YouTuber calls out high-profile guitar company for prices that “don’t make sense”
Most areas have been subject to price hikes in recent years, and the guitar industry is no exception.
While paying thousands of dollars for a dream guitar has become the norm for some, one YouTuber is drawing attention to what he calls “strange” pricing strategies from some of the biggest names in the industry.
In his latest YouTube video titled Guitar Prices Don’t Make Sense Anymore, guitarist and content creator KDH highlights how “almost every brand has had to raise their prices for 2025,” largely due to inflation and supply chain disruptions. However, he points out that some price increases are difficult to justify, particularly when there are minimal upgrades in return.
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KDH points out a key example: Marshall amplifiers. The new JCM900 Mini Head, priced at €1,179 at Thomann, is significantly more expensive than previous mini models (like the Mini Silver Jubilee), which were priced around €839, despite having similar specifications.
“It’s roughly the same spec. It’s made in the same place by the same people but one is €340 more,” he says. “I’m not sure that makes much sense other than it’s new so they feel like they can charge a lot more for it.”
“But what I find most interesting is that with some things and some brands the pricing has gone so high that things just don’t even make sense anymore.”
Specifically, KDH calls out Japanese guitar manufacturer ESP, which he argues has blurred the lines between its budget and premium ranges: “I understand the prices are steadily rising for everything but when your budget brand is more expensive than your standard range, it starts to [become] a bit hard to understand. It’s a bit strange,” he says.
According to KDH, the once-obvious distinction between the firm’s supposedly budget-friendly LTD line and high-end ESP brand has all but disappeared, with LTD guitars now ranging from low-cost options to instruments priced near $3,000.
In fact, KDH points out that some LTD signature guitars are now priced higher than certain E-II models (ESP’s Japanese-made production models, formerly called ESP Standard), as well as higher-end models from brands like Gibson and Fender. For instance, an LTD Alex Skolnick signature guitar costs €2,333, which is the same as an Japan-made E-II seven-string model. Even more striking, some LTD guitars exceed €2,750 – more expensive than comparable ESP E-II models and even some premium American-made Gibsons and Fenders.
“It just feels like ESP are kind of abandoning ESP,” KDH says. “I haven’t seen any live band other than ESP artists play with an ESP guitar – a guitar with ESP on the headstock, I haven’t seen it ever with my own two eyes. LTDs sure, but it feels now that LTD aren’t a budget brand or a sub brand LTD are just the brand and they’ve got everything from the lowest beginner guitars all the way up to a near three grand guitar.”
Watch the full video below.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
