Open question about gear purchases..

[griffin avid]

Seeing that this is VSE, it might be a tough question, but I was wondering.....
How much of your gear was bought while it was still in stores....and not USED?

I would go by number of total current pieces and then what % was bought new.
So if you had 10 pieces of gear and 1 unit was brand new and the rest you snagged off eBay, craigslist, yardsale,traded, then that would be only 10% is Original Owner status.

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On a side, side note, I don't think manufacturers are playing long ball. I don't think any of them want to put out a product and have it tank and then slowly over time grow to become a classic and be in the second hand market. I think they want big sales the first time around. I'd ask, how many of us brought most of our set up while it was new.

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This is important to me as a idea- of WHEN something sells. It's like an album or movie having a bad opening and slowly growing over years to become popular. The creator mi$$es out on a lot of opportunities and momentum when that happens.

[musden]

The other day my friend and I bought Polivoks and, after fooling some time with it, we sold it. Now I think that I am not that guy who would buy second hand instrument. Because that couple of synths I want (and going to buy sooner or later) is in production. These synthesizers are not expensive, quite capable, interesting, nice to work with, so I just have not any need to buy something second hand. But sad that, my thoughts about buying cars are completely opposite

[Stab Frenzy]

On a side, side note, I don't think manufacturers are playing long ball. I don't think any of them want to put out a product and have it tank and then slowly over time grow to become a classic and be in the second hand market. I think they want big sales the first time around. I'd ask, how many of us brought most of our set up while it was new.

Do you really think anyone would think that? I mean really?

[Black Tomorrow]

About 30% for me. This is a direct result of discovering VSE. Most of the gear that I want was introduced before I was a musician (or born, for that matter).

[griffin avid]

Do you really think anyone would think that? I mean really?

Yes because I could be sitting in a pitchroom/boardroom talking about making another XYZ product , you know an updated version, follow up or a similar product for a current generation of users. And Ted from accounting would pull up a chart and say "Um that product direction tanked and hurt our bottom line that year" And I would say:

"Well, yes, BUT! 2 years later, the ALESIS ION and the ALESIS FUSION were realized to be awesome products. It's just that the customer base took time to find out how awesome they really were. You know the V-Synth that's sitting unsold in a bunch of Sam Ash (the one right by me, for instance) is a marvelous product. We should make another one with some requested features and really do a better job of selling the concept from the start."

And the accountant would turn to them and say "look at this other idea I have. This ABC product sold boatloads out of the gate. It's unfortunate that so many people, a year later, put it on craigslist and eBay, but man, did it move upon release. No one cares if unhappy people resell it later, we made ton$ on the initial."

And so, will they make a product for the beard-scratchers and "educated" consumers or release something that becomes an impulse buy? Deep learning curve or shiny and new? Something that everyone has in their studio or a product with a cult following saying things like:
"You need to spend time with it"
"once you wrap your head around its menu system"
"..a year later and I've barely scratched the surface of this thing"
"It has a steep curve, but I like that"
"..it's part of being an innovative, out-of-the-box company"
"this much functionality needs this level of complexity"
"the sound it delivers justifies its cost"
"It's not for everybody. especially deep people get it"

Who do you love?
The guy still reaching for 80s sounds while he slags the commonality and staleness of today's music?
The poser who would pose with your gear?
The uniquely unique individual?
The masses beating at your door?
The guy who wants in and aims to sound like everybody else?
The one loud guy screaming through the kitchen window?
Money now or legacy then?

[meatballfulton]

Even when I buy "new" I always go for restock, refurb, "scratch and dent", demo, "open box", closeouts, etc.

I can't recall a single synth I paid "full price" for.

Guess I'm not the poster boy for supporting mfrs, eh?

And the accountant would turn to them and say "look at this other idea I have. This ABC product sold boatloads out of the gate. No one cares if unhappy people resell it later, we made ton$ on the initial."

This is exactly why Korg is selling boatloads of cheap analog gear but not venturing into (expensive) analog polysynths like many people have been hoping.

Money now or legacy then?

Legacy doesn't pay the bills.

[Jabberwalky]

This is actually the first year I've bought 2 brand new synths. The Blofeld and the Minibrute. The low retail price, along with online sales made it stupid to bother looking at used gear.

[Ned Bouhalassa]

Are we talking just synths/beat boxes or the whole studio? I entered 70% original, but if I don't include speakers, computer, guitar/bass/pedals, MIDI controller, sample libraries, etc. the % is quite different.

[Hybrid88]

Almost nothing actually. Prices in Aus for new stuff is not exactly competitive, well they don't have to be...

[griffin avid]

Well, I counted everything as single pieces, synths and outboard and such and 1/3 was bought new or ordered directly from the manufacturer. Everything else was craigslist or used.

[fh991586]

There is nothing new in my gear, unless you count cables & power bars. So I can't even answer this poll...

[analoglsd]

I voted 10% because it is the lowest option, but the actual number would be less than 5%.
90% of my new buys have all been eurorack modules or module kits. (5 modules, 5 kits)
The only other new purchases I can think of were a Korg Monotron and a Strymon El Capistan a couple years ago.
Oh, and I buy new guitars strings every couple months or so...

I'll definitely pick up the Volca Keys when it comes out.

[synthroom]

I've never bought a synth new.

I have bought two drum machines new, a TR-626 and a DR-220E, both have been sold. The DR was sold to pay for the TR, and that was sold just last year.

[Big Gnome]

My Blofeld is the only synth-type thing (including midi controllers, rack synths, etc.) I've ever bought new (and even then, only because it was cheaper than the used units on ebay at the time on account of free shipping), apart from a few soft synths; more than half of my guitar gear is originally owned; vitrually none of my bas rig is; all of my studio gear is.

[meatballfulton]

Hmm, when Roland comes here to see if there's a market for their new analog polysynth this thread is not going to make them very happy