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| Photo by Chip Wilson Nola |
I wish all of you that have taken the time to read The Unique Guitar Blog a Happy and Prosperous New Year. May 2026 be Your year to be healthy, and shine.
2025 was certainly an eventful year in the guitar industry. Here are some trends that I have noticed in 2025.
Sadly G&L Guitars has shuttered its door.
Now the Hofner Musical Instrument Company is having financial problems, and has filed for insolvency.
In the UK, music distributor John Hornby Skewes, better known as JHS is taking steps to close, or to find a buyer. This is Britain's largest music distributorship company. The founder, Mr. Skewes, passed away this past September. According to his wishes the company should be sold. JHS is the United Kingdom’s largest distributor of musical instruments with brands such as Danelectro, Godin, Donner, Shubb, Lava Music, Encore, Vintage, and Fret King.
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| Cor-Tek Factory - Squier |
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| Cor-Tek Acoustic Builders Indonesia |
In reviewing example of these Pacific Rim factories, it is evident that Asian workers heavily monitored for their output, and quality of work. Look for most musical instruments to be manufactured in Asia.
Tariffs are influencing guitar pricing in a big way due to the massive number of guitars imported into the United States. The Höfner Company cited this as one of the reasons for the company’s insolvency.
I have noticed that many guitar companies have increased their pricing structure to compensate for additional fees. As an example, in 2024 Amazon offered a Squier Debut Series guitar for $119. In late 2025 that same instrument is priced at $148.
Much guitar hardware is manufactured offshore including machine heads, tailpieces, nuts, and saddles. Even pickups are built overseas. These parts are subject to import tariffs, which are added to the consumer price. So even USA made instruments are affected by tariffs.
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| Gibson Les Pauls $3k to $4k |
Few home players, or local giggers cannot afford $3000 to fork out for a new Gibson Les Paul, or $4500 for a Custom Shop Fender Strat or Tele. Subsequently the budget brands pose a much better option.
As a counterpoint, I am reminded of the British embargo following WWII. Back then the British Board of Trade controlled imports to try to improve the UK’s balance of payments. This is a politician’s term meaning the wealth of the country measured by comparing incoming and outgoing costs.
At the time, the government’s main objective was to secure what they saw as necessary savings in the UK’s overseas spending, in order to reduce the growing pound/dollar deficit.
The broader restrictions of the early ‘50s embargo applied primarily to food and drink imports, but also among the restricted manufactured goods were musical items, namely gramophone records (no CD's or digital downloads in 1945), harmonicas, accordions, and their parts, musical boxes and their movements, stringed instruments (including guitars), wind instruments (not including organs), and some organ parts.
Because of this embargo, most musical instruments, including guitars and amplifiers, sold in Britain were manufactured in Europe. This is why you see older pictures of 1960 British bands playing Futurama guitars, Framus guitars, and Höfner basses. That is what the players of that era could afford.
On the plus side of the ledger this forced the British musical instrument industry to create such iconic brands as Marshall amplifiers, Vox amplifiers and Vox guitars, and Burn's guitars and basses. I hate the fact that the government is involved in controlling and taxing, but that is a reality we have to accept. I believe the industry will eventually work this out.
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| Rest In Peace |
And by all means, "Keep plunkin' your magic twanger!"
©UniqueGuitar Publications (text only) 2025
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