# The Great Aristides Sell-Off



## narad (Mar 17, 2020)

What is going on here! So I wake up and check my reverb feed on my phone app, and usually there's about 5-10 new items popping up. I probably have about 100 search keywords. This time it started with a Suhr amp, then a Klon, then 2 Aristides, then a Matchless, then FIFTY FOUR Aristides!! I thought my app had glitched and was simply showing me results for "Aristides"!

Is there some new model or something that has everyone in a sell-off?


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## spudmunkey (Mar 17, 2020)

narad said:


> What is going on here! So I wake up and check my reverb feed on my phone app, and usually there's about 5-10 new items popping up. I probably have about 100 search keywords. This time it started with a Suhr amp, then a Klon, then 2 Aristides, then a Matchless, then FIFTY FOUR Aristides!! I thought my app had glitched and was simply showing me results for "Aristides"!
> 
> Is there some new model or something that has everyone in a sell-off?



It's finally that 9-string true temperment multiscale explorer with the evertune trem that eveyrone's been saying there's such a huge market for.


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## gunshow86de (Mar 17, 2020)

narad said:


> What is going on here! So I wake up and check my reverb feed on my phone app, and usually there's about 5-10 new items popping up. I probably have about 100 search keywords. This time it started with a Suhr amp, then a Klon, then 2 Aristides, then a Matchless, then FIFTY FOUR Aristides!! I thought my app had glitched and was simply showing me results for "Aristides"!
> 
> Is there some new model or something that has everyone in a sell-off?



I wouldn't be surprised if it's people selling off because of the pandemic. $3-4K guitars don't seem so necessary anymore.


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## KnightBrolaire (Mar 17, 2020)

narad said:


> What is going on here! So I wake up and check my reverb feed on my phone app, and usually there's about 5-10 new items popping up. I probably have about 100 search keywords. This time it started with a Suhr amp, then a Klon, then 2 Aristides, then a Matchless, then FIFTY FOUR Aristides!! I thought my app had glitched and was simply showing me results for "Aristides"!
> 
> Is there some new model or something that has everyone in a sell-off?


I mean their Tele model is out now, so it's possible that a bunch of them are being sold to buy one of those. That or they're feeling the crunch from not working for a few weeks.  A bunch of the newest ones in the feed are from just a couple of guys though.


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## narad (Mar 17, 2020)

The pandemic seems to be hurting high-end gear sales (I had a couple guys flake out just about that time) but it doesn't appear to have really changed what's on the market -- i.e., I'm not seeing any more high-end guitars or amps than usual.

Unless it just hit the Aristides demographic way harder than others, which actually seems possible.

I suppose a third option is maybe Reverb reworked their algorithm and all the Aristides ads got refreshed to the top of feeds? I think they removed the information which says how long the ads have been sitting, so it's hard to tell.


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## narad (Mar 17, 2020)

spudmunkey said:


> It's finally that 9-string true temperment multiscale explorer with the evertune trem that eveyrone's been saying there's such a huge market for.



Did someone finally release a not-black guitar?


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## SpaceDock (Mar 17, 2020)

Definitely a glitch, I watch that feed as well. If there is a crash in the Aristides market I might finally get one.


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## Avedas (Mar 18, 2020)

Time to get rich off Aristides puts


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## Flappydoodle (Mar 18, 2020)

narad said:


> The pandemic seems to be hurting high-end gear sales (I had a couple guys flake out just about that time) but it doesn't appear to have really changed what's on the market -- i.e., I'm not seeing any more high-end guitars or amps than usual.
> 
> Unless it just hit the Aristides demographic way harder than others, which actually seems possible.
> 
> I suppose a third option is maybe Reverb reworked their algorithm and all the Aristides ads got refreshed to the top of feeds? I think they removed the information which says how long the ads have been sitting, so it's hard to tell.



I could definitely believe it hitting the Aristides market harder than the expensive Gibson market. Younger people who have to save up to buy guitars are also the ones more likely to be losing their jobs right now.


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## Seabeast2000 (Mar 18, 2020)

Buy the dip.


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## Mathemagician (Mar 18, 2020)

Coronavirus. People’s jobs are closing down/cutting hours/cutting salaries employees base. 

Most people, regardless of income level do not have 3+ months of expenses saved up. So even someone who can “afford” a $3-4K+ Guitar May need cash when things dry up.


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## kisielk (Mar 18, 2020)

I don't see it, only 32 listings total on Reverb for "Aristides" that I can find and about half of them are from the company itself.


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## narad (Mar 18, 2020)

kisielk said:


> I don't see it, only 32 listings total on Reverb for "Aristides" that I can find and about half of them are from the company itself.



You might be region-locked.















But yea, I get 55 total listings now, so literally all the Aristides entries have been fronted to the top of my feed for some reason. It's not coronavirus afterall


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## prlgmnr (Mar 18, 2020)

I've got my feed limited to Europe only but it did bump all the used Aristdeseses to the front for no obvious reason the other day.


