It's Official - FMIC/Jackson is on Crack !

[straycat]

I buy used thats the only way.

[RemCarr]

yeah well the dumb asses out there are seeing the prices on the new shit and it is driving the used market thru the roof. Long gone are the days of scoring a nice used USA on the bay for under a grand....sad but true.

[Infernal Death]

no, they're not selling overseas, because that $ sign on the pricetag, just gets converted into the € sign, which means we pay almost twice as much.

Yeah it's pretty sad over here. Not just with american gear. Some days ago i looked at the Diezel VH4 and the price here is pretty much the same as in america. I mean WTF ? Those amps are made not far from the place i live and they cost the same on the other half of the world ? Yet when i want to buy a american made jackson i will have at least to pay 1.5 times as much.
So i don't think you american guys have any reason to complain

Flo

[Holy Diver]

Yeah it's pretty sad over here. Not just with american gear. Some days ago i looked at the Diezel VH4 and the price here is pretty much the same as in america. I mean WTF ? Those amps are made not far from the place i live and they cost the same on the other half of the world ? Yet when i want to buy a american made jackson i will have at least to pay 1.5 times as much.
So i don't think you american guys have any reason to complain

Flo

We Americans have plenty of reason to complain. Have you seen the size of our rear ends. lol

[themisfit138]

yeah well the dumb asses out there are seeing the prices on the new shit and it is driving the used market thru the roof. Long gone are the days of scoring a nice used USA on the bay for under a grand....sad but true.

I was looking for a King V on ebay most of them were $1500 or more so I just bought a new KV for $1800. With that kind of a price difference why would you not buy new.

[Cygnus X1]

I was looking for a King V on ebay most of them were $1500 or more so I just bought a new KV for $1800. With that kind of a price difference why would you not buy new.

The delay hasn't hit just yet. Wait until summer. I think misfit will be proven correct.

[Scholomance]

Well, after a number of custom shop guitars that I am still extremely happy with, I stepped down from ordering more (and I had concrete plans to order several more customs). Several of the guitars I ordered would cost twice as much, or more, if I ordered them today. I definitely think the new prices are way out of hand. I have gone elsewhere for my next several guitars and they cost me MUCH less than current Jackson prices and will be every bit as good. If Jackson is going to charge 6 grand for a custom guitar, it should be something truly amazing. It should have McNaught quality diamond grade quilt, exotic woods, inlays more unique than sharkies, etc. It should not look like a standard optioned USA Select with a graphic on top. Jackson has proven to me with some of my guitars and others like the spalted maple soloists, and the spalted/pink ivory Death Kelly that they can build truly awe-inspiring guitars with natural woods. Jackson, please for the love of all that is holy - cut out doing so many cheesy skull, eyeball, and boob graphics. I don't want a $6000 guitar with a graphic that looks like something I would've gotten airbrushed on a t-shirt in the mall when I was 8 years old. Use the abilities of guys like Pablo and have them build some guitars that have killer tonewoods and beautiful looks!

Scott

[Phantom Hawk]

Well, after a number of custom shop guitars that I am still extremely happy with, I stepped down from ordering more (and I had concrete plans to order several more customs). Several of the guitars I ordered would cost twice as much, or more, if I ordered them today. I definitely think the new prices are way out of hand. I have gone elsewhere for my next several guitars and they cost me MUCH less than current Jackson prices and will be every bit as good. If Jackson is going to charge 6 grand for a custom guitar, it should be something truly amazing. It should have McNaught quality diamond grade quilt, exotic woods, inlays more unique than sharkies, etc. It should not look like a standard optioned USA Select with a graphic on top. Jackson has proven to me with some of my guitars and others like the spalted maple soloists, and the spalted/pink ivory Death Kelly that they can build truly awe-inspiring guitars with natural woods. Jackson, please for the love of all that is holy - cut out doing so many cheesy skull, eyeball, and boob graphics. I don't want a $6000 guitar with a graphic that looks like something I would've gotten airbrushed on a t-shirt in the mall when I was 8 years old. Use the abilities of guys like Pablo and have them build some guitars that have killer tonewoods and beautiful looks!

