What type of electric bass or guitar would you want?

[indie folk guy]

Since some other members have expressed that I'm a troll I felt the need to publicly announce a market research thread to get ideas from actual musicians on what you want.

So I guess I'll present the questions I have (keep in mind I hang around here to see what gear people buy, how they mod their gear, etc).

What pricepoint do you like to buy an instrument at?
Does the fact that an instrument is built and setup in America vs elsewhere appeal to you?
Would a cost cutting line that outsources bodies/necks appeal to you (think like Fender USA vs Fender MIM)?
Would you consider a small independent mfr over a company such as Fender/Gibson?
What are your expectations when you buy a new instrument?
Would having the ability to choose any pickups/wiring scheme you want appeal to you?
Would having a custom setup for your instrument appeal to you?
What type of design are you looking for in an instrument?
Would having a guitar come stock with quality components appeal to you (ie you won't have to upgrade a bridge, nut, etc)?

Anything else you feel like adding?

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: What type of electric bass or guitar would you want?

What pricepoint do you like to buy an instrument at?

Talking new prices, $400 to $700 most of the time. That's generally a good "bang for the buck" price point, and the instruments in that range are usually good enough to leave stock and be OK, or to modify and make just as good, if not better, than much more expensive instruments. Up to $1,200 every now and again. For that price, I expect to change hardly anything on the guitar. Over $1,200 only a handful of times in my life, for "luxuries." And I'd never pay more than $2,000 for anything new, no matter how good. Antique, yes, but not new.

Does the fact that an instrument is built and setup in America vs elsewhere appeal to you?

Yes. But I know that it doesn't mean that it is good work. It's just more likely to be good work because of the fact that crap guitars lend themselves extremely well to outsourcing, so most crap guitars are outsourced. By process of elimination, that makes U.S.A. ones more likely to be better instruments...though that is not something that necessarily comes with a U.S.A. made guitar. (See Gibson.)

Would a cost cutting line that outsources bodies/necks appeal to you (think like Fender USA vs Fender MIM)?

Yes, if the quality is high enough. I love G&L Tributes, and MIJ guitars in general. MIM Fenders have also really improved. There are very few cases in which I'd prefer the U.S.A. model to the MIM model. There have been plenty of decent Chinese and Korean made guitars as well. All these places are capable of good work. It is just a matter of what kinds of standards the "parent" manufacturers set for their overseas factories.

Would you consider a small independent mfr over a company such as Fender/Gibson?

Probably not. I like the traditional body shapes, and I don't want to pay small maker prices. If I want something truly "custom" and "different," I'll build it myself. Building a guitar is a process that requires skill and time, but it ain't rocket science or voodoo like some of these small makers make it out to be. Another important thing to me is the attractiveness of the headstock. A lot of independent builders make nice guitars that I would simply never touch because the headstocks are ugly. Shallow, maybe. But it's the truth. Looks matter big time to me. Hamer and Heritage are two good examples (Hamer Standards excepted). Another annoyance with independent builders is their excessive use of figured wood, exotic wood, abalone inlay, and the like. Too much bling. Makes it seem like overcompensation, and all it does it jack up the prices even more.

What are your expectations when you buy a new instrument?

Straight and stable neck, quality hardware, good basic tone from the hunk of wood, good pots, decent fretwork, good finish work (not thick or ripply), and decent sounding pickups. That said, little things that I can fix myself can be overlooked at certain price points.

Would having the ability to choose any pickups/wiring scheme you want appeal to you?

Abso-****ing-lutely. This is the way all makers should do it IMO. G&L has the idea.

Would having a custom setup for your instrument appeal to you?

No. Why pay someone to possibly get close to what I want when I can get it exactly like I want myself for free? Guitar setup is easy as pie, and has to be done to the taste of each user, so paying someone else to do a custom setup doesn't make any sense to me. It's akin to paying someone to wipe my butt, feed me, or drive my car. They'll never be able to do it to my taste as well as I can. That said, I think all instruments should come from the factory with a standard setup.

What type of design are you looking for in an instrument?

Older designs. Hardly anything that has come out since the '58 V and Explorer appeals to me aesthetically.

Would having a guitar come stock with quality components appeal to you (ie you won't have to upgrade a bridge, nut, etc)?

Absolutely.

 

[indie folk guy]

Re: What type of electric bass or guitar would you want?

thanks for your input itsabass

A lot of the ideas are to improve upon classic designs (mostly gibson/fender style instruments) part of the concept is to let the guitarist pick their pickups, wiring scheme, etc.

Another part of my concept is even on my lower end offerings to provide good quality bridges such as tonepros, hipshot, bigsby, etc. Good tuners like Sperzel/Grovers. CTS pots, orange drop caps, switchcraft jacks, silver solder, etc. Good/great pickups like Antiquties, Fralins, Lollars, DiMarzios, and Duncans.

I'm pretty sure I am probably on the mark with a lot of your comments. I guess when I setup an instrument I don't expect to nail what you are after but I hope to provide a better setup than you'd see on an off the shelf instrument that was mass produced. There would be no additional charge to you for the setup work. I just don't want to churn out something that has crazy action, ships without being intonated, ships with whacky frets, etc

I'm hoping to offer a mid range instrument at $500-$800 depending on what you want and then a higher end instrument priced around $2000 depending again on your needs/wants.