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Post by dreadnought28 on Apr 16, 2024 4:45:28 GMT
He’s so right that a great guitar makes you want to play and then you play better and then you play even more. In this country there is still a prevailing mentality that pleasure is a waste of money and if you must pursue it keep it as cheap as possible. Over the pond buying a good Martin or Taylor doesn’t raise an eyebrow, over here “how much!!!!”. Anybody who walks in my place and comes out with “you can’t play them all at once” doesn’t stay long.
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Post by dreadnought28 on Mar 7, 2024 1:38:28 GMT
I have a very nice David Oddy mandolin. Great instrument for a bargain price.
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Post by dreadnought28 on Mar 7, 2024 1:32:26 GMT
I'll never understand the reverence for these things. I had one a few years ago, it got binned, bloody useless thing. Much prefer the spring type one I have. I would venture to suggest, Larry, that whilst you might not have enjoyed your 'Shubb experience' there are plenty that find them exactly what is needed. It's not exactly reverence, it's just pleasure in, and loyalty (I guess) to, something that works (for those who like 'em) I got my first Shubb capo back in 1984. Life changing for a gigging musician! Still have it and numerous others. Most definitely not ‘bloody useless’. Just look at the list of users here: shubb.com/artists/
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Post by dreadnought28 on Feb 28, 2024 3:51:41 GMT
Saw her in Glasgow. A picture I took is on her Facebook page .
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Post by dreadnought28 on Feb 28, 2024 3:50:37 GMT
Absolutely superb!
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Post by dreadnought28 on Feb 28, 2024 3:42:57 GMT
If anybody is interested I can order for them
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Post by dreadnought28 on Feb 24, 2024 2:48:07 GMT
I had one. Liked it a lot. Kept it in a safe place and ………..lost it!
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Post by dreadnought28 on Feb 24, 2024 1:24:35 GMT
So, I went over to Forsyth’s today to have a look at the Lowdens on sale. I was particularly interested in the F-34 that was reduced to £3,000 It’s a good hours journey getting into central Manchester so I was less than pleased to be told that, despite the guitar still being for sale on their website, they had sold it “last week”!
I tried a few of the other guitars and initially liked an F23C. Its strings were dead so they offered to change them. Whilst they were doing this I tried an F21 which also needed new strings and very obviously a decent setup. That didn’t move me at all.
When the F23C reappeared I was confidently anticipating bringing it home with me. How wrong I was! The highs were really nice but the lower mids (4th and 5th strings) sounded dull and lifeless. I thought that they had forgotten to change those strings but they had. So it was disappointing visit.
Noticeably the F-34 had already been removed from the website before I left the store.
Not very professional to be frank.
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Post by dreadnought28 on Feb 21, 2024 11:08:12 GMT
I was literally a few minutes later 🙄
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Post by dreadnought28 on Feb 12, 2024 10:46:05 GMT
Tom Sands base price in the high teens I’m told.
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Post by dreadnought28 on Feb 12, 2024 9:55:42 GMT
I was in Forsyth’s on Friday morning. No sign of a sale although a few guitars were reduced. As far as “I remember when” goes, inflation since 1999 runs at 79%. VAT increased from 17.5% to 20% in 2011. Add all that to the price back then and you’re not very far away from the current street (discounted) price of a new 025.
Retail shops, particularly on main shopping streets, like Deansgate, have faced massive financial issues and very tough competition online. Many music shops like Forsyth’s have gone out of business, often because the core business that sustained them, from schools, has virtually disappeared. Bank’s in York and Dean’s in Scarborough (where I bought 7 of the first 8 guitars I owned) come to mind.
As for the comment about Martin guitars, on top of inflation you have to add the collapse in the value of the £ since Brexit. I lived in the USA 97-01, the exchange rate then was around $1.75, compared to $1.25 today. That’s a drop of around one third. Add that to inflation and it’s obvious why prices have risen.
It’s not excessive profiteering, it’s business in the real world.
At the recent Woodstock show I didn’t see a single guitar under $8,500 even from relatively new luthiers. Over here certain luthiers now have stratospheric prices. How many of the guitars they sell go to real guitar players instead of rich collectors is debatable.
I have a lovely little Wee Lowden (WL25) that is a great guitar. In my opinion, the company competes well within the Collings/Santa Cruz market for price. If you haven’t played a Lowden in recent years, I think you might be surprised how they have expanded the range and sound. The Koa x34 range is outstandingly good.
Summarise this as “Reality check required”.
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Post by dreadnought28 on Feb 4, 2024 22:54:25 GMT
yes it is Is that last one suitable for the deering goodtime?
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Post by dreadnought28 on Feb 1, 2024 6:59:36 GMT
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Post by dreadnought28 on Feb 1, 2024 6:56:21 GMT
Apparently a very short illness. Very sad, another one gone.
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Post by dreadnought28 on Feb 1, 2024 6:46:31 GMT
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