Posted on 02/02/2026 6:16:47 AM PST by LouAvul
I browse various classifieds and see more and more ads for people selling their guitars. And the same guitars seem to languish on the market.
With the evolution of techno music, Eddie Van Halen and Angus Young guitar licks don't seem to be instant crowd pleasers/chick magnets like the old days.
Or, am I just out of touch?
Turn Around, Look at Me--Glen Campbell (1961)
Did I ask if you watched ‘standing in the shadows of motown’ about the funk brothers? Also good history. If you appreciate music. The arrangement for Papa Was A Rolling Stone is awesome.
The surge in production was epic, and since the lockdowns ended, all those "extra" little-used guitars have saturated the market.
Mark from Gary's Guitars describes the "Guitar Apocalypse":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIZ-tyG9npg
The ads are popping up all because people can't sell them back to stores because those shops are already sitting on a backlog of them. Stores have stopped bringing in new guitars because they can't sell the ones they have in stock.
Chuck Berry, whom some have anointed the king of rock and roll, gave similar advice, saying that if you want to be a rock and roll star, find yourself a rock and roll ax--a guitar, piano, string bass, saxophone, etc.--and practice, practice, practice.
Kazoo sales must be up?
A kazoo is a simple,, inexpensive membranophone that adds a buzzing, saxophone-like quality to the human voice. To play it, hum (don’t blow) into the wider end, creating sound by vibrating a membrane, which can be made of paper, plastic, or metal. Kazoos, priced from (5.50) to ($15+), are popular, portable, and come in materials like aluminum and plastic.
“I am looking to buy a decent used Strat”
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The Strat Plus was a well made guitar. My son has two of them, one of which has been retired after lengthy use. A solid workhorse and you can still find them.
That's unfortunate. Stairway to Heaven is one of my favorite songs from the 1960s.
Guitar players are notorious for buying, selling, and buying guitars. It’s a never ending cycle...
“However, I can tell you that there has been an absolute explosion in the variety of choices for electric guitars and basses on the market in the last couple of decades. This also applies to amps and effects.”
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Exactly right. Amp-in-a-Box and effects pedals (e.g., Tonex) are now widely used.
Do not mistake gym music for anything popular. The gym companies' management select such music based on the extremely low licensing fees.
I'm also convinced that the music selections are designed to hasten workouts and prevent loitering time.
I take my own music to the gym. Thank God for noise reduction earbuds.
Players like Glenn Campbell and Danny Gatton were extraordinary, savant-like gifted players. Very rare to have that kind of innate talent.
Good points!
Thinking about it for a minute, perhaps I’d best give a listen to the college ‘radio’ station (is that still a thing?); that might provide a more accurate sample of what’s popular.
My belief is that the “guitar hero” toy created a huge raft of wannabe guitar players, kind of in the same way that the baby boom created children. And the fad has more or less run its course. It’s kind of funny, whenever you see
anybody interviewed on tv, whether it is for politics or business or animal husbandry, they always have a Strat or a a Tele or a Les Paul hanging on the wall or on a stand in the background. Without exception!
“Guitar players are notorious for buying, selling, and buying guitars. It’s a never ending cycle...”
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LOL. Its known as GAS — Guitar Acquisition Syndrome.
It's possible. But lots of people need some extra money, and perhaps haven't played it much even as a hobby, or, have upgraded and are selling their first one.
I think we're really in an unrecognized golden age of guitar playing, but older well-made guitars cost the Earth now, so even beginner guitars that have had years to season are worth more.
No surprise if true. Every other human skill seems to be on the decline. Including in depth critical thinking.
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