Price increases this year? 2026

[dean701]

Usually this time each year Fender and the like undergo their February price increases.
Has anyone heard anything?

Perhaps the current political climate will negate that and I certainly don't want to get into that here.
Just my original question.

 

[DaPhotoGuy66]

Sorry I haven't heard anything. Has it been pretty regular every year that the price is just inch up?

 

[Jarick]

I dunno about guitars but holy shit are strings getting more expensive. Regular Slinkies and D'Addario are like $8 per pack and the 3-packs are now $20+. Elixirs are now $17 per pack and climbing.

 

[dean701]

Exclusively I use Elixir strings. I agree string prices are insane. Elixir sell 4 packs that somewhat soften the blow. I usually purchase through a reputable vendor through Amazon for about 30 bucks USD when deals pop up.

 

[Jarick]

Exclusively I use Elixir strings. I agree string prices are insane. Elixir sell 4 packs that somewhat soften the blow. I usually purchase through a reputable vendor through Amazon for about 30 bucks USD when deals pop up.

View attachment 58775

I'm thinking of going back to Elixir or maybe some other coated strings. It's enough to want to sell off some guitars so I don't have to pay $50 a month to change strings here...

 

[dean701]

I'm thinking of going back to Elixir or maybe some other coated strings. It's enough to want to sell off some guitars so I don't have to pay $50 a month to change strings here...

exactly. I've been using coated for years for that very reason. Sometimes I don't touch a certain guitar for 6 months. Regular strings rust by then and I end up replacing strings not even playing it.

 

[richey88]

Seems like everything went up.

 

[Wiretap]

Fender already had a tariff price increase in the middle of last year. Doubt they’ll raise them again yet, barely six months later.

“Uncertainty around tariffs may cause Fender’s operating performance to deteriorate more than we expect”: Fender has been forced to increase its prices to weather the tariff storm, according to new report

While sales to distributors have exceeded expectations, S&P Global suggests that consumers are leaning more towards the second-hand market amid increasing economic uncertainty

www.guitarworld.com

 

[Jarick]

Interesting, I saw over the weekend a lot of Boss pedals were marked way down on sale. I wonder if all the price increases and tough economy are abruptly curtailing sales, and we may see some corrections. I dunno, I think the MI industry is going to have some real challenges the next 1-2 years.

 

[paisleywookiee]

PRS SE’s went up just a shade under what the 19% rate is from Indonesia.

 

[la szum]

 

[ChordInversion]

I suspect things will come back to earth when the 'AI' bubble finally pops. I'm grateful to have a nice supply of strings I got in bulk at discount, and my guitars' strings don't rust while on their stands or in their cases anyway.

 

[Frodebro]

Price increases have been a regular thing for decades across most industries, so I'm not really sure what there is to discuss here. I remember when unleaded was 79 cents a gallon. The minimum wage then was $3.35/hour.

 

[paisleywookiee]

Price increases have been a regular thing for decades across most industries, so I'm not really sure what there is to discuss here. I remember when unleaded was 79 cents a gallon. The minimum wage then was $3.35/hour.

There’s definitely something to discuss. Just not here. Again, 19% in one year is a lot. It’s not normal. That’s all I’ll say.

 

[dean701]

The general purpose of my OG post was that historically Feb every year is when many vendors increase prices. I was on the fence of buying something and wanted to bite before increases hit. unlike other years, I hadn't heard anything. Perhaps due to the tariff BS going on. Was just getting a survey - that's all.

 

[Frodebro]

The general purpose of my OG post was that historically Feb every year is when many vendors increase prices. I was on the fence of buying something but unlike other years, I hadn't heard anything. Perhaps due to the tariff BS going on. Was just getting a survey - that's all.

Companies like Fender have both domestic and imported lines, so we’ll see how they deal with things. It sucks to be Behringturd and Joyo though, and to be honest I’m not upset by that at all.

 

[Frankencat]

GHS has another 5% increase coming. This is like the forth time in two years. It's getting to where I can get them cheaper on sale at the big stores when they have a sale than I get as a dealer. Everyone has to eat guess.