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## narad (Mar 18, 2020)

Pascal's been throwing some bribes their way. Free R-series for the Reverb marketing team.


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## sleewell (Mar 18, 2020)

I saw that yesterday too. Pretty nuts.


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## Nicki (Mar 18, 2020)

Mathemagician said:


> Coronavirus. People’s jobs are closing down/cutting hours/cutting salaries employees base.
> 
> Most people, regardless of income level do not have 3+ months of expenses saved up. So even someone who can “afford” a $3-4K+ Guitar May need cash when things dry up.




Likely this. People probably bought them on credit and can't pay the credit card bill due to not working and now are selling them off. Or these are shops who haven't bothered to push sales on reverb before and are trying to cover all their bases now that people are venturing out into the public so online sales would help to keep them afloat.


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## StevenC (Mar 18, 2020)

narad said:


> You might be region-locked.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


We should all send these guys $1000 offers to force the market adjustment.


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## jco5055 (Mar 18, 2020)

Hmm I just checked the owner's group and don't see any mention of people selling theirs, I mean I'm sure the corona virus stuff would cause people to either sell all but the most needed guitars of theirs and/or can't finish paying if they took a credit deal, but I feel like 55 guitars is like 25% of all models. I feel like I'm going to see mine on there and I'm not selling lol.


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## Lorcan Ward (Mar 18, 2020)

57 when I checked there and the price varies a lot. What I wonder now is how well some of these will sell. At what point does a few people lower their asking that it brings the whole second hand market down.


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## KnightBrolaire (Mar 18, 2020)

Lorcan Ward said:


> 57 when I checked there and the price varies a lot. What I wonder now is how well some of these will sell. At what point does a few people lower their asking that it brings the whole second hand market down.


I regularly see people dumping high specced aristides for under 3k. Some I've seen as low as 1600 usd but that got snatched up and instantly resold by the guy that runs the Modern Guitarist fb group. Considering most aristides (barring the raw models) go for over 3k new and high specced ones pushing close to 4-5k usd, scoring one for sub 2k is basically highway robbery lol


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## rifftrauma (Mar 18, 2020)

Two of them are mine, literally just for sale to fund more Aristides builds.


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## ofu (Mar 19, 2020)

So you mean to tell me people are ready to spend big money on guitar build with virtually no savings and when the shit hits the fan, they start selling on the first week? I mean, whoa, that's really financially irresponsible. Idk, maybe due to the current situation in my country, I can't really grasp the idea of squandering when you can't even live through several months of hardship without having to sell your youngest and cook the dog.

What saddens me most is people buying guitars, plastering them with the rarest woods and the whole shebang and playing them a couple of times just to resale them. I mean, I am also guilty of spending unnecessary on gear, but never consider a guitar based on its resale value. All this and all the scalpers make me really sad about the future of guitar building and etc. Everyone seems to be hoarding and investing, no one cares about the instrument and the hard work of its creator or the beauty of the instrument itself and the music it can help you create. It's just a business scheme. I've bought several guitars in the past few years and ordered two customs, but never considered the resale values/current market/blablabla, come on, it's not wall street stocks, just play your guitars. All my stuff is so modded and/or custom tailored, I really doubt there is second hand market for it, and I don't care.

Whatever, sorry for the rant, it's just the quarantine measures and constantly having to stay at home. Hope all of you guys are ok and everything will blow over. Hope no one loses a beloved guitar also, or at least you can get something you've gased over for a decent price.


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## iamaom (Mar 19, 2020)

ofu said:


> What saddens me most is people buying guitars, plastering them with the rarest woods and the whole shebang and playing them a couple of times just to resale them.


I guess it's a matter of financial perspective. When I was in highschool saving up for a $400 Ibanez from the local GC was a huge deal, now a decade later that same guitar would be a fun project to put stickers on and put in a very uncommon tuning (like drop c#) to play around with once in a while, if I need some quick cash for a vacation I'd dump it on CL or reverb in a heartbeat. Some people (especially older) with really great paying jobs have the disposable income to throw money at a $5k guitar a few times a year; go over to talkbass.org, some of those older dudes go through $10k Foderas like candy (and then claim their pawnshop squire pbass is their best playing instrument).


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## Winspear (Mar 19, 2020)

ofu said:


> I mean, I am also guilty of spending unnecessary on gear, but never consider a guitar based on its resale value. All this and all the scalpers make me really sad about the future of guitar building and etc. Everyone seems to be hoarding and investing, no one cares about the instrument and the hard work of its creator or the beauty of the instrument itself and the music it can help you create. It's just a business scheme. I've bought several guitars in the past few years and ordered two customs, but never considered the resale values/current market/blablabla, come on, it's not wall street stocks, just play your guitars. All my stuff is so modded and/or custom tailored, I really doubt there is second hand market for it, and I don't care.



