Sticker Shock

Charcoal24

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Joined
Jul 9, 2021
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Location
NJ
Hello Everyone ......New to this site!

Back in 2010 I got bit by the PRS Bug. At one time I had approximately $21,000 in PRS guitars, with only one being purchased used.

2 CU 22
1 CE 24
3 McCarty's - Hollow Body, Trem, Wrap Around
Single cut

Playing mostly "Blues", I went the more traditional route selling off all but one PRS for a Strat, ES339 and two LP's. .

The guitar I kept was a Matteo Blue McCarty wrap around, given to me by my son on Fathers Day (Way better than a tie).

A Few days ago I got the bug again. Way back in the mid 2000's you could by a new PRS (MCarty, CU22, CU24) for around $3,000 and if It wasn't a "10-top" sometimes less.

MY GOD .... Prices are through the roof NOW. Still a nice guitar, I settled on a CE24 in Charcoal. (Wanted a trem and something that looked closer to a more traditional body cut ... Beveled)

Compairing it to my old McCarty, I can see a few skimps that they have done to keep the price down and a Gig Bag that reminds me of the ones that come with the Mexi Fenders. (The deluxe PRS bag is only $20 more!...wish I could have at least gotten that bag?).

I can't remember all the new names PRS tags their guitars, but the cheapest I found inder 4K were a few left over CE22's going for $3,700 .... It was tough back then to pull tne trigger on a 3K guitar ,,,, I just couldn't bring myself to buying any more high end ones.....Bad enough my wife lost her mind when I told her this was 2K! lol
 
We are certainly at a tipping point for prices for US made stuff. Every manufacturer is getting hit by increased costs that have to be passed onto us. I'm scooping up at least one good example of the US made iconic guitars (LP, Strat, CU24, Axis, Petrucci, 335, etc) now because I can't see it being a wise choice to pay more for these going forward. The costs increases in guitars is far outpacing inflation in recent years and it may get much worse as woods get rarer, there are more regulations, etc.
 
We are certainly at a tipping point for prices for US made stuff. Every manufacturer is getting hit by increased costs that have to be passed onto us. I'm scooping up at least one good example of the US made iconic guitars (LP, Strat, CU24, Axis, Petrucci, 335, etc) now because I can't see it being a wise choice to pay more for these going forward. The costs increases in guitars is far outpacing inflation in recent years and it may get much worse as woods get rarer, there are more regulations, etc.

I am not sure how Gibson has kept the LP down to $25oo for the last couple years? Though I have replaced my Les Paul cravings with an Eastman SB59. Hand Made in China….Same woods….Ebony finger board … Duncan pickups and a thousand less then a Gibson. One of the few guitars I don’t get into a metal battle because it’s an import over American.

The ODD thing about PRS was that in the Mid two thousand if you bought a new PRS and decided to sell it you’d loose your shirt. Now even the used pieces are i n the 3K range!
 
Paul uses that same gig bag. It has more padding than an F bag. I use them on all my core guitars. Much better for load in and out at a gig.


I have the older Premium bag (With the 3-tiers of storage)…Yes better than the Fender stock bags but the premium bag isn’t too bulk like Mono or some of the bags that are too close to a case.
 
Yeah, prices are going nuts for almost anything...(Its always ok to look at "used" guitars...but ask lots of ????'s) ...Silly times, indeed!!!


Also, PRS gig bags are great...Many use the older SE bags for any level/tier of guitars they have (Core, SE, etc...).
The older SE bags are VERY well made, and very protective. Guest Musicians were carrying their own guitars around at past experiences in just these bags.
 
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Actually, if you say $3K in the mid 2000’s, a 10-top PRS has gone up in cost only $100-200 after adjusting for inflation. I think the issue is that you haven’t looked at the prices in a long time. Don’t get me wrong, yeah, I would have sticker shock with that difference too, but the price adjustments have been fair.
 
Just for the heck of it, I did a calculation and adjusted the price of a CU24 about 10 years ago to what it would be today, figuring for historical average inflation rate. Matches what the current price of a CU24 is today almost to the dollar.
 
I do not know what you are using as a basis, but a non-10-top CU24 went for around $2,500.00 new in 2011. Ten tops were going for $2,800 to $3,000 in 2011. I paid $3K for a 10-top, one-off CU24 with a quilted maple top in 2011. It was an exceptional guitar. Inflation over the same period was 23%. Three thousand dollars in 2011 is equivalent to $3,690 today. A non-10-top CU24 runs $4,500.00 today. That makes the 2021 price significantly more expensive than the 2011 price. What's crazy is that even Warmoth parts have seen a significant increase in price. I built a couple of Custom-shop quality instruments for less $1K about a decade ago. Today, the same instruments would run double that amount. My salary has not doubled in the last ten years. Only people who are in sales, executive management, or were very junior ten years ago have seen their compensation double.
 
