Social Media Heroes.
Even though this is the best time to become a guitar player, in my humble opinion, it's also the worst time. To expand on this theory, I have to go back in time, say, to 1989 when I was 15 years old. Back then, cheap guitars weren’t as affordable, and the ones that were cheap were simply poorly made.
Nowadays, with the democratization of modern fabrication methods, almost everything is at least acceptable, and guitars are becoming incredibly inexpensive. It seems absurd to invest in expensive instruments. On the other hand, a new category has emerged: the upper level for mass-produced instruments in Asia. This is due to technology and the experience acquired from being the factory of the world. So now, they can produce both super cheap guitars very well and super well-made guitars for not so cheap, but still affordable enough.
So what's wrong with this market? What's wrong with more guitars? Is there anything wrong with good guitars for less money? Absolutely not. We all benefit from this modern era of guitar manufacturing. However, in my opinion, BIG BRANDS are now focusing on selling more new models, all from mass production factories. For those BIG BRANDS, selling cheap guitars has become their main product, based on their core product, which they achieve by making top-tier products. I assume their philosophy is on one hand more profit, but also to introduce the concept/idea/mojo to new players for a fraction of the money, and with that, hoping this becomes the gateway to their core products.
BIG BRANDS now face competition from influencers, musicians, and others creating new guitar brands that are produced in the same factories as entry-level guitars for those BIG BRANDS. So the competition is not so much about quality but more about features, styles, marketing, and even the charisma behind the persona representing the brand. That's also good; more competition brings new players to the table, not to mention the brands that are now emerging from countries where they used to be only faceless factories. More is more, and sometimes for less.
But what do we do with all these guitars? It's so easy to just grab some extra cash and buy a guitar for no reason other than because I want it and because I can. The quality is alright, and the price is okay, so why not? Well, in my opinion, the problem with that is that these instruments are becoming disposable, made to satisfy instant gratification. We use them for a while and then just pile them up or toss them into the used market. It's so convenient, so why the hell not? But again, like everything, the word "convenience" is thrown around. We eat for convenience, buy stuff for convenience, and even choose a partner from the convenience of our couches, which is the same way we conveniently buy guitars. There's no real need for them; we just need to possess them until we don’t like them anymore.
On the other hand, this democratization of manufacturing has brought up a plethora of small to medium-sized builders to cater to a really tiny niche of buyers with more cash to burn in their pockets. But at least these buyers have thought the process through more. In some cases, they get to experience the process with their builders, and perhaps, just perhaps, they will get to enjoy their instruments for a little longer than those disposable ones referred to in the last paragraph.
We certainly don’t need more guitars in the world, or at least we don’t need a thousand versions of the same thing made by the same people. Brands need to focus on their products made by them instead of just product. Influencers, artists, and opportunists can do their thing (which seems to be working fine for them), and we small builders have to become what all those can't: true guitar makers, not social media heroes!
