seby wrote: Wed Sep 29, 2021 7:01 pm It's like an entire edifice that has grown up to separate middle aged men from decades of savings once their kids have finished school.

The realities of the market - you have to sell to the people who are buying.

Quick anecdote: I bought a Wampler pedal from a shop in Denmark street a few years back. Guy goes to get the box, which is a bit scuffed. Is really apologetic, almost awkwardly so. I tell him it's fine, it's just the box, who cares, etc etc. Guy sighs, shakes his head and says "most people who shop here".

hah.. yeah I was chatting with a luthier friend a few weeks ago and said something like "I can't be one of those crazy bastards that spends 10k on a Strat" and he was like "..yeah, that's most of my clients. One guy routinely brings me 2 Martins worth about $30,000 for checkups and he basically never takes them back out of the case."

He appreciated the PRF-coined (zom-zom?) term Blues Lawyers™.

M.H wrote: Thu Sep 30, 2021 3:50 am Quick anecdote: I bought a Wampler pedal from a shop in Denmark street a few years back. Guy goes to get the box, which is a bit scuffed. Is really apologetic, almost awkwardly so. I tell him it's fine, it's just the box, who cares, etc etc. Guy sighs, shakes his head and says "most people who shop here".

Is this maybe a result of Reverb making the resell market a bigger deal? I know people have bought/sold on eBay and forums long before Reverb existed, but it seems like Reverb put the market on steroids.

The drum pages on shitbook are full of the wails of men who spent $2k on a drum kit and there's a fucking BUBBLE in the NITRO on the bass drum hoop. They are demanding that some drum manufacturer replace the whole kit while insisting that the company isn't what it used to be and is sure to be out of business by cocktail hour tomorrow.

It's literally impossible that these people have ever played a show, I think. It must be.

chrisyoumans wrote: Thu Sep 30, 2021 9:05 am

M.H wrote: Thu Sep 30, 2021 3:50 am Quick anecdote: I bought a Wampler pedal from a shop in Denmark street a few years back. Guy goes to get the box, which is a bit scuffed. Is really apologetic, almost awkwardly so. I tell him it's fine, it's just the box, who cares, etc etc. Guy sighs, shakes his head and says "most people who shop here".

Is this maybe a result of Reverb making the resell market a bigger deal? I know people have bought/sold on eBay and forums long before Reverb existed, but it seems like Reverb put the market on steroids.

Not really. It was like that before. It's the collectors. It's just that there are way more people into that aspect than there ever where before. The same type that pay way more for vintage toys that were never opened and are still in their original packaging.

Sometimes, not always, you get what you pay for. I've owned lots of guitars from $50-$5000 (admittedly the $5k guitars weren't worth that when I owned them!). Budget almost always comes with a caveat. For instance: "super great deal but I had to replace all of the electronics and most of the hardware, and get the frets dressed." The ONLY guitars I've ever personally owned that didn't need attention out of the box were from Fender's AVRI series and a couple of mid '90s Gibsons, and some higher end MIM Fender stuff from around 2000. This includes all vintage and new guitars (I've probably owned something in the neighborhood of 60 guitars in the last 35 years). So those are probably the only things I'd buy sight unseen. And also at the extreme end, maybe a Squier Vintage Vibe knowing I'd put some work into it.

There is nothing better than a guitar with a really good setup with super low action that has nice sounding pickups. Super fun and easy to play. However you accomplish this is fine. Pay for it up front, or dump money into a budget offering that may or may not ever get there.

Or maybe you just don't notice a difference or care. I envy those of you.

I hate Behringer almost as much as the next guy, but their cheap as shit analog synths are mostly KILLING it. Would I pay for another vintage Minimoog at this point? NOPE. Do I love my little Behringer clone? YEP.

Krev wrote: Mon Sep 27, 2021 2:41 pm I have a clone of a Matchless Lightning head. It sounds good but I wouldn't pay the price of a real one.

Ditto, I have a clone of a Matchless DC30/HC30. It's fucking awesome. Would I pay for a real one? Nope.

tommy wrote: Wed Oct 06, 2021 10:06 am

chrisyoumans wrote: Thu Sep 30, 2021 9:05 am

M.H wrote: Thu Sep 30, 2021 3:50 am Quick anecdote: I bought a Wampler pedal from a shop in Denmark street a few years back. Guy goes to get the box, which is a bit scuffed. Is really apologetic, almost awkwardly so. I tell him it's fine, it's just the box, who cares, etc etc. Guy sighs, shakes his head and says "most people who shop here".

Is this maybe a result of Reverb making the resell market a bigger deal? I know people have bought/sold on eBay and forums long before Reverb existed, but it seems like Reverb put the market on steroids.

Not really. It was like that before. It's the collectors. It's just that there are way more people into that aspect than there ever where before. The same type that pay way more for vintage toys that were never opened and are still in their original packaging.

I think that this is on the money. I wonder if they line them all up and display them in their boxes in cabinets at home? Hmmm….