Anyone here think instruments are about to get real cheap?

[Wisebass]

Hi Mike

There's a live performance BUSINESS?

There is! But Corona is a real game changer!

"Pay to play" will die!

It will become "Pay not to play"!


Wise

 

[BBassBassington]

Over the last 10 years here in Canada prices on gear have doubled. And I mean on basically everything. They never dropped during the 2008 recession either. And I've seen prices on virtually every piece of gear I've looked at go up this year already.

I've bought some stuff this year and.... My Ray5 is now $20 more expensive (though I got a 15% discount on mine because the preamp is screwy but SBMM is sending me a replacement free), the Jackson I bought is supposed to be priced at (or will very soon be) $520 because it's the quilted maple top so I jumped on it while it was priced with the normal basses, my IYV guitar sold out in a day and hasn't come back in stock (I got 30% off this one because it arrived with a dented pickup and was improperly packed/lucky to have survived shipping) and the same is true for my Donner P. However all the Chinese brands have been creeping up in price and I've watched an IYV bass I was considering go from $197 to $213 as it gets a few dollars more expensive each time I see it. A bunch of Squiers have gone from $520 to $590 recently, and L&M has increased prices on basically everything in the last few weeks.

So yeah... prices are going up.

Which is kinda why I went on a spend spree. GAS free for years now (I hope)!

 

[Brad Johnson]

I have no real use for more cheap instruments. I am in the market for a house! The ~2008 era seemed to help out buyers.

If anything, shouldn't China sourced goods be going down in price? Those in a panic mindset, may view current Chinese imports as a potential biological weapon.

Cheaper does not equal cheap.

 

[Thegrandwazoo]

Over here in the UK, the 2008 crash resulted in a depression of prices on the used market that carried on for several years. There were some real bargains to be had.

I'll be damned. Here in the States, at least as I can recall, values of things stayed the same or thereabouts (unless a poor dopehead needed money fast). I was on Dead tour at the time, so I might be mistaken, haha!

 

[Brad Johnson]

Unless you think this is going to turn into a zombie apocalypse, I'm not sure why a temporary situation like the corona virus would drive down instrument prices.

Actually pretty easy to see why. Businesses shut down, people can't work, funds dwindle and need to be replenished. Selling assets is not new and competition for moving those assets along with time constraints can drive the prices down.

People lost their homes and savings in 2008. Removed a lot of bargaining power. This could be worse. This is a pandemic.

 

[Mantis Tobaggan]

Serious buyers market for that right now in LA. I was at a local shop on a Monday and it was packed. Half picking up guns after the 10-day waiting, the other half taking the Firearm Safety Certificate test so they could buy. I didn't see anyone selling. This isn't your typical economic downturn. The other stuff definitely will probably be on the market, particularly since many who have hourly jobs won't be able to work with various shutdowns.

One other note - profiteering SUCKS. Those who are selling masks, TP, and other stuff for insane prices - here's hoping that karma is indeed a b****.

People stocking up on guns could be a bad economic indicator.

 

[Brad Johnson]

I'll be damned. Here in the States, at least as I can recall, values of things stayed the same or thereabouts (unless a poor dopehead needed money fast). I was on Dead tour at the time, so I might be mistaken, haha!

You are.

 

[Brad Johnson]

There's a live performance BUSINESS?

Believe it or not, yeah. For some a thriving one.


The governor in Maryland just shut down any public gatherings of 250 or more people. I played for 1,500 last week. Already had one gig cancelled next week.

 

[juggahnaught]

Didn't read all the replies.

Used gear - maybe. Amps, cabs (especially the big stuff), PA systems, lighting systems, etc.

Actual instruments - probably not; I think those will stay about the same.

I think new gear will get more expensive, though. Not sure about instruments.

 

[LoTone]

The main issue for me is that I have 17 basses in my stable and I was planning to unload a dozen. I might have to hold on to them for longer that I was expecting.

