Dano-Mosrite

jp_nyc said:
Even if that’s the street price, and not list, it’s $300 less than the Hallmark Mosrite copies.
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Should that be the benchmark? It's still a Dano - is there anything other than "neato body shape" that makes it worth more than $350-400? (and I think that's a stretch, given what those bodies are made of).
 
Depends on what factory made it. MIK guitars are getting pricey so $699 for a small run MIK isn't bad. $699 for a nice MII would be on par with some other brands. If it's from China then fuck it.
 
Man. I missed a few years and ... just: wow.

Am I being awful if I ask what prompted the price jumps? I thought the dollar was strong, market glutted, etc. And I suppose I'll really be labeled a troll if/when I point out Agiles are Korean but don't seem as beholden to that price rise?

I'm sorry I just honestly don't get it. Seems like people like them, so "let's raise the price."
 
Danhedonia said:
Man. I missed a few years and ... just: wow.

Am I being awful if I ask what prompted the price jumps? I thought the dollar was strong, market glutted, etc. And I suppose I'll really be labeled a troll if/when I point out Agiles are Korean but don't seem as beholden to that price rise?

I'm sorry I just honestly don't get it. Seems like people like them, so "let's raise the price."
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Agile is sold by one store that buys them directly from the factory. There's a "you cut out the middleman" thing with them that you either like or don't. Like Carvin.

Think of it this way. Squier has a "better" line now that sells for $300 - $500. Mexican Fenders are $600 - $1000. If the price is too high, buy used.
 
Danhedonia said:
Am I being awful if I ask what prompted the price jumps?
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Rising standards of living in Asia are a big one. Poor Asians don’t aspire to live on rice and cabbage forever. They want 4k TVs and cars and health care just like everyone else. And if you’ve spent years training luthiers to build some of the great stuff that’s coming from Indonesia and South Korea it makes more sense to raise prices than to just let them go.

The guitar industry has changed. Guitar Center went from buying lots of guitars to buying lots of guitars on credit, then to not paying the bills, and now just buys a lot less guitars. Since fewer guitars are being sold they all need to cost more to earn as much money.

Banks and investment firms that own the guitars makers and their debts want their money back. So not only can Fender and Epiphone not crank out cheap guitars on someone else’s dime, they have to give a cut of the sale price away.

And there’s a desire for higher quality from consumers. Brands like PRS, LTD, and Schecter have shown that a great guitar from Asia is worth paying for and still less expensive than guitars made in the USA. Also, I think buyers are getting burned out on the buy-cheap-and-upgrade concept. It seems fun until parts don’t fit, or you’ve had to guy the electronics on the fifth guitar in a row, or something breaks and there’s no warranty.
 
With all due respect, I have a lot of first hand experience with global outsourcing, and will simply disagree that Asian wages and/or standards of living have risen commensurately with the rise in prices.

I have Korean guitars from the 00's that retailed $350-450 and are extremely well-built instruments. Do we really think that same factory worker ... 'luthier' ... is making twice what they did a decade ago? I do not.

It sounds good in a vacuum, but I don't see a huge appreciation in quality nor payouts. What I see is a market that has matured, and importers like Shechter, Reverend, Fender and others realize that they can mark them up more than they used to.

True outsourcing story:
CFO tells corporate management retreat during his presentation "We were, uh, kind of stuck on how to reach our growth goals. Even though you guys have done a great job in sales and we're growing the top line, we needed a little more top line and a little more EBITDA. We thought about our cost structure, but I didn't want to cut service. And those guys in Bangalore are priced pretty nicely. So, uh, I looked at (name of his lieutenant) and asked 'why don't we raise the prices?' So we are. 8 percent." That was a software company - good one, too. Happens all the time.

I'm hopeful we can keep this dialog going - because I'd love to support a Korean maker by buying direct. I have absolutely no need to see the Fender logo on the headstock - we should be in an era where this is possible.
 
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