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NorCalluthier

 

Posts: 136
Joined: Apr. 16 2016
 

Business question 
Hello All,

I've just completed a guitar making experiment to see what direction to go in. I made a batch of guitars, and the rosewood classicals sold soon, and for full price---$5500. The cypress classical sold at $4500, since the rosewood classicals were all gone. The flamenca blancas sold at $3500---to people that don't play flamenco---and I still have the flamenca negra at $4500.

My heart is with the flamenco guitar. I love classical guitar music, and making rosewood guitars is enjoyable, but I would like to be able to make flamenca blancas at least half of the time.

Facts: I'm in "Taxifornia", where living is expensive even out here "in the sticks". At age 78, I'm not going to move back to Texas.

For the sake of argument, lets say that my blancas are first rate. What is the highest price that I might reasonably expect to get?

All suggestions and words of advice greatly appreciated (:->)...

Brian Burns

www.BrianBurnsGuitars.com
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Apr. 4 2018 17:48:32
 
Mark2

Posts: 1871
Joined: Jul. 12 2004
From: San Francisco

RE: Business question (in reply to NorCalluthier) 
What a tough question. I think it comes down to your reputation. That's what I think is the most important factor. And I think it is established mostly by known players choosing your instrument. Recommendations by friends also help. I recently paid a lot for a blanca. I'd known about the builder for more than thirty years and his guitars are played by many great players. But the thing that tipped me over the edge was a close friend telling me how amazing the guitars he bought from him are. There may be guitars just as good for close to half what I paid, but being left handed, I'm unable to properly evaluate them. The guitar I bought was made to order, which to me, also justifies a higher price. I've heard Ft. Bragg is beautiful.
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Apr. 4 2018 19:36:04
 
NorCalluthier

 

Posts: 136
Joined: Apr. 16 2016
 

RE: Business question (in reply to NorCalluthier) 
Hello Mark,

Thanks for the reply! I suspect that you are right, it's reputation. I'm fairly well known as a teacher of guitar making, but not much as a builder. I'm getting some "over the top" reviews from owners, but it will probably be a while before that gets spread around.

And, I do handicap myself by not doing custom orders---too much pressure. The buyer knows just what he is getting when he gets to play the guitar before parting with his money, and I don't have to worry the whole time I'm making it (;->)...

Though it probably won't do you much good now, I tell lefties to play in the conventional way, as it's the left hand that has to do the complicated stuff. My first teacher, Freddy Mejia was quite an accomplished player and was a lefty playing righty.

Cheers,

Brian
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Apr. 4 2018 21:06:49
 
Tom Blackshear

 

Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008
 

RE: Business question (in reply to NorCalluthier) 
quote:


All suggestions and words of advice greatly appreciated


Hey Brian,

Just keep building good guitars and it will catch up with you. You might try to go to as many guitar shows as possible to display what you do. Give discounts for recommended favors toward your work, where necessary, and sell to known music companies, preferably with smaller markups, to set their advertising system in your favor. And for goodness sake, try and stay away from those who want to receive but not give back what you give them.

And certainly advertise your accomplishments on your web and with those who would like to see you succeed.

This business is a 2 way street like any other.

_____________________________

Tom Blackshear Guitar maker
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Apr. 4 2018 22:19:00
 
NorCalluthier

 

Posts: 136
Joined: Apr. 16 2016
 

RE: Business question (in reply to NorCalluthier) 
Hello Tom,

Thanks for the response, nice to hear from you!

My website has been directly responsible for selling a couple of my classicals, so that seems to be working.

Going to guitar shows---at my age---seems like too much strain, not to mention expense. Received wisdom from builders that I have talked to is that you don't expect to sell a guitar at a show, you use it for making contacts.

"And for goodness sake, try and stay away from those who want to receive but not give back what you give them."

It's hard to tell the "takers" until you have given to them several times (;->)...I just try to apply the 1960's version of the Golden Rule that "What goes around, comes around." It has sure worked well for me!

Cheers,

Brian
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Apr. 4 2018 23:08:04
 
Mark2

Posts: 1871
Joined: Jul. 12 2004
From: San Francisco

RE: Business question (in reply to NorCalluthier) 
I met and played a bit with Freddie 30 or so years ago at a club in north beach in SF. I had been playing guitar left handed for a decade by then, so the dye was cast. For me, it felt way more natural, there was never really an option. I'm left footed too, and both my brothers the same.
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Apr. 4 2018 23:36:00
 
NorCalluthier

 

Posts: 136
Joined: Apr. 16 2016
 

RE: Business question (in reply to NorCalluthier) 
Hello again Mark,

That would have been either The Old Spaghetti Factory Cafe or La Bodega. Did you ever run across Dave Jones aka David Serva? I took a few lessons from him in about 1963. The man is a great musician. He and Freddy played together a lot.

Cheers,

Brian
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Apr. 5 2018 0:27:31
 
Mark2

Posts: 1871
Joined: Jul. 12 2004
From: San Francisco

RE: Business question (in reply to NorCalluthier) 
Yes I met David the same night I met Freddie. I believe it was at La Bodega. I took a few lessons from David years after that. There was another place down there called El Meson. It was in the cannery. I saw David play a solo concert there that was recorded. I had the cassette for years but it was stolen from my car at some point. Mariano Cordoba told me when David showed up for his first lesson, he had a guitar in one hand and strings in the other. A few years later, he said he saw him in a juerga singing with an Andalusian accent. He was amazed. Keith Baylor was another good player that was in SF in the 80's.
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Apr. 5 2018 15:23:24
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