What Solar Guitars Are Doing Is........

Genius.... What Solar Guitars are doing is very clever , and it seems a lot of guitar brands aren't doing it. Regional pricing on guitars in countries like Brazil makes a lot of sense and has several upsides. Not only with people being able to afford to play guitar but simultaneously reducing demand for counterfeit (fake) guitars. S by Solar guitars seem like a great idea!

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[ChrisLau]

Fun fact: Sega (the games company) did a similar thing in Brazil for the very same reason. Consoles were taxed and priced to high for most consumers, so Tectoy (another toy and games company) made and distributed their own versions of Sega consoles (with Sega's input and approval). And they even got a bunch of stuff that wasn't released elsewhere.

[pauloscabeni]

Great video! One thing about average wage in Brazil: official government data says it's actually around 2900 BRL per month, and not 8500 BRL. Many other companies that gather this kind of data say it's around 2900 BRL too. A brand new Epiphone standard cost something like 6000 BRL here, over four times the minimum wage

[TobyKBTY]

The S series by Solar is actually available in my country now, too (Philippines). I'm surprised it came here too, but in hindsight it's a brilliant move. Lots of talented, passionate musicians here who gig and record with budget guitars or simply don't have the budgets for top-line guitars. Ola tapping into markets like these is awesome, I actually wanna try one for myself even after trying real Solars.

[nao.to.nem.venddo]

I live in Brazil and guitar prices are completely ABSURD. Nowadays I don´t buy guitars anymore, I just assemble them by mixing bought parts from local luthiers, Malagoli pickups (which are great btw) and Wilkinson hardware. I spend 30% to 40% of what I would spend on a branded guitar and it's also a fun way to learn and experiment with the process.

[georgebluestorm]

I moved from Chile to Ireland two weeks ago. I was so suprised to see the price tags here that I had to get a Charvel that had been on my mind since 2021 for about 400 euros cheaper than the same model in South America, which is pretty crazy when you think about it since these are made in Mexico.

[sevenagnbeats]

Some considerations:
- Rule of thumb, "normal" prices here in Brazil are considered USD * 10, so, using this PRS as example, a "good" price would be 7K BRL.
- The import tax is one of the taxes that we pay. Currently is 60% import + 17% ICMS (our 'state' VAT). The problem is that the ICMS is calculated a little different. The ICMS is calculated after all the other taxes, incluing shipping fees. The actual calculation is: PRICE / 1 - % of ICMS. Basically, we would pay 92% of the PRICE + Shipping, if we import this model from sweetwater, costing actually less than buying from the place that you show. Companies have a lower rate, but they pay other taxes.
- The minimum wage here is 1320 BRL. The medium wage here is something around 2600 BRL. 90% of the whole population earns less than 3000 BRL. 8500 BRL monthly is a very difficult salary to get, even if you have a degree and a lot of experience.

[nj]

It really is a great idea. Ola understands that not all of his fans across the world can afford a Solar guitar. Even though us Europeans see the prices of the Solar guitars as quite competitive, people living in less wealthy countries might still never be able to afford one. Smart business move, and wholesome at the same time.

[martintejera]

Great video man, but the reality here in Brazil is actually a lot worse... the avarage salary is about 2k BRL, which is around 400 USD, it's actually a really small percentage of people who earn more than 5k BRL, they are considered the "middle class" by the majority of the population.

So yeah... it's preatty bad. That's why Brazillian brands, specially Tagima, have such a great importance here, even more if you consider the price they go for, which is way more affordable for us, just like you've said on the video.

[shoes-kun]

Hey KDH, great vid! I know people already corrected you about the wages in Brazil, but I'd like to give some additional insights. Our minimum wage currently sits at R$1320. 70% of all formal professionals in Brazil receive up to 2 minimum wages, that being R$2640. That means more than 65 MILLION people in Brazil receive that and I hope this illustrates the breadth of the issue. Also, we have a credit based economy that was installed to give people the illusion of wealth by allowing them to pay instalments instead of full prices. So the average Brazilian is sunk in debt and will usually spend all that salary as soon as its received to pay bills and credit card debt. That means even a budget guitar such as the one you've shown will be a 12 month affair for the average Brazilian. So it's even more of a commitment than it looks. That being said, I agree 100% with your point that region locked brands and industries would help A LOT and Ola is a genius for it!

