Andrew White Guitars...raising prices in Jan 2010

[wgnorman]

How many other small luthiers are plannng a price increase? - here is Andrew's planned increase from his website

http://www.andrewwhiteguitars.com/orderinfo.html

[Coke_zero]

Times are tough and materials cost more I guess. That is a pretty huge price increase though. However, I'm sure he can justify it.

[Cornerstone Guitars]

Unfortunately some of us will have to raise prices. I'll be raising mine at the end of January 2010.

[cpabolting]

Originally Posted by worshipguitar

Unfortunately some of us will have to raise prices. I'll be raising mine at the end of January 2010.

So I guess I better get one ordered??

[sehnsucht77]

Originally Posted by cpabolting

So I guess I better get one ordered??

bingo! you got it

[Cornerstone Guitars]

Originally Posted by cpabolting

So I guess I better get one ordered??

I wanted to change my price structure this January but I'm so busy I haven't had a chance to update my website. I do want to let everyone know in advance before I do it. Just to be fair.

[Jeff M]

Originally Posted by wgnorman

How many other small luthiers are plannng a price increase? - here is Andrew's planned increase from hi website

http://www.andrewwhiteguitars.com/orderinfo.html

If he's got the demand, he can justify it.

[Dukester]

Thats a pretty huge increase.

His guitars are beyond incredible. Quality wise, more than worth what he's charging, but I just wonder if his reputation is big enough to hit that price range. I hope it is because he's a great guy. Did I mention his guitars are beyond remarkable?

Guess we'll see...

[sehnsucht77]

Originally Posted by Dukester

Thats a pretty huge increase.

His guitars are beyond incredible. Quality wise, more than worth what he's charging, but I just wonder if his reputation is big enough to hit that price range. I hope it is because he's a great guy. Did I mention his guitars are beyond remarkable?

Guess we'll see...

I've had a build by Andrew and he is an amazing, great guy who makes top notch guitars. The craftsmanship of the work he did for me far exceeded my expectations. From what I could gather when I talked to him earlier this year, he seems to be getting pretty busy so maybe the price raise reflects some shop upgrades he has had to make to keep with the demand.

[Taylorplayer]

Originally Posted by sehnsucht77

...so maybe the price raise reflects some shop upgrades he has had to make to keep with the demand.

A classic "good problem" to have.

[sehnsucht77]

Originally Posted by Taylorplayer

A classic "good problem" to have.

Indeed. But this raises a question for the luthiers that I've been wondering about - most builders I've kept track of on the forum maintain an average build of about, say, 10-15 pieces/ year so at what point do you scale back to a comfortable number and what criteria, if any, do you use to accept/reject build projects? I imagine that builders can't accept all the projects that is presented to them to maintain a comfortable build pace and high build standard. Comments?

[hnuuhiwa]

Originally Posted by sehnsucht77

Indeed. But this raises a question for the luthiers that I've been wondering about - most builders I've kept track of on the forum maintain an average build of about, say, 10-15 pieces/ year so at what point do you scale back to a comfortable number and what criteria, if any, do you use to accept/reject build projects? I imagine that builders can't accept all the projects that is presented to them to maintain a comfortable build pace and high build standard. Comments?

Actually, I would think that they could accept most every project IF the customer is willing to wait (ala a Henderson build which I hear has a 10 year wait) and willing to pay the price.

I can see how a price increase could be used to help a builder manage a high demand by reducing the amount of buyers to a more manageable number (classic supply and demand economics - prices go up if supply is limited and demand is high). So increasing the price helps to "scale back" the number of interested buyers to maintain the builders pace.

[K III]

I think you might be able to attract orders with such a dramatic price increase, but all of a sudden you are competing with a different league of builders. I think that the worst that can happen is that you can't sustain the price level and need to give discounts at some point.

When scanning this particular builder's website, it surprised me that he has so many guitars in stock. While I understand that builders get annoyed about us customers (and the much larger number who just want to talk), I think customers pay some of the price because it is a piece made for them and according to their exact specs.

We all know the story when and how and why Jim Olson increased his prices, but I have not seen an Andrew White guitar being sold at a premium above list. Maybe I just don't follow close enough.

And builders: Don't get me wrong: It's hard work, it's financially very unrewarding for most, but that's how the market works. Unless you have an incredible wait list, I think most builders will be best advised to increase prices slowly but regularly.

As a precautionary note: I don't want to offend anybody, just my 2 cents.

[Steve Kinnaird]

Back in the 70's I urged a college chum to order a Gallagher. He got it for $825. What a bargain. A few months later I called to order my own, and Don told me that the price had just increased to $1,225. What is that, you math wizzes, something near to a 50% increase?
That's still a bargain by comparison to today's prices, but it hit me hard, and I determined to raise my prices only when utterly essential.
So, no price increase here this year.
But if Andrew can get it, then I say good for him!

Steve

[Kitchen Guitars]

I can't speak for Mr White. When my reputation as a photographer made my work load too much I raised my prices. I found it to be like increasing the wattage of light bulb to get rid of moths