There may be a lack of sentimental value but that's all. These people really _do_ appreciate a beautiful instrument, which is why they are cycling through high end guitars for fun. Resale value is considered so that they can continue to do so. You can almost look at it like paying a monthly fee (their depreciation) to a guitar company to rent a different build each month - but that's not something companies do so its done through the customerbase instead.
I don't see a problem with it - people do the same with their contract phone upgrades and cars (which I think is an absurd waste of money, but that's because I like guitars instead of phones or cars ). If anything it's a good thing - less money for customers = more business and output for the guitar builders, and more used guitars available on the market. Aristides would not be in such a great position if all their customers just kept their builds and didn't keep buying more  (Seriously - I don't think I've seen any company with such a hungry customerbase - and that's awesome!)

As for people buying luxuries without having a few months savings in the bank - yes that's very real. Guilty


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## c7spheres (Mar 19, 2020)

What's great about an Aristides is that if you have to carry it around outside incase one finds themself homeless from buying it, then it will hold up to the weather better than wood. It won't warp or anything. So it's better suited for outdoor playing.


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## Demiurge (Mar 19, 2020)

Oh sure, some people with means with just churn through expensive instruments.

But also: sites like this are not enclaves of uniquely wealthy folk, either, and it's probably true that some people with harems of expensive custom guitars are living beyond their budgets.


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## wannabguitarist (Mar 19, 2020)

I'm sure they play great but I can't get over the silly fake vents/scoops on the tops. I'd happily grab one for $1k though


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## KnightBrolaire (Mar 19, 2020)

wannabguitarist said:


> I'm sure they play great but I can't get over the silly fake vents/scoops on the tops. I'd happily grab one for $1k though


They're far less obtrusive than they look. I always thought they looked stupid in photos, but in person they're much more subtle.


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## Jeffrey Bain (Mar 19, 2020)

Yeah once they drop to around $1,000 for a raw I will definitely snap one up. I doubt it'll get to that point, but one can dream


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## Albake21 (Mar 19, 2020)

I check Aristides on Reverb fairly often. Most of these have been there. Several of the latest ones are from Aristides themselves as they typically post their in-stock guitars in batches. Only a few of them were recently added with the most being there for the past few weeks now with one or two popping up a week.


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## SnowfaLL (Mar 20, 2020)

Like with Kiesels, people want to order new ones at times, and put old ones up for sale. I have a 070, 060 and incoming T/0 and I put my 070 up on the fb groups (not Reverb yet) - doesnt mean I don't love them, obviously, but my 060 and T/0 are enough for me. 

Also, the introduction to the R series last year being a much cheaper guitar, their orders went through the roof.. A guitar that wasnt in most people's price ranges of $3000 US, being roughly $1000 cheaper new. I probably wouldn't of ordered my 3rd if it wasnt for the R pricing. If I was a responsible adult, I would have sold the 070 first but I figured I'd sell it eventually, now this economic collapse makes that very unlikely to sell for a reasonable price.


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## MaxOfMetal (Mar 20, 2020)

How many guitars has Aristides made? About 3000? If so, I don't think having 50 or so for sale is too bad. That's, what, less than 2%? 

I wouldn't think that's much of an indicator of anything than how successful they've been the last few years. 

If anything it probably represents how much more "online" your average Aristides buyer/owner/seller/fan is.


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## narad (Mar 20, 2020)

I don't think anyone noticed my follow-up post, but it was indeed some sort of Reverb glitch that put all the Aristides listings to the very front of my feed.

HOWEVER, Aristides headless announced in the Aristides HK group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/578515429599158


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## mbardu (Mar 20, 2020)

narad said:


> I don't think anyone noticed my follow-up post, but it was indeed some sort of Reverb glitch that put all the Aristides listings to the very front of my feed.
> 
> HOWEVER, Aristides headless announced in the Aristides HK group:
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/groups/578515429599158



Wow OK now that's more interesting than Reverb bugs.
I've never ordered a new Aristides direct. Is it easy to do from the US?


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## diagrammatiks (Mar 20, 2020)

narad said:


> I don't think anyone noticed my follow-up post, but it was indeed some sort of Reverb glitch that put all the Aristides listings to the very front of my feed.
> 
> HOWEVER, Aristides headless announced in the Aristides HK group:
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/groups/578515429599158



every normal Aristides is now for sale.


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## SpaceDock (Mar 21, 2020)

Damn! Any pics of the headless design? I don’t use Facebook so I can’t see what’s in the link.


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## narad (Mar 21, 2020)

SpaceDock said:


> Damn! Any pics of the headless design? I don’t use Facebook so I can’t see what’s in the link.



Not really. There's a 3d wireframe sort of thing at an extreme angle, but it just looks like an 060 with a V cut into the bottom up to the bridge. It's clearly all mocked up in software, but will have to wait for some straight-on shots of the model.


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## mpexus (Mar 21, 2020)

SpaceDock said:


> Damn! Any pics of the headless design? I don’t use Facebook so I can’t see what’s in the link.



Its only this for now. They are asking 1K deposit for pre order, regular price will be 2.9K (Insane value for me)


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## Wolfhorsky (Mar 21, 2020)

Yes. Finally a headless. Color me interested after all that pandemia crisis.