[rogerwberte]

BRAZIL MENTIONED!

Thanks for doing the research on Brazil's retail prices. Even though the import taxes are THAT high, the domestic commercial taxes are REALLY high too. It's a real pain in the ass buying gear over here.

The worst thing is the devaluation of the currency on the last 10 years or so. In 2012, we had one USD going for BRL1, 50. We just recently were able to get one dollar for less than BRL5, 00. The pandemic was tough, but especially the last government (2019-2022) economic policy focused on raising the exchange value of the dolar for investment reasons, not the benefit of the population, IMO.

Solar is doing the best thing possible to get their product to the masses. The next step would be being their own distributor in each country, instead of using third party companies for that.

BTW, for the price of a PRS silver sky SE, you can get a custom shop quality instrument made in Brazil with our local luthiers. There's a factory called Klingen that makes Suhr-level guitars for 1.5x the price of that PRS SE. Check them out!

[_Yep_Yep_]

Ola gets it. Solar is cool. More power to them. When i lived in Brasil, a friend of mine played a Baretta and explained to me that it took him months to budget for it and actually find one when he had the money. 9 years of college later I could explain taxes and tariffs and how theyre supposed to work (but mostly dont), but...just take me on my word that sometimes youre just shit outta luck depending on geography regarding your purchasing power. So, Solar just became native, Brasileiros now can make and enjoy their guitars. As it happens, Brasileiros are pretty good at making stuff. Maybe this little endeavor will still be cranking out Solar guitars 40 years after Ola croaks, just like how Brasil kept making Volkswagen Beetles up to the 2000s.

[mars]

"OH SHIT ! THIS KID GONNA GO ALL ROB CHAPAN ON ME !"-Ola

[albertmarkethinkpr]

Thats a very nice move from Solar, giving everyone an opportunity to play a pointy metal guitar.

[freddyray]

KDH, thank you for this. I have commented many times on this special quirk in Brazil and other places. Taxes, distance, materials and the special "brazil factor" i.e. status symbol due to purchase power by the better off are massive factors in the disproportionate prices for imported goods. Some people are prepared to pay 70 to 80, 000 reals for a top end Gibson that would be worth 10k or less in the US. These items become investment products and not necessary for playing, unfortunately.

[YesItsReallyKeith]

dude, your lighting !!! your face is blown out and reflection in your lenses!!! cheers !

[lucasfigueroa]

i live in chile, south america, where guitars are almost 3 times more expensive (specially budget guitars and budget amps) and that makes two brands called Epic Chile and Freeman Guitars, both terrible manufacture and bad guitars in general, being the main guitar brands owned, which is really sad considering some of this guitars after a year just, stop working, either because of the neck having nut problems or the electronics just dying, i literally had to replace the neck (yes, it was cheaper than a new guitar but not for much) my amp it's a Fender Champion 40 which in the US is less than 250 dollars (i think) and here was bought at 350 dollars, and it happens with other brands, Epiphone 200 dollars guitar are sold at almost 500 dollars, squiers that are at 150 dollars are sold at 250-300 dollars (unironically the least expensive options out there) harley bentons are sold at a straight up x2.5 price, most Laney, Vox and Orange amps are sold at x3 of the original price and i can go and on for minutes, it's a really shitty situation

[mykuntstynx]

Dude, my dad is so guilty of this.
He's been obsessed with finding a fake Gibson for months now.
I've been able to talk him out of it for now.
He just bought an Epiphone Les Paul custom.
It's beautiful.
It plays fantastic.
He literally currently has a microfiber cloth covering the Epiphone logo on it as it sits on it's stand....

[TheMack]

Solar seems to be a down to earth company. How can it not be with the ultimate metal Swede as owner, Ola Englund! Music for the people, by the people. Not more money to the sorporate greed which many bigger companies seems to live by, the customer suffers. Good on Solar!

[allendean]

Your latest video on emerald guitars was fantastic!
That short scale 12 string is super cool! I’ve always loved that they have lefties in mind- we’ve gotten enough shade from the big guys!

[DizzyDez]

Ola continues to show his business savvy. He’s earned and deserves every cent he’s made.