by Apex » Wed Feb 18, 2015 7:23 am
For us musicians:
You'd go into a music store. A small, single owner music store. You'd see Fender and Gibson guitars on display, usually no other names. But only a few, so each one looked especially special, shining brightly and appealing directly to you, each one looked unique in its own way, there were none of the many variations you see today. You'd try out what you liked. The sales guy would watch carefully so you didn't scratch it up. And he would wipe it down after you were done. You had to buy what you saw in the store, or put your name down on a waiting list. I had to wait 9 months for my 1st electric guitar back in 1965.
Nowadays, you see a huge wall full of so many guitars you almost don't know where to begin looking, let alone trying. There's still Fenders and Gibsons, still the same types of each, but many more variations, and now, also many other name brands. It's OK to take 'em down and try 'em out, no one will be watching you, and if you see one you like, you can buy it right then, no waiting. But it's got fingerprints all over it from previous trys. Like buying a car, you'd better know what you want before you go. That can be done via the Internet. Unlike buying a car, you don't get hyped from the sales guys. They're on your side.
Back then, $300 or so and you'd walk out with a guitar that was very well built, excellent quality and playability. You couldn't miss. What you didn't know was that the very guitar you just bought might just skyrocket in value 40-50 years later.
Nowadays, $300 will buy a decent and pretty good guitar, but $2,000 - $3,000 gets you the very best quality. Back then, you paid for what you got. Nowadays, you get what you pay for.