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## KnightBrolaire (Mar 21, 2020)

diagrammatiks said:


> every normal Aristides is now for sale.


good, more for me


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## Restarted (Mar 22, 2020)

Schaller Bridge, headless, telecaster, seafoam and shell pink raw, new finish options like fades....etc A lot of people are revamping their Aristides collections to get in on the new stuff. I'd be jumping on these for sale ones if the prices are low enough but I'm trying to get in on the new stuff as well...


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## darkinners (Mar 22, 2020)

Just placed the pre-order for the headless H/0. I think it would be amazing.


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## diagrammatiks (Mar 22, 2020)

man I was on the fence about this...but one usd is almost equal to one euro right now. what a time to be alive. 

if only the yuan wasn't so weak. 

Here's the information I got.

H/0 Raw Series H/06R - 2290/2390 Euro H/07R - 2390/2490 Euro H/08R - 2490/2590 Euro H/0 Painted Series H/06 - 2590/2690 Euro H/07 - 2690/2790 Euro H/08 - 2790/2890 Euro

These are all multi scale pricing. Without any additional options.

Multiscale trems will be available but they will be an uncharge.

So it's 1000 deposit now with the remainder to be paid when they are completed. Trems are an additional charge on the listed price.


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## Restarted (Mar 22, 2020)

diagrammatiks said:


> These are all multi scale pricing. Without any additional options.



Yeah but the base options are already stacked. 2290 Euros for a multiscale headless with Fishmans. 
I'm definitely ordering one but just waiting for some uncertainties to clear up


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## diagrammatiks (Mar 22, 2020)

Restarted said:


> Yeah but the base options are already stacked. 2290 Euros for a multiscale headless with Fishmans.
> I'm definitely ordering one but just waiting for some uncertainties to clear up



Ya the only uncertainty for me is the trem. Word is that they will use the hantung hardware. Which if they use the aluminium version should only be about 300-350 charge which is fine.

I'm so glad they came out with the raw series. 2300 for a naturally neck through headless is fire.


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## narad (Mar 22, 2020)

diagrammatiks said:


> man I was on the fence about this...but one usd is almost equal to one euro right now. what a time to be alive.
> 
> if only the yuan wasn't so weak.



And the yen. USD is heading for disaster and the USD gains on the JPY? Damn. Otherwise I'd probably be on this. But are they going to release a front-on shot of that mockup?


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## Restarted (Mar 22, 2020)

diagrammatiks said:


> Ya the only uncertainty for me is the trem. Word is that they will use the hantung hardware. Which if they use the aluminium version should only be about 300-350 charge which is fine.
> 
> I'm so glad they came out with the raw series. 2300 for a naturally neck through headless is fire.



Haha sadly I'm waiting for life uncertainties. Career change, higher education, and/or relocation are all 3 possibilities in my near future. Then there's the whole COVID situation. 
If there's one thing I'm unsure of about the H/0, is what the end of the neck will look like. I won't get a trem for this I think and I'm happy with all the base options. Might go for matching epoxy inlays though.


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## Jeff (Mar 22, 2020)

narad said:


> I don't think anyone noticed my follow-up post, but it was indeed some sort of Reverb glitch that put all the Aristides listings to the very front of my feed.
> 
> HOWEVER, Aristides headless announced in the Aristides HK group:
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/groups/578515429599158



I’d be onboard for a headless that’s impervious to humidity and temp. At their prices it’d be awhile until I could afford it though.


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## Wolfhorsky (Mar 22, 2020)

2690 Euro for painted headless 6 with infinite color options...Damn I have too much guitars and as a dentist I have no work/income for next 2-3 months thanks to stupid CoV-2 spreaders.


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## mbardu (Mar 22, 2020)

darkinners said:


> Just placed the pre-order for the headless H/0. I think it would be amazing.



How do you place the pre-order? It's not on the website. Just email them?


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## ikarus (Mar 22, 2020)

EU guys, dont forget to add VAT on top of the price. You are looking into the 3k region then...


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## nightlight (Mar 22, 2020)

Albake21 said:


> I check Aristides on Reverb fairly often. Most of these have been there. Several of the latest ones are from Aristides themselves as they typically post their in-stock guitars in batches. Only a few of them were recently added with the most being there for the past few weeks now with one or two popping up a week.



Yeah, I've seen most of those guitars before, barring a few.




narad said:


> And the yen. USD is heading for disaster and the USD gains on the JPY? Damn. Otherwise I'd probably be on this. But are they going to release a front-on shot of that mockup?



Being American. The dream of every poor schmuck trying to get into the country illegally 

In uncertain times, buy dollars since it is the currency of choice everywhere.

Kind of strange though, after trillions printed to deal with the last crisis and now talking of printing more bills to keep Americans at home.

What is that, about half a trillion if you give $1200 for every American for one month? What about month 2 and 3 and so on?

So you print more dollars. Which means more money to chase goods like oil. Since there's more of it chasing the goods, the value of the goods rise. So you need more dollars. So everyone buys more dollars. And the dollar rises.