Actually, if you say $3K in the mid 2000’s, a 10-top PRS has gone up in cost only $100-200 after adjusting for inflation. I think the issue is that you haven’t looked at the prices in a long time. Don’t get me wrong, yeah, I would have sticker shock with that difference too, but the price adjustments have been fair.

i think your right on the nose with your observation…. The shock is not paying attention to PRS prices…
 
I do not know what you are using as a basis, but a non-10-top CU24 went for around $2,500.00 new in 2011. Ten tops were going for $2,800 to $3,000 in 2011. I paid $3K for a 10-top, one-off CU24 with a quilted maple top in 2011. It was an exceptional guitar. Inflation over the same period was 23%. Three thousand dollars in 2011 is equivalent to $3,690 today. A non-10-top CU24 runs $4,500.00 today. That makes the 2021 price significantly more expensive than the 2011 price. What's crazy is that even Warmoth parts have seen a significant increase in price. I built a couple of Custom-shop quality instruments for less $1K about a decade ago. Today, the same instruments would run double that amount. My salary has not doubled in the last ten years. Only people who are in sales, executive management, or were very junior ten years ago have seen their compensation double.

Not sure where you are getting your figures from...here's the PRS price list from 2011. Scroll to the second page for the Custom 24. $4379 for the base model and $747 for a 10-top. That's ...um...math. I know it adds up to more than $3000.

https://guitar-compare.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2011_prs_pricelist.pdf
 
Seems like standard inflation to me. Similar to buying a car. I recently purchased a new car. Same brand as I did 7 years ago. Same dealership. This years version i spent thousands more for a lower model compared to what I got 7 years ago.
 
Not sure where you are getting your figures from...here's the PRS price list from 2011. Scroll to the second page for the Custom 24. $4379 for the base model and $747 for a 10-top. That's ...um...math. I know it adds up to more than $3000.

https://guitar-compare.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2011_prs_pricelist.pdf

I am talking about street prices, not list prices. I have never paid list price for any piece of gear in the 45 years that I have played guitar. I paid $1550 for my Mira Korina with birds in early 2010. It had a list price of well over $2K. I paid $3000 for a one-off, 10-top quilt custom 24 with gold hardware in 2011 (I have no idea as to the list price for that instrument because it was one of a kind). Finally, I paid $3,100.00 for a McCarty 58 in 2012 and that guitar is considered to be an artist grade instrument with a list price of over $4K. One cannot acquire an instrument of that quality new for less than a street price of around $5,000 today. I grew up in Anne Arundel County (Annapolis is the county seat in addition to being state capitol) and have known of Paul since my junior year in high school (late seventies). He was the guy who could fix the difficult problems. I have followed PRS pricing since the factory on Virginia Street opened in the mid-eighties. A CU24 sold for around $2500 at Experience 2013. At Experience 2018, they were going for over $4K. PRS guitars have always been expensive. However, there is no denying that the street price of core PRS guitars has outpaced inflation over the last decade. That is why PRS has had to create other Maryland-made tiers. To deny that reality is to deny that our planet is round. The OP was correct in his observation.
 
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Paul uses that same gig bag. It has more padding than an F bag. I use them on all my core guitars. Much better for load in and out at a gig.
the mexican Fender bags are garbage. Practically a sleeve. No protection. The only thing I like about them is the guitar pick zipper. Otherwise every single PRS bag surpasses them with better pockets and padding, including the beyond hideous SE bags. I think PRS should offer the 1 bag only. Make the $99 bag the standard. NOBODY wants a poo colored bag with giant SE written on it.
 
Prices are high… crazy high right now. Used prices have skyrocketed on places like Reverb and Ebay, and even CL has spiked. If I was selling, it’ would be great. I’ve been considering it just for the extra cash it would generate. If I’m buying, it’s a good time to keep my wallet in my pocket.
 
Prices are high… crazy high right now. Used prices have skyrocketed on places like Reverb and Ebay, and even CL has spiked. If I was selling, it’ would be great. I’ve been considering it just for the extra cash it would generate. If I’m buying, it’s a good time to keep my wallet in my pocket.
I’ve had the same thoughts. I don’t need the dough, but when am I ever gonna get more for some of them?
 
the mexican Fender bags are garbage. Practically a sleeve. No protection. The only thing I like about them is the guitar pick zipper. Otherwise every single PRS bag surpasses them with better pockets and padding, including the beyond hideous SE bags. I think PRS should offer the 1 bag only. Make the $99 bag the standard. NOBODY wants a poo colored bag with giant SE written on it.
The $99 bag can be a tight squeeze for some guitars. My S2 Custom 24 barely fits, and the top of the headstock rubs the lining. The guitar stays with me, so I’ll live with that. I’m not worried about resale because I won’t. Other than that it’s a great bag. The hideous SE bags come in colors, so I have my guitar types coded by colors, cloaked in ugliness.
 
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