Members katopp Posted February 21, 2015 Members Share Posted February 21, 2015 What happened? Is the feature gone for good?They say "Contact your Martin Dealer", but the closest dealer is literally a day away in terms of travel time and some $250 in terms of cost... one way... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Etienne Rambert Posted February 21, 2015 Members Share Posted February 21, 2015 I want a Clarence White D28. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Idunno Posted February 21, 2015 Members Share Posted February 21, 2015 Contact Tony Rice. I hear he can't use it anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Idunno Posted February 21, 2015 Members Share Posted February 21, 2015 http://www.martinguitar.com/guitar-maker-s-connection/kits.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members katopp Posted February 21, 2015 Author Members Share Posted February 21, 2015 No, not the kits, I am referring to the old site, where you could spec up a custom Martin and have a detailed description down to the parts list.There is a hidden link on the custom shop site, but it requires authentification ... :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarcapo Posted February 21, 2015 Members Share Posted February 21, 2015 Talk about a money pit.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members katopp Posted February 21, 2015 Author Members Share Posted February 21, 2015 I did not say that I would order from Martin, did I?I need the bill of materials.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Idunno Posted February 21, 2015 Members Share Posted February 21, 2015 I did not say that I would order from Martin, did I? I need the bill of materials.... http://www.martinguitar.com/guitar-maker-s-connection/guitar-parts.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Idunno Posted February 21, 2015 Members Share Posted February 21, 2015 Going to challenge Mr. Binh with another project? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members katopp Posted February 21, 2015 Author Members Share Posted February 21, 2015 Indeed. His Cedar/Ovangkol GA are stellar and I am going to challenge him with a Cedar/Ovangkol Dread and a Spruce/figured Koa Grand Concert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members katopp Posted February 21, 2015 Author Members Share Posted February 21, 2015 @Idunno Martin used to have an app in which you could design a guitar and then print out the specs, a bill of material and a pic of same guitar. Very handy if you want to order at a custom shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Idunno Posted February 21, 2015 Members Share Posted February 21, 2015 Yes. I remember a few members mentioning they'd designed their own just to get an idea of cost. I think I read mention of it from Knockwood and Neil some time ago. Did you ever spec one before? Being negative on the brand I never did. I did through Stew-Mac, though it was just a bit of parts shopping without builder input. I have the plans from LMI around here somewhere for an OM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Idunno Posted February 21, 2015 Members Share Posted February 21, 2015 The dealer locator function of their custom guitar link has been disabled. The map does not work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members katopp Posted February 21, 2015 Author Members Share Posted February 21, 2015 Oh dear...This is so not CFM...Anyone knows how much GC owes to CFM? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Idunno Posted February 21, 2015 Members Share Posted February 21, 2015 Careful with that GC quip. It might get the entire thread tossed into the new Rants Forum. See my sig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members katopp Posted February 22, 2015 Author Members Share Posted February 22, 2015 I can not see, why and how a question like how the demise of one of the world's largest music retailers would affect the suppliers to this - especially a family owned business - could be considered a rant.We have seen thinly veiled precautionary actions being taken by industry giant Fender already. The question is obvious and unavoidable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Idunno Posted February 22, 2015 Members Share Posted February 22, 2015 Well, whatever. If you're the oldest son and want to survive the GC purge better dumb it down or visit your butcher for some lamb's blood to keep handy. Otherwise, I have no idea what Martin is doing internally. The custom shop would be one area I'd try to mature, in the face of the boutique market competition, and prove myself their equal. Seems to me the rich and deep loyalty to the brand is far and away a better marketing tool across these word-of-mouth forums than JR's side bar single shingle of AGF sponsors is to those builders. Plus, down-strokes to secure build contracts is a boost any company would love to see routinely entering the coffers. Or, there's market feedback signals we don't see. The total production across the manufacturers has got to have reached the market saturation point. Taylor alone pumps out about 900 guitars per day. I think Martin, if they're mixing that feedback together with the big box shake-up, is regrouping. When market demands force the producers to accept retailer purchase pricing schedules (vs the traditional opposite) it's time to stop and reassess strategic objectives. Where to cut back the laborious task loads on their highly skilled labor and outlays to material providers, to focus on production, tells me the custom shop can be sacrificed. Or, maybe their custom orders are dwindling and they've decided to close it for now. Call a couple dealers and get their feedback. Going back only a few years I can say with some certainty I have not seen the same weight of forum inquiry for new guitars going up. I'd say the trend is opposite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members katopp Posted February 22, 2015 Author Members Share Posted February 22, 2015 Now we are talking... I would not dare to say, that we have reached market saturation. I mean, I have some 20 plus and there will always room for one or two more and then there is the inevitable shifting of some of those puppies leaving for another home... But I do see a problem for the brands living in a market where high costs of labor meets low general prosperity. With the advent of resurrected brands like Sigma and a tighter control over the Far Eastern production base, quality of those Far East brands has gone up another notch. I've played some high-priced Sigmas that I could not - for the life of me - distinguish from their American-made "originals" and no, I'm not talking about Martin's bread-and-butter D28, I'm talking about the more elaborate stuff like the H-series or some of their specials. High-priced for Sigma-land, that is.In Martin-land I would have had a hard time finding something that is made from solid wood throughout for the same money. The name of the brand only carries so far and if you see something that looks, feels and sounds like some other thing that happens to be 3 to 6 times more expensive, you possibly will start thinking anyway. Add to that the fact that for the past 10 years real growth of wealth did not happen to people who are working for a living, then you come to a point, where it is clearly visible that selling into a market that literally consists only of subprime members is not durable.And GC will not be the only one to learn this, possibly the hard way. And no, there will be no respite from those who will follow after us. The next generation will start their lives with a first and second mortgage in form of college/university loans already and there will not be much leeway for anything than the bare necessities. If I would take on from this analysis and go for some finger-pointing and take up into a rant, this could indeed end in the rant forum or in the political potty, so I restrain myself here and say that with or without the demise of GC we will be in troubled waters and should GC fail, those troubled waters might show some nasty ripple effects.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Idunno Posted February 22, 2015 Members Share Posted February 22, 2015 A call to GC inquiring about Martin's Custom Guitar ordering process is a worthwhile one to make. If I remember I'll do that tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members katopp Posted February 23, 2015 Author Members Share Posted February 23, 2015 Nah, custom shop still there, they have just removed the builder app and f@cked up the dealer locator... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Idunno Posted February 23, 2015 Members Share Posted February 23, 2015 Crisis averted. Please return to your homes and virtual lives. All is normal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members katopp Posted February 23, 2015 Author Members Share Posted February 23, 2015 Nah. Crisis still in full swing as the guitar builder application is still unavailable... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Idunno Posted February 23, 2015 Members Share Posted February 23, 2015 Well then, we can do no more here except....rant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FretFiend. Posted February 24, 2015 Members Share Posted February 24, 2015 There is a thin line between rant and off-topic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted February 24, 2015 Members Share Posted February 24, 2015 I'd love a 50th Anni D-35 with bold herringbone, scalloped braces, Adi top and Mad Rose back & sides, please! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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