Iris Guitars

[gr81dorn]

Adams said they’ll do between 300-400 guitars this year, maybe more as their global distribution is growing as well as their domestic.

[jontewright]

Originally Posted by gr81dorn

Adams said they’ll do between 300-400 guitars this year, maybe more as their global distribution is growing as well as their domestic.

Yes their global distribution is certainly growing. This time last year the only way to get one in the uk was to go through a European/US dealer or direct through Iris. Now there are two UK dealers who stock them.


For the record I ordered one through TNAG March 2022. I'm still waiting 15 months later. We've encountered a couple of problems along the way. I've been told July now.

[RomanS]

Originally Posted by jontewright

Yes their global distribution is certainly growing. This time last year the only way to get one in the uk was to go through a European/US dealer or direct through Iris. Now there are two UK dealers who stock them.


For the record I ordered one through TNAG March 2022. I'm still waiting 15 months later. We've encountered a couple of problems along the way. I've been told July now.

Mine (OG, ordered directly) took 18 months, instead of the 12-14 promised at the time of ordering. Was I pissed about the delay? Yes! Was it worth the wait? Absolutely! It's by far the best acoustic I have ever owned, I pick it up every day, already played two gigs with it, can't wait to record for the first time with it...

[jontewright]

Glad to hear you're enjoying your OG, @RomanS.
I think it's only fair I add a little context. My initial order was a spruce/maple OG. It arrived within the specified time but I refused it. There had been a bit of miscommunication between me and Richard at TNAG, probably my fault more than his...but I wanted a light stained neck to go with the maple. It arrived with a very dark stained neck, which to me just looked wrong. By this time Richard had moved on from TNAG, so the brilliant Kim took over my order. Also by this time the MS-00 was added to the line up so I adjusted my order to a euro spruce/maple MS-00. That also arrived pretty much on time, last week in fact, but unfortunately it had been shipped to TNAG with the end pin loose in the case and by the time it got there the end pin had done some unsightly damage to the top. So that's gone back to Iris,
probably to be reliced and resold.

So here we are. These things happen so no real complaints from me. I'd wager its the last time they ship out a guitar with endpin lose in the case though.

Kim has been great throughout and Adam has promised to build a replacement order pretty much straight away.
Fingers crossed all goes smoothly and it will be here soon.

[Mr. Jelly]

How do I like my IRIS guitars? I like them allot! An odd turn of events occurred for me recently. I sold my Martins. I bought an IRIS OG 12 fret slot head. It was like finding a guitar I have been looking for, for years. I go wow! every time I play it. Then I bought a RCM-000 12 fret slot head and it could easily replace my Waterloos if need be. It's not the same but in the ballpark. They are easy to play, loud, proud, articulate and dry. Where many people buy bone bridge pins etc. to increase the high end, sustain and loudness of their guitars the IRIS can use a little taming at times. I played a song at a song writer meeting the other night and I don't know if they liked the song but were impressed with the guitar mentioning how loud it is. This is the first time that I want to play all my guitars every day and I can't choose which one I want to play. I am holding off getting a DF Smeck because I think I'm carried away by these guitars.

[ZeroFretWear]

Originally Posted by gr81dorn

Adams said they’ll do between 300-400 guitars this year, maybe more as their global distribution is growing as well as their domestic.

Ah, that would explain the increasing number of Irises on the market.
Still, I'm also seeing signs of dealers having trouble moving their Iris inventory.
For example:

https://northernlightsmusic.com/coll...gured-mahogany
https://northernlightsmusic.com/coll...cts/iris-de-12

[Mak2525]

Originally Posted by ZeroFretWear

Ah, that would explain the increasing number of Irises on the market.
Still, I'm also seeing signs of dealers having trouble moving their Iris inventory.
For example:

https://northernlightsmusic.com/coll...gured-mahogany
https://northernlightsmusic.com/coll...cts/iris-de-12

I would not look at the CH or DE models as indicative of how fast Iris guitars are selling at dealers. Both of those models are unique specialty designs with a very limited group of potential buyers!

The core models such as the OG, DF, & AB's are where the majority of Iris sales will be. Iris guitars are not a mainstream manufacturer and a lot of people outside of guitar forums may not have even heard of them. That being said, the same could be said about Huss and Dalton twenty years ago! For the record, the only two brands I currently own are Iris and H&D.

An Iris is not for everyone, but if you want a boutique build at the cost of a factory D18, then I say play one and you'll know. My DF Smeck 12 fret slot head is about 1 1/2 years off the production bench (Number 238) and sounds like a 50 year old guitar. I truly don't care if the resale is less than other name brand guitars, as I never look at an instrument as an investment. It's something to enjoy while it's in my possession.

[ZeroFretWear]

Originally Posted by Mak2525

I would not look at the CH or DE models as indicative of how fast Iris guitars are selling at dealers. Both of those models are unique specialty designs with a very limited group of potential buyers!

Unfortunately, it seems like the other models also tend to languish on the market. For example:
https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=649951
https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=657919
https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=665094

[pittsBGpicker]

Originally Posted by justonwo

In my experience, the Iris business model had a significant adverse impact on the higher end Fairbanks-branded guitars. My second Fairbanks was nothing close to my first, which was built when Dale was a one man show.

How and why would Dale Fairbanks allow this to happen? He's such a talent is all I'm sayin'.

