evh guitars way overpriced

[SEEGERMANY]

Re: evh guitars way overpriced

no comment

[stevenh]

Re: evh guitars way overpriced

This is just my .0002 worth, but the price of guitars in general are overpriced. Since Fender owns Charvel/Jackson, any Strathead Charvel is nothing more than a Strat neck with a Charvel logo. The EVH models are obscenely overpriced. Basswood is a very cheap wood, and just because it's striped and has the EVH logo on it, the price goes up. Charvel (or any other guitar manufacturer) calls their guitar a "anniversary" model, and somehow the price skyrockets, nevermind that the original price of the guitar when it was first sold was far cheaper. Case in point: Les Pauls Standards retail for around $2,500.00, yet I know that the actual cost for Gibson to make a Les Paul is under $1,000.00. I know that the bottom line for any company is money. But for me, I just can't buy in to the whole "myth" about the EVH line or the 25th Anniversay Charvels. I don't mean to rub anyone the wrong way, but the cost of what is essentially a one pickup strat is just obscene. Remember, Charvel doesn't have to pay a liscensing fee to Fender for the use of the Strat headstock. There is no difference between the neck of the 25th Anniversay and a stock Fender neck. The profile may be a bit different, but it's still a Fender neck.

[Souldigger]

Re: evh guitars way overpriced

[ QUOTE ]
Souldigger, you have inspired me. I have plans for how I am going to paint my new jam room/studio in our new house (once I build it of course). Those plans included an EVH section - now they have been tweaked to include a Souldigger EVH section!

[/ QUOTE ] cool! send me pics when you get it finished.

[hippietim]

Re: evh guitars way overpriced

So what does basswood have to do with it then? Seriously, we're talking a couple bucks difference in cost. Guys like Vai, Satch, Eddie, etc. can clearly dictate that their guitars be made of other materials. I doubt very that the reason for choosing basswood was cost.

Who cares what the original price was when it was new? For something bought and sold 20 years ago that is not particularly relevant. I remember when Charvlels and Jacksons hit the scene - they weren't cheap guitars then. I paid 1172 for my Custom Rhoads in the early 80's. That translates to well over 2k right now. And in order to fund that Rhoads I sold my 1968 Goldtop Les Paul for $375 - that guitar would cost you somewhere between 3k and 6k now.

Bottom line: Charvel is charging a premium for all of these strathead guitars. There is no doubt about it. Fender is never going to price them anywhere near the cost of a production Fender Strat. No way do they want customers identifying a Strathead with anything other than a Fender Strat and I don't blame them.

As for the Charvel necks being Fender necks, whatever. Then Jackson and Gretsch necks are still Fender necks with a different profile. And before Fender, the Charvel necks were really just Akai tape decks with a different profile.

[~K~]

Re: evh guitars way overpriced

[ QUOTE ]
any Strathead Charvel is nothing more than a Strat neck with a Charvel logo.

[/ QUOTE ]

you obviously have no idea of the difference between the 2. Even the guys who have played a 25th will tell you that thenecks are not standard fender shaped necks... your making a blanket statement based on a visual aspect of the guitar and nothing more ...

[stevenh]

Re: evh guitars way overpriced

All I'm saying is that it's ridiculous for anyone to pay more money because Fender is putting the Charvel or EVH logos on their necks. Think about it; do you really think that a one hum strat is worth $3,000.00, just because the Charvel logo is on a Strat headstock? If so, then more power to ya.

[~K~]

Re: evh guitars way overpriced

I'm sitting here reading about all the complaining about the cost of the EVH strathead etc etc etc. For years we all heard whining that people wanted C/J to license the headstock and make it available to those who couldn't get a SD Charvel with the "magical" headstock. Now FMIC owns Charvel and they have made a move in a direction to give people what they want and everyone is complaining again. I honestly think people bitch just to bitch ... Lets put this into perspective. FMIC is charging $3299 msrp for this guitar? Anyone remember this guitar?


I decided to shoot my wad a few years ago and order a copy of a Charvel I owned up until the mid 90's At custom shop pricing this guitar came in at a $3600 list price. Remember this was during the AMIC tenure so prices were a bit lower at the time.

Now ask yourselves this.. If I were to order a charvel with a strathead would I be willing to pay a licensing fee to get it? (most people have said yes)

What's a reasonable licensing fee?

If you wanted an EVH paintjob considering Eddie owns the rights would you pay a licensing fee for that?
or go one step further...would you pay a licensing fee if YOUR favorite graphic was owned and controlled by someone else?

The EVH your looking at right now is the strathead equivelent of my custom.. I know the paintjob is proabably a couple hundred more on my custom than on the EVH and I have a birdseye neck on mine, But think about what FMIC needs for the headstock, and what they might need to pay eddie for the rights to the paintjob......

