Mfg...holy Cow!!!!

$ongWriter · #1 02-07-2010, 09:28 AM

First of all I've never bought a guitar from My Favorite Guitars. And I'm not associated with them at all. But, I looked at their website yesterday for the 1st time. The prices on their "custom" Martins are amazing!!...I wish I'd seen them a few months back. Their customs made for them are the same guitars as many of Martins higher end models. Some people are hung up on getting a "certain" model for "collecting" purposes. But, not me. I'd love to have a D-18ge and a small body ge. Would'nt care at all that it doesn't "say" that in the guitar...anyway. Thanks for being a sponser and thanks for the great Martins at great prices...even on the shaded tops!!!!

surfoxy · #2 02-07-2010, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by $ongWriter

First of all I've never bought a guitar from My Favorite Guitars. And I'm not associated with them at all. But, I looked at their website yesterday for the 1st time. The prices on their "custom" Martins are amazing!!...I wish I'd seen them a few months back. Their customs made for them are the same guitars as many of Martins higher end models. Some people are hung up on getting a "certain" model for "collecting" purposes. But, not me. I'd love to have a D-18ge and a small body ge. Would'nt care at all that it doesn't "say" that in the guitar...anyway. Thanks for being a sponser and thanks for the great Martins at great prices...even on the shaded tops!!!!

That's because they don't have to advertise those guitars at MAP, which is the Minimum Advertised Price that the standard models must adhere to.

You will find that the pricing of the guitars at sale is significantly lower than MAP for all their Martins. PM me if you want the specific percentage discount. Several online dealers offer this discount, and they are great dealers but there are none better to deal with than Jon Garon for Martins (IMO).

That said, if you can find guitars locally, there is a lot to be said for playing a guitar first. If there's nothing local, dealers like MFG are a great alternative.

Brent Hutto · #3 02-07-2010, 10:04 AM

What hawg said is the truth.

One other thing to remember is that Martin does not typically charge their dealers any upcharge for making non-standard models. If you see a "custom" that's just like a D-18GE except for one or two minor tweaks, the cost to the dealer is roughly the same as it would be for a regular D-18GE. The only price difference is paying extra if you want to add features that aren't on a 'GE but many of those extras are pretty minimal in cost, too. The same holds if you have a dealer order a "custom" to your own specifications.

It is my understanding that "certain other manufacturers" do charge a significantly higher price just for the fact that they are building to a non-standard specification. Not Martin.

blues2rock · #4 02-07-2010, 10:12 AM

Personal experience: if you take up their time, you better be prepared to buy. I was talking to Jon for a span of about 2 weeks to really figure out which Martin model I wanted. I had him send me a clip of him playing two guitars but the recordings sounded like he was mad or something...to much bass and you could tell it was done in a haste. We were just emailing back and forth but in the end, I guess he's had it and told me...in a sense...that he wouldn't help me anymore unless I buy. I guess I took up a lot of his time.

The same went with Jim at Guitar Rodeo. These so-called "customer friendly" online dealers only go so far with their service. In my experience, they'll be real friendly with you for a couple of phone calls and emails, but if you're one of the unsure people that's looking for that extra reassurance before paying a couple thousand dollars, they show their dark side.

For Jim, I had him hold an Ltd Taylor for me. But after sending a couple of emails asking questions about other models, he told me that he's no longer holding the guitar for me because he doesn't think I'm buying. Well you know what, I turned around and bought my Taylor from Wildwood guitars the next day.

Online dealers such as those two I mentioned are great to a select group of people, those repeat customers and those that don't take up much of their time. But if you're a new customer, asking too many questions, that take a little while to make that investment, they're not that much special than any other dealers, in my honest opinion.

HD18JBGuy · #5 02-07-2010, 10:22 AM

I have had a wonderful experience with Jon at MFG. Great guy, great prices.

They also have a great return policy. I could understand why he would be a little frustrated after two weeks of back and forth. Just buy the thing and if it isn't to your liking, return it. Why mess with two weeks of getting recordings and playing the guitar over the phone, etc. That is only going to tell you so much anyway.

surfoxy · #6 02-07-2010, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blues2rock

Personal experience: if you take up their time, you better be prepared to buy. I was talking to Jon for a span of about 2 weeks to really figure out which Martin model I wanted. I had him send me a clip of him playing two guitars but the recordings sounded like he was mad or something...to much bass and you could tell it was done in a haste. We were just emailing back and forth but in the end, I guess he's had it and told me...in a sense...that he wouldn't help me anymore unless I buy. I guess I took up a lot of his time.

The same went with Jim at Guitar Rodeo. These so-called "customer friendly" online dealers only go so far with their service. In my experience, they'll be real friendly with you for a couple of phone calls and emails, but if you're one of the unsure people that's looking for that extra reassurance before paying a couple thousand dollars, they show their dark side.

For Jim, I had him hold an Ltd Taylor for me. But after sending a couple of emails asking questions about other models, he told me that he's no longer holding the guitar for me because he doesn't think I'm buying. Well you know what, I turned around and bought my Taylor from Wildwood guitars the next day.

Online dealers such as those two I mentioned are great to a select group of people, those repeat customers and those that don't take up much of their time. But if you're a new customer, asking too many questions, that take a little while to make that investment, they're not that much special than any other dealers, in my honest opinion.