Another way to look at it is that everything is pegged to the dollar. And suddenly there are more dollars. So the value of your currency drops instead 

Seriously, the only person who explained how this works to me is the guy I'm quoting below.

"First of all, you never have to default because you print the money, I hate to tell you, OK?" - President Donald Trump

Anyhoo, I'd love a headless Aristides. But like everyone else (or almost everyone else), I'm really worried about job security and paying the rent since no one is giving me $1200 (they're saying $3000 "one time" now, damn socialists/communists).


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## darkinners (Mar 22, 2020)

mbardu said:


> How do you place the pre-order? It's not on the website. Just email them?



You can PM Brandon on Facebook, he will sort you out.


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## BigViolin (Mar 23, 2020)

Despite the thousand deaths that diagrammatiks has died upon that hill, I like a little junk in the trunk to keep the tuners off my leg when sitting in classical position. I hope this design doesn't leave the tuners as exposed as say a Strandberg. Pretty stoked on this, just not sure if my first non wood guitar will be a headless.


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## diagrammatiks (Mar 23, 2020)

BigViolin said:


> Despite the thousand deaths that diagrammatiks has died upon that hill, I like a little junk in the trunk to keep the tuners off my leg when sitting in classical position. I hope this design doesn't leave the tuners as exposed as say a Strandberg. Pretty stoked on this, just not sure if my first non wood guitar will be a headless.



no you shut your mouth.


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## BigViolin (Mar 23, 2020)




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## bzhang9 (Mar 23, 2020)

all guitars are overpriced compared to the economy right now. If it's not at least 30% off the normal going price its overpriced


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## oracles (Mar 23, 2020)

I'm glad I sold mine when I did, their average listing time seems to be lasting progressively longer and longer each month.


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## Wolfhorsky (Mar 25, 2020)

The market is oversaturated and that covid-19 will cost some serious job numbers.


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## nightlight (Mar 26, 2020)

I actually think that any thing physical
you own is of more value than money right now. Think of how in the financial crisis, banks ran out of money. People put in many, many man-hours into earning those funds. Actual work. And then it just evaporated. Haircuts all around. Especially in countries where their currencies tanked. Billions of dollars worth of man hours becoming worth cents.

Just musing, I apologise if my economic theory seems radical, but who would have though the US would benefit from multiple simultaneous trade wars? Unbelievable, till it was done.

Is the US dollar a currency? Or a good with finite supply? It's hard to imagine that the countries indebted to the US who forged the Bretton Woods Agreement foresaw the US abandoning the dollar linkage to gold.

And why couldn't the currency notes entitle the bearer to the equivalent amount of goods "as determined by the value of gold"? Worth noting that in a time of crisis like this, the super-rich can't get enough gold. And the US always seems to power through crises nowadays by "printing" trillions of dollars - an act it has a monopoly over.

Free float? Remember: you can only buy oil and other goods with dollars. No one takes the equivalent in rupees, pesos or toilet paper. So my currency is worth nothing really.

I have to buy dollars therefore. Which seems to imply it is the barter good of choice.

Covid-19: Look at the job losses worldwide. Imagine people living from check to check. Imagine having to pay rent and buy food and service your loans when you have no job.

Seriously, hold on to your money.

Or don't hold on to your money. I am not sure.

This isn't the first crash and it won't be the last. This kind of thing just keeps happening every 10 years or so. Asian Tiger Crisis, Lehmann, Covid. What next? America defaults?

Unfortunately, "investments" in gear won't pan out either, I'd imagine.


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## Andromalia (Mar 27, 2020)

StevenC said:


> We should all send these guys $1000 offers to force the market adjustment.


Likely won't be necessary, we'll just have to wait a few weeks. Confinement is likely going to stay at least for 4 more weeks in Europe, maybe more. I'd expect it to be longer in the USA given that you had a... late start.


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## nightlight (Mar 27, 2020)

Andromalia said:


> Likely won't be necessary, we'll just have to wait a few weeks. Confinement is likely going to stay at least for 4 more weeks in Europe, maybe more. I'd expect it to be longer in the USA given that you had a... late start.



Is that what they're saying now? Four weeks? I would be glad if it is only that long. 

769 dead in Spain in 24 hours. And Boris Johnson got infected too, as per the latest news. 

Even in tiny Singapore, 40+ infections today. 

Always remember Patient 31 in South Korea. One woman was responsible for
over 60 per cent of the cases in that country. 

Got to love policymakers, man. "Get back to work." 

The shithouse is going up in flames. You know, in India, they could only muster a $22 billion stimulus package? It's a $1.7 trillion economy. Got to be fiscally prudent. 

Assuming that is to help 400 million people in a country of 1.3 billion, that's about $55 a head.

For how many months is that supposed to last? And the US stimulus is one-time only? They're sure?


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## BigViolin (Mar 27, 2020)

Aristides Guitars are cool.


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## nightlight (Mar 27, 2020)

Yeah, arium sounds really interesting. Definitely on my guitar bucket list. 

