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This came up in another thread, but I thought it would make a good new topic. I'm very curious about what people thought about the festival, both those who attended and those who exhibited. I'm happy with the outcome of the show, but at the same time, the whole thing seemed very overwhelming for the attendants. Especially when it came to pricing, which seemed to be all over the place. I'm interested in what people sold, prices etc. and also what feedback they were getting from attendants.

Most importantly, congratulations to Paul Woolson, Matt Mustapick and everyone else who brought guitars to the show and put themselves out there. We all know how much work and stress was involved in getting there.

HI Eric:
We exhibited at HB for the first time this year and we had a fantastic time. We sold 3 guitars there, took one order there and have since sold a few more and took several orders in the aftermath. We went there with no pre-conceived ideas or expectations and that really helped our outlook on the festival.

It was stressfull preparing for the festival but I began working on my HB batch a year in advance so I was not burining the midnight oil. Even though I had a plan I was still feeling the pressure at the 6 month mark and I really felt for the guys who cut it really close to the wire.

The most important feedback I got was that my new headstock design was not very well received. I had really labored over my new design trying to come up with something that was truly unique and all my own (which is pretty tuff to do now days). I asked for constructive criticism from the attendees and I heard everything from "heavy-metal-esque" to "I wouldn't buy it if it was the best sounding guitar here because of that ugly headstock". When you ask for feedback, be prepared to either swallow your pride and give them what they want or be bull headed and stick to your guns.

Will we go again... in a New York Minute!

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tim...
http://www.mcknightguitars.com

If nothing else I had a great time hanging with my fellow luthiers. I did sell a guitar so that eased the financial burden of attending but I kinda wish I had payed more attenttion to gathering customer contact info for future followup. Not sure it would help but it couldn't hurt. Several luthiers seemed to think it was too big and should be cut back to fewer luthiers but then a lot of us 1st timers would have been excluded so I'm happy with the way it is. It was a little intense at times but overall I think LMI did a great job. I do think that it could work and may be even better as an annual event.

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

Tim I've always been curious: is a New York minute actually less time that, say, a Wisconsin minute.
Eric, welcome to the forum. I haven't seen your name around here. As I said before in the other thread, I was pretty down on myself coming out of Healdsburg. With the help from great friends like Tim, Paul Davis and John Mayes, I was able to come to the conclusion that things would come when it was their time. No amount of pushing would help.
I sold one guitar via Healdsburg. That was to FedEx. No, it's not being played but it's a sale nonetheless. I'm working on a commission that came directly from the show as well. The client came home and absorbed all that he had seen and evidently remembered me.
When I officially got invited to the show I promised myself I wasn't going to make this a stressfull, burn the midnight oil, even. So I counted backwards the time it would take to complete each operation on all four guitars. (only three actually made it to the show). I even padded each major step and I still came down to the wire. And yes it was very stressful.
I can't really help you on the feedback aspect of things. As I've said before, the only contact I had to the crowd was answering, "what kind of wood is that" in regards to my quilted sapele guitar.
My prices were at the lower end of the spectrum. $3750-$4600. I couldn't find much rhyme or reason to the way many of the guitars were prices. Except for the fact that if you have a name in the biz, you're prices can jump to about $10k.
Would I do it again, Yup! YOUBECHA! I've just learned to expect different things from the show.

I attended, for the first time. Here are my reactions.

First, there are some serious drawbacks to the festival's logistics that almost defeat the purpose entirely. The rooms were so crowded and noisy that it was a huge hassle to try out anyone's instruments. You would either have to shimmy around the back of a table (where it was almost too noisy to hear anyway) or persuade the builder to let you take an instrument to a "quiet room." Everytime I saw an instrument that drew my interest, I did a quick calculus to determine whether the visual interest justified the hassle of trying it out. Usually the answer was no; in a less crowded environment, the answer would have been yes a lot more.

It's like anything in life --- the more of a hassle it is, the less likely you are to do it.

Second, prices seemed random. The quality of all the instrments was very high, and generally I did not see differences in quality that would justify the price differences. There is, however, one possible explanation. I think builders who have been around a while and developed a stream of business begin charging what they are worth -- maybe even enough to make a modest living. ;) But there are a lot of builders still getting off the ground who price themselves lower than that simply because they really want to do this. They will work for free or close to it just to start building a reputation that will hopefully enable them to make a living down the road. That's the only explanation I can come up with.

Third, although all of the instruments there were of extremely high quality, I was blown away by Kevin Ryan's guitars. I can't say they sounded any better than the others, but they really stood out visually.

