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Location: Flahdaw | With the big discussion on a different thread regarding fixing the marketing to appeal to today's buyers, I thought it was interesting to look at Gibson's and Fender's Signature Guitars and/or endorsers.
GIBSON:
Sheryl Crow, age 50+
Keb Mo, 50+
Jackson Browne, 60+
Pete Townshend, 60+
Paul McCartney, 60+
Roy Orbison, dead
Woody Guthrie, dead
John Lennon, dead
FENDER:
Eric Clapton, 60+
David Gilmour, 60+
Jeff Beck, 50+
Stevie Ray Vaughn, dead
OVATION:
D J Ashba, 40
Kaki King, 33
Yngwie Malmsteen,49
Mick Thomson, 39
Mellissa Etheridge, 51
Al Dimeola, 58
At least the Ovation folks are still alive. Looks like we have the other guys by a few years on average.
Seems like everyone is trying to appeal to the "older crowd"....maybe they have all the money. |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | The last few times I've seen Keb Mo in concert (within thepast two years), he played his Hamer Monoco III for all but maybe three numbers, and for those, he played a Martin acoustic. I don't recall a Martin. He may have been playing a Gibson in the movie released a few years ago where he played the blind street bluesman. |
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Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | Actually, you may have something there, Bob. USA Ovations are not low-end guitars. It's mostly the old farts like us, (well, excluding myself) who have the money to spend on a higher dollar guitar. Maybe Ovation needs to court some of the older artists that old farts like us are still listening to. Maybe if Bob Dylan or James Taylor played and Ovation, the folks with the money to buy one would want one. |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Old Farts buy most of the Harleys too.
just sayin'  |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | arthurseery - 2012-10-19 2:55 PM Old Farts buy most of the Harleys too. just sayin' OMA, you make it sound like that's a bad thing! 
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Location: Texas | Bob... You forgot Glen, who has probably eclipsed all of the ovation list, combined, in record sales.
Edited by jay 2012-10-19 4:02 PM
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | boltonb - 2012-10-19 1:36 PM
arthurseery - 2012-10-19 2:55 PM Old Farts buy most of the Harleys too. just sayin' OMA, you make it sound like that's a bad thing!
The toys just get more expensive as you get older.
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Location: Flahdaw | amosmoses - 2012-10-19 4:55 PM
Bob... You forgot Glen, who has probably eclipsed all of the ovation list, combined, in record sales.
Oops....oh yeah. Well, there goes our lower average age. |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Part of the research I was doing for my studio and who buys instruments revealed that indeed, the Very Inexpensive, and Very Expensive guitars are the ones that are selling. The "average priced" or "middle market" guitars are not. Those who have money to buy a guitar aren't spending it on a $600 or $1000 dollar guitar in general. They are buying the high-end. Those who just need a guitar, are going for the < $300 model. Was just talking to a new guitar player today. He's starting with a 12-String that he paid about $300 for new. The conversation started because he saw me wearing my SEATAC Guitar Show T-Shirt and we started talking. His bridge is already pulling because he wasn't aware of how to tune a 12-string. I did mention that Ovation has a stronger neck than most and if he couldn't afford a USA made one, there are Celebrity models that are nice and will hold together better than what he has so he's going to look into it. In the mean time, he's going to detune and use a capo.
But back to the point... It's more than a theory... The high-end and entry-level guitars are the biggest sellers and have been for about a year now. |
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Location: Jet City | I think there's a few artists missing on the Fender and Gibson lists.... like A LOT. Unfortunately, the Ovation list is just about right. |
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Location: closely held secret |
Brad, I wish you wouldn't post that picture. It always make me think of The Motorcycle Song.
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Location: NJ | OK back in the seventies I wanted a les paul it was $319 for a les paul deluxe with case picks strings strap cable and a free guitar lesson.
it took me forever to save up 1/2 the money and I told the story several times about my old man coming up with the balance so I won't bore you here again.
in 2012 a les paul deluxe does not exist but you can have a les paul for 2K or so.
it is not a reasonable goal for someone making minimum wage at mcD's
that is why all the epi models are so poplar they are a guitar that people can afford.
the pro instruments were available to the student player but they are not now.
quality has come up in the imports but many lack the right woods and the proper drying of said woods so the longevity of the instrument is suspect.
inferior glues metals pickups pots etc all add to the cheap feel and flavor. sure you can upgrade all that stuff but they you put a rolls royce grille on a vw.
remember when that was popular?
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | alpep - 2012-10-19 6:39 PM
OK back in the seventies I wanted a les paul it was $319 for a les paul deluxe with case picks strings strap cable and a free guitar lesson...
...in 2012 a les paul deluxe does not exist but you can have a les paul for 2K or so.
Back in the '70's $319 was the equivalent of $2K today.  or close to it
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Location: Texas | OMA...pretty darn close.... What cost $319.00 in 1971 would cost $1747.11 in 2011. Do you want to do another calculation?
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Location: NJ | bought my first car for $200 bucks
gas was .89
a philly cheesteak sandwich about .60
never paid more than 5 bucks for a pair of jeans and they were lee levi or wrangler not knockoffs
cost of living was way cheaper |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | BobG I think you left off the biggest mover and shaker.....Takamine.
Watch the CMA or other awards show and they are definitely in the majority.
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Location: closely held secret | .89 a gallon!!!
Must have been after the fake embargo.
.21 a gallon when I got my first car. |
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Location: Flahdaw | stephent28 - 2012-10-19 11:36 PM
BobG I think you left off the biggest mover and shaker.....Takamine.
Watch the CMA or other awards show and they are definitely in the majority.
I was just naming USA companies, that also have offshore manufacturing like Ovation, and who they are really appealing to. For the most part, it's old folks...
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Location: NJ | amosmoses - 2012-10-19 9:20 PM
OMA...pretty darn close.... What cost $319.00 in 1971 would cost $1747.11 in 2011. Do you want to do another calculation?
when you take into account the price of fuel, heating, air conditioning, environmental concerns, raw materials, labor etc I am sure you can take on at least a couple thousand more.
this calculator just takes into account inflation but not other costs and concerns associated with manufacturing.
I bet the gibson factory in kalamazoo 1971 is primative compared to the facility in nashville in 2012 |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Not that it matters ... but seems Martin has been signing some "younger" endorsees
The Avett Brothers
Donovan Frankenreichter
Of Monsters and Men |
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Celebrity Endorsers- Ovation vs the other guys