Semi-OT: inflation and gear

[johnchop]

While I haven't been living under a rock, I'm still surprised to see 20%+ increases on newer gear over the past year. 

 

That A88 mk2 I've been considering--once $999--looks less attractive at over $1200.

 

(My main audio interface, purchased four years ago for $450, now retails for $1,400. 😲 )

 

Anyone with a crystal ball out there who can see prices dropping back to last year's MSRP at least?

 

Is anyone getting significant "call for best pricing" deals out there?

 

-John

 

 

[o0Ampy0o]

It isn't just inflation it is a combo of supply chain, Covid recoop, opportunity to grab at whatever $$$$ the market will tolerate. Some people still have lots of money and there is only so much stock to go around. 

[Stokely]

Unfortunately my gut feeling is that things don't tend to go back down.  Or at least I don't remember that happening in the past, perhaps they have.  Once a piece of gear reaches elderly status, sure then sales might start happening.

I haven't bought much new besides a guitar in a while now.  That guitar was on sale, and was about the price a standard strat was a couple/few years ago...but that was more of a gradual creep up, plus Fender did add some features to it.

The recent Nord hikes were what immediately came to mind.  They took me out of the market for a new Nord, no question about it.  I'd be pleasantly surprised if they dropped back down but I've made plans to move on without a Stage 3 at this point.  As noted, there is still a segment of people with plenty of money (just look up stories on how many people increased worth during this pandemic....)

[johnchop]

Sure. Was still a bit surprised to see some of the price jumps, but maybe the relative stability of the past 7 years or so have been the real anomaly.

[Docbop]

Companies look at it as we expect to make $XXX,XXX,XXX,XXX and don't care why sales are off increase prices to get up back making $XXX,XXX,XXX,XXX.    I remember the big boom of the record industry in the 60's-70's and record companies were selling in history highs.   Then there was a slow down and record companies started whining and crying the sky is falling.  Were things bad no,  the market was slowing down from the huge boom.  The record company assumed the boom was the new norm so when gone the prices started go up.     It's plain old corporate greed. 

[o0Ampy0o]

Business is business. Business isn't family, philanthropy, love, peace, Utopia although things like that are teased and part of token gestures to appear "friendlier" to patrons and employees. I think people use the wrong barometer when deciding something is "corporate greed." 

[ProfD]

Inflation might force folks to develop a better appreciation for their current gear  and deeper dive into it.😁😎

[mynameisdanno]

Bucking the trend, I gotta say the Kawai ES110 is a steal at the current widespread $699 price drop.  I know it's mostly about blowing them out since the ES120 is around the corner, but that suits my purposes just fine – I just picked up another one, just because I love the action and I need something with 5-pin MIDI, which the ES120 loses.

 

I just sold a couple of Nord Stage 2's to fund a new Stage 3 (finally taking the plunge), and through a combo of inflation and the Nord's legendary slow depreciation, I sold them both easily for a couple hundred bucks more than what I paid for them (also used, 2-3 years ago).  Funds from the two of them will barely cover the purchase of the new Stage 3, but only because I'm treating myself to a brand new one, which I've only done twice with Nords.

[KuruPrionz]

16 hours ago, o0Ampy0o said:

Business is business. Business isn't family, philanthropy, love, peace, Utopia although things like that are teased and part of token gestures to appear "friendlier" to patrons and employees. I think people use the wrong barometer when deciding something is "corporate greed." 

Yep, and as new production techniques become the standard, the manufacturer is having to invest in expensive equipment. 

I worked in aerospace and the company was paying approximately $1,600 per for a couple of prototypes - small hardware items used in airplane seats. 

To stop paying so much per prototype, they purchased a 3d printer in 2014 for $110,000. Considering that they prototyped maybe 20 designs annually it would take quite a few years before they saw any benefit (you have to include cost of materials, potential service costs and the fact that a 4 year old 3d printer is obselete and heavily depreciated). 

 

There's a fair bit of "damned if you do, damned if you don't" in that equation. I ran the 3d printer and the first time we fired it up it generated a foul, chemical aroma at a heavy level of air pollution. We brought the head of maintenance over, he smelled it and got started immediately on a much more efficient ventilation system. 

An unanticipated cost, probably took the break even point up a year or more. 

 

One of the big upsides was instead of waiting six weeks for a machined part, they could have that part for testing the next day. Truly a mixed bag.

Corporate greed or the cost of doing business? 

 

We will be seeing more robots operating 3d printers in the future. The consistency is good, the abilty to run 24/7 without much of a human crew (wages are one of the only "controlables") BUT a very expensive investment must be made and if it isn't, your company runs the risk of being left behind. 

 

Prices go up because costs go up too. It's not the only reason but it is a significant factor, bearing in mind that a company's suppliers are going through the same thing and raising their prices too, just to stay in business. You can't run at a deficit or disadvantage for long and survive. 

So it goes...

[mynameisdanno]

The price hikes that have been cracking me up the most during COVID are keyboard stands.  The On-Stage KS7150 for example, looking at email receipts:

 

2013: $50

2017: $80

2018: $83

2021: $130 (a demo deal!)

Today: $145

 

It makes some sense that something this low-tech, commodity-driven in terms of the required raw materials, and shipping-intensive would be impacted the most in the current environment.  But all of a sudden my tendency of many years to buy keyboard stands at the drop of a hat and litter them around my musical life like iPhone chargers feels smart.