That's not a knock on anybody here --- I saw the guitars of many luthiers here, and they were all outstanding. But I will confess that I spent a little more time looking at Kevin's guitars than the rest. If someone wanted to drop $10k on a guitar to decorate their living room, I can see why they might pick a Ryan. That's the one exception to my "random prices" observation.

Healdsburg was fun, hectic, frustrating, cool, and overwhelming.

Loved to get to meet all my fellow builders, and friends.

Got to serenade a chick (the server) at applebees (to no avail..she still made me pay)

Got to hang out with my pal Steve.

Sold quite a few instruments

Got ignored a lot while people were rushing over to see the big names all around me.

Got asked the same question about the sapele like Paul did.

HAd 200 people strum the guitar around the 12th fret while they had thier ear near the soundhole (like you can tell a bunch by that)

Had all the teenage kids liking me cause I brought electric guitars.

Played the uke in the airport and sung (horribly I might add cause I have no shame..you guys probably know that by now)

Got to crash at Paul's house and ride the train back to SFO.

Got delayed 8 hours in salt lake thanks to GWB.

Had a few people tell me the ukes I brought were the nicest ukes they had ever played.

Stubbed my toe on the bed at my aunts house

Forgot to bring a allen wrench to assemble a uke I brought so I had to go to 5 stores to find the apporpriate size just so I could display it.

Did I mention I got to meet some awesome luthiers and folks? Did I mention that Paul W really likes to dance the polka whilst singing tiptoe through the tulips (which I accompined on the ukulele naturally)

All in all a good time and I look forward to it in 2007

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John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

Tim-

Where can we catch a glimpse of this new controversial headstock design?

-j.j.Brown38693.0859375

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“If God dwells inside us like some people say, I sure hope He likes enchiladas, because that's what He's getting”
-jack handy

I had a great time at HGF. I got a lot of feedback from players of all levels and met some fine people who also happen to be very talented luthiers. I'm new at this in some ways and pricing and marketing are difficult for me.

It was a little overwhelming but in a kid-in-a-candy-store kind of way. I think if someone really wanted to find their dream guitar, there couldn't be a better selection in one place.   As long as you were willing to find that quiet spot to try one out, you could probably find what you wanted or at least a builder you'd like to work with. I was lucky in that regard. I shared a table with John How and our space backed up to the doors of the auditorium, so players had a semi-private tryout "hall".

I got a lot of positive feedback on my headstock. Wish I had sold a few, but it's nice to get the feeling that you belonged there.

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Ken Franklin
clumsy yet persistent
https://www.kenfranklinukulele.com

Ya, Tim there are no photos of the new headstock.. anywhere.. I'd like to see it again. BTW I thought about wearing your shirt as a shop shirt but decided to save it (such a nice shirt other than that stitched on logo ). I've been breaking it out for work meetings/trips. The reactions have been suprising.. Everyone seems to think I have the inside track.. of course I'm not about to discourage them
I'll expect a broker fee if you start getting calls from BC

I'll have to wear it to Tom Lee music on Hastings (biggest music store in Vancouver) and complain about them not carrying anything by my favorite builder.

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CVT Inc.
A tour of our shop (Somewhat outdated)
My Personal eBay profile. BCWoodBug

[QUOTE=John Mayes]

Did I mention I got to meet some awesome luthiers and folks? Did I mention that Paul W really likes to dance the polka whilst singing tiptoe through the tulips (which I accompined on the ukulele naturally)

[/QUOTE]
Hey fella, what goes on in Healdsburg, stays in Healdsburg! Geesh!
(But you gotta admit that I've got some nice legs for that polka. Tiny Tim eat your heart out.)Pwoolson38693.3067708333

[QUOTE=Kelby]
First, there are some serious drawbacks to the festival's logistics that almost defeat the purpose entirely...

Second, prices seemed random...

Third, although all of the instruments there were of extremely high quality, I was blown away by Kevin Ryan's guitars...

[/QUOTE]
Comment #1: I lucked out and was at the end of a row right by the doors. So I was able to slip outside with to-be-clients and let them play in peace and quiet. Matt Mustapick had what I feel was the best spot in the place. in the corner, by the doors, sort of away from everyone else. I felt bad for the guys in the middle of the rows because if someone wanted to pick up a guitar, they had to be extremely careful not to bump it into someone on the other side.
Comment #2: There was a very well known builder there that has a very long waiting list. In fact this builder is not taking orders at the moment. The guitar this builder brought were priced in the $20k range and there were signs on each of the guitars "DO NOT PLAY". I had to ask myself why this builder even came.
Then there was another builder whose work just every bit as good as most there who was sitting behind his guitars that were priced at $1800.
Where do you think the crowds flocked?
Comment #3: I can't argue with you there. I'd be proud to own a Ryan.

