Why guitars cost what they do...

[BeyondAntares]

Can someone justify Alembic prices to me? I don't mind 3000-5000 for a guitar (ken lawrence for example)

but what makes an alembic worth as much as a decent car?

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Can someone justify Alembic prices to me? I don't mind 3000-5000 for a guitar (ken lawrence for example)

but what makes an alembic worth as much as a decent car?

Not all Alembics are five figures, in fact most dealers can keep them in the mid four figure range. If you don't go crazy with inlay or exotic materials you can even get them into the $3k range for the more traditionally shaped models like the Orion, Essence, or Rogue.

The quote generator is the MSRP (the price no one pays) and is extremely out of date. There are some $$$$$ Alembics for sure, but they're either decked to the 9s or they're super limited editions/show models.

 

[bob123]

Can someone justify Alembic prices to me? I don't mind 3000-5000 for a guitar (ken lawrence for example)

but what makes an alembic worth as much as a decent car?

you think a ferrari or lamborghini costs 400,000$ to make?


They make them for the uber rich, and the uber rich get them "just to have it". Instead of a rolex, get a guitar!, thats all it really is.



For the cost of an alembic, it better come with a super model nympho for me to justify the cost of them haha.

 

[darren]

Let's not forget the time involved in actually designing stuff as well. Original designs don't just fall out of the sky into your lap.

I've literally spent THOUSANDS of hours designing, refining and redesigning my bodies, necks and headstock, as well as coming up with my naming and identity, building a website, etc. And thousands more hours learning a CAD application and translating my 2D designs into production-ready 3D stuff. And then there's prototyping and other R&D activities. All that stuff isn't free, and my time is actually worth something. (I've been working as a professional graphic designer for over 18 years now.)

Probably the biggest unique selling proposition i have in Decibel is my design work and 20+ years of thought and research that has gone into my builds. And on that factor, you do get what you pay for.

 

[darren]

Also, there's a big difference between being a manufacturer and being an artisan.

Pretty much everything i'm building right now is a one-off. There's a lot of design time and hand work in every build. I'm hoping that will evolve as i get more tools and get my workflow running faster.

There are two ways to go: Be a big manufacturer and do a cheap import line made in Korea or China by people who earn pennies a day (there's your $500 guitar right there), or stick to doing things by hand, dealing personally with every customer, and charging enough money to make a decent living while keeping the business growing and profitable.

The first way is strictly low cost, low margin, high volume. The second way is higher cost, good margin, but MUCH lower volume.

At this point in time, i'd rather make a living making 50 premium guitars a year by hand than by being a manufacturer of 50,000 guitars a year made by cheap labour with marginal-quality parts and materials in some far-away land.

 

[BeyondAntares]

thanks guys.

I was basing my 'judgements' of the alembic prics based on a cocobolo top 7 string that passed the 12,000 mark before I touched the inlays and neck wood.

Still I'm sure they make wicked sounding guitars - but alas I'd have to be bald with a beer belly by the time I can afford one.

 

[bob123]

thanks guys.

I was basing my 'judgements' of the alembic prics based on a cocobolo top 7 string that passed the 12,000 mark before I touched the inlays and neck wood.

Still I'm sure they make wicked sounding guitars - but alas I'd have to be bald with a beer belly by the time I can afford one.

Some things are expensive just because they can...

 

[aaron_rose]

^ He's got a good point. Anyone know Dan at Oni's phone number? I was going to let him know he has a "sweet job" and that he should do 200+ hours worth of custom work for me for $500. Hopefully I'll remember to remind him how easy his job is too.

And Thrash... it's Ferrari's responsibility to charge me less... not all of us can afford what they are asking.

"I don't want to work harder so that I can get what I want, it's your responsibility to make your shit cheaper so that I can afford it". Ahhh kids these days... it's the can-do generation... now get off my fucking lawn.

/rant

dude this is retarded, i live off of part time bidded jobs which are few and far between and i saved for an entire summer for a strictly 7 8 string, its taken more time than planned to finish that build so i got impatient and started building own 7 string, piece by piece, wood by wood, year and a half of research, the whole shabang, fuck an a, just yesterday i was standing there holding a god damned whale penis in my hand and actually considering it as a nut for my guitar cause im that broke.

custom guitar is for someone who wants more than the factory offers, its not rocket science,

plus if u work for the military u get paid just fine yer her house helped to be paid for , school all that shit, what the fuck is what i got to say.

