Taylor's announcement - what if....Build To Order went mainstream?!

[jazzguy]

I"m starting a new thread to center around a particular topic below.

I woke up this morning thinking of one other possibility that would be both ground breaking, innovative and very much like Taylor - though logistically more difficult to pull off. Yes - Taylor has definitely got into my head!

Taking Build-to-Order mainstream!

This is possible today with current technology but we may have to wait a bit longer for the guitar, but similar to "building your own car" online, you could choose from a limited number of options. Actually Fender does this today with electrics! https://shop.fender.com/en-US/mod-sh...181900706.html But to my knowledge, I don't think any acoustic manufacturer is doing online BTO in a truly scalable fashion- maybe I'm wrong.

I'm not necessarily saying it is a great idea because it has huge implications on Taylor's go-to-market (.i.e. direct) and could cut out the local shop, etc. However, before you poo poo the idea - keep in mind we live in an era of major disruption from businesses going digital. Entire industries are being turned upside down because someone figures out a way to give the customer what they really want and a new and innovative way - i.e. - Amazon, UBER, AirBnB, etc. Taylor is definitely innovative and a disrupter. One of the problems I see with it is that acoustics can sound so different from one to another. However, Taylor is known for (and I have experienced) that they can produce remarkably consistent guitars from series to series. So if anyone could pull this off, it would be Taylor IMHO.

What say you? Be nice

[rokdog49]

It's not far-fetched at all, but I don't believe that's what they are up to.

[RP]

Originally Posted by rokdog49

It's not far-fetched at all, but I don't believe that's what they are up to.

I'm going to stick with my notion of discontinuing the Presentation series and initiating the Andy Powers Series, however the result could be the same BTO posited by the OP. One crucial point in my mind is how much the market will bear for a high end Taylor vs. a high-end Andy Powers guitar for which there is already a precedent http://www.andypowersinstruments.com...

[jazzguy]

Originally Posted by RP

I'm going to stick with my notion of discontinuing the Presentation series and initiating the Andy Powers Series, however the result could be the same BTO posited by the OP.....

This is a very good guess. I could see this happening.

[Rudy4]

Taylor already has an efficient build to order system in place through their dealerships. It satisfies the market demand for that now.
If demand for BTO would increase I'm positive they would step up and meet the demand. Taylor is very good about meeting market demand.

That said, I wouldn't hold my breath on seeing that. Tactile experience is well ingrained into the purchase decision process by many consumers and I don't think that's going to change in a big way soon.

[HHP]

Like most guitar companies doing mass production, Taylor is very dependent on their dealer network. In this model, dealers would only be stocking sample models and having access to some BTO system to fill actual customer orders meaning they would not be buying inventory from Taylor and would have no incentive to promote Taylor versus other brands in the store. They would be more likely to promote sale of guitars they have significant financial investment in.

From a consumer standpoint, how many buyers have specific materials and specs in mind when they buy? It might have a backfire effect where buyers delete what would have been standard features to save costs. Most go BTO now to get additional features, not delete features.

Buyers would also have to either pay for, or put down a significant deposit, on something they cannot walk out with. That's a big hurdle in retail.

[Goat Mick]

For Internet guitar junkies like us having everything build to order sounds awesome because we research this stuff all the time and most of us have a laundry list of features in the back of our head all the time that we'd like to see on a guitar. So to us the idea is perfect, walk in lay down our laundry list of specs and in a few weeks our dream guitar shows up fresh from the factory. However the majority of the guitar picking universe doesn't work like us. Most of the time a player goes into a store looking for a guitar and they play several until they find one that speaks to them. A bunch of Taylors get sold this way "I was looking for a good guitar and this one just played and sounded better than anything in the store". That's how I got mine nearly 25 years ago. I thought I was going to buy a Martin, but I just kept coming back to the Taylors and this 710 in particular. It felt right and I bought it without knowing anything about the company.

[dodge]

I'm with RP and my first thought was an R.Taylor like line from Andy Powers which may be like BTO.

[jazzguy]

Originally Posted by Goat Whiskey Picks

However the majority of the guitar picking universe doesn't work like us. Most of the time a player goes into a store looking for a guitar and they play several until they find one that speaks to them.

Good point!

[jazzguy]

here is the answer....http://www.musicradar.com/news/namm-...coustic-design

[rmgjsps]

Lakewood Guitars (www.lakewood-guitars.com) is a German company that allows you to customize any of their offerings through their website. They deliver only through their dealers and have several U.S. dealers.

You should check out their website if only for the history of the company. It's an interesting story. I had never heard of the company 'til buying my 2003 Lakewood M1 used at Panhandle in San Francisco.

[martingitdave]

I don't think I would want anyone to permanently glue together my random whims into a guitar. With an electric, you can take it apart and fix it if it sucks. With an acoustic guitar, you are stuck with whatever stupidity you come up with. And there would be stupidity abound. I'll leave the guitar building to... the guitar builders.