joe Perry ,keef ,Ronnie , Gilby ,Izzy etc 

£3.99.  Bob's your uncle.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265290016881?hash=item3dc4846871:g:F1QAAOSwbTRhLN3s

Allelujah , I can already feel the swagger in my step increasing 

hollywoodrox

crunchman said:

Philly_Q said:

hollywoodrox said:

Without “Gibson” on the headstock I will never feel that connection to my heroes  slash, Joe Perry ,keef ,Ronnie , Gilby ,Izzy etc 

£3.99.  Bob's your uncle.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265290016881?hash=item3dc4846871:g:F1QAAOSwbTRhLN3s

Didn't Slash play a Derrig?

Sure did and a Max  seriously cool guitars

jeztone2

roberty said:

I am accumulating guitars at the moment. I think it's a safer bet than holding cash. Not so much an investment as a hedge. Plus you get to have lots of guitars

I sold a vintage Contax camera system a few years ago and doubled my money. In the last five years the price has doubled again. Meanwhile my ISA doesn’t keep pace with inflation. 

Kittyfrisk

Philly_Q said:

hollywoodrox said:

Without “Gibson” on the headstock I will never feel that connection to my heroes  slash, Joe Perry ,keef ,Ronnie , Gilby ,Izzy etc 

£3.99.  Bob's your uncle.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265290016881?hash=item3dc4846871:g:F1QAAOSwbTRhLN3s

A Romroid? Sounds like Scooby Doo saying 'Rhomboid"...