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Vintage guitar prices soar in Japan as boomer buying outlasts pandemic

Sought-after Gibson, Martin models are 'something between a hobby and an investment'

Collectors prize vintage guitars because they produce sounds that improve with age. (Photo courtesy of Mikigakki)

TOKYO -- Prices of some vintage guitars in Japan have doubled since the start of the pandemic as what began as a pandemic hobby turned into an outlet for revenge spending.

In the past, prices would rise gradually over five- or 10-year spans, but now they often jump by 50% from one month to the next, according to a staff member at a guitar shop in Tokyo's Shinjuku ward.

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