When looking for a new guitar, you probably check out several different brands for comparison. If you’ve looked at D’Angelico guitars in particular, you probably have noticed that most of them seem to be on sale all the time. Does the fact that they’re on sale indicate anything about their quality, or is it simply a marketing strategy?
There is no official announcement about why D’Angelico guitars are always on sale. It may be due to a marketing or pricing strategy that aims to increase sales by creating urgency for potential buyers. However, it may also result from sales going down, which causes the company to lower prices to get rid of the stock.
In the rest of this article, I will go through every possible reason why D’Angelico guitars are almost always on sale. I will also list some of the most well-known D’Angelico models and their advantages and disadvantages. Let’s get started!
Why You Can Always Find D’Angelico Guitars on Sale
It’s a well-known fact that D’Angelico guitars are always on sale in different retailers and on the company’s website. It seems like they’re never sold at their full price, which may prompt you to wonder why this pricing is.
Typically, when you see something on sale for a limited time, you consider it a bargain, but if something is on sale the whole time, it may raise question marks. Many online users have posed this question, wondering if it’s a question of quality or just marketing technique. While no official reason is announced, different experts have varying opinions on this topic.
Marketing Strategy
The first and probably most obvious explanation would be that D’Angelico uses a marketing strategy to create a buzz and sell more guitars. While discounts typically drive up sales, it is more effective when it is for a limited time.
Typically, sales create a sense of urgency, pushing the potential buyers to purchase their instrument before the sale ends. D’Angelico may be using this strategy to increase sales, but the fact that the guitars are constantly on sale may be doing more harm than good.
Pricing Strategy
Some users believe that D’Angelico is putting relatively high original prices on their guitars, relying on the D’Angelico name and general reputation for quality. Because the original D’Angelico guitars were handmade, high-quality pieces, the company believes that they can use their reputation to inflate the prices of their current guitar lines.
Once the company manages to create the idea of high-quality guitars using higher prices, the customers have a new and improved perception of D’Angelico. As a result, when the company suddenly lowers prices considerably, the customers believe that the new prices are a bargain and run to buy their favorite instrument. This is a pretty common technique in business.
Low Sales
While the fact that D’Angelico guitars are always on sale may very well be a marketing or pricing strategy, the real reason may be much simpler: they aren’t selling at their original prices. If the guitars don’t sell, they sit in stock, which costs the company more and more money every minute they stay in storage. As a result, the company has no choice but to lower the price to avoid losing more money.
If this is the real reason, you may wonder why D’Angelico guitars aren’t as popular anymore. The main reason, according to some users, is the fact that the quality of these guitars is not the same as it was. The original D’Angelico guitars were handmade by John D’Angelico, a master luthier who created unique, high-quality pieces.
After D’Angelico’s death and several decisions on his family’s part, the brand’s quality was known to have declined significantly. Some users believe the quality remained satisfactory until the production moved from Japan to Korea. Other users believe the quality is still pretty good, but the brand recognition and marketing decisions have driven a lot of customers away.
What Are the Best D’Angelico Models?
If you want to take advantage of the sales, you can get a D’Angelico guitar for a very good price. While D’Angelico has lost the prestige of the past, it’s still one of the country’s best producers and offers several great models you can try. Here are some of the best D’Angelico models you can find in stores or second-hand:
- D‘Angelico Premier Lexington Acoustic: This cheap but well-made acoustic guitar is excellent for beginners.
- D’Angelico Premier Mini DC XT: This guitar is a high-quality and versatile electric guitar with excellent sound.
- D‘Angelico EX 63 Acoustic: It is the best acoustic model of D’Angelico, a classic vintage model, and the last design by the original designer.
- D‘Angelico Premier SS: This is a great electric guitar with a reasonable price, offering a bold sound and durability.
Pros and Cons of D’Angelico Guitars
If you’re still not sure if you should take advantage of the relatively low prices and get a D’Angelico guitar, check out some pros and cons that can help you make a decision:
Pros
- The designs are unique. D‘Angelico offers some unqiue designs that are unlike everything else you see in the market.
- D‘Angelico guitars typically have rich and bold tones. This is especially great for certain genres like jazz and blues.
- Vintage D‘Angelico guitars offer high-quality craftsmanship. Although their reputation has suffered over the last few decades, older models are well-known for very durable materials and careful attention to detail.
Cons
- Electric D‘Angelico guitars can be quite heavy. Some electric models are known for their heavy weight, which can be uncomfortable for many players.
- There aren’t a lot of D‘Angelico guitars. D‘Angelico typically keeps the production volume low, so finding such a guitar in your nearest store may be hard. It may be even harder to find a vintage one.
- Low-priced models have inferior quality. Several lines have received poor reviews, as the customers are disappointed with the generally low quality compared to the higher-priced models of the same company.
Final Thoughts
D‘Angelico guitars always seem on sale, which may seem suspicious. This may be a marketing or pricing strategy to drive up sales. However, it may also indicate that the overall quality has fallen, especially compared to the extremely high quality that these guitars were known for in the past.
Nevertheless, you can check out different D‘Angelico guitars and see for yourself if they’re worth the price. These guitars can have unique designs and are known for their rich tones, but they aren’t widely available and can be pretty heavy.
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