$1000 Burst?!

[unclrob]

Sorry about the Battleship thing no ofence intended,I feelin better now booging to Wolf and Muddy and I'm just going to put a diff pickup in.Happy feet time.Me dancin around my shop. B)
Love the Beatle's.

[dbirchett]

p.s. The USS Wainwright was/is a Destroyer class, much smaller than a battleship. Ships' complement (assigned crew) under 250.

So I gather it was not Dreadnaught sized, right?

[ducktrapper]

Well now golly, just in case you think you GOT ME, podnahs, my server's been down. Y'all missed completely.

"Talking to duck about the qualities of anything besides a Larrivée is like talking to a brick wall, you might as well be pissing in the wind . . . " - Roman

Roman, ol buddy. I forgot you were here. Sheesh, all those nights we drank beer and you tried to talk sense while all I could say was T*****s suck and M$$$$$s stink and G######s are garbage. Man, you got me there! Say, have you quit beating your wife yet? Only four Taylor Grand Auditoriums btw? What's wrong with the 914?   :lol:  
Philster - Posts 139 to 93 in your favour. Not much of one, eh?      

[philster]

Philster - Posts 139 to 93 in your favour. Not much of one, eh?

Yeah but this is the only place I do post...  How many forums you on anyway?   You're over 3000 posts on the first guitar board I pulled up and checked.  Didn't have the heart to look anywhere else.  Felt too sorry for you :(  

[hcole]

"Who knows what the Taylor sunbursts cost? For some strange reason they don't want to tell anyone"

While you might not be able to find an actual "retail" price on the web you can find the list price.   The typical markdown percent that you can get on a Taylor isn't state secret.  So while it's a pain in the rear all it takes is a visit to the Taylor website and a quick math problem and voila!

"The pricing structures are indeed different. One company charges a lot more for the same thing only not as good"

While this is simply opinion (and you are certainly entitled to that) it just seems like a cheap shot.  Kinda like saying Leo Kottke sucks instead of I prefer Michael Hedges.  

"814ce - Suggested retail price $4000.00
L09ve - SRP - $3,000.00.
Two similar guitars. Same woods. Larrivée has a dove tailed neck joint and a compensated bone saddle.
Your sunburst top appears to cost a grand. At least at list price. So if both guitars are sold at a third less, vive le difference."

The sunburst top doesn't cost a grand.  The Taylor may cost more but it isn't because of the sunburst top, which is what this topic was initially about.

Again I don't own or have any desire to own a Taylor.  Additionally I'm not defending Taylor, I'm merely defending rational thinking and common sense.

[Roman]

"Talking to duck about the qualities of anything besides a Larrivée is like talking to a brick wall, you might as well be pissing in the wind . . . " - Roman

Roman, ol buddy. I forgot you were here. Sheesh, all those nights we drank beer and you tried to talk sense while all I could say was T*****s suck and M$$$$$s stink and G######s are garbage. Man, you got me there! Say, have you quit beating your wife yet? Only four Taylor Grand Auditoriums btw? What's wrong with the 914?  
Philster - Posts 139 to 93 in your favour. Not much of one, eh?

I rest my case . . .  :)

Duck . . . I really do like my Larrivée . . . really!

(Oh yeah, six Taylors . . . don't forget the 355 and Big Baby)

[ducktrapper]

Philster - Don't be jealous because I do this and get paid too. I almost never post from home. I have a life such as it is although even with that it's not very nice of you to point out the paucity of it.  :(  

Hcole - A cheap shot at Taylor? Their strange policies invite questions. I'm not responsible for their corporate decisions.
Your analogy is weak. I might take a shot at Kottke if his store charged me $30.00 for a Cd while Hedges' charged $20.00. Other than that where's the beef? I keep "comparing similar instruments" and I keep coming up with the same conclusion. To wit: Larrivées are a better deal. Period.
Let me make my point simple. Although, I admit that I prefer one over the other, I think these guitars are pretty close quality wise. Comparing similar models, one costs quite a bit more. If I could sell something for a lot more than it's worth, I'd throw in a "upgrade" for "no extra charge" too. Hell, you've already paid for it. Unless you contend that Taylor makes a better guitar how can you refute that?  

[hcole]

Hcole - A cheap shot at Taylor? Their strange policies invite questions. I'm not responsible for their corporate decisions.
Your analogy is weak. I might take a shot at Kottke if his store charged me $30.00 for a Cd while Hedges' charged $20.00. Other than that where's the beef?  I keep "comparing similar instruments" and I keep coming up with the same conclusion. To wit: Larrivées are a better deal. Period.

