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" Working Man Guitar "


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A single bucker single cutaway like a Krautster or Rist Workhorse. 1000 to 1500 - yessir. I'd be in.

Likewise for a double cut P90 junior or 2 pup "senior" ;) Keep that one around 1000.

Then do custom orders for 2500 and up depending on options.

I'm all giddy with excitement. Please do this! :)

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Specials with pickup options.

Specials routed for 3 humbuckers, and swappable pickguards with a variety of configurations.

Specials with no hardware at all - buyer supplies and installs.

I like Specials.

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On the low side my interest would be strongest with a 25.5" wraptail Special/SG type thing w/ 2v/2t and a pickguard to allow a variety of neck pickup configs.

On the high side, a hog/maple plain top bare-bones Tally Pro style.

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Keep it under a grand with quality hardware and electronics and I'll get in line for one.

Under a grand? For a USA build? AND quality parts? Somehow, I don't think that's gonna happen.

The old SD Curlee guitars from the '70's had a very similar body shape to the Hamer Special/Gibson Junior/Specials, and it seems like I remember that they were selling in the 'budget' niche of the market back then. I just did a Google search, and apparently SD Curlee has been revived...but the prices are in the Two Grand range. :blink::wacko::unsure:

http://www.sdcurleeusa.com/more.htm

http://www.sdcurleeusa.com/index.htm

Robin Guitars would have been the rough equivalent of what Northfield's suggesting...but there seems to be a reason why Robin is on hiatus...IF they ever come back. Didn't Nathan mention something about Jon Kammerer's almost getting ready to fold up the tent, too?

That is, unless it's a no-overhead, word-of-mouth, private builder type of organization. THEN, that might be workable.

Ain't I just one big bright ray of sunshine? :rolleyes::lol::ph34r:

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Sounds VERY intriguing...

Something direct from the builder to cut out the middle man would be the only way to make that work. Definitely has potential!

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Sounds VERY intriguing...

Something direct from the builder to cut out the middle man would be the only way to make that work. Definitely has potential!

Sounds like Carvin but with better quality.......that is not to say that Carvin does not have good quality.

A workhorse to me would have to be something that could do both the 25-1/2" scale and the 24-3/4" scale tones, so essentially that is two guitars. One with singles, maple neck, ash body, no trem, no bling, etc. T-51 or Tele. And one with P90s or buckers. all mahogany, no trem, no bling, etc. Studio or similar.

Did I just describe the Talladegas?

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Set neck not a requirement in my book, and I'd suggest a Strat body shape for the comfort, accessibility it brings.

Ash body works for me too. Hey, why don't I just modify Daytonas to my liking?

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Special,

Northfield, you described the Hamer Special.

Or the Phantom.

Special or Phantom, Mahogany, Sustainblock Triplecoil, P90, little checkerboard stripe under the logo. Sub 2500. I'd go with two p90's even.

This whole thread is going to get ridiculous.

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Jazzmaster body shape on accounta it's the most comfortable.

Three pickups, with the switching ability to use any pickup individually and any combination of 'em (seven different options) without complex switching (one reason I like the Peter Frampton Les Paul and the Harmony H77)

Coil tap would be nice but not mandatory.

Price would be lower if you do not have a vibrato system. If you're taking the Ford truck approach, owners can add their own choice of vibratos....and/or pickups, for that matter.

Basic colors. Aftermarket refinishing shops can be utilized by the owners.

The proposition sounds, in some respects, like Hartley Peavey, whose mantra is still "quality equipment for working musicians at fair prices."

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As in what would we want, or what would we pay for it? I honestly think that was a lot of the appeal of the less tricked out Hamers. Still the same awesome build, great sounds and playability but a little less pricey.

How about both..

Set neck tele, stop tailpiece, HB bridge, splitable, P90 neck, all hog with a simple cherry wash finish, 25.5" scale.

So like a TLE? A Sustainblock 22 fret hog would be cool as hell.

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For workingman's guitars I'd say you have to keep it simple. Few options, no crazy fancy stuff. A couple kinds of inlays(dots or crowns), your pick of bridge but not too many choices(Floyd, classic trem, tom, etc). Maybe start with a couple models like a Studio and a more stratty double cut(but dont just make a strat copy, the Chaps and Calis had distinctive shapes). Let the users pick their pup config. With even just those two you could cover a LOT of bases.

I'd a Studio type with fixed bridge, HB bridge and P-90 neck and mid. Throw crowns (or something similar) with a mahogany body and ebony or rosewood neck and you'd have a tasty fiddle!

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There's totally a market for it. The big question is how do you differentiate it from the other instruments out there? A friend in marketing recently told me that if you're not "first", "best", or "only" in your market, you've got a long slog ahead of you. :)

I think one differentiator is the idea that it's one guy (or a small team) who are picky about the wood they use. You could probably sell another line of "seconds" for cheaper, but if you make the wood selection process "transparent" to the buyer ... to give the corksniffers warm fuzzies about the parts they won't be able to change easily later... I think they'd flock to it. Esp. if you provided "provenance" on each guitar kind of like in the build threads here... Just some simple photos of the raw materials becoming the guitar that someone's gonna love. Maybe you could try offering it as a bound book from one of these print-on-demand places that goes along with a hand signed certificate. I could even imagine folks getting wet to hear about what was happening around the shop during the time their guitar was built (like, what was on the stereo, or what was in the news).

What other big differentiators do you guys think the market's ready for?

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