I've never been to healsburg, but if I had gone to buy a guitar, the first thing I would do would be to go to every booth and talk to the builder. If the builder was outgoing and very accomodating, I would pay another visit to play his guitar. All builders who wouldn't give me the time of day would be ignored. Of course this is coming from someone who knows enough about building a guitar to be dangerous. I know that a $20,000 guitar is only for the name and not really for the quality. However, if I had a 3-5 yr waiting list, I would raise my prices through the roof too because it would weed out only the serious customers who have money and actually lower the waiting list. I had contacted Jim Olson about 10 years ago to build me a guitar and it would have cost $4000. I'm still kicking myself for not having him build it. Now I know that the guitar hasn't really improved that much over 10 years to justify a $9000 price tag. Anyway, just rambling here. Congrats to all the participants here that made some sales.
Tracy

Paul,
Just curious. Who is the well known builder who has the long waiting list is?

tragoutt. Nice guitars too.

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John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

We learned a lot from going to the show, I have done a number of trade shows in the past at Comdex so I had some idea going in what to expect and we had been at the previous Healdsburg as lookee loo's...

I think LMI did a pretty good job, however I think the main hall was WAY WAY too crowded, the noise level was just unreal at certain points. We learned that we really need a full table, we had to share ours with someone who brought like 15 guitars and basses and was constantly taking up all the room, and to make matters worse he and his wife would cut in on my conversations with customers talking to me. So next time we get our own table!

I figured out that little price cards and a price sheet are good things to have, you need at least one or two guitars to grab peoples attention and a couple they can play. For the next show I will be brining a much wider variety of guitars to show and play, with 1 or 2 very very special ones that will be for show. I will also bring a back and sides assembled so people can see my work close up, this was something James Russel did and it was a great idea.

The best part though was meeting Mayes, Woolson, Osthoff, How, Poling, McKnight (and his wonderful wife) and a bunch of others from here, and finally some of my guitar heros. Kevin Ryan took a minute to stop by the final morning and tell me how much he liked the Flag guitar, same with Bill Wise. Of course each time I had to explain to my wife who they where, she was not as impressed as I was. Jeff Traugott was sending people interested in fanned frets to my booth to see mine, which I got a huge kick out of...

I got to hear John Mayes sing for his supper , I played Woolsons guitars for a bit, had some 1 on 1's with builders I very much respect and got some great advice from Kathy Wingert and sent ALOT of business her way from people who liked the flag guitar.

I didn't sell anything, which would have been nice but it was my first show, I'm unknown, I'm just starting out so I'll take what I got. I'm doing it again in 2007, of that you can be sure and I intend to make a BIG splash this time. With my current employment situation I will certainly have some time to really just focus in the shop on getting things done and ready... I want to avoid any last minute rushes this time, one that I'm planning will take at least a year to complete...

Cheers

-Paul-

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-Paul-

Patriot Guitars

Traugott's not taking orders? If I wasn't taking orders, I could be charging
$20K, too!

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

I have some mixed feeling on the show.

The highlights for me were hanging out with friends, delivering a couple of guitars to west coast clients and seeing the redwoods for the first time. Having Keith Knight (www.bearclawmusic.com) do “my” mini-concert (with his new Osthoff OM and other guits.) was a blast. Keith wrote a song specifically for his new OM and performed that for the first time publicly there. Since then he has been playing that tune all over to rave reviews. That is so cool, to me that is what is all about. Creating an instrument that inspires a musician who in turn inspire the listener.

Back to HGF, I made a big mistake of only having a ? table. It was my fault, but I did not know that I was only was getting a half table. (Read the fine print) 6 guitars and a half table … that stunk. I don’t care if I only have one guitar no half table for me at any show ever again. If that is all that is avail, I doubt I would go.

My location in was not great but I am not sure how much location had to do with anything. Tim McKnight had a really successful show and a less than ideal location. His table was really nicely set-up though. (Great Job Tim)

I won’t belabor the point of the noise and the crowds. It has been covered. I will reiterate that people were overwhelmed. I had many people tell me that they were overloaded and just needed to get outside and could not look at another guitar. (I was by the door)

I was a little bummed that I did not “retail” anything at the show. I did work with dealers and they took a couple of guitars from me. That was cool, but I probably could have sent the guitar to them without the show. At least they got to see what they were buying first. (BTW both of those guitars have sold from the dealers! Cool) I got an order at the show too.

