tegs07

bone machine - pixies

these boots are made for walkin’ - nancy sinatra

bury - the fall

I would argue that most of it is nostalgia and reaching a point in life where people can finally afford the items they dreamed of owning in their younger years. usually (but not exclusively) middle aged men.

Each year brings a new thread about ‘crazy’ prices of new instruments made in the USA, Canada, Europe etc. Before deciding whether the price of older collectible instruments will correct its probably worth looking at the direction that the new market is headed. It will be interesting to see the price of new Mexican or US Fenders, Ricks and Musicman gear next year. The top end collectible stuff is a different beast. Not so easy to predict. As for everything else. It’s getting more expensive and IMO is just going to keep on doing so.

There probably needs to be a distinction made between rare guitars bought by collectors on the basis of cultural heritage and nostalgia and guitars bought by musicians. I can’t see Status or Warwick for example reaching the kind of stratospheric prices that vintage (and fully original) Fenders have obtained in recent years. The cultural capital or nostalgia is not there for collectors. If there is say a Justin Chancellor effect then maybe so with musicians paying top dollar.

So difficult to predict as vintage and collectible stuff is not really logical. A split screen VW camper is hardly the most practical or refined vehicle to own for example.

Not sure if it’s worth judging tone in isolation. Listen to the latest Cure album for example. Some of Gallup’s bass tones are hideous but work perfectly for the song.

Recessions tend to produce excellent music. Less gentrified, low rent areas can provide affordable living and rehearsal space. Who knows. An economic downturn could create a new generation of gritty musicians rather than glossy pop stars.

Pretty much anything made now that consists of decent quality materials be they wood, cotton, wool etc are starting to cost eye watering sums. This is one reason for the popularity of things like Vinted. I wouldn’t be surprised if Indonesian made instruments made in the last 20 years gain in popularity a little as IMO the low inflation era is pretty much done. Even the cheap production countries like Indonesia, Mexico, China, Vietnam etc are getting more expensive to produce from as commodities and wages increase. Either quality will decline or prices will increase. There are a lot of cheap second hand Indonesian made instruments out there that are very cheap but very good.

There isn’t a correct answer to this question. For less than £150 you can buy an instrument that is more than good enough to enjoy playing. You might find it a little heavier and less refined than say a Yamaha in the £500 range. At the top end of the budget (particularly used) you can buy an instrument that will last a lifetime, hold its value if you give up playing or see you throughout a musical career, even if you become one of the lucky few making a very good living.

this monkey’s gone to heaven - pixies

caterpillar - the cure

maggot brain - funkadelic

hold on - tom waits

It’s encroaching into tech as well, particularly support roles. The concept being AI can suggest fixes based on search terms and historical data. I suspect the reality being frustrated users and even more sluggish productivity.

The getting upset part is mostly down to creatives losing income. It’s happening a lot already in the voice over world.

I am not sure what can be done about this. When the general public would rather watch a second rate YouTuber fight an old man we are probably approaching the point of no return. I vaguely remember something said by Baudrillard about the century closing with the image of someone masturbating to TV static and we are approaching this point.

Or people who want and can afford a CS bass. For much of my life a used Mexican Fender would have been a big purchase requiring a lot of thought. Now it’s something I don’t have to consider in the same way. For others a CS bass would be a similar experience.

I have a Sandberg California which is a slightly different league. I still pick up the Fender more often though…

The thing is though the CV is a really good instrument. My CV P bass is the only bass I regret selling. It took a few basses and finally a Nate Mendel to match/better it.