The build price for my 7 string so far is pretty high cause im not a builder registered, all i can do is hope people are nice to me on the phone, if they aren't i buy it for whatever price i can get. my numbers are almost reaching 1000, u add in the hundreds of hours it took to make this all happen to get the guitar of my dreams i have to build it and i have to pay for it and i have to be patient. Hands on craftsmanship is priceless. Granted factory's kick out really good guitars these days, i played a prs Korean the other day and was really happy with it overall, ya i can make music with rocks and sticks but why the hell would i do that when i can give a shit and love this art form.

 

[canuck brian]

^^^ You do realize that USMarine75's entire post was a sarcastic rant, right?

 

[aaron_rose]

do now! hahaha fuck, troll!

 

[USMarine75]

^

BTW, bonethug did have one good point though. In all fairness, you really are supposed to cup the balls.

 

[technomancer]

 

[Konfyouzd]

^

BTW, bonethug did have one good point though. In all fairness, you really are supposed to cup the balls.

This goes largely overlooked...

 

[aaron_rose]

ahahaha love it

 

[Danukenator]

I can also say, from having made a crappy body, with a neck I bought from Warmoth. This shit isn't easy.

Ignore for a moment everything about the actual building part. A luthier has to deliver a guitar with a great setup. There are people who do that alone for a living, that and cutting a nut are an absolute art that require a lot of time and work to master.

Then there is finishing. Buffing is an aquired skill as is applying the actual finish. You also need the means to do these, spray booths are not small nor cheap. When I worked at a small guitar place, they didn't have access to a shopwide ventilation system, constant battle to prevent small dots of dust form getting in the finish.

Every aspect of building a guitar by hand is really time consuming and takes a lot of practice to get down to a science.

IMO people like Bonethug should try just making a body. That alone will give people some respect for what a builder does.

Also worth mentioning that ERG builders are appealing to about .05% of guitar players. Not exactly the Stratocaster market place.

 

[The Uncreator]

There is quote about all art being priceless, and no price is too high if there is someone out there it moves enough.

Aside for paying for an extremely high quality sounding instrument, you're paying for a unique piece of art as well.

 

[Sullen]

I used production guitars as an example.

Passive pickups are essentially magnets with some copper spun around them. I see that costing 15-30 bucks at most since they're easy to make and the cost of materials is stupid low.

Next the wood. When you steer away from all those flamboyant woods like flamed spalted maple you'll see that they are pretty cheap. So I'd say around 20 bucks for the body wood and and around 40 for the neck.

costs of hardware and wiring, probably another 30

fixed bridge- 30$

machine heads-25 for 6

fret wire,paint, knobs all cheap easily made products as well as the nut. For all of them maybe run about 75 combined.

So all of these materials cost under 200. Add in labour cost from a high tech facility along with cost of electricity & water for the makes. Your not really looking at that much.

But these guitar companies will keep over charging because they know you guys will keep buying.

As for everything else I believe I touched on it all in my last post and I really hate to sound like a broken record.

If I would go and brake down a list of the parts I bought for one of my builds and was to charge you just the cost of parts, on only that you already have a four figure number, get your facts straight buddy

 

[aaron_rose]

ya dude, why put crap on a guitar. sure manufacturers make money. maybe its more than they should who cares.

fact is as a luthier working a custom you put what the customer wants into it as long as it's within budget. My build if I was't to get great deals here and there on parts would have been over a grand easy. add in labor or around 30 to 40 hours.

these things don't make themselves,

that being said I am all for saving money by using improvised parts when it makes sense and doesn't totally crap on the build.

 

[Konfyouzd]

If I would go and brake down a list of the parts I bought for one of my builds and was to charge you just the cost of parts, on only that you already have a four figure number, get your facts straight buddy

Last build I had done, my bridge cost more than his estimate for the entire project.

But that's the price you pay when you're in love w/ the lo pro 7

 

[Van]

ya dude, why put crap on a guitar. sure manufacturers make money. maybe its more than they should who cares.

fact is as a luthier working a custom you put what the customer wants into it as long as it's within budget. My build if I was't to get great deals here and there on parts would have been over a grand easy. add in labor or around 30 to 40 hours.

these things don't make themselves,

that being said I am all for saving money by using improvised parts when it makes sense and doesn't totally crap on the build.

>no fretwire handy
>I'll just use this solder wire
>it's intuitive!