Finding Value

I could be wrong, but I think Gibson made a serious mistake in 2014 with the introduction of the SGJ.  

I know.  Gibson?  Make a mistake?  Never.  Their decision making tree can never be questioned, right?

For those unfamiliar, the Gibson SGJ is the lowest cost, "full featured" guitar you can currently buy from Gibson.  For under $650 CAD, you too can have your very own, brand new, USA made Gibson.  When you consider that the Epiphone Les Paul Standard Pro lists for almost 15% more, you have to wonder if the product folks at Epiphone got the memo about the 2014 product lineup. 

I know, I know, they're not the same guitar, but stay with me.  Why would you buy the Chinese Les Paul when you could have the USA SGJ and a couple of $20s in your pocket instead?  

Well, for the most part I blame teenagers and their parents (AM I RIGHT?!?!).  Parents won't deal on the used market, convinced that a "warranty" is of great value, so they'll happily overpay for "the guitar that looks like the one Slash uses" rather than save 50% of the sticker price and do their homework.  Plus, matte finishes turn off middle class dip shits.

First aside - My parents did not do this.  They sought out and purchased a MIK Squier Stratocaster which was later traded in by some dip shit kid - aka me.  Someday I'll talk about that guitar - old wounds man.

Not you too Fender!

But of course you too Fender.  In 2011 - The Blacktop Stratocaster.

For $399.99 at the time, you were effectively getting a Made in Mexico Standard Stratocaster with dual humbuckers (instead of 3 singles), the classic logo, some amp knobs, and a super switch.  Oh, the Mexican Standards were going for $459.99 at the time too.   You could replace all the electronics in the Blacktop and effectively have a Classic Series 60's Stratocaster from less than it cost to buy a 60's Strat ($799 at the time?).  Why would you buy anything else if you were looking at Fender?

Second Aside - this is probably reason numero uno why I think Fender is ALWAYS the better choice in the lower cost spectrum.  The Stratocaster is effectively a blank canvas thanks to that big old pickguard, and can become anything you want it to with the investment of time and money.  Plus, it becomes an opportunity to become a first step learning platform for basic soldering skills.

Fender killed the Blacktop this year, replacing it with the Standard HH, and bringing prices in line with what you'd expect.  Anyone want to bet on motivation? That the Blacktop was eating away at the sale of Standards?  I bought one, and after a few modifications costing no more than $100 and some time, I was left with a guitar that hangs with my favorites.  Now that's value.

This is my Blacktop.  There are many like it, but this one...

Getting back to Gibson, you can see the effect this has had on overall brand value, especially on Kijiji.  I've seen numerous SGJ examples pop up in the sub-$400 range, basically destroying the resale value of all those Epiphone Les Pauls that flood the market (usually 3 months after Christmas when Mom and Dad realize they've made a terrible mistake).  

If you're a fan of Rob Chapman or similar Youtube reviewers, you're sure to know then that the Epiphone reviews always come with a grain of salt, whereas the general opinion on the SGJ was pretty positive.

Why would a Kijijiite (Kijijians?) spend even $300 on an Epi Les Paul when that same $300 will buy a Gibson model that is sure to be cancelled sooner rather than later, and might be resold for more down the road?  If current listings are any indication, they wouldn't.

So, does it strike anyone as odd that Blacktops are typically listed around $400 and don't last long, while the SGJ sits at $300?  Supply and demand kids.

Now go find $300 and buy a used SGJ. Just make sure you play it first, because, you know, Gibson.