I just do not get it.

[Las Palmas Norte]

this.
last I saw him he was playing a lute.

That's it! ... I'm holding out for the Blackmore signature lute.

Cheers, Barrie.

 

[jwebb1970]

Of course,the basses they made for Sting, as well as a rather un-Fenderish axe they were building there @ the same time for Lenny Kravitz (some sort of oddball concept Kravitz brought them) were one offs for the specific customers - not production models.

 

[Marival]

Of course,the basses they made for Sting, as well as a rather un-Fenderish axe they were building there @ the same time for Lenny Kravitz (some sort of oddball concept Kravitz brought them) were one offs for the specific customers - not production models.

I realize that, but the attention to detail for the relicing especially is very apparent in the vid about Yngwie's strat.

 

[RBscrim]

I don't get what some are paying for amps made 100mph by machines full of overly complicated solder bath circuit boards made in seconds and charging prices like they were made by hand..

I really don't get it.. sure you'll see below I have a Korean Marshall practice amp.. $27.99 off ebay.. and a Marshall 3210 head and 1965a cab both $200 Craigs ... it never left the owners home and looks like it..

A fool and his money part quickly...

Just to illustrate that no matter how flat you make a pancake it still has two sides, I don't understand why folks pay huge premiums for a "hand-wired" Marshall. It's my opinion that the considerably higher price tag is a result not of better quality but a function of high wages paid to an individual craftsman. If you factor in the possibility that your amp may have been hand-wired on a Monday by someone with a hangover and shaky hands or perhaps rushed to complete a quota on a Friday afternoon (two of many problems you don't find with computed controlled manufacturing) it may not be such a great deal.

 

[Donnie B.]

If you factor in the possibility that your amp may have been hand-wired on a Monday by someone with a hangover and shaky hands or perhaps rushed to complete a quota on a Friday afternoon (two of many problems you don't find with computed controlled manufacturing) it may not be such a great deal.

Great point.

 

[rmlevasseur]

I think i can explain it.

In our current global market, product sustainability is inverse to economic growth. In other words, in order for most companies to continue growth, it is imperative that their product either break or become obsolete.

When it comes to a product like a guitar, breaking is not something that is considered to be an option. Therefore every Les Paul or high end Fender that is placed on the market devalues all the others that were made before it. There is only so much demand for these instruments, and the ones made before it are expected to last a lifetime, if not longer.

Since planned obsolescence if not a viable option for Gibson or Fender like it is Apple, they must artificially manufacture new ways to sustain growth. Since these guitars are hopefully well crafted instruments, the only way to protect their value is to raise prices. This is the only way today's new LP isnt degraded by every LP that came before it.

The only other option is to create in the mind of the consumer that this old product is actually a new one. A little tweak here, a Slash signature there, or an "anniversary" brand create new value where it otherwise wouldn't have existed.

The only other way these companies could survive is to make an inferior product, one that is designed to break which would fuel future replacement sales. I dont want to start a flame war, but i'd argue that a lot of our beloved instrument manufacturers have already resorted to this. Innovation is expensive and its risky for a company that is expected to churn out "classic" products.

 

[blues_n_cues]

Just to illustrate that no matter how flat you make a pancake it still has two sides, I don't understand why folks pay huge premiums for a "hand-wired" Marshall. It's my opinion that the considerably higher price tag is a result not of better quality but a function of high wages paid to an individual craftsman. If you factor in the possibility that your amp may have been hand-wired on a Monday by someone with a hangover and shaky hands or perhaps rushed to complete a quota on a Friday afternoon (two of many problems you don't find with computed controlled manufacturing) it may not be such a great deal.

but what about when that hungover guy screws up the machine settings then 1000 amps are screwed up?? or the QC crew was @ a bachelor or retirement party the night before.

 

[jtees4]

It's supply and demand. It always is. There is no secret. It has nothing to do with what parts something is made from. NO...more $$ does not mean something is better. BUT everyone wants to believe what I am saying is not true....SO buy whatever you want, spend whatever you want...it's your money. Enjoy. BUT it is still simply supply and demand...people just don't want to understand that.

 

[custom53]

I think it's so people can say they've got a Gibson.

But I like my Gibsons..! I haven't found another Les Paul type Guitar that matches them.

I own others that aren't Big names.. Hamer, EBMM, Washburn, and yes, a Fender..

All three are different and I use them for different things.. But most of all, I really like them..

And I absolutely refuse to buy anything Made in China...!

.