To be fair, a "look"
can contribute to a mystique that sells gear. It just has to be the right look.
Guitarists are about as pragmatic as rock instrumentalists can be, and while the Xits amps are certainly different-looking, they're different-looking in a 1920s art-deco, electronic appliance-kind of way that isn't really that removed from classic tube equipment designs we're all used to.
Their aesthetic is much more of a remix than a complete design overhaul, so while they seem new and exciting to the people buying them, there's something undeniably familiar (and hence, safe) about their appearance that appeals to consumers.
Conversely
Everything I've ever heard about your guitars (which I myself have not had the opportunity to play) is that they are excellently built, toneful, well-balanced instruments that can go toe-to-toe with any other guitar and hold their own at the very least.
But most of them look like spaceships that crashed into airstream trailers.
And that's scary to a guitar player that views askance anything not resembling a Les Paul or Nocaster reissue.
PERSONALLY
I think many of them are beautiful.
This one in particular - wow:
I don't know how well the hipshot baby grand bridge suits a lot of the models - seems like you could design a bridge/tailpiece yourself that matches a lot better, but I'm in
no position to quibble over the design sense of the guy who envisioned this thing:
...which is really just stunningly-awesome-looking... But it's also freaky-looking to many guitarists when they think about strapping one on in front of an audience. An amp is just an inert thing that sits behind you and makes noise. A guitar is an extension of your body. It's an entirely different medium and presents a lot more risk to your average consumer re: appearance.
I'd love to see your designs continue to take off and make waves in the boutique guitar market because, frankly, I'm sooo tired of the strat clones and slightly-differently-shaped Les Pauls that most builders sell to the TGP crowd, but as I'm sure you're aware, it's a hard nut to crack.
