Yorolpal, I really like the idea of trading guitars. Wish I had a bud that would trade, hot rod my guitar and then trade back :)
 
 Craig I almost didn't play guitar because I bought a few real clinkers for guitars. I know what you mean when you say playing a cheap instrument can discourage. The first one I bought had the action so high that you needed a lot of strength just to chord anything. I was a newb...still am in a way... and didn't know the action could be better.
 
 Spacey I seriously considered setting myself up to make  guitars,even watched a ton of videos on the methods and tools necessary to do it. If I ever find an auction and clean up on wood tools I will seriously consider it. Right now though I can't justify it. You do a heck of a good job at it.  
 When it comes to guitars I do the same kind of thing when I see how much some people in my trade charge to do a job. I know the profit is pretty nice.Even deducting for expenses and taxes,and yet the customer gladly pays it. The company gains a good reputation and no longer needs to be the low bidder to get the job. The haves will pay for what they want. The have nots will go low bid. The haves in this case will buy a nice Gibson if they want a nice Gibson. Many of them won't have a clue what went into it or the quality involved. They just know it's a name brand,they want it and they can afford it. The have nots still buy nice guitars  but appreciate them more I think and take longer to save for them. 
 
 I mentioned Carvin. One of my buddies bought a nice Carvin SH575 with all the goodies on it. I think he might have slept with it  :) A good example of a nice guitar that is expensive but not into idiot pricing territory. The average guy can save up and buy one.
 
 I'm a non-conformist. Just the fact that Gibson is popular makes something inside of me say I want something else. If I find a real deal on one I might end up with one some day, but the name itself does nothing for me, in fact, it works against what it is in my case. In the early days I think there was a good reason people looked to Gibson. There weren't nearly as many other competitors in the market and Gibson made a good guitar. I'm no longer sure that this is now always the case . I think Gibson uses plek? I think plek is wonderful but there goes the personal luthier touch.So no matter what the name, the same techniques are employed as many other makers.
 
  I know re sell is a factor. I always ding everything up and wear it out anyways lol. 
 
 
 
 

"In the early days I think there was a good reason people looked to Gibson. There weren't nearly as many other competitors in the market"

 
The high point of electric guitars sales occurred during the first half of the 1960s and in that period there were hundreds of guitar manufacturers... some who only made 100 guitars before going belly up.
 
The reason the Tele, Les Paul, and Strat are famous is that out of 10's of millions of solid body guitars that were made and sold between 1958 and 1966 these were the very best of the breed. The single cut Les Paul was discontinued after 1960 but demand for the model finally brought it back in 1968. There are about a dozen runner ups... and all the rest were more or less forgotten.

I hope my point hasn't been missed.
 
By some of the statements I'm inclined to believe it may have been.
 
For most of my life information was very limited. Usually it was relayed by a person you hoped knew what they were talking about. Now there is information about almost anything and not hard to find. Also not really hard to find out if it's BS or not too.
 
It's no big deal...when I spend my money I like to know what I can about what I'm needing and my options. Sometimes it doesn't matter much and sometimes it does.
"Options" may not always be known by others. Words like "luthier", "custom made"..etc,  can maybe turn some off and leave them thinking "high dollar" when compared to the prices for assembly line name brand models one may find that it just isn't what they thought.
 
I'd much rather send an email to Mr. John Page and ask, if I didn't know, than just whip out a bunch on a hunch...or name. I sure wouldn't be asking the guy at the counter in Guitar Center but I understand that some are fine with that. I am too...whatever works for you.
 
I couldn't imagine spending money for a custom shop Strat when I could possibly have one made by the man that ran the shop. It's just a thought...it's just an option...it's just so easy to find out rather than try nothing and take the short road. JMO and YMMV.
 
 
 
 
 

It seems like the market sort of flip flopped about 10 years ago. It seems to me like the MSRP prices for name brand new guitars lurched upwards almost as if it was chasing the vintage and custom pricing structures.
 
I think the statement you are making accurately reflects the latest circumstance.
 
