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  #16  
Old 08-17-2017, 07:31 AM
musicman1951 musicman1951 is online now
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I don't know that it's that easy to become a "large guitar maker," (if we need one or not).

Santa Cruz makes 500-700 guitars a year, Olsen makes about 30.

Martin is like three (or more) makers in one: they address the serious player with a tight budget, make a ton of really nice instruments in the $3000 range (+ or - ), and have a group of custom builders who make instruments that rival the other smaller builders in what most of us would consider the higher end market.

Then we get into serious dollars. I'll probably never have an Olsen, but I like the fact that it's out there and available (you never know).

Now there are lots of good guitars at nearly every price range from a plethora of companies, as well as some wonderful guitars coming out of very small shops. Let's celebrate our good fortune at the number of choices.

And on virtually every question here: no - whatever the number it is definitely NOT enough.
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  #17  
Old 08-17-2017, 08:02 AM
djg djg is offline
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Originally Posted by Silly Moustache View Post
Are you sure of that ? I would hazard a guess that Collings make far more, and far more dealers/distributors.
Here's a 2017 interview with Richard Hoover (or, at least, an interview published in 2017) where he says "500 or less" per year.

I think that you're right about Collings -- I've read something along those lines but don't have a link handy -- I have a pretty clear recollection (hardly definitive) that Collings has significantly higher output than SCGC, at least these days, if well short of Martin and Gibson. Breedlove, I would think would be bigger still, given the range of guitars they offer, including both US and Asian-built models, and the fact that I see them in Guitar Centers, although I don't know their production numbers. There are European-centered brands/marques with significant production numbers, as others have mentioned. And surely more Asian guitar makers, and not just Yamaha (who, I'd guess, probably crank out way more guitars than Martin or Gibson, although that's an empirical issue and I don't know the actual numbers). I'd look to China for big numbers.

How many is enough at some scale or other? How many will the market support at any one time? I'm guessing that the definitive answer is this: it depends.
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  #18  
Old 08-17-2017, 10:08 AM
Goodallboy Goodallboy is offline
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Originally Posted by commonbird View Post
I've never played a Larrivee, Bourgeois, Collins, or Eastman. Out of the other four, Guild is the best bang for the buck. At least the old Guilds pre Oxnard. New Hartford and earlier. Amazing what you get in terms of quality for the price. Many are better than Martins and by a long shot. Taylors were always too bright for my ear. Gibsons can be great. Old 1950s J-50s are amazing. New ones are hit and miss.

I'd say Yahama is one of the huge builders (aren't they #1 in sales?) that you left off, though. They make some high end stuff that's nice and good value, probably due to the sheer quantity of wood they buy and cheap labor.
Just a word of advice that might improve your experience. Try those brands and see if your opinion changes in any way. You're missing a lot of great guitars.
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  #19  
Old 08-17-2017, 10:51 AM
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Originally Posted by Goodallboy View Post
Just a word of advice that might improve your experience. Try those brands and see if your opinion changes in any way. You're missing a lot of great guitars.
I plan to if I ever see them in the local shops. They're just harder to come across. At this point I have no opinion on those four brands other than what I heard of them on youtube videos, which may or may not be accurate due to recording techniques.
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  #20  
Old 08-17-2017, 02:31 PM
hotroad hotroad is offline
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The OP is simply wondering if there are others on this forum who think there is room for another reputable guitar maker the size of Taylor or Martin. Not saying that is possible and those two plus many others have paid their dues to become the success they are today. I was not trying to make this about who is the biggest or best and certainly one could research that to give scientific evidence as to who is the biggest and on down. And who says that bigger is better. Not me. Not in this thread. My fav guitar is my Lowden, still a small builder.
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