 

[nostatic]

People stocking up on guns could be a bad economic indicator.

Not really an economic indicator - more a panic reaction and in LA, for a population that by and large has not taken disaster preparedness serious and now are scrambling. Some already had 1-2 weeks of supplies in anticipation of an earthquake and resulting civil unrest. Others just kinda hoped it wouldn't happen, now they're hoarding toilet paper.

I've had to do some stocking up but mostly because we bought a house and are still renting so I need to make sure both locations are set up. I started a month or so ago though because I saw the handwriting on the wall, and have been tracking the stories since Dec. I was hoping this would be like previous incidents (like H1N1 a few years back) where it would pop up and then fade but here we are.

The economic damage was exacerbated by senior leadership trying to downplay the severity of the situation and making things worse with a number of stunningly bad decisions. The market will recover as this wasn't like the 2008 crash, but it may take a long time, and some industries will be forever changed.

In the meantime I expect you'll find some deals on gear over the next few months.

One other note - if the administration gets rid of Fauci, we're screwed. He is one of the few people involved who knows what he's doing.

 

[A-Step-Towards]

For instruments ? No. People will make music in the worst of times. Many people are pursuing music as careers, DIY recording , writing songs , forming bands, moving to music oriented cities etc. That’s not gonna stop over a new flu virus.

In 2008 I was a lurker on TB and the new classic vibe squiers and the redesigned American Fenders came out and plenty of people here were buying those.

 

[ole Jason]

Anyone who thinks they're going to be buying a Pedulla or Fodera for $900 are living in a fantasy world.

 

[Standalone]

If you can pay 2019 dollars to an out of work musician for an instrument she or he must sell, you will have good karma.

Deals are great, but let’s be ethical out there.

 

[Brad Johnson]

If you can pay 2019 dollars to an out of work musician for an instrument she or he must sell, you will have good karma.

Deals are great, but let’s be ethical out there.

As a buyer ethics really has little to do with it. You don't set the acceptable price.

 

[nostatic]

That’s not gonna stop over a new flu virus.

It is not a "new flu virus." It is a new corona virus, which is distinct from the influenza family. And that distinction is important.

And actually quite a few things might stop as a result of it - they already are paused. Time will tell...

 

[Standalone]

As a buyer ethics really has little to do with it. You don't set the acceptable price.

I cannot think of one single aspect of my life where ethics do not have standing and relevance.

Maybe you’re new to TB — you’ve not read the phrase “the price is whatever the buyer or market is willing to pay?”

 

[two fingers]

lots of folks may be out of work for a bit. If it comes to it, the market is likely to flood with used basses - not a bad point.

But, in reality I don't see that happening to anything more than a small percent.. maybe 15% more used basses than normal? and only for a few weeks.

I'm a music teacher, not an economics expert, fyi.

I'm right there with you. I'm not an economist either. But I think this whole economy thing will be a short little blip until the numbers of cases come down in a matter of weeks. So, for maybe a couple of months there will be some used deals out there as people who are out of work try to make ends meet. 401Ks will take a couple more months after that to bounce back. By the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year everybody will be back to worrying only about dumb stuff and the economy will be "back".

So, strike while the iron is hot if you're in the market. Don't wait for weeks to pull the trigger if you see a deal. As soon as that seller gets called back into the office, that bass will be gone baby gone from your local Craigslist.

 

[Dynacord]

The governor in Maryland just shut down any public gatherings of 250 or more people. I played for 1,500 last week. Already had one gig cancelled next week.

I'm currently in Poland. Just announced that all gatherings of over 50 people are banned. Only shops allowed to remain open are food stores and pharmacies (and, I believe, gas stations).

 

[bassstrangler]

Not really holding out for anything music related...

... mainly trying to optimize selling the stockpile of TP I've amassed over the weekend.

I hope this is in jest. If not people like you are causing a problem for others.