P90 Posted February 21, 2007 Report Share Posted February 21, 2007 I was poking through the "Cool Luthier Sites" thread: http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.php?showtopic=23622 ...and I was wondering... how do these folks actually SELL their guitars? What strategies do they use... or anyone else reading this who builds and sells? (please point me to another thread if this has been asked before) Do you rely mainly on your website? Anyone have an Ebay store? Do you network with other musicians? What about retailers? Advertsing? Just curious.... (Thanks) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted February 21, 2007 Report Share Posted February 21, 2007 They're custom guitars. They're designed around what the customer wants. I doubt any of those luthiers build the guitar, then sell it on Ebay or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherokee6 Posted February 21, 2007 Report Share Posted February 21, 2007 There was a recent article (I may be able to dig up if I remember) that discussed how well made homebuilt gits have a market right know with people spending thousands, in some cases. I think Japan is into the trend now. My late friend who I've mentioned in another post would build gits and had a a goldtop LP with p-90's that he built and was appraised at several thousand dollars. Of course his REAL one was appraised at $150,000 Canadian. His boyhood buddy got that one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted February 21, 2007 Report Share Posted February 21, 2007 Id like to see that article if you can find it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P90 Posted February 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2007 Jon - yea, I looked through Ebay stores and did a search on "custom guitars" or just "guitars" and there didn't seem to be a lot of the type of luthiers that were in that other thread I mentioned. Cherokee- I did some Googling, but couldn't find any article like that, so if you still have the link.... Otherwise, just to bump this up... I'm curious how these luthiers sell their guitars... mostly through the website? Or personal networking? Just curious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted February 22, 2007 Report Share Posted February 22, 2007 I did have one sell on eBay last weekend and it got a lot of interest but i priced it very low, just needed to recoup some money and clear some space. I think if i put a profitable price tag on it it would have struggled on the bay. And so it should, its not the place for custom guitars. A few people get in touch because of my website, they ask for a quote - some get back, some dont. I have only ever sold a small amount of guitars to people that were not freinds at this stage. These where in a shop, the shop took them to shows, some of them sold. Mostly people who like one of my guitars dont buy it, they start to consider what they could have built especially for them. I had a guy wanting to buy a bass off me a couple of weeks ago - he ended up designing a bass with me and now i am building it for him. It means i didnt sell the bass i wanted to, but it also means i get to build another guitar without putting my wages into it - something my girlfriend is happy about. This guy tours the country and is recording an London soon. Its another guitar thats getting seen by a lot of people in the business. He heard about me through the local recording studio, i did him a couple of repairs and wiring mods. So my advice, at my low level, is start local with shops and other guitar related businesses. Dont expect to make much profit and bend over backwards to make people happy with the deal they are getting, dont do as good as the other option - do better. I am hoping that this will develop so i can become truly profitable at this one day soon. Like i say, i am getting more commissions and doing more repairs for the local people and i do have a few guitars spreading around my little country. Either way, at the moment i am happy because less and less of my wages is getting pumped into this hobby and i get to keep doing what i wanna. I was speaking to a UK amp builder last year, they managed to get a magazine review and a famous player to play their amps at a guitar show, it did them the world of good. I have had instruments appraised at £3000 ($6000), it doesnt mean that i should - or would charge that much...... yet!!! To be honest there are very few players that will pay that for an unknown brand even if its worth twice that, so i would only be shooting myself in the foot to ask that much. On the other hand it is important not to undersell yourself, but not to the stage where you have a house full of fantastic guitars that you cant possibly make the most of. I know thats a bit of topic but i am not yet pro enough to give you the answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted February 22, 2007 Report Share Posted February 22, 2007 EBay is for people looking for bargains or very rare items (and those at bargain prices too), IMO. You can take your guitar(s) to a local guitar shop but they are looking to sell their own guitars let alone someone else's. The best you can do is leave it with the shop owner and he will sell it on consignment. That means it will sit in amongst all the other guitars gathering dust and being pawed by power chord punks. You won't see any money until someone buys the guitar and even then you could see the shop