What are some market niches that are not currently being met?

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by Jack the Pearl

My Blueridge BG-160 is a capable substitute/relative/rough equivalent of a Gibson J-45. I can't afford the Gibson in my current retired state, but I had one once and it charmed me.

I number the less expensive versions of a J-45/J-50 among the "not currently being met" because it seems the Blueridge BG-160 is no longer being made.

There are, I believe, BG-60s available at retail but that guitar is not all solid. I owned one of them once and it was fine, but I wanted a guitar like it that was all solid. Now I have one, but it seems others will need to buy used if they want a BG-160.

Is there a manufacturer that's making an inexpensive (less than $1500) all solid wood, short neck scale six-string with 14 frets to the body?

You could get the USA-made Guild M-20 at that price if you ask nicely!

[davidbeinct]

Reasonably priced all acoustic archtop.

[Mandobart]

An acoustic amp like the Carvin AG300. I've got one and I like it. They quit making them. To my knowledge no one else is offering all the features the Carvin had (HI Z inputs, 48 volt phantom power, effects, 300 watts, 3-way cabinet, 3 input channels, aux inputs, USB port, speaker pole mountable, can plug in a passive aux cabinet, etc.) for $600 (5 years ago). Say for under $1000 today.

Best acoustic amp I've ever played through, and relatively cheap.

[Mycroft]

Originally Posted by Jaimoe

Right, but no longer produced, so not currently “meeting” the niche/need.

I realize. But if you reread the quote and my response, you may realize that I was pointing out that Taylor was not the first to try and fill that niche as the OP implied. Nor was Larrivee, for that matter.

One question that has to be considered is if the niche can be filled at a price point that is profitable for the builder. Which is why Larrivee eventually stopped making -01 and -03 Parlours, and why when they recommenced the -03s it was at a much higher price point.

[jontewright]

Originally Posted by AMW

We'd like to see Waterloo production ramp up again!!!

Amen to this!

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by nashtele

I have been thinking about the acoustic guitar market recently and thinking about what, if any, realistic/economical market niches are currently not being met.

I'm not sure if I'm describing this currently, but a couple of tangential examples that come to mind would be:

So -- what are you GASing for that just isn't on the market nowadays?

I'm not "Gassing" for anything nowadays.

My preferences are for designs of 1934 or older, due to my need for wider fretboards, although I believe that the 12 fret Martin designs are superior to the 14 fret rhythm designs.

In the '90s, once I realised my needs it took me over three years to find a suitable dreadnought, and it was a Collings, not a Martin.

There has long bee a shortage of 12 fret smaller bodies as Martin designed them but rarely made them until very recently, but we have the small factory builders to than - again Collings, Bourgeois, but most recently my wish for a size "0" and "00" have been met by Eastman.

Sadly US made guitars - even if available - have effectively priced themselves out of the European market.

[BluesKing777]

Originally Posted by jontewright

Amen to this!

Not sure if I need any more Waterloos!

But I thought Gibson might pick up the slack and give fingerpickers a new L-00 with 1 3/4” and 2 3/8” bridge like the (some of) the 1930s models Bill based the first Waterloos on.

Sadly, not do far. Current model L-00 has slim neck 1.725 standard Montana Gibson nut and skinny bridge spacing at 2 3/16”......

But that is a niche of the niche, eh? And Bill grabbed it!


BluesKing777.

[jontewright]

Originally Posted by BluesKing777

Not sure if I need any more Waterloos!



But I thought Gibson might pick up the slack and give fingerpickers a new L-00 with 1 3/4” and 2 3/8” bridge like the (some of) the 1930s models Bill based the first Waterloos on.



Sadly, not do far. Current model L-00 has slim neck 1.725 standard Montana Gibson nut and skinny bridge spacing at 2 3/16”......



But that is a niche of the niche, eh? And Bill grabbed it!





BluesKing777.

That's a good point. Come on Gibson please listen to us fingerpickers! Another version of the legend or 1938 reissue would do it....

I had the Gibson Keb Mo for a while, great neck 1.805" nut but still only a skimpy 2 3/16" bridge spacing.

[jricc]

The LG-2 body shape/dimensions under $2600 (Gibson LG-2) guitar.

I was hoping Epiphone was going to do a Inspired By Gibson LG-2 after the success of the IBG J-45, but not yet...

[joereadel]

I want thicker neck profiles. I'm tired of the skinny electric guitar necks they put on acoustics these days.

[MaurysMusic]

Originally Posted by nashtele

I have been thinking about the acoustic guitar market recently and thinking about what, if any, realistic/economical market niches are currently not being met.

I'm not sure if I'm describing this currently, but a couple of tangential examples that come to mind would be:

• The Taylor GS Mini. The body size and proportions combined with the build quality was just a total revelation for a lot of people. I'm sure there were boutique builds out there, but for most people, there was just no access to that kind of thing before that model.
  
• Luna guitars. I haven't played one of these but my sense of the brand is that, laminate being laminate, there are probably some folks who aren't buying $3000 guitars who would be into colors, designs, wolves. I don't know how well they sell, but I can totally appreciate the idea.

So -- what are you GASing for that just isn't on the market nowadays?

The Martin OM-18. Martin offers many long scale rosewood OMs but we feel there's a hole in the lineup & that's why we've commissioned the custom shop to build us some OM-18s. We won't see them until Spring 2024, but oh well.

[generalliamsayn]

Originally Posted by Mandobart

An acoustic amp like the Carvin AG300...They quit making them...Best acoustic amp I've ever played through, and relatively cheap.

I had one too - and I agree it was a great amp for the $.

But they quit making them because they quit making everything (i.e. they went out of business).

[Monty Christo]

Kind of niche, but I'd like to see reasonably-priced and well made wood-body tri-cone resonator. As it stands, you can either spend $3000+ for a National M1, or one of several "brands" all selling the same cobbled-together garbage under different names (Republic, Royall, etc.).

[stuartb]

Originally Posted by Cameleye

Mandolins with a slightly wider fingerboard for us guitar players who have problems with a mando's typically skinny neck.

I saw a builder recently who is building a very successful guitar / style of mandolin, with a wider neck, as i recall. I wish I could remember who right now, but it was likely seen on this forum recently.

Stuart

[SRL]

A MIDI electric guitar that works at least as well as a Jamstik Studio but has better build quality like a U.S. made guitar.