Is it me, or are these Yamaha SG prices getting a bit silly?

SteveRobinson

I've still got the receipt for my (then new) 1979 Gibson The Paul, £285! Don't have the guitar though.

57Deluxe

SteveRobinson said:

It's spreading!

https://www.gumtree.com/p/guitar-instrument/stunning-much-sought-after-1978-yamaha-sg-2000-flame-tobacco-sunburst-electric-guitar-hardly-played/1255084990

Great condition but nearly £3K?

Yeah and they got a fuck-off AGA to die for too.... bastards 

aroof

he has excelled himself this time

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1980s-YAMAHA-SBG3000-SG3000-ELECTRIC-GUITAR-OHSC-CLEAN-WHITE-GOLD-MIJ/122859094218?hash=item1c9af900ca:g:SwYAAOSwBRFaMYYl


to


https://www.gumtree.com/p/guitar-instrument/yamaha-sbg-3000-cream-white-near-mint-1983/1284075160


i really hope no one is taken in by this con artist 

rossi

There were quite a few on Gumtree Norwich a while back .The only one I ever played didnt really impress me as I went in to buy a Strat and came out with a Tele,The SG weighed a ton and a half .

hobbio

Is this really worth £8.5k?

https://www.gumtree.com/p/guitar-instrument/yamaha-sg-25s-anniversary-issue-1991/1284075583

Schnozz

Is he putting them up in the hope that Asia will buy them back? There's many Custom Shop Yamahas that we don't see in Europe, so that can't be it.

Just a chancer I guess...

ICBM

I still find 70s Fenders at £2k (and upwards) even more ridiculous, to be honest.

The Yamahas are at least well-made.

AlexC

When I was about 17 I was in a music shop and I looked up at a Les Paul hanging there. Then I looked at the price. I remarked to the owner (I knew him quite well by this point , being a regular customer) how expensive it was. And he said to me - 
It’s not expensive that’s just what it costs.
That’s always stuck with me. Point being - if you don’t like the price of something then don’t buy it. If you can’t afford it - tough shit. There’s about 3 models of guitars which I would love to own and play and gig with, but I can’t afford them. So that’s just how it is I guess.

aroof

rossi said:

There were quite a few on Gumtree Norwich a while back .The only one I ever played didnt really impress me as I went in to buy a Strat and came out with a Tele,The SG weighed a ton and a half .

Same seller, uses different locations (aberdeen, norfolk, berwick, saturn, mordor, the astral plane etc), also meets (london)

hobbio said:

Is this really worth £8.5k?

https://www.gumtree.com/p/guitar-instrument/yamaha-sg-25s-anniversary-issue-1991/1284075583

Not imho:)

AlexC said:

When I was about 17 I was in a music shop and I looked up at a Les Paul hanging there. Then I looked at the price. I remarked to the owner (I knew him quite well by this point , being a regular customer) how expensive it was. And he said to me - 
It’s not expensive that’s just what it costs.
That’s always stuck with me. Point being - if you don’t like the price of something then don’t buy it. If you can’t afford it - tough shit. There’s about 3 models of guitars which I would love to own and play and gig with, but I can’t afford them. So that’s just how it is I guess.

He can set his prices as he likes, that's not what I am concerned by. My problem with this guy is his misrepresentation as a collector and using sockpuppet accounts or even his family to feign interest in his auctions. He also is fast and loose with descriptions, especially regarding originality,specification and condition. I'd be understanding if it was vague, but it's the opposite, with photos deliberately hiding Yamaha's fogging issues for example, or treating black pickup covers as 'spinex pickups' (desirable to SG fans) when they weren't even made after 1998. 

Essentially he is wilfully deceiving people, in several ways, regarding the goods he is selling. Going on about the price etc is just missing the point

AlexC

@aroof I misunderstood the point of the thread. Apologies. Dodgy dealers need to be pointed out and called out for sure. There’s too much of it in the second hand guitar market.

aroof

no apology needed mate, sry if it i jumped on you

Arktik83

There is a certain point, where if you're going to pay more than £5k for a guitar, unless it's like an absolute landmark guitar such as birth month and birth year, not just birth year that you need to assess your priorities unless you're someone whose going to use that guitar on a track on an album.  I just think you could use that kind of money to do something truly life changing, like a once in a lifetime trip etc.

Of course if it's something you believe you're going to get a solid return on such as a strat/tele/LP/335 then sure, but a Yammy SG for north of £5k?  As something you're looking to get a return on?  Have a word with yourself.  Get the feeling these people who want to be able to buy the £25k strats and alike but can't do so but have a bit of disposable income so try and make a business out of the next best thing.

