Why carved top is too expensive?

[Cagey]

[]...warmoth is an awesome REPLACEMENT PARTS-builder. yeah they seem to be a customshop, with customshop specs, features and quality, but replacementparts is their corebusiness. people tend to forget that. 

I suspect that those who aren't familiar with Warmoth's business model see the various examples of their work on eBay or here or wherever, and just assume they're a guitar/bass manufacturer. There are a lot of people who've never even heard of them before. I had a guy over here a few weeks ago who's been playing for 30+ years who was just flabbergasted with my stable of the things, and couldn't believe he'd never heard of them before. When I told him they don't make guitars, just necks and bodies, then he wanted to know where the guitars came from. When I told him I'd assembled them myself, then it was like

We're not worthy! We're not worthy!​

Then, just last week another guy was over to buy an amp I had listed on Craig's List, and it was the same thing all over again. He'd even brought his own guitar (a Fender AmStd Strat). When he called on the thing, he asked if I had a guitar available so he could hear it, and I said I had some sorta-Strats, but he really should bring something he played regularly so he'd know exactly what to expect. I don't know what he expected coming in, but I know he was more than a little disappointed leaving, even though he bought a new toy. I suspect he thought he was going to see some pathetic '70s version of JapStrat made out of particle board and gorilla snot. Wasn't prepared to have his authentic Strat pwned. By a home-built! <grin>

 

[rapfohl09]

As has been stated "expensive" is a relative term.

I'm gonna plunk down the cash for a carved LP at some stage but for the price of a 'plane jane' LP there are much better strat & tele options in the showcase (colours, features etc.).

It'd be nice to see some more offerings of all flavours of carved tops in the showcase even if the price is a bit higher. I guess though at the end of the day they're not as popular as the strats and teles ... and they're gonna keep making more of what is guaranteed to sell.

... and the genetically engineered Les Paul tree ... I'm definitely into that!

Warmoth did have a few high dollar, rediculously amazing Les Pauls in the showcase. Some of them are probally still there. It just takes forever for them to get rid of them.

 

[Cagey]

Warmoth did have a few high dollar, rediculously amazing Les Pauls in the showcase. Some of them are probally still there. It just takes forever for them to get rid of them.

I'd guess that would always be the case. I'm sure on this forum that the bolt-on vs. set-neck question isn't even worth discussion, but a large percentage of the guitar-playing public still sees a bolt-neck Les Paul as a half-assed aberration suitable only for wannabes who can't afford The Real Thing. Hell, they won't even buy Agiles, going so far as to bad-mouth them, and they're not only set-necks, they're superior to Gibson's offerings. Imagine if Agiles were bolt-ons. They'd be well-past bad-mouthing in favor of organizing marches with pitchforks and torches...

Bolt necks are the devil's playground! Burn them!​

 

[DslDwg]

Maybe the question - should be changed from "too" expensive to "so" expensive. Too - would seem to indicate that they are priced out of everybody's reach which is obviously not the case. So - would indicate that they are noticeably more expensive than other body options. As already discussed no matter how you slice it a carved top is a much more labor intensive process. I think many people are under the misnomer that just because a guitar body is cut on a CNC machine that it is finished and ready to go - as the video shows there is still a major amount of work required over a flat top model.

I remember when "W" went from regular laminates to the "DL" process and many of the Carved Top Les Paul bodies went from around $600 to $1000. Everybody seemed to have a comment on the price jump but those where some of the most gorgeous figured tops I've ever seen and guess what none of them stuck around very long and none of them stayed around long enough to hit the screamin' deals section. "So" expensive - maybe - "Too" expensive obviously not for the customers that bought them.

When you figure that the average "Custom Shop" guitar today costs around $2500-$4000 and you can put together a "W" for under $2000 even with a fancy carved top and top flight components I'd say it's not really expensive at all.

 

[spauldingrules]

If Warmoth is the only game in town, the only one to invest in the machine, parts, training, programming, etc., good for them, charge a fortune.  However, if USACG or another made the capital investments and offered a similar product at a similar or cheaper price, Warmoth's price would probably come down as I bet their margins are not THAT slim.

