Come Play a High-End Guitar

Simon Fay · #1 10-12-2015, 02:50 PM

I see the topic of "Are high-end guitars are worth the cost?" appear frequently on the AGF. The answer differs from person to person but I think the underlying question many are asking is "Is there a real tangible difference between an instrument from a luthier with a solid reputation and a high-end Taylor or Martin?".

IMO, this is something individuals must discover for themselves. Some will perceive little to no difference and certainly not enough to warrant the extra cost and others may perceive a significant difference that is well worth the cost. Much of "Is it worth it?" relates to financial position and current obligations as well as your priorities and other hobbies.

Bottom-Line
A rare occurrence for me - I have an instrument in my shop that I can use for demonstration purposes. If you are in Florida and within driving distance of New Smyrna Beach (just south of Daytona), feel free to stop by and demo one of my instruments. My shop will be open to you on the next 2 Saturdays, October 17th and October 24th. This is meant to be an open invitation to anyone who plays guitar and not just folks who are interested in purchasing one of my guitars. I wouldn't normally avail my guitars to the public since my work is commissioned and goes to specific clients -- but I have a guitar that I am going to retop which means I am unconcerned about scratches or extremely careful handling. So anyone that would like to try out a luthier built guitar, contact me at [email protected] and let me know if you want to stop by.

Best Regards,
Simon

earri · #2 10-12-2015, 03:01 PM

Wow, that is very generous of you. I am in Ft. Lauderdale. I am going to check my schedule and see if I cant find my way there.

psychojohn · #3 10-12-2015, 03:08 PM

What an awesome opportunity ! Wish I could make it work but not in the cards !

Thanks for the invite none-the-less !

John

Steve DeRosa · #4 10-12-2015, 03:31 PM

Extremely generous of you, but I'm too close to retirement to risk my job on a guitar junket - I'd be driving so we're looking at a week-long round trip...

That said, have you ever considered a purpose-built shop demo - plain-jane trim/woods but all the tone/playability of your production models? I used to live a couple blocks from a very well-known electric bass luthier about 35 years ago, who kept just such an instrument on hand - low-bling woods, single J-Bass pickup, single volume/tone, but impeccably crafted - to give prospective customers a feel (literally) for what they could expect in a commissioned piece; as it was in the heyday of prewar production instruments - Epiphone's New York factory showroom was a legendary gathering place for the A-list guitarists of the day - in the interest of promulgating product information and getting more instruments into the hands of players, I'd personally like to see this practice revived and adopted by the high-end community...

teleamp · #5 10-12-2015, 04:08 PM

Kudos to you Mr. Fay, I wish that i lived closer...

mikealpine · #6 10-12-2015, 04:22 PM

What a fabulous offer!! Some builders have crafted "road trip" guitars for this purpose as well. Brad/Oxwood did that a while back and it was a very nice opportunity to for him to get feedback on a new design, as well as give players a chance to play a custom guitar. As a side note, I was able to meet with a local AGFer who has another guitar built by Brad, and he had a chance to play my Stehr. Made it fun all around.

Thanks for that offer, Simon. Wish I lived down south!!

Mbroady · #7 10-12-2015, 05:01 PM

Almost makes me want to hope on a plane.........

sayheyjeff · #8 10-12-2015, 05:38 PM

A great offer. Wish I lived within a days drive. I still remember when the Simon Fay road trip guitar arrived at my front door. Wonderful guitar. Would own it if I could. We had an AGF gathering here to celebrate the guitar and share the opportunity to play it. Seriously, anyone who plays would find this chance worth the drive.

Jeff

Psalad · #9 10-12-2015, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simon Fay

but I have a guitar that I am going to retop which means I am unconcerned about scratches or extremely careful handling

I think this is an awesome offer!

However, the above quote is why I don't own any high end guitars. I prefer to play them and not be all that careful with gentle handling.

But what a great offer!

justonwo · #10 10-12-2015, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Psalad

I think this is an awesome offer!

However, the above quote is why I don't own any high end guitars. I prefer to play them and not be all that careful with gentle handling.

But what a great offer!

I think one's perspective as a seller of these guitars might be different than one who buys them or plays them. New guitars that get scratched are harder to sell. As for owning one, it doesn't really take that much additional care to keep any guitar in good condition.

Psalad · #11 10-12-2015, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by justonwo

I think one's perspective as a seller of these guitars might be different than one who buys them or plays them. New guitars that get scratched are harder to sell. As for owning one, it doesn't really take that much additional care to keep any guitar in good condition.

...it's probably my general cheapness... but if I owned too expensive of a guitar I'd be too freaked out to play it too much, especially when others are around or in public.

The guys I know with 'em are that way... but maybe I don't know the right people.

Beachrunner · #12 10-12-2015, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Psalad

...it's probably my general cheapness... but if I owned too expensive of a guitar I'd be too freaked out to play it too much, especially when others are around or in public.

The guys I know with 'em are that way... but maybe I don't know the right people.

Slightly off topic, but yeah, just learned that the hard way - with one of my buddies who is known to be "rough on guitars"... He dinged up my new Bedell HGD-18-G pretty good last weekend at a jam.. Not a "high-end" guitar by any means, but hey - it was practically brand new..

As I said, though - he's a known guitar "dinger"... My own fault. I should have just set the already dinged ones out for him, and hid this one.

How anybody can put close to 11 pretty good-sized dings on a guitar in a jam session is beyond me...

He's got a Taylor 714ce that is, of course, beat to crap. He doesn't even take care of his own guitars...

Lesson learned.

Kip Carter · #13 10-12-2015, 06:53 PM

Depending on traffic between 9-10 hours drive time. I'd be tempted, but as generous as the offer is I think I'd pass. I don't need the motivation. Blissful ignorance may be the best thing for me right now till I struggle to acquire my current goals. Then maybe I will reach out further.

StringMeUp · #14 10-12-2015, 07:04 PM

Anybody who takes Simon up on this offer is in for a real treat! Playing hand-made guitars built by World-class luthiers was completely transformative for me.

I'd love to hear what others think.

Simon Fay · #15 10-12-2015, 07:11 PM

Just to clarify -- it isn't like my shop is always closed off to folks. It's just that I have to be extremely careful that if someone does stop by that absolutely no damage occurs to any of my instruments. In short, demo sessions can be a stressful time for me as some folks have different understanding of what "Please be careful" means.

Demo guitars are a great idea but I don't have enough clientele traffic down here in New Smyrna to justify relegating an instrument for demonstration purposes when I could easily sell it instead. If I were in Nashville or some other location, a demo guitar would certainly be on my agenda.

Anyway, I'm not expecting folks more than a couple hours away to be interested in making the trek -- but I figured there might be a few folks interested in playing a luthier built guitar. Lastly, my build list is closed for the next 4 years, so this isn't about drumming up business as much but rather letting folks play a nice guitar without fear of possibly scratching or dinging the top.