owner taking as much as 40% of the sale price. I have a couple ads out on the local on-line Buy and Sell. They are free and run for 2 months, no takers yet. I had one friend tell me he really , really, wanted my 24 fret SG custom build, on 3 separate occasions. But I had a hunch he would renege and thats how things eventually turned out. So I'm just sitting here enjoying the fruits of my efforts. I enjoy playing them every day and doing some final touches and tweaks. Its unfortunate that all my guitar playing friends are spending money on raising their kids and paying their bills. No money set aside for the luxury of a fairly new custom built guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted February 22, 2007 Report Share Posted February 22, 2007 You definately need the right sort of guitar shop that wants to sell your guitars, most just wont take the chance even if the guitars great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gillactus Posted February 22, 2007 Report Share Posted February 22, 2007 Ebay is spectacular for exposure but it's true that you won't make much money. I refinished a strat once with comic books, not a perfect job but it was my first such project and still looked amazing. I don't have a website and didn't want to wait forever to sell it so Ebay was my choice. I didn't get much in terms of money, but by the time it closed the auction had something like 1900 hits and a few people contacted me to ask me about custom orders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P90 Posted February 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2007 Well. consider this.... most guitars in the retail catalogs I get in the mail (Musicians Friend, etc) seem to be in the $500 - $1000 range.... whereas most of the custom guitars on these luthier sites are something like $1500 - $3000... waaaaay more. If one could build a guitar with decent features but without the high-end touches, with a price tag of about $1000 ... would Ebay be the place for that? Or what would be about the highest price point for Ebay for an unknown builder? $1000? $1200? $1500? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted February 24, 2007 Report Share Posted February 24, 2007 Market yourself where you please, that's your decision. I wouldn't bother due to the fees - listing fee, selling fee, paypal fee. For an unknown builder, that's your profit. There are also many many variables you aren't considering. Catalogue guitars are mass produced, they buy everything in bulk and save a great deal of money. You're having to pay much more since you're buying each part in units. Overall, if you plan on doing this for a living, don't sell yourself short of what you're doing. And always have a second job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott French Posted February 24, 2007 Report Share Posted February 24, 2007 I got my first non-local order from a listing I paid for in the Guitar/Bass Player Buyer's Guide. I think it only brought in the one order but it did get things rolling. That's the only money I've spent, everything else has been networking through people I know, my players, and the internet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherokee6 Posted February 26, 2007 Report Share Posted February 26, 2007 OK. I went through my old emails from one of my Canadian buddies and found the link to the article The bad news: The link was dead I'll try to find it. It was how the market for home-made gits has been enjoying a growing market in Japan with the Japanese paying top dollar for some gits. I'm on the case! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The royal consort Posted February 26, 2007 Report Share Posted February 26, 2007 Ebay is an obvious no no for a custom luthier. On a personal basis I wouldn't but a guitar from an unknown brand unless I'd played it or seen it in person. Even if it looked great in the photos and the blokes website was up to it. You just dont know what your going to get. Word of mouth is the best form of advertising. Three throwaway sentences from someones mate is much better than a bloody great billboard add. As a result get networking to start. to move things forward your going to need them put in some shops and its off to exibitions where you potential clients can come and meet you. Try getting you work reviewed in the trade press. That'd help loads. What you looking for in the ideal world is to create enough of a 'buzz' to get people over the threshhold from the cosy options of fender,gibson, ibanez et al. Familiarity or even vague recognition of your brand will go a long way to help. Then (and only then) ebay may start to become an option. Beleive me, I work in corperate sales and have seen time and time over. Having a good product is only half the story... people have got to hear of you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted February 26, 2007 Report Share Posted February 26, 2007 Thats basically what I was figuring. Gotta rub elbows with other musicians who have money and know people who have money...and are looking for guitars. You can show them to people who don't play guitars but all they are able to appreciate is the shiny chrome, figured wood and pretty colors. But if you can get someone who knows his/her chops and are willing to give an honest opinion of your work, things just might happen. Don't forget to let them know how to reach you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.