 

[Orpheo]

some LP bodies are really, really nice. I think as my collection being one of the finer LP collections around, when it comes to wood and craftmanship, because in my book, there's little better than warmoth. the tops are really, really great. find a gibson with a top like you find on a regular warmoth LP, and you'll be screaming a different tune! I'm not just talking about comparing pictures, but real guitars. even my cheapest warmoth beats a private stock PRS hands down. ofcourse its a dirty contest, because I'm biassed as hell towards warmoth, but still. I prefer the way a warmoth plays, looks, sounds...my worst warmoth is still better than a gibson standard. I only payed 795 Euro's for that guitar, including a case and shipment (got it off ebay). and the only reason its not that great is because the frets are too low. In 8 years I'll give her a new set of frets, when they're really down to the wood. I love my jumbo-frets.

 

[DslDwg]

If Warmoth is the only game in town, the only one to invest in the machine, parts, training, programming, etc., good for them, charge a fortune.  However, if USACG or another made the capital investments and offered a similar product at a similar or cheaper price, Warmoth's price would probably come down as I bet their margins are not THAT slim.

And why should they be slim? I'm sure they have certain margin targets that they want to achieve and below that why bother. If the market is bearing their price then why lower the price at all regardless of what USACG or Gibson or PRS or anyone else does? These are not commodities but specialized one off pieces my guess is there is plenty of room in the market for all. Frankly, I've seen PRS selling guitars for close to $20,000 that I didn't think offered anything more than the typical Warmoth but for the guy that wants the PRS "mystique" then good on 'em.

 

[B3Guy]

I think W LPs would be epic if they carved the back as well, like an LP Supreme, and offered neck bolt ferrules. would look legit IMO.

 

[spauldingrules]

They shouldn't be slim - I never said or implied that.  They should make as much as they can, because one day there will be more competition.  That is their reward for "innovating."  It's good for everyone.

If Warmoth is the only game in town, the only one to invest in the machine, parts, training, programming, etc., good for them, charge a fortune.  However, if USACG or another made the capital investments and offered a similar product at a similar or cheaper price, Warmoth's price would probably come down as I bet their margins are not THAT slim.

And why should they be slim? I'm sure they have certain margin targets that they want to achieve and below that why bother. If the market is bearing their price then why lower the price at all regardless of what USACG or Gibson or PRS or anyone else does? These are not commodities but specialized one off pieces my guess is there is plenty of room in the market for all. Frankly, I've seen PRS selling guitars for close to $20,000 that I didn't think offered anything more than the typical Warmoth but for the guy that wants the PRS "mystique" then good on 'em.

 

[Orpheo]

I think W LPs would be epic if they carved the back as well, like an LP Supreme, and offered neck bolt ferrules. would look legit IMO.

if you order 2 bodies, one righty, one lefty, with some elbowgrease of your own, you could make it yourself.

about the ferules: you can do that too. I'd rather have a rounded heel, but then again, the more wood you have in the neckjoint, the better the tone. so, its just a trade off.

 

[stubhead]

I realize that people get jiggy about "violating the warranty" but, if you wanted a rib contour carved out on a piece of wood, it's like it's... a piece of wood. I mean after you ascertain that the pickup holes are in the right place and there are no termites, what do you expect to DO to it where the warranty might bail you out? Unless you use as a boat paddle or weaponry at your medieval war games, it's just a... piece of wood. It's not a neck... You could lay a fine contour in there WITH HAND TOOLS in one afternoon, and a whole lot less time than that with a belt sander or an electric DRILL or a beaver-on-a-stick.... oh I shouldn't say these things, should I?
Oh well, there'll be some Warmoth corpses floating up on the eeeek-bay next month.... :guitaristgif:

 

[mayfly]

Beaver-on-a-stick.  Now that's a tool that just begs to be created!

 

[elfro89]

why is carved top too expensive?

:icon_scratch: Cause you don't have the cash?

I've always found warmoth to be fairly priced for the quality and "custom" factor you get with your build. If what you want is out of your budget you could always compromise, but if your like most people on here and have a good idea of what it is exactly you want then I'm sure you will find some way to get one!  :icon_thumright:

 

[Kadmium]

There's not a lot of competition, for that particular market niche - which is why you're posting the question here, instead of the forum run by "Acme Carved Guitar Tops - Cheap!"

Is it bad that I thought that was a link and tried to click it?