Prices seem to have come down on Reverb. I saw some non-raw models selling for about $2.5k iirc.


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## Andromalia (Mar 27, 2020)

nightlight said:


> s that what they're saying now? Four weeks? I would be glad if it is only that long.



Well, officially it's only 2 more weeks but we know where this is going. My main issue with waiting for prices to, if they do, fall, is that I'd give a decent luxury watch priority over an umpteenth guitar at that point, and since I'm buying another apartment getting both isn't in the plans.


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## nightlight (Mar 27, 2020)

Andromalia said:


> Well, officially it's only 2 more weeks but we know where this is going. My main issue with waiting for prices to, if they do, fall, is that I'd give a decent luxury watch priority over an umpteenth guitar at that point, and since I'm buying another apartment getting both isn't in the plans.




I wanted to go on vacation and see my folks, but I can't fly anywhere. I'm also scared if I fly in or out of some country. I may not be able to fly anywhere else. 

Might not be a good idea to fly, period. 

I'm looking at a few amps and a couple of guitars locally: Mark V:90, a Strandberg, an XTC. There also was an Ultra Lead on Reverb for $1800, kind of a holy grail amp for me, but I'm just waiting and watching for a bit.

I'd like to sell some gear instead of buy at this point actually.


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## darkinners (Mar 28, 2020)

nightlight said:


> Yeah, arium sounds really interesting. Definitely on my guitar bucket list.
> 
> Prices seem to have come down on Reverb. I saw some non-raw models selling for about $2.5k iirc.



They just are, right after I bought my first Aristides I am ordering the 2nd and now pre-ordered the upcoming headless one. 
And this kind of behavior is very common between Aristides guitars owner. 

I was skeptical about them like many but once I played one, that's it. Composite material is the future of guitar.


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## nightlight (Mar 28, 2020)

darkinners said:


> They just are, right after I bought my first Aristides I am ordering the 2nd and now pre-ordered the upcoming headless one.
> And this kind of behavior is very common between Aristides guitars owner.
> 
> I was skeptical about them like many but once I played one, that's it. Composite material is the future of guitar.



That's awesome. I love the headless design and that's the Aristides I'd love to own if I could save up enough for a used one somewhere down the line. 

Have you compared to any other high end instruments made of wood?

You know, I love the fact that so many people tout the virtues of Arium for guitars. It just buttresses my argument that the wood/material being used is very important to the tone of a guitar. 

I love the Mayones, Caparison and Strandbergs I own, but if there's one guitar I'm pretty confident I'll not sell, it's a Sugi DH496C I own.

Odd guitar, no truss rod. The wood is estimated at 200-500 years old, and was underwater for 75-150 years.





It's an oddball for a DH496C with three single coils. Definitely not metal. But I love trying odd things with it, like this attempt at vintage Judas Priest.

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B9GAnhbHCDF/?igshid=esa6ux75eed8

The tone just reminds me of songs like Never Satisfied and Tyrant.


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## Spicypickles (Mar 28, 2020)

Christ that guitar is gorgeous


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## narad (Mar 28, 2020)

nightlight said:


> That's awesome. I love the headless design and that's the Aristides I'd love to own if I could save up enough for a used one somewhere down the line.
> 
> Have you compared to any other high end instruments made of wood?
> 
> ...



Wow, I love that top! I've seen that guitar before but the photos didn't show as much depth.


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## darkinners (Mar 29, 2020)

nightlight said:


> That's awesome. I love the headless design and that's the Aristides I'd love to own if I could save up enough for a used one somewhere down the line.
> 
> Have you compared to any other high end instruments made of wood?
> 
> ...



My guitar/bass arsenal are mostly mid to higher end. Namely PRS Private Stock, PRS Modern Eagle, Mayones Master Builder Collection, Fodera Emperor Bass, Warwick Custom Shop bass, Fender Custom Shop...etc 

If I had to choose one. I'd take Aristides over any of them any day of the week. Of course I appreciate beautiful wood and the woodworking craftsmanship as much as the next guy. 
But Aristides just feel great to play and it sound very "clear". Quite a bit clearer than my other guitars. The low end however is a little bit on the lean side. 

Your Sugi look absolutely amazing! I'd hold on to it as well. Btw why doesn't it have a truss rod?


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## nightlight (Mar 29, 2020)

darkinners said:


> My guitar/bass arsenal are mostly mid to higher end. Namely PRS Private Stock, PRS Modern Eagle, Mayones Master Builder Collection, Fodera Emperor Bass, Warwick Custom Shop bass, Fender Custom Shop...etc
> 
> If I had to choose one. I'd take Aristides over any of them any day of the week. Of course I appreciate beautiful wood and the woodworking craftsmanship as much as the next guy.
> But Aristides just feel great to play and it sound very "clear". Quite a bit clearer than my other guitars. The low end however is a little bit on the lean side.
> ...



