2004 vs 2024 Guitar Prices - Epiphone, Gibson, Squier, Fender, PRS!
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- čas přidán 18. 01. 2024
- Which companies, adjusted for inflation, increased prices or decreased them? This non-scientific video ponders that question. With modern production techniques and building overseas, some companies have done better than others at keeping prices down.
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5:20. I have a made in mexico player stratocaster, my first electric guitar that I got in November 2019. I paid $679.00 before tax. The fact that it's $800.00 now is ridiculous.
Managed to get an American standard strat in 2006 for £699 UK prices. Buying my second guitar in 2023 was painful 😭
Great video, the quality of guitars and basses should be better on entry models today than ever before because of CNC machines. Making every instrument produced the same became easier and cheaper once the CNC machines were able to handle the demand. This would make production cheaper on the front end.
And yet MIM Fender Player Strats come out of the factory with fret spacing that doesn't match the specs for 25.5" scale length. As a result, they can't intonate properly LOL
Guitar Quackery has a video for proof.
I bought my PRS Custom 24 in 2004 and I seem to recall the "least-blingiest" versions running about $2700 at the time. But that's just from memory, so I could be wrong.
Fender is shooting themselves in the foot by overpricing their Squires, MIM, and Player series. Other brands offer significantly better value guitars at the $600 and under price points. I also believe that once you get over the $600 range, customers don't mind spending 25% more for a superior product (better hardware, finishes, etc) that Fender doesn't offer until the $1,000+ mark.
Fender has also made themselves a non-competitor in the under $500 by overpricing their MIM and Squires. These used to be the "go-to" for beginners, but now there are a plethora of budget guitar companies saturating the market with Indonesian made guitars that are less expensive and "cookie cutter" than the basic Squires.
Yeah, I kinda feel the same way... I do sort of like the Sonic series at $199, which used to be the Bullet series. But I think they should be more competitive with their pricing. They seem to have no problem selling guitars, but it just feels like the Classic Vibe and MIM guitars are a little more money than they need to be. And there are way more competitors.
Great video! Thanks! For most people, squire and MIM fenders are their first electric guitar (most newbies don’t know or have access to other brands), so it makes sense their prices increased. Once one is in the hobby of playing the guitar, they would be more picky with the next guitar, that’s where the other brands compete.
I liked the video. I would argue that the quality of Epiphone and Squier has improved significantly. I own all these as well
I think it's tough with Epiphone, because I feel like their quality over the years was all over the map, but I do like the new stuff. Squier, I think I'd probably agree - an Affinity Strat now (which I just bought) is probablt better than one from 8 years ago.
Great breakdown!
Great video!
Thanks man I can see how all the decisions for each company after 2004 led to this but just another piece to the puzzle, cheers
When saying PRS or Gibson decreased prices, we must consider whether the 2004 price was way inflated to begin with.
Just my opinion, I think my 2023 Squier Classic Vibe Strat, which cost about $450 when I bought it (new), is equal in quality to the 2010 Epiphone Les Paul Custom that I also own, which cost about $750 when it was new. That strat is way better quality than the Squier standard tele that bought back in '07. So I think the price increase has come with an increase in build quality. But alas, even though I think the Squier classic vibe stuff is great, I still plan on selling it and replacing it with a schecter nick johnston sig when the tax return hits. Schecter is just way better quality for the money.
The Squier you’re referencing must be from the Classic Vibe line, and if so, despite the price increase, those guitars are still a great value.
I don’t really know what he was comparing in 2024 as far as Squier Standards. Those haven’t even been made since 2019-the whole Squier Standard Series line of models were discontinued back in 2019-2020. I can only guess he’s comparing a 2004 Squier Standard to either a 2024 Affinity Series or 2024 Classic Vibe but neither of those would really be a very equal or fair comparison.
@@ericb7799 Great point. I was comparing it to a Squier Contemporary, which I felt like was about the closest thing to what a Squier Standard Strat would be. The Standard used to sit between the Affinity and Classic Vibe at a nice price point, but yes, Squier did get rid of it, which I think was stupid. Not everyone wants the thick finish on the CV necks. Most people don't. To be fair, if Squier did make a Standard, we don't know what the price would be, but it might be less than the Contemporary or CV.
