UK Guitar prices!

richard1973 · #1 01-14-2009, 08:20 PM

I just had a quick look around a selection of UK websites out of curiosity to see how much jems, JS's etc have dropped during these credit crunch times.

Thinking there maybe a bargain or two as shops maybe struggling i get to see the complete opposite!

quick summary, could before get jem 7vwh/7vbk for £1400 now they are £1999
JS's used to get them for £1050 now they are £1450
PGM301's gone up to £900+

at this point I stopped looking, i assume its to do with the £ being crap. I'm glad i'm not actually looking to buy a new guitar to add to the collection, but for those who are, hang in there am sure they will drop back down sometime soon!

richard1973 · #2 01-14-2009, 08:36 PM

not to mention the 555's are hitting the £900 mark, youchie!

TheYoungGuitarist · #3 01-14-2009, 08:43 PM

Im happy because I bought a JEM7V for £1300 in early December '08... But I think that now is a time that we need to love what we have lol

Look after your Squiers for now, you'll be stuck with them for a while!

There will be another time in the future when you can buy JEMs for a good price!

richard1973 · #4 01-14-2009, 08:49 PM

nice pirce, i paid 1400 in jan 07, its quite a jump though 600 (and 700 in your case) to 2000, i mean they were over priced compared to other countries to begin with!

markg5150 · #5 01-15-2009, 04:42 AM

Its all down to exhange rate. A year ago £1=Y215, now £1=Y130

My purchase is on hold

Jaden · #6 01-15-2009, 05:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markg5150

Its all down to exhange rate. A year ago £1=Y215, now £1=Y130

My purchase is on hold

exactly, credit crunch does not mean that prices are going to drop.
ibanez spares have also gone up by a signigicant percentage.

socratys · #7 01-15-2009, 05:55 AM

During the guitarvillage sale at the end of august I got quoted £520 for an RG2550 and £1399 for a 7vwh, now they have them marked up at £899 and £1999 respectively!!!

rob777vdy · #8 01-15-2009, 05:58 AM

theres a shop in newcastle (north east uk) guitar guitar.they have a 7vwh.its been in the shop a good 7-8 years £1699,i was in there one day and said to one of the staff,hey mate you can get 7vwh for £1100 off the internet.he went away had a look on his computer then came back and said ok you can have it for £1100.pays to haggle,im finished with buying guitars ive got my 777vbk and my rg2550z which is getting customized very soon,once thats done im not buying anything else.

richard1973 · #9 01-15-2009, 08:31 AM

theres a shop in Middlesbrough that has a 7vwh for £1399, well last time i checked last summer time, but it had been in there for ages, be interesting to see what its set to now, unless its been sold since then.

TheYoungGuitarist · #10 01-15-2009, 01:20 PM

What annoys me is when shops have a JEM for people to play with and try before buying, but that's the only one they have. There is a shop in Portsmouth that have had a JEM for a year or two and it just isnt new anymore. The strings were rusty and there was crust all over the fretboard. What's worse is that they were charging £1600 for it! Im glad I know a fair bit about guitars and prices ;o)

Passion_and_Warfare · #11 01-15-2009, 02:04 PM

Just had a look at the RG2610 in GuitarGuitar and the price is nearly £1000!!!!!!

richard1973 · #12 01-15-2009, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheYoungGuitarist

What annoys me is when shops have a JEM for people to play with and try before buying, but that's the only one they have. There is a shop in Portsmouth that have had a JEM for a year or two and it just isnt new anymore. The strings were rusty and there was crust all over the fretboard. What's worse is that they were charging £1600 for it! Im glad I know a fair bit about guitars and prices ;o)

that annoys me too, how can they sell it as new when loads of people have played on it, especially over a long peroid of time when its no doubt collected dings n scratches

Cathedral · #13 01-15-2009, 03:42 PM

It should be easier to talk them down to a better bargain price if you point out any dings and scratches. Although in the end it all comes to down to the kind of people you're dealing with. The guys in my local music shop are really solid, they try to do the best deal they can for you and if you know what you're talking about and get on well with them, they'll give the best service they can in order to ensure you keep coming back. Building up a good relationship with the customer ensures they'll come back in the future and maybe spread the word.
The shops in Denmark Street though, they don't seem to care. I almost bought a 1527 there about a year ago, but I didn't have a very good experience in any of the shops there. Most didn't have one and tried to convince me to pick up a different guitar, one chap even tried to convince me on settling on another six string, even though I was seeking out a 1527 because I was explicitly looking to move into seven string territory. When I did find one, it was in a poor state. Lots of scratches, the odd ding, very dirty fretboard (which is saying something if you can notice that much dirt on a rosewood board) and I assume it had been there a while. They wouldn't budge on the price, not one bit and were very short with me. :<

As for the current state of Ibby prices in the UK. Its quite shocking, I guess due to the low value of sterling at the moment. For example, GAK are selling an RG1570 for £738 now, that's £338 up from what I paid for one from them two years ago, the 1527 is in the £800 region, so I'm no longer in a position to even consider it, which is a shame as the new white version with maple board will be out soon and I don't even know if its hitting the UK market and for how long. £1999 for a JEM, well that made me sit here in stunned silence for a while.

Look on the bright side, while we'll have to find new and unique ways to cope with GAS for a while it'll give us more time to appreciate our gear even more... or drive us crazy. That said, the sterling is started to gain in value again. Slowly, very slowly, but its crawling back. Things always get worse before they get better, but I doubt this current price hike is a permanent thing.

Patience is a virtue lads!

richard1973 · #14 01-15-2009, 03:56 PM

yeah yer right cathedral, the price as it is wont last, just a question of beign patient.

my last post i was at work and in a rush so didnt have time be more lengthy. but yeah i bought a pedal once when i was a teen and it clearly wasnt brand new, the box was duffed up and worn to bits, there was scratches on the pedal from wear. I looked at the guy puzzled and went 'this is new?' he goes oh yeah yeah its new just been used in shop as a test once (the word boll*cks came to mind). Only bought it coz no where else to get it at the time (no net back then). But ever since then never bought a thing from them.

Thing is in shops when people test guitars, especially metalheads (and every other genre of alts) loads have metal braclets or zips on jackets etc, and not everyone is careful so scratches will be all other them. Its not surprising some shops are like 'dont touch' or have them locked up. In one way its good to keep them in good condition, in another way its not good as you cant freely test them.

Its hard for shop owners i'd imagine, let them be tested at their peril as they may have to reduce due to damage, but testing gives the customer more want to purchase and makes the shopping enjoyable. tough call!

richard1973 · #15 01-15-2009, 04:01 PM

speaking of which, found this:

RG1570 Ibanez Prestige SHOP DAMAGED
This guitar is ex-shop display and was slightly damaged in an unfortunate incident.
£399