Duck, I'm in agreement with you.  I too think Larrivee's are a better deal.  Howerver,  I don't think my analogy was weak, it was just meant to illustrate the fact that there are usually many ways to convey an opinion, with some better than others.  

Let me make my point simple. Although, I admit that I prefer one over the other, I think these guitars are pretty close quality wise. Comparing similar models, one costs quite a bit more. If I could sell something for a lot more than it's worth, I'd throw in a "upgrade" for "no extra charge" too. Hell, you've already paid for it. Unless you contend that Taylor makes a better guitar how can you refute that?

I can refute that simply because what the guitar is worth is a matter of opinion and your whole argument is based on your opinion that Taylor's are overpriced.  It's pretty black and white what this thread was initially about, which was the upcharge for a sunburst.  It's also pretty black and white that Taylor doesn't have an upcharge for the sunburst.      

[ducktrapper]

What the guitar is "worth" is a market issue. What a guitar costs is a separate, measurable thing. A price tag can be put on the materials, construction costs and the labour. We all know that guitars sell for quite a lot more than they cost. It's my contention that once you get to a certain level, guitars aren't better, they are merely different. We would likely agree that it's silly to argue over the relative merits of chocolate or vanilla ice cream. Matters of taste and all that. However if one brand of ice cream, made virtually identically to another is priced at 10 - 20 -50 % more, I'd be looking for the bargain. As in all marketing, cachet and availability determine the price of these "similar" brands or instruments. I'm not suggesting an off the shelf Larrivée is a better guitar and if Kevin Ryan or Jim Olson can sell their guitars for 10K+, power to them but having played them, no one's going to convince me they're "worth" it.
Jean Larivèe is offering me a better "guitar"  because ...
1. It shines with the best.
2. It costs less.
3. The Mojo.  
4. Catch 22. Kevin and Jim can't possibly make enough guitars (for all of us) without losing their cachet.
It seems to me that Mr. Larrivée could have gone that route but instead chose to put quality instruments into more hands. We are the beneficiaries of this decision. Therefore, I say, to the aristocrats, nay. More power to Larrivée.  :D  

[hcole]

What the guitar is "worth" is a market issue. What a guitar costs is a separate, measurable thing. A price tag can be put on the materials, construction costs and the labour. We all know that guitars sell for quite a lot more than they cost. It's my contention that once you get to a certain level, guitars aren't better, they are merely different. We would likely agree that it's silly to argue over the relative merits of chocolate or vanilla ice cream. Matters of taste and all that. However if one brand of ice cream, made virtually identically to another is priced at 10 - 20 -50 % more, I'd be looking for the bargain. As in all marketing, cachet and availability determine the price of these "similar" brands or instruments. I'm not suggesting an off the shelf Larrivée is a better guitar and if Kevin Ryan or Jim Olson can sell their guitars for 10K+, power to them but having played them, no one's going to convince me they're "worth" it.
Jean Larivèe is offering me a better "guitar"  because ...
1. It shines with the best.
2. It costs less.
3. The Mojo.  
4. Catch 22. Kevin and Jim can't possibly make enough guitars (for all of us) without losing their cachet.
It seems to me that Mr. Larrivée could have gone that route but instead chose to put quality instruments into more hands. We are the beneficiaries of this decision. Therefore, I say, to the aristocrats, nay. More power to Larrivée.  :D

Well said.

[ducktrapper]

Thanks. It's been a pleasure talking with you, too.  

[msu65]

Who knows what the Taylor sunbursts cost? For some strange reason they don't want to tell anyone.

Taylor doesn't charge anything extra for their sunburst finishes.

I called Fretted instruments (Taylor dealer in Birmingham) about a sunburst 614.  They said the markup for sunburst was $400 to $500 depending on the guitar.

[FNG]

Who knows what the Taylor sunbursts cost? For some strange reason they don't want to tell anyone.

Taylor doesn't charge anything extra for their sunburst finishes.

I called Fretted instruments (Taylor dealer in Birmingham) about a sunburst 614.  They said the markup for sunburst was $400 to $500 depending on the guitar.

Taylor does not charge for sunburst finish.  Now the dealer, he may have other ideas.  

[Sugarlander]

I see a Collings with only a sunburst top listing for $4200. A D28 with a sunburst top for $2900.00. Who knows what the Taylor sunbursts cost? For some strange reason they don't want to tell anyone. Anyway, I think you will find the Larrivée bursts priced pretty competitively. Compare quality not just prices. It's not a cheap process and some other makers maybe cover up not so nice wood with the burst.

Taylor sunbursts are free on any 500 series guitar and up.  That's according to the factory when I called.  You can get sunburst, Engelmann Spruce, Cedar, or Sitka Spruce - all your choice at no additional charge.

Ed :o