Why so many NOS guitars out there right now?
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RickP
Established 1960, Still Not Dead
I also recently followed a 2022 Special Semihollow that was about $1000 off. I still wasn’t able to swing the purchase, but someone got a deal. I’m wondering if the pandemic slowed sales in ‘22, then people just bought current models afterwards, prices being essentially the same. Just a guess on my part.
DreamTheaterRules
It's OUR time, Mr. Hand
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There are always "leftover" high end guitars around. I was shocked a couple years ago to see one dealer (which stocks A LOT of high end guitars) having 2 and 3 year old new models still in stock. They were offering big discounts, but IMO, many times when we're willing to spend that much money, we want something specific.
I much prefer sending whatever business I can to the smaller local dealers, but I can't tell you how many times I've been in one and they'd have a nice PRS that I really liked but in a color I wouldn't want or something and it's not like they're a car dealer with 5 more just like that in all different colors. But a big dealer might have 5 of them, and you have a choice of colors, but they stock so many that some will sit for a while.
I much prefer sending whatever business I can to the smaller local dealers, but I can't tell you how many times I've been in one and they'd have a nice PRS that I really liked but in a color I wouldn't want or something and it's not like they're a car dealer with 5 more just like that in all different colors. But a big dealer might have 5 of them, and you have a choice of colors, but they stock so many that some will sit for a while.
SinSir
Mad Scientist
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Short answer is Yes. These things weren't uncommon pre covid.
Stock completely depleted and it's been back for a while. There's also plenty of used gear being and to be unloaded. We had a record numbers of people picking up the guitar during lockdown but one thing stayed the same a small percentage of people stuck with it. As used prices stabilize and new stock increases it's more and more difficult to justify high retail asking prices.
Stock completely depleted and it's been back for a while. There's also plenty of used gear being and to be unloaded. We had a record numbers of people picking up the guitar during lockdown but one thing stayed the same a small percentage of people stuck with it. As used prices stabilize and new stock increases it's more and more difficult to justify high retail asking prices.
DreamTheaterRules
It's OUR time, Mr. Hand
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Sometimes the small guys will have something that just doesn't sell because their buyer pool is so much smaller, less online presence, etc. Might get a real "find" on some sweet NOS stuff this way.
Rod/
Vibrato & String Bender
Yup. That and the fact that many dealers were trying to sell for list price like during the pandemic, and beyond, taking advantage of a greater demand than supply issue. Now the tables are turned, and you have a much greater supply than demand. Couple that with the fact that finally used PRS’s are finally coming down in price and you have an even more exaggerated situation. And just to make it a little worse the list prices of their guitars since 2021 have gone up three times since then, making new stock even higher priced.
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PRS doesn't sell NOS.
All guitar factories proceed with their output of guitars. But the retailer still have full stocks because of reluctant customers. When you have one guitar, every other guitar is a luxury item.
The retailer's intent is stockpile reduction by sales. Unsold guitars are dead capital, and raise the momentum of hesitation to new procurements (in guitar context: Is the contemporary model better than the predecessors?). And retailers want to make their living, too, plus pay all costs in personel, rooms, and other factors.
In one of our music stores there was once a DGT PS on sale. New in store it was advertised for 12½ grands, the time I was in store to compare it was my 513 MT it was already reduced to 8.5 grands. A few months later it was sold for 7.5 grands. I assume it wasn't very cost efficient, but it was sold.
And even the second hand market is a good mirror of high price expectations vs. successful sales. As a seller you need to be tolerant for a lot of discount.
And no one is selling actually the holy grail guitar, that would make high pricings understandable.
All guitar factories proceed with their output of guitars. But the retailer still have full stocks because of reluctant customers. When you have one guitar, every other guitar is a luxury item.
The retailer's intent is stockpile reduction by sales. Unsold guitars are dead capital, and raise the momentum of hesitation to new procurements (in guitar context: Is the contemporary model better than the predecessors?). And retailers want to make their living, too, plus pay all costs in personel, rooms, and other factors.
In one of our music stores there was once a DGT PS on sale. New in store it was advertised for 12½ grands, the time I was in store to compare it was my 513 MT it was already reduced to 8.5 grands. A few months later it was sold for 7.5 grands. I assume it wasn't very cost efficient, but it was sold.
And even the second hand market is a good mirror of high price expectations vs. successful sales. As a seller you need to be tolerant for a lot of discount.
And no one is selling actually the holy grail guitar, that would make high pricings understandable.
MistaSnowman
Play it LOUD!!!
Bought 3 NOS SE Miras (2020, 2021 and a 2023) off Reverb last week and all 3 should arrive by Thursday. I've been looking for light guitars to make my shoulders happy, while playing, and the re-introduction of the Mira checked all my boxes.
Actually, PRS sometimes does sell NOS to their dealers. From time to time they come across older inventory that never shipped for whatever reason, and they offer it to the dealers as NOS. It's a real thing.
In fact, they found some Modern Eagle 1s a few years back that they'd been holding until CITES issues were clarified (I think that was the reason) and sold several of them as NOS.
Herr Squid
I was severely impressed
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They stopped production on them (since it wasn't clear they'd be able to sell them) in 2007 or so. When the mess was finally sorted out, they finished and sold the ones they'd started. So the 2012 MEs have an interesting mix of parts, depending on how complete they were back in 2007. The unicorn IMO is a 2012 ME1 with old (2007) wood, 57/08s, and lampshade knobs. I spotted one on Reverb not long ago but it was too rich for my blood.
I just remembered this morning that the 2x12 Deep Back PRS cab I've been using for quite a few years with my HXDA wasn't my original cab. It was an NOS cab.
I had a matching 1x12 pine cab with matching wood face plate for the HXDA when I got it, but missed having a big-sounding 2x12.
PRS had discontinued their Deep Back quite a while before. No one had one left in stock.
Jack Gretz wound up calling the factory to get whatever 2x12 they had on hand, as I had an ad project going that I wanted a 2x12 cab for. I'd have taken their pine 2x12, but they found, unopened, and never-shipped, the NOS 2x12 I'm now using.
I had it within a few days.
Ya never know with this stuff.
I had a matching 1x12 pine cab with matching wood face plate for the HXDA when I got it, but missed having a big-sounding 2x12.
PRS had discontinued their Deep Back quite a while before. No one had one left in stock.
Jack Gretz wound up calling the factory to get whatever 2x12 they had on hand, as I had an ad project going that I wanted a 2x12 cab for. I'd have taken their pine 2x12, but they found, unopened, and never-shipped, the NOS 2x12 I'm now using.
I had it within a few days.
Ya never know with this stuff.
show_a_little_faith
There's nothing like life
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That's the way you do it!! I applaud your purchasing habits - in fact, (if I'm remembering it right), didn't you start your PRS collection by getting 2 at once?
