Interested in your opinion on current price inflation

[Frank McNerney]

I am assuming that the current sellers market for used PRS is mainly due to the pandemic And That it will come down rather quickly once we are back to normal - or something that reminds us a little of normal

What do you think ?

Are the current prices here to stay ?
When do you think they might drop and how much ?

I know no one knows but maybe a solid, knowledgeable opinion or two can help me avoid a bad choice

Thanks

 

[RallyFanatic]

Impossible to say. Also depends on what you’re after, places like Dave’s still have excellent used prices on SE’s.

Maybe in the summer when all those new players begin going outside and losing interest it will make more supply than demand? My gut says it’ll be a sellers market for a while which is fine by me, I just sold a 2 year old Jazzmaster for what I paid for it.

 

[veinbuster]

A couple of things will bring prices down:
1) Manufacturers catching up to backlogs, making more new options available
2) people being able to spend money on thing they used to do again, like take vacations, which will reduce the demand

I don’t expect prices to drop especially fast. They will more likely drift back down to a normal level, relative to whatever new prices become.

 

[Maxime Bousquet]

on peut le voir partout, tout est plus cher, maison, épiceries, .. tout! malheureusement, notre passion pour les guitares ne fait pas exception. Personnellement, je pense que les prix vont baisser mais pas de sitôt.

 

[Kiwi]

J'ai tendance à être d'accord avec notre distingué membre qui parle francais. Quand les choses redeviennent normales, les prix redeviendront normaux.

=K

 

[jxe]

democracy and mayonnaise, what’s not to like?

 

[Josh W.]

I’ve heard it’s a sellers market but I’ve got a CE24 up for sale a few places and all I’ve gotten so far are ridiculously low offers and absurd trade offers.

 

[RickP]

Asking prices are pretty crazy, but I’ve seen a lot of them on Reverb for months with no movement, so it appears some things are selling high, some aren’t. I’d guess it’ll come back down some in the future, but maybe not to where it once was. No one really knows, and only time will tell the tale.

Good if you’re selling, I suppose. It’s gotten so silly, I have quit looking for now.

 

[jxe]

I’ve heard it’s a sellers market but I’ve got a CE24 up for sale a few places and all I’ve gotten so far are ridiculously low offers and absurd trade offers.

what color?

 

[Josh W.]

what color?

Amber

 

[CandidPicker]

Yes, it's a seller's market, and not as many are buying at higher prices. Many play the waiting game, hoping the seller will offer a price drop. One rule of thumb I try to live by is, never offer your guitar for less than what the GC used market is for a comparable condition guitar. GC typically sells used gear at 60 to 70% of new MAP retail price.

That being said, I've cornered the market on a used S2 SC Standard Antique White Gloss. Plenty of views on eBay, slightly more than the count of my fingers in watchers. The lowest price for a PRS gloss on eBay PLUS PRS S2 gig bag, with calculated shipping. Most all other sellers have flat fee shipping of upwards of $50 or more.

AND, I'm accepting reasonable offers. One question, two lowball offers. Have at thee, potential buyers!

 

[Tonart]

I do have an opinion about private stock guitars though. Paul is 65 years old. When he does retire one day, there will be 10,000 or so PS guitars that were not only signed, but personally play tested and inspected by the equivalent of Leo Fender for the Strat, or Les Paul for the uh...Les Paul. Hmm go figure...

 

[Tosca]

I do have an opinion about private stock guitars though. Paul is 65 years old. When he does retire one day, there will be 10,000 or so PS guitars that were not only signed, but personally play tested and inspected by what would be Leo Fender for the Strat, or Les Paul for the uh...Les Paul. Hmm go figure...

...or, as in your case, a few of Paul’s own personal guitars.

 

[Serious Poo]

IMHO things like astronomy, chess, music and woodworking seem to be experiencing a sort of renaissance right now. It’s been really interesting to watch. However, that means that supply & demand pressures are causing price inflation for the most desirable items used in those hobbies.

 

[11top]

Part of what is driving the cost of high-end instruments is the availability and cost of figured and exotic woods due to scarcity and Cites. The cost of 5A quilted maple is through the roof. An exceptional quilted maple billet can run $700+. And that’s when you can find it. And Brazilian rosewood neck blanks? I’m hanging on to my ME1s.

I spent around $200 for several quilt billets like this one some years ago, and remember thinking is was way expensive. Everything is relative.

 

[László]

My crystal ball must be defective! It never seems to predict the future accurately. I'm so discouraged.

If anyone has a line on a reputable crystal ball maker who will guarantee results, please post a link.

 

[tiboy]

On Monday I can reliably predict what will happen on Tuesday as long as you don’t expect an answer before Wednesday.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

My crystal ball must be defective! It never seems to predict the future accurately. I'm so discouraged.

If anyone has a line on a reputable crystal ball maker who will guarantee results, please post a link.

For real. Remember when this all started and piles of people predicted there would be fire sales on guitars?

But yeah, prices now are dumb, but awesome at the same time. You shouldn’t be able to buy a HB Spruce or a Custom 22 for $1500, or Standards for $1000-.

I stay away from the auction sites now.... too tempting to cash out on some sucker.

 

[Ovibos]

I just sold a 2014 SE Custom 24 for $549+$50shipping. Upgrades were Grover locking tuners, core nut, old-style Schaller strap locks. Definitely more than it woulda fetched before - in fact, when someone paid full listing price I kicked myself for not listing it higher!

 

[CandidPicker]

My crystal ball must be defective! It never seems to predict the future accurately. I'm so discouraged.

If anyone has a line on a reputable crystal ball maker who will guarantee results, please post a link.

I could, Les, but it would get me banned. That being said, in contrast to the usual gloom and doom predictions, I personally have a hope for a very positive, bright future.

Discouragement is temporary. You just need endure the "hurt" a little while until things improve.