Scott

[Digitised]

Well guys i know it looks like major drug abuse going down at FMIC, but i dont think you need to call in the FBI just yet.

The simple truth is that jackson obviously do not have the production capability to meet demand for custom shops and exclusive ranges.
I mean the waiting list is basically 2 years if you are lucky...

Basic economics tells you that they were undercharging in the market and this led to people ordering 10 at a time for the sake of it, whilst the guy who really wants a custom made axe is pushed way back in the line.

The only sensible thing to do is increase the prices of their guitars until they can get the custom shop back to a 3-6 month waiting list, where the people WHO really want one can get one in a reasonable time.

These current prices are hyperinflated because they can charge whatever they want with this 2 year backlog. As the market clears the prices will drop to i guess $3-4k with a $5k ceiling, because noone will pay $10k for a guitar, and custom shop will have nothing to make.


Youve just got to ride the storm out, in 2-3years it will become sensible again.

[shreder13]

crack is one hell of a drug

[Brooke]

Well guys i know it looks like major drug abuse going down at FMIC, but i dont think you need to call in the FBI just yet.

The simple truth is that jackson obviously do not have the production capability to meet demand for custom shops and exclusive ranges.
I mean the waiting list is basically 2 years if you are lucky...

Basic economics tells you that they were undercharging in the market and this led to people ordering 10 at a time for the sake of it, whilst the guy who really wants a custom made axe is pushed way back in the line.

The only sensible thing to do is increase the prices of their guitars until they can get the custom shop back to a 3-6 month waiting list, where the people WHO really want one can get one in a reasonable time.

These current prices are hyperinflated because they can charge whatever they want with this 2 year backlog. As the market clears the prices will drop to i guess $3-4k with a $5k ceiling, because noone will pay $10k for a guitar, and custom shop will have nothing to make.


Youve just got to ride the storm out, in 2-3years it will become sensible again.

I would think that they would expand their production capability before turning away customers.

Fender has every means to increase man power to Jackson if it will increase their total profit.

Or, maybe you are correct, and it is difficult for them to switch employees to the Jackson line, even though demand has increased.

[sully]

yeah, but consider this; they can spend the money to increase production without such a price hike, or they can keep the staffing and equipment the same, but double the prices, make more money, and the backlog will take care of itself eventually. from a monetary standpoint, i understand it. i don't like it at all, but i can understand it.

sully

[Gabriel Raphael]

Peace and happy holidays guys

Buying a US made Jackson is not easy outside the U.S.of A, you find only Japanese Jacksons every where.,

I was just in Barcelona Spain and had no choice but to settle for a RR5 (black) at 1200€ as a gift for someone., that is 1,465! in dollars..

And the prices for any US made guitars are double starting at 1200€ !

A new Gibson Les Paul Custom will run for 3,500€ if not 4,200€ !, i also seen second hand used Korean RR3's at 600€!.

I hear the prices will get better next year, can't wait to see whats up with that one.

[shreddermon]

I agree that the price hikes are (somewhat) related to demand exceeding production capacity. It's basic economics: demand is high? Then you can charge more for your product. And that may also have had (somewhat) something to do with the QC issues. So hopefully the latter is/will get better.

The only part that I disagree with, though, is the "wait a couple of years and prices will come back down" theory. Not gonna happen. The best you can hope for under that scenario is a couple of years worth of no price increases.

[fuel0707]

With all of this said, one thing I've been told repeatedly in the customer-service business is to take care of your customers or someone else will. If FMIC/Jackson/Charvel keeps inflating prices and dragging out wait times, they will lose customers.

As for the suggestion that FMIC should just temporarily raise prices on CS orders just to reduce backlog is rather specious. How would that make a CS customer feel to find out that if he'd waited a few months, his order would have cost 30, 40 or 50% less? I'd suggest that at least a few of the guys in that situation will take their custom orders elsewhere in the future.

There are a number of very talented guitar builders out there. One that springs to mind for me is Don Grosh. He builds killer guitars and his wait time is nowhere near what FMIC's wait time is.