HOW MUCH?!?!?!

[karlthebassist]

So I popped into my local store today to pick up a new mic clip thingy for my vocal mic, and was told that they "have some nice Fenders in" and that they could do me 25% off in their sale. Well, I'm not in the market, and would never buy a new bass again now anyway, but I had a look.

There was one Fender. The rest were Squires (nice Squires mind you). The Fender was a MIM Jazz, pretty plain. £659!

SIX-HUNDRED AND FIFTY-NINE POUNDS!

I very nearly LOLed right there and then. Have prices really risen that much on retail? Or was this some serious piss taking?

When I brought my MIM Jazz 3 or so years back, I payed £350 NEW. Blimy.

[Sarah5string]

Basses do seem to be quite expensive at the mo. I bought my Dean last year for £599 and was told that I was buying at a good time as prices were looking like they were going to jump anything up to 25% in 2009...

[Jerry_B]

Can it make tea and magically dispense beer? If not, it sounds a bit pricey.

[gazhowe]

I bought a Geddy Lee sig Jazz approx 18 months ago. I've sold it since but the same shop was selling them for £100 more last week. Possibly the current value of Sterling pushing up the cost of imported instruments?

[neepheid]

Apart from my first bass, I have never bought an instrument in either of our local shops. Prices are high, stock is low and rarely refreshes (one shop has been trying to sell a Gibson Thunderbird since I started seriously playing bass, it seems) and sometimes they can't even get it together to find me a half decent patch cable. I buy all my stuff online or by private transaction. The shops round here suck and apart from depriving me of a cheap laugh (the only cheap thing in there) I probably wouldn't be too bothered if they shut or stopped pretending to sell basses.

[OutToPlayJazz]

It sounds a little over, but with all the price increases & currency collapses during the last 18 months that's how much they are now. The average RRP in a music store for an MIM Fender bass is around £629. That's the point where you buy the Squier and know you're not only getting the better deal but quite often the better bass as well.

Had I not got a scorching deal from Dave at Electro, my Am.Std. Jazz would have been £1179.

Luckily we can still buy them at the internet retailers for a lot less, but there's always the chance that yours will be a dog if you haven't had the chance to inspect/play it first.

Edited January 23, 2010 by OutToPlayJazz

[BassCat]

I would not pay £659 for a MIM Fender! Unless it had a TV in it or something.

[BottomEndian]

[quote name='Sarah5string' post='722040' date='Jan 23 2010, 11:39 AM']Basses do seem to be quite expensive at the mo. I bought my Dean last year for £599 and was told that I was buying at a good time as prices were looking like they were going to jump anything up to 25% in 2009... [/quote]
25% is nothing. The Ibanez BTB I bought (new) early this year for £425 is now £599. That's a 41% jump.

[Conan]

Cool! Maybe you should all save money and buy my two basses!!!

[Thor]

[quote name='neepheid' post='722098' date='Jan 23 2010, 12:39 PM']Prices are high, stock is low and rarely refreshes (one shop has been trying to sell a Gibson Thunderbird since I started seriously playing bass, it seems)[/quote]

I can relate to that! The shop that's most local to me has been trying to sell a Washburn semi-acoustic bass for the last 15 years or so - lovely bass it is too but the problem seems that even if you ask for a deal they don't seem willing to move an inch?! Surely you'd think they'd have some sort of write down policy in place?

If I were to buy it I'd want it restrung since the strings on it are corroded!

[mrcrow]

hello ebay..for the nearly new ones

[Pete Academy]

Unfortunately, the 'recession' forced the prices of musical gear way up. Last year Fender had two price increases.

Blame the economy, not the store.

[Sibob]

I don't know about other companies, but Fender have just put their prices up!

Si

[ash_sak]

I remember trying to buy a Boss loop pedal last year, ordered from Dolphinmusic before christmas.

It didn't arrive till after my birthday, i think it was, in march.

during that time the price rose about 70quid, which prevented me from cancelling the order.

I think 2nd hand is the way to go for most things nowadays, Basschat it.

[Cat Burrito]

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='722269' date='Jan 23 2010, 03:59 PM']Unfortunately, the 'recession' forced the prices of musical gear way up. Last year Fender had two price increases.

Blame the economy, not the store.[/quote]

I agree. At least they are trying to knock the prices down for good customers with the discount offered

[redzombie]

You can pick up a new MIJ Fender for less, I know which I'd much rather have.

[Pete Academy]

The VAT increase doesn't help matters, too.

