tegs07

Seems appropriate:

Nope, just another hurdle that companies like Thomann have to overcome. Brexit is frequently mentioned but is just one factor at play.

But I would hazard guess that the majority of the goods it sells originate in the Far East and ship via Suez are the Red Sea. Supply chains are so vulnerable to disruption now. Covid and more recently geopolitical factors are causing chaos with these businesses models.

I have found that the quality of goods and services has steadily declined in proportion to their price. Time for a rethink.

Who knows. Maybe globalisation is reversing and people will need to get used to buying fewer (and in many cases better quality) things? Edit: How Harley Benton continues with such rock bottom prices is a mystery. I guess no licensing deals, little in the way of bricks and mortar for sale and distribution and some very slick workflows to allow volume sales at low margins. Even so.

There are some exceptions but GDP and salaries are increasing in many East Asian countries. Simultaneously there are some demographic issues (eg China) where the workforce is aging. Labour is getting more expensive, particularly skilled labour.

grinderman - grinderman

If a company’s profit increases yes otherwise no. If profits decrease as costs increase then they have to charge more or lose staff. You can’t just say that workers value increases because the price of things their company sells increases. We are seeing prices increase (but this is finite) at the same time as the cost of production is increasing (materials, energy, rents, labour). Companies can do this for some time, but if profits fall and costs continue to rise then ultimately people lose their jobs. Of course workers have value but that value is dependent upon productivity and profitability and not on the price of the product sold. That’s not backwards thinking. Profit is the gap between what something costs to produce and what you can sell it for. Whether this is food, a table or a gig at the dog and duck.

I must have missed something. You just said as the cost of things rise so does the value of your labour? Sadly not. Your labour is a cost rather than a value. If you come up with a process that makes yourself more efficient so you can produce more or cheaper then yes your value increases but until then it’s a fixed cost leading to no increase in value.

Who said it was fair? Workers will obviously push for pay increases as they are getting poorer but if their employers are not selling more then they either need to raise their prices or sack workers. We have seen the rise in prices and are starting to see the rise in workers being laid off.

Small issue that when labour costs rise without an accompanying rise in GDP you end up with stagflation. Costs go up as productivity goes down. It’s a nasty spiral. Next thing you know is everyone is on strike, businesses are shedding staff and numerous threads appear on bass chat about the ludicrous cost of basses.

away from the numbers - the jam

8 days a week - some Liverpudlian one hit wonders

friday (i’m in love) - the cure

Good points. I think there are some differences between serious collectors and vintage instruments though. Serious collectors that pay £60K plus on an instrument as an “investment” are not regular joes who have to worry about whether to put the money into pensions or pay off the mortgage. I would hazard a guess that if they didn’t “invest” in the instrument the surplus income would be absorbed elsewhere in suits, cars, watches or up their nostrils! Vintage is largely based around nostalgia and heart. There is no logic to it really and life is short so if you have the cash and it brings joy a few grand to buy something you always dreamed of owning in your youth may well be worth the “investment”. The final investment is knowing that cash in the bank is being depleted at 5% a year (down from 10%) which is a huge chunk lost in 3/4 years. I had a few grand spare. Not serious cash but not enough to invest really and I knew it would do little in the bank so bought a few used basses. I’ve enjoyed them, they have increased in value a modest amount but I couldn’t buy them new now and the money would have done nothing in the bank.

Someone has just reduced a Fender mex P to £370 on BC. So a mexican Fender for the price of a CV not bad.

Truthfully £500 even new would get a really decent workhorse bass that would be suitable for any gig (even with all the effects of inflation) in the used market I could find a bass, amp and effects peddle. I’m not sure if I could have done the same in the 80’s certainly not for the same quality. Definitely not in as n afternoon from the comfort of my sofa!

Rickenbacker 4003 They look uncomfortable and slightly ridiculous but for some reason I want one.

mmm i think wages and rents may have more of an impact than resting on laurels. Lets see what happens next as geopolitics, cost of fuel and demographic changes in China start to have an impact on the price of imported goods.

There are some used bargains out there. Even in the fashionable brands if you’re not too preoccupied with country of manufacture…

It’s worth remembering that 1980 was 43 years ago. Without getting onto my favourite topic we have lived through an era of extraordinary low interest rates for many reasons. That time is over. What is happening is not just limited to instruments. Costs are increasing and the days of cheap money look to be over. 1980 until now was historically an anomaly. I can’t see a change in the short to medium term.

And this is the real problem. Fender already designed a couple of iconic basses that did the HH admirably in the form of the L2000 and Stingray. I quite liked the Dimension but would opt for either a P or J from Fender or a Ray (MM or Sterling).