AS IF THEY WEREN'T EXPENSIVE ENOUGH!!

I just got my latest copy of Sweetwater's Pro Gear catalog. Gibson guitars have YET AGAIN gone up in price. $5940.00 for a Les Paul Custom? Are you friggin kidding me??? Well Gibson, you've pretty much guaranteed that I'll never buy another one of your guitars. Thanks...

yeah, it sucks; but I'd blame QE and the central bank more than Gibson.

I can see a future when a loaf of bread is $100

That's what I'm saying... I know the central bank and QE are bringing the value of the dollar down, but other manufacturers don't seem to be jacking their prices up like Gibson seems to be. I agree that their J series is at a decent price point, but last year an SG Standard was $1199, now it's $1699. Six months ago a Les Paul Custom was $4999, now it's $5940. A thousand dollars in six months?

Well you know, I bought my on sale at about the end of the year last year (October around I think without looking) and it did not cost anymore than a decked-out Fender Strat.
 
A couple of new ones coming out I guess sometime:

http://www2.gibson.com/Pr...014/ES-335-Studio.aspx

http://www2.gibson.com/Pr...014/ES-339-Studio.aspx
 
And that is Gibson's price which they probably won't sell for when those guitars arrive whenever I suppose soon!
Maybe at GC right now, I have not looked.
 
Of course I bought the Epi last year also in the es-339, which is fine also.
 
A guy gave an independent review of it, but the price has gone up this year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWw90TR-Erw
 
and for me just a LP which is the Gibson one I bought on sale just is not a guitar I was used to. The es-335 is though, and well, to each his/her/spacealien own I guess.

 
But who wants a 120 Anniversary Thing-a-Ma-Bobber on the fret anyway. ??
 
Think I will have a cookie, but I bought the Traditional LP, and just until recently they had others but at a slightly increase in price. (no chambering for the Traditional both in 2013, and again in 2014) (Standard is modern weight relief - rounded triangles I think, but it is usually all written down when looking at them).
 
Epi sells good though.
 
(Reason for edit - new guitar sound - fumble fingers).
 
 

Leadfoot,

I wonder if they print different catalogues for different regions? Mine was waiting for me when I returned from Vegas. I see a Sweetwater LP Custom for $4,999 and and Alpine White LP Custom for $3,999. The Sweetwater one seems to be a special addition. The LP Traditional is in this catalogue for $2,399 and the LP Classic for $1,899. I really don't see just a plain old Standard in this edition, closest being a LP Standard with Min - Etune, at $2,699. Still a fair amount more than I paid for my first LP back in 1982...I believe that was right around $1,000.

If I was to buy another LP these days I would probably shop the used market. With a little patience I think you could find an extraordinary deal. New, I would probably go with a Classic for $1,899, it's all the LP I would need. I am pretty happy with my LP Studio Plus however, bought it used for approximately $700.

The ones that I don't get are the Relic Strats or Tele's. A Relic Telecaster for $4040? To own a guitar someone beat up on purpose? I am equally as much a fan of Fenders as I am Gibson's, I have owned and loved both. Prices on both brands are going up as material costs and labor wages increase.

Lately I have been eyeballing the Fender Squire Classic Vibe Strats. Now there is some serious bang for the buck.

Well, maybe I spent a little more at the end of year sale over the Fender. Might depend on where you look and all of that. But Sweetwater marks those as demos if that is what they are, and they are not off the rack (wall) like GC.
 
And again Gibson is sticking mini-e-tunes on the guitars also which I think raises the price a few hundred (@ 300 perhaps).
And again, don't need that.
 
And of the Lacey Act, Government Departments (EPA), and of Trees, and a limited resource I guess.
 
 
 

MakeShift

The ones that I don't get are the Relic Strats or Tele's. A Relic Telecaster for $4040? To own a guitar someone beat up on purpose?

I hear you on that... If I want a beat up guitar, I'll buy it for a quarter of the price, and do it myself.

MakeShift
Leadfoot,

I wonder if they print different catalogues for different regions? Mine was waiting for me when I returned from Vegas. I see a Sweetwater LP Custom for $4,999 and and Alpine White LP Custom for $3,999. The Sweetwater one seems to be a special addition. The LP Traditional is in this catalogue for $2,399 and the LP Classic for $1,899. I really don't see just a plain old Standard in this edition, closest being a LP Standard with Min - Etune, at $2,699. Still a fair amount more than I paid for my first LP back in 1982...I believe that was right around $1,000.