[4000]

[quote name='BassCat' post='722136' date='Jan 23 2010, 01:18 PM']I would not pay £659 for a MIM Fender! Unless it had a TV in it or something.[/quote]

The best Fender I've ever played (with the possibly exception of a couple of 62/63s) was a MIM. I've never played a US one that has come near it for me.

[retroman]

With the weakening pound, and rising costs of imported basses, perhaps it's time we all bought British. We have some fine luthiers in this country

I'm starting to feel like custom built is the way forward....

[basshead56]

[quote name='Sibob' post='722277' date='Jan 23 2010, 04:10 PM']I don't know about other companies, but Fender have just put their prices up!

Si[/quote]


Was in Pro Musica in Cork this morning and they had just gotten in a Roadwoarn Jazz in S/Burst. Looked lovely.
Then I noticed the price tag 1259euro
There were two American Fenders, one on each side of it (one was a standard P, the other was an S1 Jazz)-both 1100euro.
I asked the guy about the difference-he said the Fender rep told him about another price increase recently and the owner of the store put the tag on it.
that´s crazy money for one of these things-nice as they are, when for less money I could get a new American Standard instrument)

But this place is a bit of a rip-off shack TBH,
They have a Red Aerodyne Strat for 1700euro. Think they were about 850 when they were out first.
So not sure about it being just people like Fender- both manufacturer and retailler are equally responsible these days.
it might be much more difficult for smaller stores to operate these days though, as online instrument sales are crippling them with buying power/low prices and huge distribution networks. Couple that with increasing operational costs of running a brick and mortat premises, wages, overheads and a complete lack of customer loyalty, in this poor (one hopes recovering) economic climate.
Still, there must be a balance somewhere though?

[aznbass]

Has anyone noticed the price of second hand MIM's , no matter what the year going up in price. Is this because the new price of them going up?


I remember paying about £160 or something like that for my old one about a year and a half ago, and when it came to selling it, i was expecting the same, but put it on gumtree and just said open to offers, the first guy came around, and offered me £315. I had an accident in my pants.

D

[doctor_of_the_bass]

[quote name='karlthebassist' post='722038' date='Jan 23 2010, 11:36 AM']So I popped into my local store today to pick up a new mic clip thingy for my vocal mic, and was told that they "have some nice Fenders in" and that they could do me 25% off in their sale. Well, I'm not in the market, and would never buy a new bass again now anyway, but I had a look.

There was one Fender. The rest were Squires (nice Squires mind you). The Fender was a MIM Jazz, pretty plain. £659!

SIX-HUNDRED AND FIFTY-NINE POUNDS!

I very nearly LOLed right there and then. Have prices really risen that much on retail? Or was this some serious piss taking?

When I brought my MIM Jazz 3 or so years back, I payed £350 NEW. Blimy.[/quote]

If you are talking about a certain establishment co-founded by a certain bass player's Dad where said bassist teaches in Lincoln Road then they would never take the p*ss - take it from me, you should know that mate. As Pete A notes, the street prices on Fender have shot through the roof, as have many products. The shop does its very best to match internet prices and given the recent change in ownership, its in a good position!

Cheers

Nick

[Sarah5string]

[quote name='BottomEndian' post='722195' date='Jan 23 2010, 02:35 PM']25% is nothing. The Ibanez BTB I bought (new) early this year for £425 is now £599. That's a 41% jump.[/quote]
jesus wept....

[Pete Academy]

Glad I bought my Roscoe before everything went tits up.

[karlthebassist]

[quote name='doctor_of_the_bass' post='722780' date='Jan 24 2010, 01:22 AM']If you are talking about a certain establishment co-founded by a certain bass player's Dad where said bassist teaches in Lincoln Road then they would never take the p*ss - take it from me, you should know that mate. As Pete A notes, the street prices on Fender have shot through the roof, as have many products. The shop does its very best to match internet prices and given the recent change in ownership, its in a good position!

Cheers

Nick[/quote]

No I didn't mean the shop taking the p*ss, certainly not - I've had some absoloutly cracking deals (and I mean AMAZING) in there in the past, and are a fantastic shop. I worded it a bit badly. I meant is it really costing this much more to produce and ship a bass to the UK for a shop to sell since the worlds economic turn, or have Fender just jumped the prices up using the economy as an excuse to make a few more quid? The mentioned Dean price rise and the Ibanez price rise doesn't seem quite as steep as Fenders.

The new Squire stuff is lovely, and as Rich said, you are in some cases looking at better value instruments compared to the MIM Fenders. How much more expensive could a MIM Fender possibly get befor people just won't buy them any more and get either the cheaper but equally as good Squire, or shell out more for the lovely MIA Fender?