Price check

I mean, the topic is kinda done.

But we're also a bunch of stream-of-consciousness thread deraillers in 1st Gen too

 

#vintage #barnfind #numbers matching #custom #survivor #rare

the only cure for low-T, your wife and friends wont make fun of you for having a hybrid anymore.

$100k firm. I know what i got.

 

Meh, the last piece of bed side moulding is crooked, the headlights are foggy and aren't blacked out. I'll give you $3,200.

 

My husband and I had a good chuckle over that. His 4.7 gets worse than my 5.7, he was like ‘better mileage, on what planet?’

 

$3,201..

 

If I ever list my truck it's going up for $10k.

 

At least! And mine has authentic battle (deer) damage.

 

Rarely do you see “Guitar Denter” and
“Absurd deal” mentioned together.

Guitars are a whole different ballgame - or snuggling musical really. Keep in mind MSRP, MAP and Street Price are 3 VERY different things - especially on Gibson/Fender.

Usually it goes something like this:

Gibson USA LP Standard

MSRP $7899 (suggested retail - the price no one ever paid)

MAP - $3999 (minimum advertised price - the price Guitar Center/Sam Ash hang on their tags)

Street - something like 3200 (price you pay at a local music store. They can’t “advertise” this price - but price they will accept for s cash deal).

Keep in mind a lot of this goes back to the old way of doing business and the markup on music gear. Traditionally - mom and pop shops ruled the retail landscape. They sold 20 or 30 guitars a year maybe, offered lessons and rentals and employed maybe 1 other person aside from the owner. They had high overhead and a lot of “financially challenged” customers - so they really did need to make a 50% markup to keep the lights on.

When GC and other big box retailers came onto the scene along with the internet - these places realized their days were numbered as those big margins would be slashed. On top of that - the quality of Japanese (and now Mexican and Korea build instruments) and their lower cost (and profits) threatened to kill the cash cow for everyone. So the big names stepped in and started the MAP program along with pushing inflated prices for their “custom shop” stuff:

It amazes me the number of Squires and stuff I see with a fender water decal applied being passed off as “USA Standards” by people - and the associated price asked. I gave up trying to educate the uneducated there - too many idiots calling me clueless or saying I was trying to “lowball” (sorry - if I was lowballing - don’t I have to OFFER you something ?!?) - ditto fake knives - the Pakistan crap is so bad - and so many places trying to pass it off with a story it’s comical.

 

I had a 2005 4x4 Crew TRD with 182k miles, BFGs Snug top, upgraded bluetooth stereo and speakers, racks, leather and in very good condition with new valve seals, radiator, water pump, computer and O2 sensors, and when I was hit head on, 4 weeks ago, my insurance gave me 17k as a total loss for it. So...

 

First off, sorry about your loss. Second, hope you're alright, I've been in about 5 accidents now of all types, and still carry around aches and pains that didn't rear their ugly head until a few years later on two of them, leaving me feeling like I should have been better about pushing for a small settlement for future issues. Hindsight 20/20. I take it you didn't buyout on the truck to convert to an off-road only rig or something?

 

Gist is, three (four?) black fridays ago, for some reason or another, GC was doing 30-40% off all Gretsch gear. None of the other online retailers were doing it, and I have no idea why. I didn't pull the trigger, thinking "Aw hell, they'll do it next year, this HAS to be a thing!" but ... they didn't. And it hasn't come back since. I check every year now on black friday and cyber monday. Nothing.

I ran into a guy while buying something off CL about 3-4 weeks ago and he manages inventory for Gretsch, but on the drums and skins side. I meant to ask him about this. I feel like I faintly recall something about Gretsch moving their product somewhere within the last half decade. Maybe it was just an effort to clear inventory? Dunno. Got what I wanted though, so doesn't matter now.

MSRP was the wrong word to use in my case, seeing what you wrote. Price I listed as "MSRP" was the price every brick & mortar music store in town, and online, and even Reverb (for new gear) was generally advertising. I doubt it was the "MAP" either, because I saw enough stores definitely dropping below the numbers here and there by 3-5% at any given time. But definitely hear you.