|
|
Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 4619
Location: SoCal | Heck, doubt if most prior Taylor purchases will buy them. They bought wood box acoustics.
Why build it? Probably a combination of believing your own PR, inhaling too much lacquer fumes, and the insidious chase to find something new for a newsletter and product catalog. Maybe even boredom.
What do you do new each year...you have a wood box, comes in different sizes...sure, you can add or change inlaids, find another type of wood...but what is there to excite your prior customers. A different guitar?
Unless someone is a collector, they buy one or two, then possibly a t-shirt through the company website. High mark-up, low percentage of return business...not like McDonald's. They have a reputation and product placement for acoustic guitars. New customers - sell a few to current users but go after other companies' market share (i.e., Gibson and Fender).
Bob Taylor stepped over the line many years ago...from a small number of guitars to many different product models for almost any style and price range. No longer a niche player, a mass marketer with distribution even through Costco.
Is it wrong? Do we recognize other companies doing the same thing?
Not a bad thing as long as they don't get negative press about failing. By introducing a new product, lots of free PR and guitar store placement. Mention Taylor, someone who plays acoustic will remember to check out the acoustics...not a bad thing for Taylor.
Gain...PR and visibility. Doubt if it will be a money maker for them.
Again, we know of other companies doing the same thing over the past couple of years, including Kaman. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | The possibility that crossed my mind is that someone in production/development wanted to make a solid body for himself, and someone else decided to market it.
But it might not be a good idea to try to make one of each kind of guitar...
Fender Acoustics Suck, or at least the ones that I have played.
Used to be that you made what you were good at...
If you made enough to pay your employees, buy supplies, and have alittle extra... Everyone was happy!
Nowadays, if they don't make a 50% profit on everything, they start crying!
And who the hell really NEEDS to make 6 million dollar a year!?
Swine! :mad: |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2005
Posts: 4903
Location: Phoenix AZ | With all due respect to the fact that I still think Taylor sucks hind tit, I must admit that this new one looks pretty damn nice to me. I don't know squat about electrics, but at least as far as looks go, I'm very impressed. I'm not going to get into the whole marketing thing, but I would expect that Taylor's budget to promote this guitar will be significant. Dave |
|
| |
|
Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 5330
Location: Cicero, NY | "With all due respect to the fact that I still think Taylor sucks hind tit..."
I've never heard anyone give respect to their own opinion before they counter it. I hope you appreciate yourself, Dave. :D :D |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 5563
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Heck, doubt if most prior Taylor purchases will buy them. They bought wood box acoustics.
Sure, I mean, Ovation owners certainly don't buy but ONE Ovation guitar, right?
Give me a break.... |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2005
Posts: 4903
Location: Phoenix AZ | Personal opinion, but I think brand loyality will bring in some players of Taylor acoustics who may be looking for an electric guitar, but beyond that it'll have to stand on it's own merits. I don't think the Taylor name will hinder it at all. Although they have no real history of electric guitar building other than the T5, people know they have a good reputation and build a quality product. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
November 2003
Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Originally posted by Weaser P:
I hope you appreciate yourself, Dave. :D :D Is that what they're callin' it these days? |
|
| |
|
Joined:
April 2006
Posts: 2491
Location: Copenhagen Denmark | Probably a combination of believing your own PR, inhaling too much lacquer fumes Hit very Often,and you Might hit the SWEET Spot..I still want a StratoCaster...
Vic
...played by Leonard Nimoy.. :) |
|
| |
|
Joined:
November 2005
Posts: 1126
Location: Omaha, NE | Taylor makes an exceptionally good guitar. They lead the industry in fit and finish and refinement. By contrast, Ovation is a good generation behind on those scores.
But that still doesn't answer the "why" question. At some level, Taylor has to tell a story with this new guitar, offering the marketplace a rational explanation as to why it needs one more solid body electric.
Maybe the answer really is as simple as "It's a Taylor and we figure lots of our acoustic customers would want a Taylor electric too". That's not a real strong argument, but its something.
I'd be more interested to hear them explain why Gibson, Fender, Hamer, PRS, Peavey, Ibanez, Rickenbacker, etc, etc, etc somehow left a gap in the solid-body electric space that Taylor is now going to fill. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
April 2003
Posts: 608
Location: Caribou, ME | I am soooo bored with electrics. I've gotten to the point I hardly know what to DO on one anymore, it's just.... alien. I still buy and sell but not with much enthusiasm towards solid bodies. The other day the store I repair for took in a recent Ibanez thing, G10, GX10, I don't recall. Double cutaway, two humbuckers, generic. It was almost new, just filthy, and it's an odd "midnight blue but purple under fluorescent lights" color. I got it for store cost of $50, $40 of which was covered by a bone nut I made for them that day. So for $10 and an hour or so's labor I have a generic Chinese solid body and I have no idea why except it was a cool color.
Believe it or not I do have a point. This thing is strung with 9s, the action is dead flat, no buzzes, and it screams. It retails for $229 and the typical street price is $150 or so. From a strictly utilitarian standpoint, why would I want to spend big money on a Les Paul or Strat? I'm as much a guitar snob as anyone and have owned at least a dozen LPs and God only knows how many other "A List" US guitars.... and of course I recognize the investment value and volatility of the collector market, but just to plug and play, why would anyone want to spend what (I'm sure) Taylor will want for the latest whiz-bang solid body?
I get a little sick thinking a $50 Chinese Ibanez is that good though. I grew up when imported guitars were junk and buying a new Telecaster for $400 "meant" something. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 4619
Location: SoCal | quote:
----------------------------------------
Heck, doubt if most prior Taylor purchases will buy them. They bought wood box acoustics.
