“The Fender/Gibson target market appears to be the well-to-do Boomer/Gen-Xer who is willing to overpay to imitate their childhood heroes.”
Been hearing that for at least 40 years. Laughing in the face of folks who warned, circa 1980, that vintage Les Pauls were a terrible value and nobody would ever get their money back (because ‘boomers’ would be dying out and nobody else would ever buy an old fashioned guitar like a Les Paul).
I will give my Gibson Les Paul classic to my daughter or one of my two sons. Never would I sell it. I don’t give a rat’s behind what it is worth, it is a great guitar. Great vibration and intonation, just a beautiful instrument.