Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2024 10:04:58 GMT -6
I am well aware of over head in a business. Having owned a few in my day. I know all about paying people for things that I was not able to do.
Most of the people that make guitars are a one-person guitar making business. Not all of them have employees, and most have shops at their homes. So how much of an over head do they really have to be charging thousands of dollars for a guitar?
Yes, I know there is the cost of equipment and electricity. The cost of woods and so on. But again to me, why not just buy a production guitar and not spend over $10,000 for something that in my opinion sounds any better than anything else. Why have something custom-made to only have it made like all others? Using the same woods, the same way they are all made. Hum...
Plus, there is no insurance to pay out for having your home shop. The business I had, I had to have a million dollar insurance just to open the doors. In a home kind of thing, you don't have to have that. In a lot of states, it would be hard to have a business license without a storefront. I started my print shop at my home. But once I get a license, I was forced to move it to a building in the city. It has to do with serving the public. That is when I chose to buy out an existing print shop. Took a $3,500 dollar a month business and was doing $80,000 a month in 6 months. I had all kinds of over head and my take home was less than when I did things out of my home. All kinds of taxes and paying for employees and so on. At that stage, I was pouring out money faster than I could make it. I still had people that would come in and treat my business like a swap meet! So now, want to tell me about over head?
I did sit down once to see what I should be charging for custom build guitars. It was well over the $10,000 mark for each unit. No way could I charge that. The people charging those prices are trying to figure in man-hours of a build. How many hours are in a guitar if it takes them 4 months to make? A few of mine took over a year to make. How many hours do I charge for?
But once someone spend that kind of money, then of course it's going to be the best of the best. Because one has to make themselves feel good for spending all that money.
I have said to buy the guitar that sound and plays well for you. The guitar that speaks to you as a player.
I have played a lot of super high-end guitars, only to be disappointed in most of them. Why? Because for they are way overpriced, and two they don't sound or play any better than a lot of $500 guitars. Plus a lot of the high-end guitars, one must baby them and keep them in environments to keep them healthy. Heck, a lot of them I would be afraid to play out with them because of the variables in weather.
So now the cost of everything has gone up a lot! So, now do makers charge more of the woods because the cost have gone up? What if they are using woods they have in the shop they bought sometime ago? Is it fair to charge more for woods because the market has gone up? Hum... I know at some point they will have to buy new woods to replace what they have used.
Then at what point will someone say enough is enough? If the cost is saying I now, I have to charge $100,000 to make a guitar, have we now priced ourselves out of the guitar making business?
Look at cars today. Not too many can afford a new car or truck. The last new truck I owned cost $72,000. I had it for 3 years before I lost my high-end job. It got repoed. Because I could not find as job in time to keep the truck. But how many can afford to buy a new car or truck. Now with all this talk with electric car and the staring cost of them at around $60,000 and our government try to pass laws so we will force buying a new electric car, how many people will have to do without?
Much like guitars. Even production guitars are getting out of reach for a lot of people. No Wonder, the used market is where a lot of people are buying guitars. I see guitars on the market all the time that can be had for way under what you buy it for in a store or online stores.
It is hard for a custom builder to compete with production guitars. I, for one, never did. But the customers I had back then knew what the word custom meant. But at the same time I made them at a fair price. I made a little money at the end. Not a lot. But I was doing enough back then to support my hobby. I did not live off of the guitars I made or worked on.
I figure is you have a business of making guitars, one will starve before you get anywhere. Have to make a lot more than 4 a year and do all kinds of repair work. And know how to market your business. I can see a huge advantage in having a storefront for walk in traffic. That is, if you want to make a living at it.
So if someone can sell their guitars for $10,000 or more, more power to them. They are blessed and don't know it. For many that make guitars, cannot sell what they make, close to that. So they would have to make a lot more to sell so they could even stay afloat.
I sold one guitar in the last 7 years. WOW! I am making money had over fist! Wonder how much tax I will have to pay on that? LOL! If you think about it, I didn't make anything with my time involved. HA! Let see one guitar every 7 years. The price of the sale, times the cost my cost of the guitar. Wait, I think I owe myself on that!
This to me is where the fun of guitars takes a huge turn for me. Too many things involved. I got into making guitar because it was a fun thing to do. But with in the last 3 years it is getting to where it's not so much fun anymore. Too many want to debate about them. Say things to me that are un warranted. I am a guy that tries out things. I also will say things to make people think on what if.
I have had guitars go bad on me, but I have a lot more that went right. I have built what I like. I don't care if someone else likes them or not.
I did not build the guitar for them. I made them for me. If I like to put eagles on my guitars, then I will. I have also grown tired of hiding who I am. That is going to change. I am Eagle Blues! And if someone out there does not like it then they know what they can do and where they can go!
Eagle Blues will make a comeback! It really has never died! And so what? What is wrong in me having a name? People that want to post bad things about me only show their stupidity! And if Google is dumb enough to let people post bad thing on people without proof, then they are as bad as the people that post such things!
It won't be much longer for me to retire from every thing any ways!