[A.Wilder1]

All this Iris talk makes me want to buy one!

There was a really nice and reasonably priced distressed OG at TME… gone!

[pcf]

Originally Posted by pittsBGpicker

How and why would Dale Fairbanks allow this to happen? He's such a talent is all I'm sayin'.

The Iris shop isn’t making Fairbanks guitars. From what I understand he is still doing his own thing.

[srick]

Originally Posted by pittsBGpicker

How and why would Dale Fairbanks allow this to happen? He's such a talent is all I'm sayin'.

I follow Dale pretty closely. I consider him a friend and I have one of his F-35 style guitars. I also know what Juston went through with his second guitar and the issues he had with it. Juston had every right to be upset.

So my two cents... when a luthier starts out, they have absolute control over every facet of the build. And even though we consumers look at that $5000 or $7500 price tag and gasp, just do the math. If a luthier produces a dozen $5000 guitars in one year, that's a $60,000 gross. Now subtract costs for wood, tools, rent, heat, guitar cases, guitar hardware, health insurance, taxes, etc. and you may only end up netting half of that amount.

It's a hell of a way to make a living.

So when Adam Buchwald asked Dale to join him in the Iris Guitar venture, economics were a driving factor: there's a family to be fed, clothed and schooled.

During the transition time, a few balls got dropped. I believe that Dale pretty much had to stop producing his custom guitars for awhile. Now that Iris has been established and there is a team producing the instruments, he (and Adam) are also working on their custom models.

It's likely near impossible to maintain a perfection and customer satisfaction level of 100%, especially when you are a sole proprietor. Life has a habit of getting in the way leading to distractions, expenses and other fires that need to be put out. So in short, stuff happens, and when all of the responsibility is on your shoulders, some things slip through the cracks.

There's a lot to be said about establishing a small production shop. You're more likely to be able to afford labor saving machines, and on any given day, the help or coverage that you need on a job is available. That's not the case when you are all alone. And, by necessity, you have to run a small shop as a business. It may not be as romantic, but with luck, the bills get paid, the employees are taken care of, and you have food on the table, health insurance, and a working vehicle with gas.

Having been a sole proprietor myself (albeit in a much more lucrative profession*) I can really appreciate the luthier's plight. Building a guitar is an incredible accomplishment. Making a living at it, even moreso. My hat is off to the luthiers and their creations!

Rick

* if it matters, I was a dentist for 41+ years. Believe it or not, dental medicine, like luthiery, has a large piecework component (how many crowns did you produce, how many cleanings were done, how many fillings have been done?) and everything has to be done just so - plus the patient needs to be treated gently and their needs satisfied.

If you, as the sole proprietor, are out for the day, or ill, you don't get paid. If you are disabled, hopefully, you have insurance coverage. Luthiers are unbelieving when I tell them that the two jobs have a lot of similarities, but they do.

And even though the customer feels that the cost of the service (dentistry or luthiery) is exorbitant, when you subtract overhead, etc. etc.. you might find that only 30-35% of every dollar goes to the bottom line - and that's before taxes and health care coverage. Unless you have run your own business, it is unlikely that you have a clear picture of all that is involved.

_________________

Pardon the rant here. I do not intend to derail the rest of the conversation and we will now return back to our discussion of Iris Guitars

[gr81dorn]

Originally Posted by ZeroFretWear

Ah, that would explain the increasing number of Irises on the market.
Still, I'm also seeing signs of dealers having trouble moving their Iris inventory.
For example:

https://northernlightsmusic.com/coll...gured-mahogany
https://northernlightsmusic.com/coll...cts/iris-de-12

Choosing an extremely rare limited edition and then the very niche DE isn't a good representation at all, as was mentioned. If you wanna play this game, though, a sort by age on Reverb has tons of H&D's that are YEARS old listings.

One could create many narratives around these brands and the available inventory, etc. It's clear that you don't like them and don't think they're a big deal, so that's fine. A lot of people do. A backlog of pre-solds is a really good sign for a company their age and there are several hundred in the hands of owners that are enjoying them with just a few years in business. They're not for everyone, but they're really great instruments for a lot of people and it's great seeing so many dealers signing on so they can get in more hands, which has proven to seal the deal for many skeptics.

Ultimately, to each his own. There are a ton of makers out there, so if Iris isn't your thing, you have lots of options to go elsewhere.

[pittsBGpicker]

Originally Posted by pcf

The Iris shop isn’t making Fairbanks guitars. From what I understand he is still doing his own thing.

Hopefully no adverse effect to this uniquely American Fairbanks sound:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Pp4Rcob6Dk

[ZeroFretWear]

Originally Posted by gr81dorn

Choosing an extremely rare limited edition and then the very niche DE isn't a good representation at all, as was mentioned. If you wanna play this game, though, a sort by age on Reverb has tons of H&D's that are YEARS old listings.

I also posted listings for their other models that have been listed for sale for months (or a year, even).
And I agree about Huss & Dalton; if you buy a new one, you will take a bath upon resale. Not that they're not great guitars, there is just not a huge market for them.
I was lucky to jump early on the PreWar Guitar Co. bandwagon. I've been similarly monitoring the Iris brand, and I just am not seeing the value on the buyer's end. Of course, any guitar is worth its price if you buy it and play it until you die, but that's not a reality for 99% of people. Finances, preferences, and a host of other things change. It's important to know that you're putting your money into something that's also a good investment.