I know this is an old thread but I felt compelled to add my 2 cents.
Adjusting for inflation from the 1980s would yield most of that increase in price. As the previous poster noted, all of these units are hand made by the designer himself.
In the 1980s, I met Mr. Brown, through a friend, and auditioned his gear at his home in Northern California. At the time he sold perhaps 200 BEL 1001s per year. Considering the number of units made, he earned a modest low six-figures income. It's clear that Mr. Brown cares more about making a top product than making money. He could have become a multi-millionaire by increasing quantity through mass production, advertising, etc. but cared about quality instead. (BEL doesn't even have a website.) Such care and labor costs must be accounted for in the cost of each unit.
I was torn when I finally sold my 1001 in 2000, in order to go multi-channel.
The only risk for a BEL buyer is what also made it great. Dick Brown is basically a one-man show. As of this post he's probably in his mid to late 50s. At some point he's going to voluntarily or involuntarily stop making this product.
Adjusting for inflation from the 1980s would yield most of that increase in price. As the previous poster noted, all of these units are hand made by the designer himself.
In the 1980s, I met Mr. Brown, through a friend, and auditioned his gear at his home in Northern California. At the time he sold perhaps 200 BEL 1001s per year. Considering the number of units made, he earned a modest low six-figures income. It's clear that Mr. Brown cares more about making a top product than making money. He could have become a multi-millionaire by increasing quantity through mass production, advertising, etc. but cared about quality instead. (BEL doesn't even have a website.) Such care and labor costs must be accounted for in the cost of each unit.
I was torn when I finally sold my 1001 in 2000, in order to go multi-channel.
The only risk for a BEL buyer is what also made it great. Dick Brown is basically a one-man show. As of this post he's probably in his mid to late 50s. At some point he's going to voluntarily or involuntarily stop making this product.