Dude, that's like top of the line equipment. I love well-made guitars, I've owned some really nice production stuff, like an Ibanez RG1820X and a LTD JH-600EC, but I think companies like Mayones have refined their processes to a level that it's not just an incremental difference in playability or tone. 

Someday I hope to own an Aristides as well. I like tonal variation, so having a synthetic guitar in combination with a mahogany one or an ash one appeals to me greatly.

On the Sugi: Thanks. It's just that the wood has been underwater and subject to the elements for so long, that it no longer is subject to warping or anything. I'll add a big caveat that "I hope". When I run that guitar through a synth with a Fishman Triple Play, the tracking is amazing, really good build. Iirc, it's made of exotic mahogany and exotic maple, which could be just marketing terms.


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## Casper777 (Mar 31, 2020)

Seems like their upcoming headless is getting huge attention. 
I'm IN the preorder group. I guess that's the reason some are for sale.
A headless Aristides has been waited as the holy grail by many. 
Super happy it happens!


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## hayfever (Mar 31, 2020)

I was going to ask this in a new thread but this seems closely related: why does anybody that has a post or video detailing a new Aristides guitar (usually saying how "it's the best guitar they've ever played") end up with them for sale on reverb a month later? I'm interested in one but it seems like they're just something novel for a lot of players, and it's a real quick honeymoon phase.


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## KnightBrolaire (Mar 31, 2020)

hayfever said:


> I was going to ask this in a new thread but this seems closely related: why does anybody that has a post or video detailing a new Aristides guitar (usually saying how "it's the best guitar they've ever played") end up with them for sale on reverb a month later? I'm interested in one but it seems like they're just something novel for a lot of players, and it's a real quick honeymoon phase.


most of those people are serial gear flippers


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## Jeffrey Bain (Mar 31, 2020)

hayfever said:


> I was going to ask this in a new thread but this seems closely related: why does anybody that has a post or video detailing a new Aristides guitar (usually saying how "it's the best guitar they've ever played") end up with them for sale on reverb a month later? I'm interested in one but it seems like they're just something novel for a lot of players, and it's a real quick honeymoon phase.



from what a lot of players say it's to fund another build with different specs. Not sure how valid it is but I don't see the reason for them to lie in their reasoning.


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## Jeffrey Bain (Mar 31, 2020)

KnightBrolaire said:


> most of those people are serial gear flippers


Also this.


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## KnightBrolaire (Mar 31, 2020)

Jeffrey Bain said:


> from what a lot of players say it's to fund another build with different specs. Not sure how valid it is but I don't see the reason for them to lie in their reasoning.


it's pretty accurate. There's a couple of whales with ungodly amounts of disposable income that constantly get and dump builds. I've seen the same thing with kiesel and some other brands like Vik/Barlow


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## Lorcan Ward (Mar 31, 2020)

hayfever said:


> I was going to ask this in a new thread but this seems closely related: why does anybody that has a post or video detailing a new Aristides guitar (usually saying how "it's the best guitar they've ever played") end up with them for sale on reverb a month later? I'm interested in one but it seems like they're just something novel for a lot of players, and it's a real quick honeymoon phase.



Many reasons but one big one is how readily available Aristides are. If you fell on hard times and had to sell your guitar then you can do it knowing that in a few years time you can just order a new one direct from the company that will be near identical to your old one, maybe even with a few new specs that have been introduced. They’re consistent and so far haven’t phased out anything afaik in recent years so it’s not like an Ibanez, Kiesel etc where they have a rotating lineup or a small custom builder who may have a waiting list several years long or stopped building altogether.


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## HighGain510 (Mar 31, 2020)

I love mine, and I would fall into the camp that if I were to unload it later, it would have to be to fund another one.  But I’ve had mine for over a year, and that should say something given my gear habits...  I’d definitely love to custom spec one myself (my build is a galactic sparkle 060 from NAMM 2019) and I’m waiting to see the headless builds as I‘ll likely put one in the oven after the COVID-19 stuff calms down.  All of that being said, at this point I’m more likely to hang onto my 060 and then just order another one with different specs and maybe some custom inlays!


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## oracles (Apr 1, 2020)

hayfever said:


> I was going to ask this in a new thread but this seems closely related: why does anybody that has a post or video detailing a new Aristides guitar (usually saying how "it's the best guitar they've ever played") end up with them for sale on reverb a month later? I'm interested in one but it seems like they're just something novel for a lot of players, and it's a real quick honeymoon phase.



I was a relatively early adopter of Aristides (I placed my first order in 2015 before they started to really gain hype) and they do make a really great instrument. I went on to order another 5 of them, and I've had hands on approximately 35-40 of them, and they're remarkably consistent. 

What led me to sell all of mine though was this inherent core tone that arium has. It took me a while to notice it, but theres a certain sterility to them and once I heard it, I couldn't unhear it. That's not a slight against them either, I loved mine when I had them and they were great guitars, and I'd still absolutely recommend them, just not for myself and my play style(s). 

The other point that makes them so easy to sell is that you can order an identical one whenever you want. It's not the same as a traditional guitar where you might get a lesser grade top, the finish doesnt come out as well, lighter/heavier woods etc. Their manufacturing process is so consistent that an identical build is easy to achieve.