 
My catalog has the LP Classic at $2,069, the Traditional is $2,615.
No "standard", only "standard premium" going for over $4,000.
No Alpine White in sight.
 
So it seems that the catalogs aren't all the same.
 
And if anyone here wants to buy a Gibson, you're the man we should get in touch with. :P
 

After looking at Spacey's thread, maybe I'll buy a body and neck and put one together myself. I know what you do is much more complicated Spacey, but I gotta crawl before I can walk! But your thread was very inspiring.

Leadfoot
After looking at Spacey's thread, maybe I'll buy a body and neck and put one together myself. I know what you do is much more complicated Spacey, but I gotta crawl before I can walk! But your thread was very inspiring.

That's how I got started. I carved a double-cutaway Tele style from a body blank and bought all the pieces...turned out bad. The Carvin neck wasn't worth the shipping cost but I had a lot of fun trying. I kept the swamp ash body and threw the neck away. It wasn't a complete waste...it inspired me to carve my own necks. Not talking bad about Carvin necks...just wasn't for me.
 
I know there are other members that have assembled guitars so there's great input/help should you go for it and fortunately there are plenty of places to get everything. There are some things to lookout for so it's great to have a place where you can get input before ordering parts.
 
 
 

spacey

That's how I got started. I carved a double-cutaway Tele style from a body blank and bought all the pieces...turned out bad. The Carvin neck wasn't worth the shipping cost but I had a lot of fun trying. I kept the swamp ash body and threw the neck away. It wasn't a complete waste...it inspired me to carve my own necks. Not talking bad about Carvin necks...just wasn't for me.
 
I know there are other members that have assembled guitars so there's great input/help should you go for it and fortunately there are plenty of places to get everything. There are some things to lookout for so it's great to have a place where you can get input before ordering parts.
 
 
 

Hey Spacey, can you suggest a good place for bodies/necks that are already made that just need painting, electronics? I know there are quite a few, but I figured you would know which ones are the best. Thanks!

craigb
Better get two so you have a backup while the first one is at the shop getting all the things corrected that should have been right from the beginning (like the fret ends, the nut, etc.). 

Oh ye of little faith...

Leadfoot

spacey

That's how I got started. I carved a double-cutaway Tele style from a body blank and bought all the pieces...turned out bad. The Carvin neck wasn't worth the shipping cost but I had a lot of fun trying. I kept the swamp ash body and threw the neck away. It wasn't a complete waste...it inspired me to carve my own necks. Not talking bad about Carvin necks...just wasn't for me.
 
I know there are other members that have assembled guitars so there's great input/help should you go for it and fortunately there are plenty of places to get everything. There are some things to lookout for so it's great to have a place where you can get input before ordering parts.
 
 
 

Hey Spacey, can you suggest a good place for bodies/necks that are already made that just need painting, electronics? I know there are quite a few, but I figured you would know which ones are the best. Thanks!

I would if I could Leadfoot but I only assembled one and I made the body for it.
 
I do know of many places that sell finished bodies and necks but I can't recommend because I don't know all the problems of trying to assemble the parts from them. Lots of things can sure go south quick.
I also know that it can end up costing you more than just getting one. After all, you can play one before you buy it.
 
I can use the best materials when I build one and I know I won't know how it will sound until it's plugged in.
 
I like some of the other ideas offered. Never know what you can find at a pawn shop and maybe it'll be perfect for you to take apart, check it out and put it back together...get ideas. Learn how to do a finish on it. Refret it. Make a nut for it. Lots of lessons that way. That could be a lot of fun and really not have to spend much and you could possibly wind up with a great guitar.
 
Sure don't mind answering your questions but I know I don't have all the answers.
 

Perhaps we all will be playing cigar-box guitars.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYEiMVNVILU
 

 
Those are much cheaper.
(some not so much though).
 

soens
Cost is determined by where it's made. I've also heard that guitar makers will make special editions for individual stores, so they will only be available at those stores and will cost more than the normal versions.
 
This is so these stores can say "we're the only one's who have it!" ...like having a Mini Monopoly.
 
Theoretically, these editions could be worth more in the future also.

Indeed. But Gibson's standard US-made guitars, that is, those available at any Gibson retailer have increased quite dramatically, compared to other US made guitars, like Fender.
 
The standard US SG went from $1,199 to $1,699. That's over 40% more, and it isn't a matter of exclusivity or origin.  
 
The US Fender strat went up by, roughly what, $50? That's like 5%.