Why Less Guitar Color Options Lately?

[zanshin777]

Previously there were many color options for guitars but now there are a few color options and some of them suck. Why? To make sell more custom line guitars?

As far as I know paint is done by employees not machines in bulk production so it should't affect cost.

Previously Gibson Les Paul Standard (and Traditional) (Iced Tea, Light Burst, Cherry Red, Ebony)

Previously Ernie Ball Music Man Axis (Tobacco Burst, Honey Burst, Cherry Burst)

On Jackson USA Line there are only two color options currently.

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Why Less Guitar Color Options Lately?

It does cut down on production costs. And companies probably looked at the guitars that were being sold and just whittled it down to the two or three big colors. I do believe some companies will do custom colors for an additional charge, but not USA custom shop prices either.

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Why Less Guitar Color Options Lately?

20% of colors account for 80% of sale volume, if you read certain business texts like the bible. So if you make that 20% into 100% then sales must go up by like 400 or so And tune them each to 432 = A for maximum numerological effect.

 

[ICTGoober]

Re: Why Less Guitar Color Options Lately?

Color preferences vary from year to year - cars as well as guitars.
Many solidbody makers offer the most popular - red, black, and white. Sometimes silver.
Of course, we are not going to see any sunburst Mustangs and Camaros.

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Why Less Guitar Color Options Lately?

Try G&L. They're basically a custom shop, and offer a huge number of color options across all their models.

Bill

 

[zanshin777]

Re: Why Less Guitar Color Options Lately?

Actually Gibson distributors were been selling the guitars with regular colors cheaper and sunburst ones with extra cost here.

 

[Little Pigbacon]

Re: Why Less Guitar Color Options Lately?

Jackson has a separate series called Custom Select that's a semi-custom instrument. It has a lot of the options you used to find in the old USA Select series.

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Why Less Guitar Color Options Lately?

Like Johnny said, sometimes they pick what sells, and drop what hasn't been selling. Other times they'll do a specific set of colors for a given year, like how Jackson offered various "specialty" colors like October Rust or Absinthe Green or whatever they were for a year or two, then dropped them.

They also have to compete with the used market, and when there's no measurable improvement over or difference between a 5-year old Soloist in Trans Black and the latest one with the same finish and the same figuring and pickups and hardware, but the difference in price is over $1000, most people will take the older one because it's cheaper, even if the frets aren't perfect, because a fretjob and a pickup swap and a new bridge and nut to replace a worn set is still less than the extra $1K of a new guitar, but has nearly the same quality end-result.

I'm actually surprised most companies are still in business, given the volume of the used market and the cost savings it usually offers.
Obviously you have "collector brands" like Gibson where sellers overstate the value of an older model, but as long as they find suckers to sustain it, that will keep new models selling, especially since Gibson is selling them cheaper every year.
They're finally waking up to the idea that you can sell 3000 guitars for $700 faster than you can sell 700 guitars for $3000.

 

[zanshin777]

Re: Why Less Guitar Color Options Lately?

Interesting choice of colors (I'm suspicious they are the most sold ones)

2017 LP Standard (Bourbon Burst) (Not Like the Historic 59s' Bourbon Burst, It's more like S*t Burst)
2017 LP Standard (Blueberry Burst) (Only If I had 100+ guitar I might think buying that one)
2017 LP Traditional (Antique Burst) (Candy-Like Yellow)
2017 LP Classic (Green Ocean Burst) (Jihad Burst)

Incredible.

 

[RorySquier]

Re: Why Less Guitar Color Options Lately?

You can always get a guitar you like, sand down the body and paint it any colour that your heart desires. I've done that to one of my guitars.



;>)/

 

[Mincer]

Re: Why Less Guitar Color Options Lately?

If they don't limit colors NOW, they won't have anything interesting to add to the line later.
But really, the companies know what sells, and what doesn't. In the 80s, there were a lot of color choices, not all of them very good. Guitarists are a traditional bunch, so classic colors won't really go out of style, but they will still limit them for production. But if you have enough money, you probably can actually get any color you want.

 

[RorySquier]

Re: Why Less Guitar Color Options Lately?

Fender offers a lot more colour range than Gibson. Just check their catalog. They have all sorts of colours. I'm surprised some of you overlooked that.



;>)/

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: Why Less Guitar Color Options Lately?

In addition to simplifying production, I think offering a limited number of stock colors helps make the occasional special run seem more attractive. Like the flood of Pelham Blue guitars that Gibson put out a couple years back.

 

[BRHGM]

Re: Why Less Guitar Color Options Lately?

They're doing the same thing with cars. It's a conservative trend. Sadly limited choice doesn't equate with big sales.

 

[greekdude]

Re: Why Less Guitar Color Options Lately?

I want more maple fb white body 8-stringers.