HarrySeven

As I’ve said before - in the case of this particular “collector” (sorry, dealer - who I believe is still a member here, incidentally - possibly under more than one ID), it’s the worst kind of blanket-bombed, speculative attempt at price-hiking.

As was also pointed out above, the florid descriptions, insane OTT prices and multitude of selling locations, etc (along with the manic self-publicism) hardly inspires faith in the seller. For all I know, he may be a lovely guy IRL, but it is concerning.

Regardless of arguments re. relative value, “it’s worth what someone will pay”, “it’s up to him what he charges”, blah blah blah, the cumulative effect of artificial inflation (to the wider market) has a specific aim - it’s perceptual: to the newbie buyer/seller, a few moments on google return a massive amount of overpriced examples across numerous platforms (which to the casual eye may appear to be from a range of different sellers) they then believe they’re either a. sitting on a goldmine or b. they’d better crack open the kid’s piggybank and spend a vast sum of money (on something which is actually - in reality - worth anywhere between 40 - 60% of the online asking price).

Philly_Q

HarrySeven said:
As I’ve said before - in the case of this particular “collector” (sorry, dealer - who I believe is still a member here, incidentally - possibly under more than one ID), it’s the worst kind of blanket-bombed, speculative attempt at price-hiking.

As was also pointed out above, the florid descriptions, insane OTT prices and multitude of selling locations, etc (along with the manic self-publicism) hardly inspires faith in the seller. For all I know, he may be a lovely guy IRL, but it is concerning.

Regardless of arguments re. relative value, “it’s worth what someone will pay”, “it’s up to him what he charges”, blah blah blah, the cumulative effect of artificial inflation (to the wider market) has a specific aim - it’s perceptual: to the newbie buyer/seller, a few moments on google return a massive amount of overpriced examples across numerous platforms (which to the casual eye may appear to be from a range of different sellers) they then believe they’re either a. sitting on a goldmine or b. they’d better crack open the kid’s piggybank and spend a vast sum of money (on something which is actually - in reality - worth anywhere between 40 - 60% of the online asking price).

It seems a bit self-defeating, though, at least if his eBay feedback is anything to go by.  He hardly ever seems to actually sell a guitar (I do realise there may be many off-eBay deals).

Maybe he's happy with a few sales at higher prices, and very patient about how long it takes to sell the rest....

All that said, he has a lot of Yamaha SGs... I would love to be able to try them all and finally find one which wasn't too heavy and had a neck I liked.

Neil

Philly_Q said:

HarrySeven said:
As I’ve said before - in the case of this particular “collector” (sorry, dealer - who I believe is still a member here, incidentally - possibly under more than one ID), it’s the worst kind of blanket-bombed, speculative attempt at price-hiking.

As was also pointed out above, the florid descriptions, insane OTT prices and multitude of selling locations, etc (along with the manic self-publicism) hardly inspires faith in the seller. For all I know, he may be a lovely guy IRL, but it is concerning.

Regardless of arguments re. relative value, “it’s worth what someone will pay”, “it’s up to him what he charges”, blah blah blah, the cumulative effect of artificial inflation (to the wider market) has a specific aim - it’s perceptual: to the newbie buyer/seller, a few moments on google return a massive amount of overpriced examples across numerous platforms (which to the casual eye may appear to be from a range of different sellers) they then believe they’re either a. sitting on a goldmine or b. they’d better crack open the kid’s piggybank and spend a vast sum of money (on something which is actually - in reality - worth anywhere between 40 - 60% of the online asking price).

It seems a bit self-defeating, though, at least if his eBay feedback is anything to go by.  He hardly ever seems to actually sell a guitar (I do realise there may be many off-eBay deals).

Maybe he's happy with a few sales at higher prices, and very patient about how long it takes to sell the rest....

All that said, he has a lot of Yamaha SGs... I would love to be able to try them all and finally find one which wasn't too heavy and had a neck I liked.

He's obviously trying to corner the market on these SG's so he can happily set his own prices. 

Jack_

ICBM said:

I still find 70s Fenders at £2k (and upwards) even more ridiculous, to be honest.

The Yamahas are at least well-made.

Older = better.

Unequivocally, apparently.

Or so the market seems to suggest.

(I agree with you).

prowla

I'm not sure the Yamaha SGs were really that great a guitar; good quality, yes, but they always seems a bit smooth rather than biting.

57Deluxe

impmann said:

It's happening with Classic Cars too.

no, its not that it's cos the opportunities to make returns from other investments is still falling so art and other avenues get attention turned on them. Of course it is always going to be true collectables that are focused on - not just old bangers...

jeztone2

ICBM said:

I still find 70s Fenders at £2k (and upwards) even more ridiculous, to be honest.

The Yamahas are at least well-made.

This!!!

i remember 25th anniversary Strats at £250 when I was 17. No one wanted them because of the lousy build.