Thursday, July 9, 2009

Guitar Maker Revives No-Frills Act From '30s


By TIMOTHY AEPPEL Wall Street Journal, July 6
NAZARETH, Pa. -- At a bustling factory on the outskirts of this eastern Pennsylvania town, one of the world's oldest guitar makers is using a Depression-era strategy to keep production flowing and avert layoffs.
Workers at C.F Martin & Co. are putting finishing touches on the solid-wood 1 Series model, so named for its simplicity. It lacks inlay, as did the company's stripped-down 1930s model, and is expected to sell for less than $1,000, breaking a key price point and far less than its $100,000 limited-edition guitars made of Brazilian rosewood. More popular Martins generally sell for $2,000 to $3,000.

Initial reaction is promising. The company, which had sales of $93 million last year, introduced the 1 Series in April and promptly... Read more

No comments: