| Author | Message | ||
     John Pollard (Squid) Senior Member Username: Squid Post Number: 138 Registered: 09-2003 Posted From: 142.108.148.167 |
Well, maybe the 380L discontinuation isn't such a glum thing after all. I'm really anxious to see and play the new models that will be released in its wake. Will it be a modern hollow-body in a similar vein? I hope so. | ||
| Steve Carsello (Steverok) Junior Member Username: Steverok Post Number: 21 Registered: 03-2005 Posted From: 129.188.33.221 |
Dave wrote : "Very unfair comment, IMHO. It's the first price hike since 1999, a modest one at that, and not across the board." I never looked at their prices until November of 2004, when I got my first. Your basic Ric 330 will now go for over $1500 retail, and $1100 will be about the best price you can get a new one for. An American Strat now goes for $930 on Musician's Friend !! That is insane. Clearly, seeing the quality of the Rickenbacker womrkmanship, in comparison to that of a basic Strat, justifies it, I guess. I mean, it's not going to stop me from buying ANOTHER one. Complaining about inflation is one of my hobbies, must be turning into an old geezer already ... | ||
| paul wilczynski (Jingle_jangle) Senior Member Username: Jingle_jangle Post Number: 1290 Registered: 12-2004 Posted From: 63.193.9.8 |
I think that you can do better than $1100.00 for a new 330-6. Maybe not a whole lot, but $1100.00 is sort of an average price. There is no comparison between belly-button Strats (no matter how "custom-shopped" they may be) and any Rick. | ||
| Stan Castles (Buzfluhart) Senior Member Username: Buzfluhart Post Number: 361 Registered: 06-2004 Posted From: 64.216.32.210 |
As a rule of thumb you can take, as an average, about 70% of the MSRP to get the price, sometimes even a little better. As an example a 330, listed now at around 1500, would go for about 1050. At least this is the experience I've had. | ||
| Dave Westheimer (Dave4004) Senior Member Username: Dave4004 Post Number: 1115 Registered: 06-2002 Posted From: 69.91.31.135 |
Steverok, the 4003 has listed for $1529 since 1999 and there are a number of dealers who sell it in the just-under-$1000 range. It will be no different with the 330 at $1519. There are RIC dealers out there who sell at approximately 35%-37% off list. For that matter, there are Fender dealers who sell for 35% or more off list, but they can't advertise it. A better Strat comparison would be the 620, since it's a solid body. You'll still be able to buy it for about $900 through a number of dealers, and it has deluxe features (binding and inlay) that you don't get on the regular American Series Fenders. Of course that's not Fender's thing anyway, and I couldn't care less about binding and inlays, but the point is, the 620 is competitive with Fender's American Series. And Fender has been going up about 5% per year. | ||
| Steve Carsello (Steverok) Junior Member Username: Steverok Post Number: 22 Registered: 03-2005 Posted From: 136.182.2.222 |
5% growth on guitars, huh? That beats bonds and many other forms of low-risk investment. Maybe I should go buy a bunch of guitars, and put them in a storage unit under A/C for about 10 years. | ||
| paul wilczynski (Jingle_jangle) Senior Member Username: Jingle_jangle Post Number: 1296 Registered: 12-2004 Posted From: 63.193.9.8 |
That's Fender's prices, not the value of stock or so-called "collectible" guitars, both of which are on their own schedules, anyway. The time to invest in guitars was the mid-to-late '70s...Ahhhh..... | ||
| John Pollard (Squid) Senior Member Username: Squid Post Number: 139 Registered: 09-2003 Posted From: 142.108.148.167 |
Not to hijack the thread, but I still think that the interesting part of the announcement is John Hall's follow-up statement regarding new models. I'm really not fazed by the new pricing schedule at all. John, can we coax you into divulging any details? Even some scant details? | ||
| Jeffrey Scott (Jps) Senior Member Username: Jps Post Number: 2704 Registered: 02-2003 Posted From: 66.72.196.10 |
"The price increase was similar in scale to those that our competitors have on an annual basis- except that we haven't done it for six years!" Sounds like my business. Our current price list dates to December 2002, but the previous one was February 1997! | ||
| Howard Bishop (Ozover50) Senior Member Username: Ozover50 Post Number: 440 Registered: 01-2005 Posted From: 203.221.79.128 |
IMHO, for what you get, the value would still be there with another price-hike of the same proportions. To me, a Rick is a Rick and they have always been scarce and relatively expensive in Oz. Just about everybody I talk to goes gooey in the grotto when I tell them I've got two Ricks, including the duds in the music 'supermarkets' who have never seen one! For me, that alone gives them added value!! Just the same, I hope the Aussie dollar stays strong against the US one. |
