Like everything else here in America now. Greed and inflation plain and simple. Everyplace along the supply chain people are jacking their prices and jacking each other and blaming things on the economy and elevating prices. If the world wasn't so damn greedy and not always trying to jack each other to maintian a 'certain' profit margin prices could remain affordable and sustainable. Greed kiiled previous dynastys before. The same goes for every other expensive custom or production bass out there. Somebody, somewhere along the chain started yanking the chain, and others followed suit. I think it's a disgrace that we're buying 2-6K (priced) basses made out of $500 worth of parts. Even the prices of parts are jacked. How is a bass custom when everyone is using the same 'standard' in electronics and parts. Go to any custom luthier website and you'll see the same cookie cutter parts in all of their basses. whats special or custom is that 'this jacking has been made especially for you' LOL!!!!! I too am subject to it and guilty of it, especially when I get greedy and just have to have it.
Mostly inflation, actually. Someone already posted the conversion for how much Rickenbackers were back in the old days. They were more expensive then, adjusted for inflation.
