Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Jasper
Although there are some exceptions (the Drawmer 1960 comes to mind) it appears from this thread that analog equipment tends to retain its value, while digital equipment tends to lose its value.
And right quick, it seems.
Jasper
I think there's a few things that we take for granted as 'losing value' like computers, and software. I KNOW that my computer will be worth less tomorrow than it is today.
I think that most gear loses value over time, and some great gear regains its value after it has dropped over time.
Very very few pieces of gear actually appreciate in value however- analogue or digital. Analogue holds better, as there is rarely a 'new version' that comes out every month that quickly makes it obselete.
I think the repairablity of analogue gear also factors in. Digital gear is a bitch to repair. Surface Mounted Components, microprocessors, lack of documentation, etc... make digital things really hard to repair- in addition to the fact that the circuits are generally 10x as complicated as most analogue circuitry (Compare a Liquid Channel against a Neve 1073 internally!).
The fact that it CAN be repaired relatively easily factors in I think for the pricing. Older analogue stuff still costs a certain amount, because so much has been put in (hopefully) to the unit to keep it going. It's like adding labour cost to it all over again!
With this in mind, certain Vintage Digital pieces will probably maintain/skyrocket in value again at some point in the next few years above what they are now for the working units. When there's only a couple dozen fully working 1580S's out there, and people want that sound, it will come down to supply and demand. That is, unless there is some really breakthrough technology that allows us to emulate them, or someone just starts making them again.