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A lot of good points and sage wisdom being offered on this thread. I'm soaking 'em up.
As most of you folks probably know, I specialize in classicals. Now, what many of you may not know is there are no major manufacturers of high-end classicals, with the possible exception of Cordoba. I suspect that most of the largest builders, such as Ramirez, probably produce fewer guitars in a year than companies like Martin build in a month.
Thus, within the world of classicals, almost all your well-known builders are small shops, often just a single guy cranking out a couple dozen guitars a year. Almost by definition, a high-end classical is a custom, handcrafted guitar.
You guys who build steel strings, on the other hand, are not only having to compete with all the other custom steel string builders, but you're having to compete with the big factories, all of whom sell models that command hefty price tags.
So it just stands to reason that a very important component to finding a way to wedge oneself into the market is to develop a reputation. Easier said than done, though, right? Gotta admit, Brock has some excellent ideas on ways to get yourself noticed. They'll help. But establishing a reputation is key.
So how does one go about establishing a reputation? I imagine there are quite a few different ways. I have decided on a way that has been proven to work: sell certain instruments at a deep discount, even maybe give a couple away, if it means they'll be put in the hands of a player who can give me, the builder, the exposure (and reputation) I need.
Case in point: I'm finishing up on a highly customized 10-string classical for a very talented player whom I believe is going places. I offered to build him a guitar for about half what I would otherwise charge for a project such as his, and he agreed. I have confidence that this guitar will get noticed, and I know the player will help promote my guitars.
Another example: During last year's 10-string guitar festival, I struck up a friendly acquaintance with Janet Marlow, who sponsored the festival, and is a world-renowned 10-string player. Her passion is the 10-string. She wants more classical players to try it, but people are put off by the very high entry price of a new 10-string (typically $5k and WAY up from there). Used ones don't come on the market all the frequently, and when they do, they often command high prices as well.
Janet initially contracted with an archtop builder to build an entry level guitar that she would endorse. The builder bought boxes without necks from a medium-range Spanish classical factory, and fabricated his own necks and bridges for the guitars. They were entry models, yes, but they were clunky. After only a few guitars, he abandoned the project because his wife was in poor health and he didn't have the extra time any longer to devote to Janet's vision of a reasonably priced, entry-level 10-string.
So, here I am at the festival -- the only 10-string builder who made it to the event, and I brought along the first 10-string I built. It got played a lot by the folks there, and I don't mind admitting that it compared very favorably with instruments that sold in the many thousands of dollars.
I'm seeing a huge possibility here. So I tell Janet that we should talk. That I have a few ideas about being able to build an entry level 10-string, and I think we could price it low enough so that sticker shock wouldn't be an issue.
A few months later, after I built and sent Janet a prototype for her perusal, she and I signed a contract for the Janet Marlow Entry model. It's a bare-bones guitar appearance-wise, but in every other way it is handmade. Plus I've standardized on the woods, not offering any options except the installation of a pickup for an additional charge. Four of the seven 10-strings I now have on order are JMEs.
Okay, so I was in the right place at the right time, but the point is, I had enough sense to make a pitch to Janet when I learned of her "predicament," and it appears to be working out for both of our mutual benefits. I'm getting orders, and she's getting her desire fulfilled for a well-made entry level 10-string.
Finally -- when I first set out to build classicals, I was thinking in terms of what is pretty much a standard price point for many builders -- guitars in the $3k range, when built with Euro spruce tops and EIR back/sides. But as I was going through the process of improving my technique, I also began to realize that I would have little chance of actually making many sales with my guitars priced at the same level as lots of other builders who have reputations. Not only that, many classical builders have pedigrees. "Oh, luthier so-and-so studied under this or that master luthier," etc. Joshua French, a member here, is a great example. He studied under Romanillos, for pete's sake!
So, after a lot of soul searching in terms of both my goals and abilities, I realized I should price my guitars based on my abilities, and not according to any false hopes of what I think they should sell for. I am not a master luthier -- far, far from it. I describe myself as an experienced novice, with fewer than 20 builds under my belt. So what is an experienced novice's hourly rate worth? I decided, arbitrarily, on $15/hr. Then I made a few basic assumptions based on past builds as to how many hours it would take to complete a guitar, multiplied that by 15, then added the costs of materials and a hardshell case to that amount, then rounded it up to an even number.
What I realized was I could build and offer guitars for a much lower price than other custom classical builders. In fact, I can offer my guitars at prices comparable to some of the better Paracho, Mexico builders (most notably Fransico Navarro, who builds very nice guitars). This has been the foot in the door for me. The old "sell the same thing for less" strategy at work. In so doing, I hope to carve out for myself a small piece of the pie. I have decided that once my waiting list reaches one year, I will probably increase my prices. I think that's only fair, since I have to pay more for everything I buy as time goes on. But I want to hit that one-year-waiting-list target before I do it.
Whoops. Sorry for the length of this post. Didn't mean to get so carried away.
Best,
MichaelMichael McBroom38874.0190972222
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Live to Play, Play to Live
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FAQ
Seriously though I am wondering if it just gets to lonely at times with a profession this labor intensive and very few clients per hour so to speak.[/QUOTE]
But I thought that's what the OLF was for, no?
Thanks.