I wouldn't expect them to go farther than what you describe. Sounds like MFG went out of their way to send you a couple of clips--that's pretty amazing service IMO. I've had dealers play a guitar over the phone and give impressions, but I learned pretty quickly that if you want to be sure about a guitar, you are going to have to play it yourself. I'd never expect a recorded sound clip to be sent. Online has it's limits.

If you can't get to the guitars because of your location, there is the return policy. It's a kind of challenging landscape for these dealers. I think the forums create a lot of interest around specific guitars, and they benefit greatly from that, but there is also this expectation created that they will "pick you the best one" or talk about tone for days on end.

Anyway, I've bought a guitar and traded one with Jon and he was amazingly helpful and quick about every transaction, but quick, efficient, helpful and nice were my expectations. I didn't expect him to take a ton of time helping me decide between models I wasn't sure about--though I've read on the UMGF he's often quite helpful in that regard as well.

ewalling · #7 02-07-2010, 10:27 AM

Does 'Mfg' mean what I think it means?

Sorry, I thought for moment ... Well, just ignore me!

blues2rock · #8 02-07-2010, 10:44 AM

Hawgadi and HD18, I forgot to mention I bought my D-35 from him. That went painless because I called and purchased the same day.

I'm glad to hear you guys had great repeat experiences from them

.

Earthworm · #9 02-07-2010, 11:57 AM

Both Jon (MFG) and Jim (GR) are amazing. I wouldn't hesitate to buy from either of them.

JoeCharter · #10 02-07-2010, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hawgadi

I wouldn't expect them to go farther than what you describe. Sounds like MFG went out of their way to send you a couple of clips--that's pretty amazing service IMO.

I agree. I wouldn't even dare asking for this.

blues2rock · #11 02-07-2010, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeNewbie

I agree. I wouldn't even dare asking for this.

Well if they say they have "customer-centric service", how else are they gonna provide you with the "service" they are known for if you're nowhere near their store? Talk and email with you?.....I'm sorry but my 5 y/o can do that. They gotta go a little bit above and beyond what a 5 y/o can do...like maybe play a guitar over the phone or send me a recording...I don't know

MaurysMusic · #12 02-07-2010, 12:46 PM

The comment about pricing is correct. Martin dealers are not allowed to reveal their actual prices on regular production Martin guitars, so you'll find MAP everywhere you look (if that dealer is following the rules). Customs are a different story ... we're allowed to advertise any price we want when it comes to customs. HTH

JoeCharter · #13 02-07-2010, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blues2rock

Well if they say they have "customer-centric service", how else are they gonna provide you with the "service" they are known for if you're nowhere near their store? Talk and email with you?.....I'm sorry but my 5 y/o can do that. They gotta go a little bit above and beyond what a 5 y/o can do...like maybe play a guitar over the phone or send me a recording...I don't know

I think it was ok for you to make that request but I personally wouldn't.

I would expect a dealer to simply take the time to talk to me, answer my questions honestly and provide an honest and competitive quote. A good dealer will also be prompt to address any potential issues. So that's my definition of good customer service -- and no, your 5 year old could not do this.

This is a totally different debate, but I just think assessing a guitar over a guitar shop recording (or even worse, over the phone) is pushing the limits of subjectiveness (no disrespect intended) and would be of very limited use.

We live in a free world and you are certainly free to ask for what you want in order to make a decision. However as was reported dealers will lose patience over this because it's not the kind of request they would get from a typical serious buyer. If you acknowledge this last part, it becomes much easier to understand and accept the dealers' reaction.

blues2rock · #14 02-07-2010, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeNewbie

I think it was ok for you to make that request but I personally wouldn't.

I would expect a dealer to simply take the time to talk to me, answer my questions honestly and provide an honest and competitive quote. A good dealer will also be prompt to address any potential issues. So that's my definition of good customer service -- and no, your 5 year old could not do this.

This is a totally different debate, but I just think assessing a guitar over a guitar shop recording (or even worse, over the phone) is pushing the limits of subjectiveness (no disrespect intended) and would be of very limited use.

We live in a free world and you are certainly free to ask for what you want in order to make a decision. However as was reported dealers will lose patience over this because it's not the kind of request they would get from a typical serious buyer. If you acknowledge this last part, it becomes much easier to understand and accept the dealers' reaction.

Thanks for the response Joe. However, I did acknowledge the part that I was definitely going to buy from him...it was just a matter of which guitar. At any rate, if I was ever in Florida, at least I know where I could TRY out Martin guitars.

JoeCharter · #15 02-07-2010, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blues2rock

Thanks for the response Joe. However, I did acknowledge the part that I was definitely going to buy from him...it was just a matter of which guitar. At any rate, if I was ever in Florida, at least I know where I could TRY out Martin guitars.

I know how you feel. Some of my own behaviours aren't "normal" as I tend to be very picky about aesthetics. Some sales guys will cope with it (and get my repeat business) while others lose patience. I don't blame the guys who lose patience because I know I'm pickier than the average customer -- I won't give them a bad rep but I won't buy from them either.

Net net, you are perfectly entitled to making the request but I wouldn't be pissed at the dealer if they refuse. Unless they are properly set up to make quality recordings on the fly, chances are your request would've been very time consuming and/or wouldn't have done the guitar justice anyway.

The difference between an excellent guitar that I would buy and a very good guitar that I would pass is barely noticeable in person, let alone on a recording.

Aside from this, congrats on the new guitar and hope you enjoy it!