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polara

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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/08/style/guitar-sales-fender-gibson.html?action=click&module=Editors Picks&pgtype=Homepage

“I’ve been in the instrument retail business for 25-plus years and I’ve never seen anything like it,” Brendan Murphy, a senior salesman at Sweetwater, an online retailer of guitars and other instruments, wrote in an email in July. “It feels like every day is black Friday.”

Other online retailers were reporting the same thing in the spring and into summer. Despite having to close 293 of its 296 giant retail showrooms in March and April because of the coronavirus, Guitar Center was soon seeing triple-digit sales growth for most top guitar brands on the website, according to Michael Doyle, the company’s senior vice president of guitar merchandising.

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One small builder/mfr. I know told me he thought the shut-in nature of the plague (my term, not his) would kibosh his sales but the opposite happened. He says he's been busier than ever, and still is. Apparently consumers seem to want to splurge (out of boredom?)  if they're confined or have limited mobility. Probably happened with other products besides guitars, for that matter...although our household hasn't purchased any big-ticket, optional items this year. Haven't replaced any requisite big-ticket item (appliances, etc.), for that matter but hopefully things will loosen up by next spring on accounta we wanna have some landscaping done.

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I'm not surprised,  I sold a few guitars early on and they went pretty fast... a couple camera lenses too.    Seems like guitars are

therapeutic,  and people were reaching out for that kind of stuff during times of uncertainty...        

 

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As usual I'm running counter to the trend. I've been wanting a T-type twang plank for a while now. I've seen a bunch of good buys on Reverb and elsewhere and found I couldn't pull the trigger. My bands can't work, here in the Peoples Democratic Republic of Massachusetts indoor entertainment and dancing is not permitted, so I cannot bring myself to buy anything new. Well. Except for a Positive Grid Spark. That I'm using since its a solo practice tool.

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Wifey don't wanna shag and just nags, and you are locked in with the monster - what's there to do except playing the fiddle?

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Shit. Wish this had come out before I bought 4 new to me Hamers, 2 HEL custom builds and a Charvel CS DK24. Would've made explaining them to the wife SO much easier. :P

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2021  "Largest Guitar Purge in History" 

People I know,  that have lawn care services, or do carpentry work, have told me this has been one of the their biggest years. Everyone with money is home, bored and unsatisfied with everything. 

 

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7 hours ago, bubs_42 said:

2021  "Largest Guitar Purge in History" 

When The Pandemic started, I was half-expecting this year to have a big gear purge, due to the economy tanking and unemployment and all that.  I know, 2020 ain't over yet, and neither is The Pandemic!  Just to be on the safe side, I'm gonna try to save up some 'disposable' funds (is there really such a thing?) for expenditures for 2021 too, just in case.

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15 minutes ago, crunchee said:

When The Pandemic started, I was half-expecting this year to have a big gear purge, due to the economy tanking and unemployment and all that.  I know, 2020 ain't over yet, and neither is The Pandemic!  Just to be on the safe side, I'm gonna try to save up some 'disposable' funds (is there really such a thing?) for expenditures for 2021 too, just in case.

He has been happening, you just have to be on top of things and hit them when they come up. Only thing that has saved me is the fact that I'm not working yet. 

Have you seen my listings? LOL 

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1 hour ago, bubs_42 said:

He has been happening, you just have to be on top of things and hit them when they come up. Only thing that has saved me is the fact that I'm not working yet. 

Have you seen my listings? LOL 

Yes, I've seen your listings, cool gear indeed, GLWTS!  The thing is, I haven't seen very many listings for huge piles (really, not that many items at all) of heavily discounted used gear this year, not like it was in 2009...the key words being "heavily discounted".  Of course, with people being stuck at home or indoors for the most part with not much to do, why should there be, especially after reading what Polara posted here?  This year, it seems to be just individual listings, mainly one or two at a time.  And yes, I'm on a tight budget too!  But I'm still window-shopping for gear, even though window-shopping is about all i can do most of the time.  It don't cost nuthin' to look.

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What a mixed bag......Some folks were in a near panic at first, with some good values offered, with prices dropping further when nobody was prepared to buy. But (IMO) most examples of good gear today (on Reverb and the like) are not priced realistically. All else equal, i would prefer to buy here......And there are some very nice values currently being offered.

I am on the other side of the slope, with more desire to reduce than acquire. I HAVE fallen  to temptation of a couple items thus far in 2020, either because it was something I long wanted (and rarely popped up) OR it was just so well priced that I felt I could buy it and (eventually) pass on the savings to a friend......FWIW, one is a near clone of my long term "numero uno".

I am not actively seeking ANYTHING, but do not mind "monitoring" some sites. I HAVE managed to sell an even dozen in  2020 and may have another 3 or so pending. I would assume some of the buyers were at least partially due to boredom and lack of ability to spend elsewhere on such as travel......A real mixed bag as so many people are struggling, while others seem to have more cash than they know what to do with.....It is not as if a savings account is going to offer much of a return.

If a handful of additional guitars and amps sell, it will not hurt my feelings at all.

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