Price of sourcing different woods can fluctuate beyond control of guitar manufacturer.
Awesome video idea! Thank you for the effort!
For context, I think it would've been even more helpful if you had gathered data from right before the pandemic as well.
That's a pretty great idea!
Fascinating.
Fenders standard stuff in 2024 is still cheaper than most of Gibsons standards from 2004. That might be part of why they've been raising prices while Gibson has been lowering, they were starting with a much more reasonable profit margin (which I would argue they still maintain over most other major brands), just a thought.
Good point. The Gibson Les Paul Standard is more labor-intensive, but you're paying a lot of money for that binding to be done by hand, and it's purely cosmetic.
I don’t know what you were comparing there as far as 2024 for Squier but Squier Standard Series models were all discontinued back in 2019-2020. There haven’t even been any Squier Standards made since 2019 & they’re definitely not available now in 2024. The new Affinity models since 2021 basically replaced the old Squier Standard Series models but that’s still not really a completely fair comparison to compare a 2004 Squier Standard to either a 2024 Affinity Series or 2024 Classic Vibe.
The current Squier line up as of 2024 only includes Sonic Series (which replaced Bullet Series in 2023), Affinity Series, Contemporary Series, Classic Vibe Series, Artist/Signature series & Paranormal Series. There is no Squier Standard series anymore as of 2019-2020.
Hey! love the video, but I think you might be mistaking the standard 2004 squier line for the 2024 classic vibe, which would be a mistake because the super sonic series is the new standard equivalent. Just wanted to point that out. But thanks for the research and data! very informative.
I used the Squier Contemporary pricing, but yeah, there IS no more Standard model, which I think is a bad thing.
The old Standard and Deluxe strats from Indonesia are at least as good as the CV.
Have them all. The Standard with rosewood fretboard is my no.1
Good thought experiment. There are so many things you can consider or disregard. The thought that came to me was that Fender has raised the price of their used products too. If you spent your money on a Strat in 2004 you can almost break even for owning that guitar for 20 years. Not sure you come out ahead on some of those other brands. Gotta say I do love Gibson's
Fender is really different - instead of just having an overseas version and a USA version, they've got the MIM line. And they increase the prices but increase the features. Makes things interesting. Regardless of pricing, I'm a big Strat fan.
Dude,.I have the Sweetwater website open in another tab,.and the base plain Jane Squire Strats " something called Squire Sonic" are all $199.
The Squire Classic Vibes guitars there for $420, but thats not the modern equivalent of the model you talking about from 2004.
Both Epiphone and Squire carry many more models cross that lower tier price point and its super difficult to compare due to severe MORE models existing now which didnt two decades ago.
Epiphone is also moving upmarket with its American built Casino's and those pricey signature models like Adam Jones, Joe Bonamassa and Green models.
No comments yet?? All I got to say is I've been watching prices on the big 3 brands and I see the same trend in prices. Love my Fenders, Epiphones, and Squires. It's painful to buy one now with inflation.
I bought a Les Paul Standard in 2020 and it cost $2499. It's gone up $600-$800 in the last 2 years.
I’m surprised it only took Gibson four years to get the Les Paul Standard back up to the price of the 2019 Les Paul Standard.
Some of your Gibspn numbers were waayyy off. Les paul Classics are NOT currently 2800. They are 2200. A Standard did not cost 2000 back in 2004 either. I was shopping for a new one that particular year and they were about 1700.
Absolutely correct. I've watched Fender hike things up in $50-$75 increments over quarterly periods and it's sickening. Are thy profiteers or musicians!?
Talking about added features in the Fender line isn't really true. The standard MIM Fender used to come with a gig bag. The price of that is definitely more than the pickups so Fender has really raised prices to a horrible degree!
What a valuable video, and found out that Gibson doing a great job
In 2004, Squires and MIM Strats were the "go-to" budget guitar options when you walked into a shop. In 2024, that is no longer true. Just search "best guitars under $500" and you will see a ton of options. Fender/Squires are still in the top 10, but other options in that list offer more finishes and better hardware in that price point.
I believe Fender upped the pricing on these models because they are wrongly believing they still are the "go-to" budget guitar. As consumers continue to have more and more options, I think Fender's market share of the sub $500 will continue to shrink.
