Trump Tariffs, Inflation Drive LinnStrument Price Increases
Roger Linn Instruments has announced that it is raising the prices on the LinnStrument, a pioneering expressive electronic instrument, designed by Roger Linn.
As of January 1, 2026, LinnStrument prices will see the following increases:
- LinnStrument: from the current $1499 to US$1,649
- LinnStrument 128: from the current $1099 to US$1149
“While I must increase my prices to stay in business,” notes Linn, “I’ve decided to limit my increases and simply earn less profit.”
Linn says that the price hikes are driven by two things:
- Inflation – Linn notes that he released the LinnStrument 200 in 2014, and hasn’t raised his prices. Since then, though, his manufacturing costs have increased 37%.
- The Trump tariffs – Linn manufactures in the US, but uses many parts made in Taiwan and China. He estimates that the tariffs are adding an additional 10% to the manufacturing cost of the LinnStrument.
Linn adds that “sensing three continuous dimensions of touch, polyphonically on 200 or 128 touch zones, with high accuracy, high sensitivity, low latency and on a large playing surface, is simply expensive to do.”
“As a result of the above inflation, I’ve been steadily making less profit. My annual income from both LinnStrument models is about the same as an engineer’s salary, so I’m not getting rich and have no employees,” he shares. “But I am having a lot of fun!”
You can find details about the LinnStrument at the Roger Linn Design site.