Another observation. I spent way too much time talking to builders who disguised themselves as customers. They tried my guitars and took em outside etc (of course I was away from my table then) When I jokingly would say, “wanna buy it?” their significant other would chime in with, “oh he doesn’t need it, he could just make one himself.” I would get a little p/oed when this happened. (I must admit I did that to Michael Greenfield a long time ago at small show in upstate NY.) I learned after 2 days that my second or third question to the lookers should be, “ohh, are you thinking of building a guitar?” Could have I lost a potential sale to a paying customer, while a builder was masquerading as customer? I dunno. It just was not a great situation.. On the other hand, some identified themselves right away as a builder, that was cool, as we could move to the side and allow “lookers” to browse while we chatted. That was fine … and fun.

Will I go back to HGF? I hope so. It was fun. What would I do different? Only bring 2 or 3 guitars and get a full table. Reduce the pressure and hang-out lots more with friends. That’s the best part
johno38693.5903703704

[QUOTE=Howard Klepper] Traugott's not taking orders? If I wasn't taking orders, I could be charging
$20K, too![/QUOTE]

http://www.traugottguitars.com/pricelist/index.html

I wish I could command that kind of prices for my guitars...

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John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

I was one of those Looky-Loos this year while I hung out with Paul Woolson, bought some shirts and cruised what everybody brought...

What strikes me is that if you go with the hopes of "selling" then that is a risky propostion. As pointed out it is so overwhelming that I can't imagine buyers can do much rational shopping there.

However, if you are going for a branding experience and an opportunity to press the flesh with people who are potential buyers, stick a business card (and possibly a portfolio brochure) in their hands, and schmooze a little, then I think this is an excellent opportunity.

A couple things I think would make a difference (not like I am an expert or anything... but these are some ideas I had after the show) are:

1) As pointed out... get a whole table

2) Stand in front of your table and greet all passers by (or at least as many as you can).

3) Have business cards handy.

4) If you have great photography a little portfolio and a price list available to hand out would be great.

5) You might host a "private reception" and invite people to attend. These would be even based off site events to let people hear an excellent player (or two) play your guitars, eat some fancy food, and play your guitars in an envionment that is less chaotic than the show floor.

This gives you the ability to create a "call to action" that is not such a huge committment (as buying a guitar). "If you are interested... I am hosting a private reception tonight and we would love to have you stop by...."


Again.. probably not rocket science.. but after thinking about the show... I think these might improve the long term yeild of attending.

This looks to me like somewhere you "have to be" if you are selling to contemporary players (... maybe not if you focus on the pure bluegrass crowd, or those interested in vintage repros....)

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

[QUOTE=Howard Klepper] Traugott's not taking orders? If I wasn't taking orders, I could be charging
$20K, too![/QUOTE]

"For the curious, guitars in 2004 have sold for $22,855. Orders taken for 2006 have sold for $26,500. These prices include Brazilian Rosewood."

Oh well that explains it.. he gives you braz rosewood

Man.. I guess some people make a real living doing this?

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CVT Inc.
A tour of our shop (Somewhat outdated)
My Personal eBay profile. BCWoodBug

Speaking of high priced instruments didn't one of the builders turn down an offer of over 30k on a guitar? I can't remember who it was but I remember hearing about it.

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CVT Inc.
A tour of our shop (Somewhat outdated)
My Personal eBay profile. BCWoodBug

[QUOTE=Howard Klepper] Traugott's not taking orders? If I wasn't taking orders, I could be charging
$20K, too![/QUOTE]

Now who would pay that kind of money for a headstock like his . (Just my opinion folks)

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My Facebook Guitar Page

"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

[QUOTE=Rod True] [QUOTE=Howard Klepper] Traugott's not taking orders? If I wasn't taking orders, I could be charging
$20K, too![/QUOTE]

Now who would pay that kind of money for a headstock like his . (Just my opinion folks)[/QUOTE]


I think his aesthetics are great. Seriously.

And before we all jump on this his prices.... I suspect (don't know... but suspect) that he has worked a long time to become an overnight success.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

I don't mind he is charging a good deal for his guitars, and getting it. More power to him. If I could get that much for my guitars I would do it in a heartbeat. One guitar would equal about what I make in a year.

I like his asthetics as well. I've only ever played one (brz/euro) and it was very nice indeed. No better than a lot of other builders I've played for a LOT LOT less, but again if someone is willing to pay the premium then I'm happy for him. Maybe he can pass the mojo my way. :)

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John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

[QUOTE=Rod True] [QUOTE=Howard Klepper] Traugott's not taking orders? If I wasn't taking orders, I could be charging
$20K, too![/QUOTE]

Now who would pay that kind of money for a headstock like his . (Just my opinion folks)[/QUOTE]

It's not quite my taste either.. I like really plain headstocks.. Good example is the Garrison headstock.. I'd rather make it stand apart with inlay than a *different* shape.. (no shot of the front at the moment)
Jason38694.1255439815

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CVT Inc.
A tour of our shop (Somewhat outdated)
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