Be My Guitar Data Hero

July 17, 2019 12:49 PM

I'd like to get some guitar data:

- # sold in U.S. yearly
- # total number of active guitars /guitar players in U.S.
- % acoustic vs. electric

Where can I find such data?

posted by falsedmitri to Media & Arts (5 answers total)

Contacting https://www.namm.org would be where I'd start
posted by jonathanhughes at 12:59 PM on July 17, 2019 [2 favorites]

Find a library that has access to Mediamark Reporter and their Survey of the American Consumer data.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 1:30 PM on July 17, 2019 [1 favorite]

Be aware, the used market is *huge* and may be a black box to marketing firms. Fwiw.
posted by j_curiouser at 1:34 PM on July 17, 2019 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: @jonathanhughes: Thanks I've emailed them.
@NotMyselfRightNow: The local library doesn't have access to it. Any suggestions on other ways to access it?
@j_curiouser; spitbull: Thanks!
posted by falsedmitri at 5:08 PM on July 17, 2019 [1 favorite]

From spitbull's WaPo article I found Music Trades magazine, which has a series of data reports, if you're willing to spend some money on your search.

% acoustic vs. electric

I'm not sure what you're looking for with this - if it's data on % sold, then NAMM should probably get you a workable estimate. But if you're interested in % of players/owners, I'm not sure where you could find accurate data, not least because there's a really really good chance that tons of folks - whether pro, semi-pro, or amateur/hobbyist - will own both.
posted by soundguy99 at 5:39 PM on July 17, 2019 [1 favorite]