Suddendly that hefty pricetag your complaining about is put into perspective and to be honest...it isn't as bad as you guys are making it out to be ....

[~K~]

Re: evh guitars way overpriced

[ QUOTE ]
All I'm saying is that it's ridiculous for anyone to pay more money because Fender is putting the Charvel or EVH logos on their necks. Think about it; do you really think that a one hum strat is worth $3,000.00, just because the Charvel logo is on a Strat headstock? If so, then more power to ya.

[/ QUOTE ]


Your unwilling to see the difference in the neck shape.. I understand your point about the strathead but your combining 2 different monstors... that IS NOT a fender neck on a charvel as you are stating. .. read my last post and hopefully it will put things into perspective for you ...

[Ralph E.]

Re: evh guitars way overpriced

I agree with Kevin on this one, the list on the EVH's is very good.

I think the issue here is that the dealer's are not giving the standard discounts from the list. I guess they figure they have something more desirable than usual, and as always supply and demand drive the market value of any product.

[Tekky]

Re: evh guitars way overpriced

[ QUOTE ]
All I'm saying is that it's ridiculous for anyone to pay more money because Fender is putting the Charvel or EVH logos on their necks. Think about it; do you really think that a one hum strat is worth $3,000.00, just because the Charvel logo is on a Strat headstock? If so, then more power to ya.

[/ QUOTE ]

Did you read the price breakdown that Hippietim did???

[sully]

Re: evh guitars way overpriced

[ QUOTE ]
Charvel doesn't have to pay a liscensing fee to Fender for the use of the Strat headstock.

[/ QUOTE ]

theoretically, it makes sense, but you don't know that to be the case, especially since there's the licensing stickers on the back of stratheads now.

[ QUOTE ]
There is no difference between the neck of the 25th Anniversay and a stock Fender neck. The profile may be a bit different, but it's still a Fender neck.

[/ QUOTE ]

really?
the profile is completely different.
the headstock is different.
the fretboard radius is different.
i believe the default nut width is different (assuming that fender uses 1 5/8, but i could be off on that)
the butt width is different.

so....how is this a fender neck? oh that's right, it's because fmic owns jackson. going from your logic, what you really prefer are akai necks. have you ever played a 25th? more than once? go play one and then play a fender strat and tell me how identical they are. you can't, because they're not.

i'll not disagree that the evh and the anniversary stuff is overpriced. don't buy it. i personally think that the evh thing is lame, and became lamer as soon as i learned what the back of the neck shape is (kramer). then again, i wasn't planning on buying one anyway, so what do i care?

of course gibson makes les pauls for less than a grand, and the anniversary strathead is about $6-700 worth of parts. you're right, the purpose of a business is to be successful and make money. are people buying these "overpriced guitars?" yep.

so they can't be that overpriced, eh?

sully

[labelscott]

Re: evh guitars way overpriced

So they are really going to use basswood on these? Granted I own an EBMM Axis super sport that is basswood and sounds great but it has a maple top. I've owned Ibenhads with basswood and duncans in them and have never got a good sound out of them. Is this an Eddie thing? Or a cut costs thing.

[sully]

Re: evh guitars way overpriced

eddie thing.

[Tekky]

Re: evh guitars way overpriced

[ QUOTE ]
Remember, Charvel doesn't have to pay a liscensing fee to Fender for the use of the Strat headstock. There is no difference between the neck of the 25th Anniversay and a stock Fender neck. The profile may be a bit different, but it's still a Fender neck.

[/ QUOTE ]

OK, speaking from the point of view of a company with several subsidiaries... Each subsidiary is a seperate corporate entity. Any fees applicable to competetors are also applicable to the subsidiaries. While I can't guarantee that FMIC and JCMI have the same relationship as SBC does with it's subsidiaries I can venture a guess that it probably does.

[stevenh]

Re: evh guitars way overpriced

I'm fully aware that the neck shape is different, just as the neck shape on different Strat signature models are different, but the fact remains that they are still Fender necks.

And for the sake of argument, that the Charvel necks are all made in a different factory dedicated to nothing more than Charvel necks and bodies, it still does not justify the price of the guitar. Sure, we all wished that Charvel would put out a guitar with a Strat headstock, but did we all wish that only those with 3K could get one. What you are paying for is about $1,000 for the guitar, and another 2K for the water decal. They are not handmade, and therefore not worth the upper echelon price tag (this goes for Gibson and PRS too).

I'm sorry for ranting on the Charvel, my frustration extends to all the "premium" guitar makers. I can easily afford the 25th and EVH guitars, but I can't justify the hefty price tag. If they were handmade, then I can see the labor intensive process and attention to detail involved. But these are build by a CNC machine for maximum production and distribution. The bottom line is this, the less money they have to spend on production, the more they make during the sale. Make great business sense, but is lowsy for the consumer. [img]/images/graemlins/rant.gif[/img]