essexbasscat Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 (edited) I met up with a fellow BC'er yesterday to collect an excellent cab from him (cheers Clarky) and something he said got me thinking, as he unknowingly echoed something I'd been contemplating for quite a while. Has anyone noticed market trends with regards to equipement ? seems that some gear rides an incoming wave of popularity, then slowly begins to sour on the player's pallet, leading to loads of said gear coming up for sale as the tide goes out. Is it marketing alone ? extending the metaphor, that does seem a bit of a shallow explaination. If something performs well, sounds good and does what is asked of it, why is it being sold on so frequently ? There are the old favourites that never really go away (seems Barefaced is here to stay for instance), but other gear just goes in and out of fashion. What say you ? Edited August 3, 2012 by essexbasscat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crez5150 Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 [size=8][b]GAS![/b][/size] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 (edited) +1 to GAS and fashion. In my time on BC there have been countless waves of interest in new brands/models (TC gear, Sue Ryder, lately Gallien-Krueger and Genz amplificatiion, basically whatever the newest class D micro-amp is etc etc) It does mean there are some quite fantastic bits of kit becoming available at bargain prices (eg, Aguilar amps have been coming up here at great prices and Stingray prices have nose-dived with several changing hands at a previous-unthinkable c£600) PS, glad you like the cab Tom Edited August 3, 2012 by Clarky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyfisher Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 Some people are always looking for something new. Something new comes out, they buy it, they rave about it, so other people buy it and rave about it. Gradually it dawns on people that the new thing is not such the revolutionary breakthrough they first thought, but they don't like to admit it. Besides, by then there is another new 'best thing ever' to try out. And so the GAS perpetuates itself. Meanwhile, in a parallel universe, others successfully 'plod along' using age-old Fender Ps & Js etc and just concentrate on the music. Ridiculous, of course, but there we are. I've even heard it said that there's some guy from Liverpool who still uses a cheap old bass that was all he could afford as a teenager. If only he'd later bought something decent it wouldn't have held him back so much. Such a waste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norm Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 A kiddie from a band who were supporting us t'other day said to our guitarist, as he set up his shiny Blackstar half stack & dean guitar infront of our blokes battered old Laney combo & tatty squier strat (albeit an early American built one) "you make do with that old amp & copy, do you?" I'll let you guess who had the better sound & didn't spend the entire set fiddlin, a twiddling, squatting down listening & grimacing?!?!? ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlfer Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 [quote name='Norm' timestamp='1343990508' post='1758236'] A kiddie from a band who were supporting us t'other day said to our guitarist, as he set up his shiny Blackstar half stack & dean guitar infront of our blokes battered old Laney combo & tatty squier strat (albeit an early American built one) "you make do with that old amp & copy, do you?" I'll let you guess who had the better sound & didn't spend the entire set fiddlin, a twiddling, squatting down listening & grimacing?!?!? ;-) [/quote] Oh boy, is THAT familiar! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pietruszka Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 I have noticed this to. I think part of it is GAS, but some of it surely comes down to need/requirements. For example, more people are living in flats these days than they used to, therefore we don't have the space to store equipment and so 112's and 210's are becoming more common place due to there small footprint. They become 'popular'. We no longer need a 410 and 115 to get 600 watts. Of course, it could just be that engineering, technology and an increased understanding of things has moved speaker technology in a direction of smaller more compact cabs. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_Stu Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 Seen it many times over the years. Kinda like a Venn diagram of rotating circles, but as time goes on there are more circles. At one time it was Fender/Gibson vintage gear > Custom jobs > Japanese. They each had phases of being "essential". None now of them so much, they're all still there, but many have been priced out of the general market. Though when Big Country (IIRC) made Yamaha SGs the one to have I thought it would have lasted longer as a fashion. The added circles now are mostly the vast number of pseudo Fender/Gibsons that are made in the Far East (IMHO) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gust0o Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 GAs/herding, fashion, marketing... Please note, also, that this forum has a very unique dynamic - we'll have trends on here which are not, necessarily, being replicated elsewhere in the market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pietruszka Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 [quote name='Gust0o' timestamp='1343992831' post='1758295'] GAs/herding, fashion, marketing... Please note, also, that this forum has a very unique dynamic - we'll have trends on here which are not, necessarily, being replicated elsewhere in the market. [/quote] Haha! In what sense? That about 90% of the gear goes to other BC users, and ends up back on the forum to other BC users? 214of500 has seen his gear back on here a few times from other BC members. Which he bought off here! It is a good way of vouching for people though! Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 [quote name='Norm' timestamp='1343990508' post='1758236'] A kiddie from a band who were supporting us t'other day said to our guitarist, as he set up his shiny Blackstar half stack & dean guitar infront of our blokes battered old Laney combo & tatty squier strat (albeit an early American built one) "you make do with that old amp & copy, do you?" I'll let you guess who had the better sound & didn't spend the entire set fiddlin, a twiddling, squatting down listening & grimacing?!?!? ;-) [/quote] Now that`s a guess too far, I`ll never get it (sense the sarcasm ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norm Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 Lozz, l'll try & make the next one a bit harder! ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyfisher Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 [quote name='pietruszka' timestamp='1343993710' post='1758314'] Haha! In what sense? That about 90% of the gear goes to other BC users, and ends up back on the forum to other BC users? [/quote] Sounds a bit like a village jumble sale where you end up buying back stuff you've forgotten you ever owned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhysP Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 [quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1343983852' post='1758097'] I've even heard it said that there's some guy from Liverpool who still uses a cheap old bass that was all he could afford as a teenager. [/quote] And it still sounds sh*t to this day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Vader Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 [quote name='Norm' timestamp='1343990508' post='1758236'] A kiddie from a band who were supporting us t'other day said to our guitarist, as he set up his shiny Blackstar half stack & dean guitar infront of our blokes battered old Laney combo & tatty squier strat (albeit an early American built one) "you make do with that old amp & copy, do you?" I'll let you guess who had the better sound & didn't spend the entire set fiddlin, a twiddling, squatting down listening & grimacing?!?!? ;-) [/quote] I have used the time honoured teenage kiddy method of putting stickers on my gear to make them look real in order to stop me havnig to punch these lack-witted twats in the face. But not always... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pietruszka Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 [quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1343994533' post='1758338'] Sounds a bit like a village jumble sale where you end up buying back stuff you've forgotten you ever owned. [/quote] I'll get the bunting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conan Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 The Emperor does changes his clothes rather frequently on this forum... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WHUFC BASS Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 [quote name='essexbasscat' timestamp='1343982383' post='1758050'] Has anyone noticed market trends with regards to equipement ? seems that some gear rides an incoming wave of popularity, then slowly begins to sour on the player's pallet, leading to loads of said gear coming up for sale as the tide goes out. [/quote] All the 80s hair metal guitars such as the Ibanez RG series and Charvels spring to mind. Same goes for Warwicks. Back in the 90s almost every bassist on the box was using one. Now it seems to be Precisions are in vogue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 No. I think that people's tastes change and what you actually look for (on BC for example) changes. Case in point: When I joined BC I was all about EBS and fancy coffee table wood basses and I saw them all over the place because I knew what manufactures made what I liked looking at so I didn't even bother clicking on the MM/Fender based threads. I've sort of gone off that style of bass now so i don't look at them or seek them out as much as before so my brain is saying to me that there are less out there. Which I dont think is necessarily true! I think its all down to what you're exposing yourself to. Truckstop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Vader Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 [quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1344004700' post='1758593'] you're exposing yourself [/quote] before discreet does it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlapbassSteve Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 I've noticed a little collective of Markbass stuff appearing in the for sale section on here all of a sudden. I remember a time when EBS was the in thing, and from what I hear back in the 80's it was all about Trace... bit before my time unfortunately that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 The P bass seems to be king at the moment, and Dingwall is on a high. Vintage stylings seem to be selling well. Markbass is out of favour, but they are damn good. TC have took a nosedive but I love mine...and will continue to. The Gallien amps are doing well...until the next micro amp comes out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyfisher Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 Fly fishermen (a pet subject of mine ) will often ask fellow anglers and ghillies what fly the fish are taking and then use the same one in the expectation of greater success. And guess what? They also catch fish using that particular fly. So when, in turn, they are asked what fly they are catching fish with, they give the same answer. Pretty soon that fly pattern gets a good reputation on that river, so more fishermen fish with it and - surprise, surprise - catch fish with it. Over the years different flies become associated with different rivers and/or at different times and conditions. Famous fishing authors write books about such things, which new flyfishers read and then start following the sage advice being handed out. Lo and behold, they also catch fish with the recommended fly patterns. Occasionally, some maverick flyfisher will write about how he caught some monster or other on a different fly. Whether this is by luck or judgement may never be known but other flyfishers will follow that lead and, of course, will also catch fish with the new pattern. Word spreads and more flyfishers use the new fly and catch more fish. And so on. Find any sport or pastime that involves specialised gear and it will be the same story. Peter WIlson won his double trap shooting gold medal using a Perazzi shotgun . . . . any guesses what that will do to their sales? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 Isn't it common that traditional things become popular in a recession? Hence the surge towards jazzes a few years ago, followed by the current one towards precision basses. I think when I buy gear I've always been in a position to try and find 'the best' I can, and buy something that will last me. My amp/cab are brilliant and won't be sold. (even through I'm unlikely to ever use half of it's power!) It's also one of the makes that don't really get fashionable or not. My P bass ... is one of the best I've ever played- and is irreplaceable I hate to think what finding another bass that plays/sounds like it would cost. And I was lucky in buying a warwick when they were unfashionable- again I bought it with the aim of keeping it- in that sense resale values make little point- if you buy to keep it's more a question of what is the best I can get for this money? I think though that the best stuff around is always going to be the random non fashionable makes, that cost a fair bit when they were released and now nobody wants. Musicman and Rickenbaker however manage to be about the only two companies that make stuff you can't get elsewhere- the resale prices of them are good indicators of the market. If it gets too depressed it gets to the point where folk will just hang onto their basses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 [quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1344007875' post='1758670'] Peter WIlson won his double trap shooting gold medal using a Perazzi shotgun . . . . any guesses what that will do to their sales? [/quote] and wiggins won his on a.... bugger anyone got £20,000 or so spare? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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