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#16
07-17-2010, 02:06 AM
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I've told parts of this story before but I'll see if I can put a more detailed version here, stop me if you've heard this...  Voyage Air was created in 2004, originally as a one-man-shop (me) with the goal to build about 30 guitars per year. I quickly saw that to be successful two things needed to happen; lower prices (mine were starting at $3500.00) and larger quantities. I proposed the idea of expansion to a customer (Jeff Cohen) who was in the business of making new businesses. We started with a handshake in Oct. 2006. About 2 weeks after Voyage Air became a corporation (2007) we went to NAMM with the intent to license the technology to other companies. I had already approached Martin (since I have direct contact with Chris doing the inlay work...) They were interested but really didn't have the time or space to work it in for at least 2 years. At the show we talked to Bob Taylor, Jean Larrivee, Paul Reed Smith, Dean, Ibanez, Rainsong, CA Guitars, Saga and a few smaller companies. Jean was the only one really interested and we would have probably done something with them if it hadn't been for our meeting with Bob Taylor. Taylor Guitars was, in my opinion, the ideal partner - radical ideas is what Bob is all about - so I was a little surprised at first by Bob's reaction, which was basically, "this is a great idea and I want nothing to do with it..." I asked him why (and if you know Bob he's pretty frank) he said "I get a lot of people showing me ideas for a product but this isn't a product, it's a brand." He went on to explain that if we licensed this to an established company they will do one of two things, produce it and have it become their dominant product or bury it so that it doesn't steal market space that they currently have. He told me that he didn't want to get rich with my idea he wanted to get rich with his own ideas. He said that the only way the idea would ever fly would be if we started a company and produced them ourselves and were ready to withstand the test of time that it takes to change the mindset of something as traditional as the guitar industry. He of course has been down that road with the whole bolt-on neck thing. It was great advice and that's why other companies (currently) don't make a Voyage Air model. CA was also interested but said that tooling up for a graphite VG would cost them thousands of dollars and they weren't in a position to do that unless they were sure it would create a "new" market space for them and not just create a more complicated guitar filling a space they already occupied. Since then we have discovered the same problem with creating a graphite VG. The cost of development is at least 10X that of the same model in wood or laminate. If you factor in the amount of market penetration graphite guitars have compared to their wooden counterparts the number of added potential sales just doesn't add up (Martin alone probably makes more OM guitars than the entire Graphite guitar industry combined...). We could offer the VAOM-06 in a cutaway, or introduce a parlor model and see a sales increase that would probably be equal to a graphite model. The only real cost for us to do a new wood model would be maintaining them in inventory. That's not say it won't happen, just that it will happen when we have better cash flow where we can afford to take the risk... it's a guitar that needs to be made at some point. When you consider that the biggest, most successful graphite guitar company ever just went out of business it's a real red flag right now.
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Harvey Leach 
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#17
07-17-2010, 08:49 PM
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Harv,
Thanks very much for sharing. That's really interesting. I think the neck hinge is a potentially revolutionary idea in guitar making, which led to Bob's conclusion and which makes his comment make sense. My feeling is it will be worth considering for you to partner with Rainsong down the road. Rainsong seems to be a pretty financially-conservative company who is slowly but surely growing stronger as a leader in the carbon fiber segment. They seem to be very patient and have pretty strong focus on its long-term viability. In a few years, when they have more cash for new product development, and when the economy already comes back up, it'll probably be a good moment to launch folding-neck Rainsong. So, Rainsong for folding-neck carbon guitars, VA for folding-neck wood guitars. Everybody else just sit back and watch! By the way, I really believe a parlor-size or 3/4-size VA will be a big hit!
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Regards, Chip Taylor GS Mini mahogany/sapele with LR Baggs M80 Voyage Air VAOM-06 sitka/sapele with LR Baggs Anthem Yamaha Guitalele black Taylor T3/B honey burst Fender American Stratocaster tobacco burst G&L Fullerton Deluxe Legacy blonde Gone but not forgotten..... ReviveMusicStore.com
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#18
07-18-2010, 08:13 AM
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I have the Voyage Air OM-1C and the tone is absolutely unreal. The wood used for the b/s is gorgeous too.
Another guitar to consider, I think smaller than the Cargo is the Emerald CF guitars. I played the X7 and the X10, absolutely terrific sound, and very small to pack.
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Lisa Phoenix Guitar Co. Custom Classical Guitar Rainsong Shorty FLE Pre Peavey Cargo
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#20
07-18-2010, 10:54 AM
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Harv,
Thanks for the story -- absolutely fascinating information. This matches my own business experience and is very much what I would have expected, but how interesting to hear this from the horse's mouth, so to speak. Also very interesting to hear the reaction about composite guitars and the relative investment. Thanks! Glenn
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#21
07-18-2010, 12:01 PM
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Harvey Leach
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#22
07-18-2010, 12:15 PM
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When we have a parlor we will have come full circle, the original Voyage Air was 13 1/2" at the lower bout. 
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Harvey Leach
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