This would make sense if the inflation we are experiencing was real. It is just price gouging, plain and simple. If it were not, then the corporations would not be posting record profits because their manufacturing costs would equal things out.
Interesting. Not what I would have expected. Using multiple models from each brand (for the most part) was a good idea as well.
There is also the question of relative pricing, meaning some companies' "flagship" models are significantly less than other companies' "flagship" models, and whether that equates to being a much better deal, regardless of which prices have gone up more, although obviously that's out of scope here.
At any rate, with all the recent price hikes and inflation, this is certainly a question many of us are curious about. Thanks.
Yeah, I did it for fun, and then afterwards I thought about a lot of ways that this experiment could be done far more scientifically. I just wanted a quick picture.
Great job buddy! BUT!
I think you are a bit lost in translation, because Fender always have had the budget made in USA line that used to be named "Highway 1" in the 2004-2008 and they switched the name to "American Special" which was switched nowdays with the "American Performer" .
So I think you could do your.research a bit better. 😉
Price on the new Squier is way off. You can easily find Affinity series (the standard strat model) below $250.
I think it stings more now due to inflation outpacing wage increases in recent years. Then all other necessities cost even more and leave less disposable income for toys/hobbies.
I sort of agree... I kind of want to compare pre and post Covid prices for these same guitars, now.
I think Yamaha is bigger than any of these companies and has always been one of the best values of any musical instrument company
I would never have guessed that, do you have any Yamaha guitars?
@@XXAbbott one acoustic and 5 basses
Yamaha - always solid instruments!
Love my acoustic ntx1
When I needed a thin acoustic budget guitar, I chose the Yamaha APX600. Great for the money.
Ok
If you did the comparison BUT did it based on where the guitars are made today, you will notice that Asian-made guitars today have gotten incredibly good with quality and manufacturing so US companies can offer them at cheaper prices while increasing quality. Look at Western-made guitars, and the opposite is true. One key example -- take a look at Indonesian-made Schecters. These are phenomenal at their price points.
A $200 Made-in-China Squier is now better-built than a MIM Fender that costs 4 times as much. It's ridiculous.
I bought a Les Paul studio in 2000 $1500. They are $2200 today at the same store
Then that store is trying to take advantage of the fact Gibson has discontinued the Les Paul Studio, because the official price is $1699.
@@charlesbolton8471 I'm in canada
@@Megarobotsquadron
Okay, that makes a difference.
Who woulda thunk? Gibson/Epiphone decreasing prices? :D Thanks for focusing on the data with this video.
I was interested in a Nashville Tele $1,029 but the string spacing was soo horrible I bought 3 Firefly guitars instead 🤦🏻♂️
believe it's Cort who runs the PRS factory.
Why do you own any given guitar?
Is it because you want to play the heck out of it or as an "Investment Vehicle"?
Maybe hoping for some of both?
Nostalgia for one from your past or played by a past hero?
A trophy for your wall?
The guitar I play the most I payed $100 for in a pawn shop about 8 years ago and restored, a 1977 Takamine F400 12 string.
2nd most a Yamaha Revstar RSS02T.
My nostalgia guitar is a 1960's Framus Texan 12 string, identical to the first guitar I bought at 16. Craigslist find and restored.
Whatever your reason and whatever the price of the guitar, it is money well spent on your own happiness and hopefully some of that will convey to those around you in your music. I have inexpensive (different from cheap) guitars and NOT cheap guitars, their price has no bearing on my enjoyment of any given instrument.
These days, the MIM Fenders are unacceptable in build quality and quality control.
Just in the last 2 years, I've seen sharp (and I mean 90° SHARP) fretboard edges, diagonally cut nut slots, fret placement that doesn't match the 25.5" scale length! Absolutely disgraceful to carry Fender's name on the headstock.
Made-in-China Squiers, even the $200 Bullets and Sonics, are WAY better built.
I got a set of chinese alnico v pickups for a partscaster purely because they were so dirt cheap. I'd always been told that alnico was the golden ticket to tone town and ceramic pickups sound like loose nuts and bolts in a blender. I gotta say though, alnico...way overrated. It makes a stratocaster sound dark and lacks the bright presence I've always associated with strats.