Seriously that's not a bad price. The name makes it expensive but it's not that bad. You've got companies like Suhr that charge $4000 for anything and PRS who want a guitar to go from $2800 to $4300 just for a maple cap and the amount of flame or curl in it. Sure they're beautiful and I think they do sound different, but $1500 bucks difference? No way. That's a whole other guitar difference. I think $2800 is expensive, I'm not saying it's not, but as far as compared to the guitar market for high end gutiars it's pretty good.
Just this week I had big PRS GAS, I love the 513's concept and look but when I see a standard with a maple top is $4300 and then I play my RG, or an American standard strat that are sooooooo much less and realize they're not lacking by %200-%400 or in some cases like a private stock or 10 top %600-%1000 behind a PRS, Suhr or whatever. You can spend your money how you like and I'm sure guitars like that are great, but don't tell me you have to.
Then when I see things like the Eric Johnson Strat I think, well I can't buy it, but if it's a heck of a lot better of a deal than a lot of other companies' guitars. I know it's a good guitar.
The JEM too.
I think there is a way to complain about prices in general, gutiars have gotten very expensive over the years for sure. Everything is always increasing in price, inflation is a rampant problem. But if we look in context, there are a lot better things to complain abotu than a $2800 signature strat in the guitar industry.