From bruce@ashbysolutions.com Thu Jul 15 05:33:59 2004
Subject:Re: Digest Number 1808

Hi All,

>> If memory serves (it usually doesn't), I think that just about *was*
>> the price then. I have seen convincing evidence that a brand-new B-
>> 3, including now, has always cost roughly the same as a new mid-
>> priced Buick.

Probably an oversimplification, Rick, but remarkably accurate! IIRC, the cost of a B-3 and a Leslie in 1965 was around $3K (US). My father left the car sales business in late 1965 and bought a brand new Chevy Impala at a "friends and family" discount of about $2950. So yes, the cost of a B-3 + 122 has always been about the cost of a nice US car.

The problem with the comparison -- at least in keyboard buyers' minds -- is that some other comparable MI products have dropped considerably. Expressed in 1975 dollars, my Access Virus C is an incredible bargain, compared to say, the number of Minimoogs/Oddesseys required to do what it can do. So are my digital delay (TC Electronics M300 @ $190) or my "Mellotron" -- technically, a licensed sampling of a vintage instrument, loaded onto a $65 linear flash card. But that doesn't mean that Hammond organs can automatically follow suit. Certain necessary parts of the design (woodworking, mechanical keybeds) have not benefited from the electronics revolution. And niche products don't benefit as much as mainstream ones do.

On the other end of the MI spectrum: a Vox AC30TB is actually a bit more expensive than its 1965 counterpart, mostly because the technology required includes a fair amount of archaic components. And a "real" (i.e., Gibson) Les Paul? That used to be a nice Christmas gift for a teenage son; today, it's a serious investment!

Of course, all of this is interesting, but it's like comparing apples to oranges. The fact that a loaf of bread cost X% of my dad's 1955 paycheck, while it costs me Y% in 2004, has very little bearing on other cost comparisons -- cars, MI, a washer and dryer, whatever.

Regards,

-BW
--
Bruce Wahler
Ashby Solutions™ http://music.ashbysolutions.com
978.386.7389 voice/fax
bruce@ashbysolutions.com