Since August 17, 2026, when we started recording Thomann's prices every night, the average guitar or bass in the catalog has become 0.6% cheaper. That's the total for 9,096 electric, acoustic and classical guitars and basses that were on sale on both dates. Behind the average, brands moved very differently: Sadowsky cut prices on 168 of its 283 basses, while Squier, Maybach and Alhambra drifted up.
Which brands got cheaper
The table shows every brand with at least 40 models on sale on both dates. The change is the average across all of the brand's models, including the ones that didn't move.
| Brand | Models | Average change | Got cheaper | Got pricier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sadowsky | 283 | -4.0% | 168 | 6 |
| Dingwall | 45 | -2.6% | 13 | 0 |
| Höfner | 124 | -1.7% | 23 | 2 |
| Cort | 79 | -1.5% | 27 | 3 |
| Epiphone | 183 | -1.2% | 39 | 2 |
| Charvel | 64 | -1.2% | 17 | 1 |
| Ibanez | 682 | -1.0% | 157 | 2 |
| Gibson | 411 | -0.9% | 74 | 8 |
| PRS | 220 | -0.8% | 43 | 2 |
| Fender | 747 | -0.6% | 147 | 27 |
| Harley Benton | 1,560 | -0.1% | 40 | 30 |
| Squier | 218 | +0.2% | 26 | 20 |
| Alhambra | 64 | +0.5% | 1 | 3 |
Changes are in euros, the currency Thomann sets its prices in, from August 17 to October 18, 2026.
What the numbers say
Most prices didn't move at all. Even at Ibanez, where 157 models got cheaper, more than three quarters of the 682 stayed exactly where they were. Cuts come in batches: a whole series at once, rarely a single model.
The big brands cut, the budget brands held. Gibson, Epiphone, Ibanez and Fender all moved down, while Harley Benton, Thomann's own brand with 1,560 guitars and basses, barely changed. Squier, Fender's budget line, went slightly up, with 20 models more expensive and 26 cheaper.
New listings aren't in this table. We compare the same product numbers on both dates. When a brand re-lists a model under a new number at a higher price, as Epiphone did with its archtops in October, it shows up in our news, not here.
The biggest drops on popular models
Ibanez RGA217P1PBDRL, $1,426
A seven-string from Ibanez's RGA line, down from €1,599 to €1,267 since August, the deepest cut among the big brands. #24 of 89 7 string guitars.
Gibson LG-2 Faded Natural, $2,092
A small-body Gibson acoustic, down 19% in euros. #69 of 383 miscellaneous acoustic guitars.
Epiphone 1959 Les Paul Standard Reissue, $1,210
Epiphone's take on the most famous Les Paul year, 17% cheaper than in August. #69 of 249 single cut guitars.
Yamaha FG820 SBII, $353
A dreadnought acoustic with a solid spruce top, one of the most popular beginner acoustics, also down 17%. #75 of 284 dreadnought acoustic guitars.
Fender American Vintage II 66 Jazz Bass, $2,643
The 1966-style Jazz Bass from Fender's American Vintage II series, 15% below its August price. #27 of 99 4-String J-Basses.
Questions
Are guitar prices going down in 2026?
Slightly, at Thomann: 0.6% on average since mid-August across 9,096 guitars and basses. Most models didn't change; the ones that did mostly got cheaper.
Which guitar brand cut prices the most?
Sadowsky, by 4% on average across 283 basses. Among the biggest names, Epiphone (-1.2%), Ibanez (-1.0%) and Gibson (-0.9%) cut the most.
How we measured. We record the price of every product in Thomann's catalog every night since August 17, 2026. For each guitar and bass on sale on both August 17 and October 18, 2026, we compared the two prices in euros; brand averages include models whose price didn't change. Products show today's price in dollars and their current rank, updated every night.
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Denis Kataev runs AudioFu. Every night the site records the prices of more than 38,000 instruments and studio tools at Thomann, and he writes about what those numbers show: what got cheaper, what just arrived, and which discounts are real.
All stories by Denis Kataev →