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## narad (Apr 1, 2020)

hayfever said:


> I was going to ask this in a new thread but this seems closely related: why does anybody that has a post or video detailing a new Aristides guitar (usually saying how "it's the best guitar they've ever played") end up with them for sale on reverb a month later? I'm interested in one but it seems like they're just something novel for a lot of players, and it's a real quick honeymoon phase.



I think a lot of the demographic are super irresponsible with money. You have these FB groups which seem to mostly be like 18, who have dreams of being pro guitar players, dropping $4-10k on multiple guitars and posting their order sheets for likes. Then getting into trouble later in the year and dumping. Then doing it again.

I mean, lots of issues at play though, and I don't think any that really reflect poorly on the brand. Rather the type of people who are ordering. Some repeat customers also get better pricing, so when they're flipping they're basically breaking even at what would be a loss for other people.

And there's always a new finish or spec to make your existing one obsolete.


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## c7spheres (Apr 1, 2020)

If I get $1200 from the stimulus checks I'm gonna do something very irresponsible with it. Maybe put it towards an Aristides, an AxeFx, a used Prestige! It's my duty as an American to boost the economy. Yep, that's my excuse : )


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## nightlight (Apr 2, 2020)

oracles said:


> What led me to sell all of mine though was this inherent core tone that arium has. It took me a while to notice it, but theres a certain sterility to them and once I heard it, I couldn't unhear it



This piques my interest. What exactly do you mean by "sterile", I'm curious to know. It's more a term I'm used to using with say mixes. Do you mean it's lacking in warmth/doesn't sound organic? Maybe sounds hi-fi, kind of like how people compare a Kemper and AxeFX to say a tube amp?

I do know that a lot of owners say they sound identical and that the material has a way of reproducing tones you would miss on other guitars. Is that because wood doesn't resonate in the same way, or maybe kills some of those vibrations due to the nature of wood versus something like Arium, which is designed with acoustic properties in mind?


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## SpaceDock (Apr 5, 2020)

https://reverb.com/item/32757679-aristides-070-marble-red-burst

This guy has the right idea!


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## diagrammatiks (Apr 5, 2020)

narad said:


> I think a lot of the demographic are super irresponsible with money. You have these FB groups which seem to mostly be like 18, who have dreams of being pro guitar players, dropping $4-10k on multiple guitars and posting their order sheets for likes. Then getting into trouble later in the year and dumping. Then doing it again.
> 
> I mean, lots of issues at play though, and I don't think any that really reflect poorly on the brand. Rather the type of people who are ordering. Some repeat customers also get better pricing, so when they're flipping they're basically breaking even at what would be a loss for other people.
> 
> And there's always a new finish or spec to make your existing one obsolete.



dawg. a new finish doesn't make yours obsolete. that's not how that word works.


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## Jonathan20022 (Apr 6, 2020)

Yeah not sure where the thinking behind that is, if I get the base white free color option, the guitar will perform identically to a more "expensive" one. If you think like that you're better off never getting one  if you feel like your guitar is somehow obsolete because someone came up with a cool finish idea in the future.

Whereas I'm waiting on Strandberg to eventually throw their modular nut on everything, so I can buy a neckthru/modular nut/trem'd berg in the future instead of jumping in now. That's a reason to feel like older guitars become obsolete, but even then that doesn't make them obsolete in any way. Just be decisive about something you want and order it if you want it enough, not like you can't have more than 1 guitar


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## narad (Apr 6, 2020)

diagrammatiks said:


> dawg. a new finish doesn't make yours obsolete. that's not how that word works.



Well, out of fashion. In the instagram world, that is obsolete.


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## diagrammatiks (Apr 6, 2020)

Jonathan20022 said:


> Yeah not sure where the thinking behind that is, if I get the base white free color option, the guitar will perform identically to a more "expensive" one. If you think like that you're better off never getting one  if you feel like your guitar is somehow obsolete because someone came up with a cool finish idea in the future.
> 
> Whereas I'm waiting on Strandberg to eventually throw their modular nut on everything, so I can buy a neckthru/modular nut/trem'd berg in the future instead of jumping in now. That's a reason to feel like older guitars become obsolete, but even then that doesn't make them obsolete in any way. Just be decisive about something you want and order it if you want it enough, not like you can't have more than 1 guitar



I love that nut. I'm trying to see if I can get some one to reproduce it. The concept is super simple. It's just a saddle screw into an anchor.


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## Jonathan20022 (Apr 6, 2020)

I pretty much asked Ola every year at NAMM if that was in the pipeline, but hopefully in the next two NAMM events in 2021/2022. Maybe we can see them announce it, since all the biggest features have kind of dropped over the years so other than some new unseen innovations that's one of the last ones I need to see on a production guitar from them. But yeah it shouldn't be hard to reproduce, their application of it is just very well done and customizing it is amazingly simple, so an OEM solution would be preferred.


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