----------------------------------------
Sure, I mean, Ovation owners certainly don't buy but ONE Ovation guitar, right?
Give me a break....
-----------------------------------------
Mike, new or used, if my A's and O's cost as much as a Taylor, I would have only a couple. Heck, it was a huge investment to get the 47RI and/or the OFC. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 1421
Location: Orange County, California | My buddy Marc has one since the middle of July They've been passing around prototypes of them for several months. I think since he's a world class electric player and the T-5 "poster-boy" he was instrumental in their development. These guitars pick up where the T-5 left off. They are "all electric", well made and DON'T SOUND LIKE EVERY OTHER SINGLE CUTAWAY, DOUBLE HUMBUCKER GUITAR OUT THERE. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 5563
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Tony, I agree with you on that point: I am fortunatew to get some really great deals on my Taylors: retail no way...I only meant that if One is passionate about their brand of instrument; as we are with Ovations; they tend to have more than one...If I could afford a VXT right now, I'd get one...likewise I would love to have a T-512 KOA Taylor...but the price is prohibitive unless I want to sell something else...and I am really wanting to get a 1688...so, since I can't have everything, I'll settle for a little of this and a little of that...and thankfully, I do have some great guitars...actually more that some...as do you Tony! We are fortunate!
;) |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | I had a Taylor once, a small body redwood top and burled walnut b&s. Nice guitar but it moved on. Had a pair of their 20th anniversarys, they didn't stay in the stable long at all.
I suppose they are making solids for the same reason dogs lick their bollocks. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 5563
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | And...then there's that....
:eek: :D :p |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12759
Location: Boise, Idaho | So, Bill, why do dogs do that? |
|
| |
|
Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Originally posted by Scott W. Englund:
I am soooo bored with electrics. I've gotten to the point I hardly know what to DO on one anymore, it's just.... alien...
...I have a generic Chinese solid body and I have no idea why except it was a cool color...
...I get a little sick thinking a $50 Chinese Ibanez is that good though. I grew up when imported guitars were junk and buying a new Telecaster for $400 "meant" something. I have one of these...
And for around $35 you can too! :p
Sorry, I just had too...
(I'd bid on it, but with my luck I'd win it) |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 5563
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Allow me Beal: because they can! |
|
| |
|
Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | I saw a couple of Collings electrics at McCabes and asked myself the same question.
I thought Ovation put together a pretty damn good viral marketing campaign on myspace. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2004
Posts: 627
Location: Cherry Hill, NJ | Personally, I don't think they could break into the solid body market with success. Although PRS did and that was a brilliant on their part. So what, Taylor's gonna tell you that some exotic Honduran rose-mahogany is gonna make a big sound difference and list it for 2 thousand. It will be interesting to see their selling point. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
July 2003
Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | Let me take a shot at answering why Taylor would want to get into solid-body electrics....GROWTH OF BUSINESS.
Take a look at most guitar shops, especially Guitar Center. What is occupying most of the space for guitars? ELECTRICS. Specifically, SOLID-BODY ELECTRICS. Mostly Strats, Teles, Les Pauls, SGs, PRSs and their brethren.
Until the T-5, Taylor was restricted to the "acoustic ghetto" in guitar shops, a place away from the main drag of the electrics, amps, effects pedals, etc. Even then, many shops still put the T-5s with the acoustics, unsure whether they were really acoustics or electrics.
My take is that Taylor sees that the growth in acoustics with the boomer generation is about over, if not over, now. The only other place to grow, or even maintain, their market share, is to go towards the electric side, where the rest (possibly, MOST) of the boomer market has settled.
It will interesting to see how they price these, but from the appearance, it is obvious they are going after Gibson and PRS. They'll probably eat Gibson's lunch....PRS will have better luck, though, I bet. Fender has no reason to sweat, they'll probably be priced at least as twice as much as an American Strat or Tele....a totally different market anyway.
Roger |
|
| |
|
Joined:
August 2007
Posts: 61
Location: Illinois, U.S.A. | Originally posted by Old Applause Owner:
(snip,snip)
My take is that Taylor sees that the growth in acoustics with the boomer generation is about over, if not over, now. The only other place to grow, or even maintain, their market share, is to go towards the electric side, where the rest (possibly, MOST) of the boomer market has settled.
(snip,snip)
Whoa .... I have to take exception to that. Most of the new music being sold today and getting all the big hits on the Internet channel$ the tune-buying, younger-generation frequents is acoustic. Visit YouTube, or a clone site, and the "covers" the wannabes are posting are NOT electrified, but steel or nylon-stringed versions, even if the originals were electric.
This is The Calling and their electric version of " Wherever You Will Go "
This is Alex Band, their lead singer, and his acoustic version of the same tune .
A hit song. Both are great videos .... but read the viewer comments. Check the "cover" recordings and the gear they are using. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | That neck looks too thin. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2006
Posts: 186
Location: The State of Hockey | The body is too stretched out. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
July 2003
Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | Tiednbound, you may well be right about what younger people are listening to...but I said "boomer", as in over 45 or so in age. That is the population (and the money) that Taylor is chasing.
Lots of older people (like myself) have disposable income, there are still a lot of us, and many are spending it on guitars. It seems that most are spending it on electrics, as they tend to be easier to play, plus it takes many back to their garage bands from high school. The boomer population bulge drives a lot of marketing yet. Look for more marketing aimed directly at an aging population (heck, there already is).
Of course, that will change eventually, as my generation dies off.
I'm originally from Illinois as well....central part.....
Roger |
|
| |
Uhh, did somebody say Marketing?
