There's still an idea of wearing the pitcher out in the majors. Of course, if you're an ace throwing no-nos then you can routinely go 110+ pitches per game. Most pitchers go about 60-70. The bullpen is stacked with varying arms and pitch types to throw off hitters their 3rd+ time through.
I ponder GC's choices. It was like a cancer in my major metropolitan area. Within 5-10 years all the mom-and-pop stores with a good solution of beginner and high-end equipment left and these things moved in. Coming from a millennial, it really isn't he way it used to be. Sad.
Slightly related, and assuming you like Blues, have you seen Joe Bonamassa's videos and tours of his collection? Very cool, too. Emphasis on Fender/Gibson, but still quite entertaining. I appreciate player-collectors.
> Confession: I've been playing since I was 16 years old, and I didn't buy a new guitar (an acoustic) until I was over 30 years old. There was no need to.
When I started playing guitar, and took it seriously, my teachers always insisted to buy up and used, instead of something you can afford new. Now, with the salary of a software engineer, I still do it today.
When no one will buy a new car they have blowout sales on the lot. Perhaps that's what we're trying to force, here :) Sadly it doesn't work that way.
This is evolution in the industry. It opens itself up to another whole population that wasn't seriously marketed before (Pink cheap guitars, Guitar World Swimsuit edition buyers' guides, "really good for a girl" comments)
Serious players will still spend serious money on stuff. I think it has a lot do with oversaturation of the market.
In the beginning, when White Stripes/Black keys was still regional and people were getting these unique sounds out of old, unwanted gear the cost was cheap. But that drove Silvertone's/Sears/etc prices out of the ballpark when enough people got the read on where that market was going.
Long-lasting alloys/coatings/technology will skew your results. Especially considering all they had back in the heydey was Nickel (soft). But that's a great idea!
They're an investment, plain and simple. The holy grails outlasted their original owners, and with enough care (even playing!) they'll outlast the current owners.
I mean, it's very common to play a 150+-year-old violin. I see what you're saying here. Electric guitar is so new, saturation of the market is only just happening.
> 90% of kids learning guitar quit in the first 2 months (according to Fender)
True, just ask anyone who's ever had a teaching career in guitar (or music).
It's hard, everything about it is hard. And I'm not only saying that because I feel confident with my skills; it's quite true. Only with lots of time do callouses form where it doesn't hurt your fingers every time you play. Volume and feedback is another beast to manage. And if you're playing an acoustic, you really need some light gauge strings and good action to ever have hopes for that thing to not feel like a knife to your hands.
My method with beginners was simply to keep them entertained. So many potential Guitar Gods walk out because they go up against a Hal Leonard method book and have all the fun of guitar sucked out of them. If you can get them playing music they want to play; they're much more likely to continue playing it, even through pain, so that they can learn the fundamentals over time.
Your method works really well too, one-finger chords is a great way to get people playing the strummy music they like without the frustration of coordinating all the fingers. In the same light, it's why I've tuned my 4-year-olds guitar to an open D, so that she can "write music and sing" without having to worry about getting a sound of the guitar. If the interest is there, the perseverance will continue.
Almost every collector I've met usually collects with the market. Not all of them hoard as much as you'd traditionally think. They're always buying/selling trying to get that Holy Grail First Run Sunburst Les Paul. There's plenty of room in the market for everyone willing to put some skin in the game.
Plus, I think the mention of all the boutique brands at NAMM helps with this. We all can't afford a magnificent '55 strat, but with far fewer dollars d'Pergo (or some other amazing strat perfectionist) can make something equally as stunning.
And, with enough time these instruments will hit the market again. When enough of them do; we'll make them affordable again; once everyone is play 7+ strings and doesn't want anything to do with 50's guitar technology.
Fender and Gibson are iconic, classic brands. They'll never deviate from what they do; because when they do (look at the double-cutaway Les Paul they just tried to hawk) they get torn to pieces.
If anyone wants to innovate in the industry, they have to come out of nowhere. Strandberg is doing well at this, with concepts you mention. Kiesel/Carvin kinda is too. Line 6 almost did, but cheap-ified the digital transition which made way for Kemper and Fractal (boutique digital brands, LOL, so funny to say) to take the stage and actually change some minds.
Because we all play guitars designed 50-60 years ago we're naturally going to resist change.