Transparency & Pricing
I mentioned towards the end of my introductory blog post that transparency and honesty are important to me, and they really are, so I decided to expand on that a bit here.
No need for a rant about how expensive everything has become or to speculate or point fingers about the reasons why. I think it's obvious we're all feeling increased financial pressure in one way or another, and probably even worse, we don't feel like there's much we can do about it.
I'll admit, I'm especially wary of money as I write this. Starting a business is challenge in a number of ways, but in a world where we feel like our self worth is directly linked to our financial status, it's been painful to burn through the limited savings I did have, followed by amassing a pile of credit card debt, just to try and make this whole TEN32 Guitars thing a reality.
Combine that with the fact that our futures seem more uncertain than ever and the fact that a lot of us don't feel like our own employers are even on our side...it can feel like there's no way to win, and that's a miserable, hopeless feeling.
This is why I think it's important to express the fact that my goal has never been to make money.
I told a good friend of mine recently that money was "like....9th on the list of things I'm trying to achieve with this business". His response has stuck with me ever since.
He said "I think that's the way its supposed to be".
Damn right, Fred! And BTW, a huge "THANKS" to you sir - for working with me and providing feedback on all those shoddy prototypes along the way. The guitars wouldn't be what they are without you. Speaking of which - I have a lot of other people to thank as well.
So, rather than trying to make a fortune on the misery of others, or line my pockets with kickbacks from drug companies for overprescribing death pills, or one of a hundred other disgusting examples we've all heard about, I decided to approach this the same way Todd Helton approached hitting baseballs:
Focus on the process, let the results take care of themselves.
Coming from the tech world, I know the current trend in product development is the "MVP", or minimum viable product. Basically you squeeze out a few turds, throw them up against a wall like a rabid primate and see which ones stick.
I've been trying to avoid dropping F-bombs so far in this blog but I did just make a monkey crap reference, so.....f*ck that! What ever happened to building something awesome and pouring everything you've got into it - not because you're interested in lining your pockets but because you love it?
This brings me to pricing.
The original version of this blog post, written in the summer of 2022 stated that pricing started at $2000 for a guitar with a case. I'm updating this in September of 2023 and a lot of things have changed. Primarily, the concept of a "modular guitar platform" has been validated through customer feedback and real world testing. Beyond that, the feedback on build quality, fret work, and a whole bunch of other things has been stellar, far beyond my expectations.
I've also solved a long list of production problems and upgraded production capacity, efficiency and quality. All of which will come together in early 2024, when production will begin in earnest.
Right this second, I don't know what pricing will look like in 2024. I've hired a pro to help me figure it out, and will be surveying some folks for their thoughts as well. Standby...
Up next, lets look at my approach to finishing guitars.