It seems like Gibson and Fender have, at a minimum, doubled their prices, like to like, in the past 10 years. The custom guys have more or less stayed the same (with a spectrum of affordable to outrageous prices) so now if you have become accustomed to the current prices the custom option seems very good.
 
best regards,
mike

"For most of my life information was very limited. Usually it was relayed by a person you hoped knew what they were talking about. Now there is information about almost anything and not hard to find."

 
Before the internet was wide spread, the earliest volumes of Vintage Guitar magazine (it was newspaper back then) begat a treasure trove of information and the success of that periodical seemed to inspire a efflorescence of well researched and foot noted books about the history of guitar design, construction and playing. I have several book shelves full of the books that spun off from the articles. I always looked forward to the next one being released, and have read them so many times I guess I take it for granted that the stuff is out there for people to enjoy.
 

mike_mccue

"In the early days I think there was a good reason people looked to Gibson. There weren't nearly as many other competitors in the market"

 
The high point of electric guitars sales occurred during the first half of the 1960s and in that period there were hundreds of guitar manufacturers... some who only made 100 guitars before going belly up.
 
The reason the Tele, Les Paul, and Strat are famous is that out of 10's of millions of solid body guitars that were made and sold between 1958 and 1966 these were the very best of the breed. The single cut Les Paul was discontinued after 1960 but demand for the model finally brought it back in 1968. There are about a dozen runner ups... and all the rest were more or less forgotten.

Agreed Mike. There were competitors but not viable competitors IMO. I don't think 100 guitars a year in the 1960's was even a drop in the bucket in terms of competition.Even a handful of these types of start ups were no serious competition for Fender or Gibson. I think a lot of those smaller makers had guitars that were likely just as good or maybe better but they didn't have a successful business model or the financial backing. JMHO. Not necessarily a better product but a better marketing package. The Strat was at one time looked at with not much respect. The image of the Strat was shaped by the players who made it famous. This was probably the single largest catalyst for sales...having a famous talented artist play and tout your guitar.Not much seems to have changed in that regard.
 
 Today we have many more viable competitors. They can make the product, make a lot of it fast and get it to market to a lot of people.
 

Some of the brands and models that didn't make it through the 1960s sold far more guitars than Fender and Gibson... yet they are all but forgotten because they don't play electric so well.
 
If you have any great enthusiasm for pickups you may find it easy to agree that Fender and Gibson more or less cornered the market on producing great sounding pickups. It's especially true of Humbuckers. The Patent Applied For and the Patented versions of Gibson's pickups were very unique for the duration of that great 1960s sales bubble. Gretsch and whom ever else wanted to sell DeArmonds could offer a sloppy second choice. Ric had some unique pickups that people still crave. Danelectro had the lipstick which can sound great.
 
 
 
The rest of the choices never seemed to amount to much.
 
"The Strat was at one time looked at with not much respect"
 
I think that's a myth made up by Les Paul fanatics. There has never been a time period when there wasn't some significant playing being done on a Strat. People enjoy the unique sound. :-)
 
Buddy Holly, Jimi, Ritchie Blackmore, Jeff Beck, Adrien Belew, etc.
 
 
I don't want to sidetrack spacey's thread but I love old guitar stories. :-)
 
 

Sidetrack, derail......I like it when conversations grow.
 
 
 
Besides....from what I can tell upstairs- catagorys/sub forums don't mean a thing. I've been looking for days in X2 about frequency training. At least it hasn't crashed. Maybe a picture of the knob or shortcut?

Well all I remember growing up in my little town (there was only one music store until I was a sophomore in high school...and then just two) was that the only brands the music store had were Fender, Gibson, Gretsch and Vox.  And mostly just Fender.  I wanted the Gretsch that George Harrison played (single cutaway) but got a sonic blue musicmaster instead.  Wished I still had it.
 
PS:  I do have to admit though that they did have a white Vox Phantom in the window that I was nutty in love with.  Thank gawd I never had enough money to buy it.

spacey
I like it when conversations grow.
 

Nice threads Michael. 
 
Too bad you have to name all of them the same though!