guildzilla
Senior Member
I continue to be struck by the sheer number of guitars built at Westerly during its last five years that are still out there in the open market. I'm developing a theory about it and testing it on you folks.
Based on what I see on e-Bay and on Gbase and other places, it looks to me that Westerly was producing guitars way above the level of consumer retail demand, creating one heck of a glut at the dealer level by the time the factory was closed by Fender.
To me there is still an amazing number of instruments out there in nearly new shape that seem to have never been purchased at retail.
In particular, I see this in the numbers of jazz models from X-150's to Benedettos, as well as Bluesbirds and Starfires on e-Bay and Gbase. Even now, most of these seem to be traded at wholesale by guitar buyers who are not really end-users. By that I mean a player who is buying the guitar for regular use over the long haul.
My best example is the reissue Starfire III and IV models. I bought #AG30223 for $799. This is the highest Westerly label number I've seen.
I love this guitar. But I'm amazed to see one after another come up on e-Bay in this price range. And they are all like new! Doesn't that make it look like the 2000-plus Starfires built during this time period was way too many?
If this theory is valid, then it helps explain why Fender closed Westerly, as well as Fender's lack of urgency in bringing back the American-made Guilds. Maybe the bottom line was that the guitars being built simply were not selling well at all.
I have no stake or ego attached to this theory but I throw it out there to be shaped by the knowledge of the LTG community because I find its discussions interesting and a lot of fun.
Does it seem to you folks that the number of 1997-2002 Guilds is unusually high? How long before all this stuff is actually absorbed at the retail level? Until it is, how could Fender even consider building American Starfires?
In the immortal words of Dr. Detroit: "Let's chew the far, ma."
Based on what I see on e-Bay and on Gbase and other places, it looks to me that Westerly was producing guitars way above the level of consumer retail demand, creating one heck of a glut at the dealer level by the time the factory was closed by Fender.
To me there is still an amazing number of instruments out there in nearly new shape that seem to have never been purchased at retail.
In particular, I see this in the numbers of jazz models from X-150's to Benedettos, as well as Bluesbirds and Starfires on e-Bay and Gbase. Even now, most of these seem to be traded at wholesale by guitar buyers who are not really end-users. By that I mean a player who is buying the guitar for regular use over the long haul.
My best example is the reissue Starfire III and IV models. I bought #AG30223 for $799. This is the highest Westerly label number I've seen.
I love this guitar. But I'm amazed to see one after another come up on e-Bay in this price range. And they are all like new! Doesn't that make it look like the 2000-plus Starfires built during this time period was way too many?
If this theory is valid, then it helps explain why Fender closed Westerly, as well as Fender's lack of urgency in bringing back the American-made Guilds. Maybe the bottom line was that the guitars being built simply were not selling well at all.
I have no stake or ego attached to this theory but I throw it out there to be shaped by the knowledge of the LTG community because I find its discussions interesting and a lot of fun.
Does it seem to you folks that the number of 1997-2002 Guilds is unusually high? How long before all this stuff is actually absorbed at the retail level? Until it is, how could Fender even consider building American Starfires?
In the immortal words of Dr. Detroit: "Let's chew the far, ma."