The Psychology of selling guitars....

[woodrat]

I came across this clip on Macphersons Guitars website....tell me what you think but I reckon it is great marketing.....I think its all about getting the player/buyer to believe that they are about to purchase the most amazing guitar that is possible to buy....I need to take a leaf out of these guys playbook...they are masters of bamboozlement for sure!

http://www.youtube.com/v/8Aan_a4y_Hc?ve ... ls=1&rel=0



John the Woodrat

[ozwood]

I,ve never heard so much unsubstansiated horseshit about a guitar bracing since ,................... well you know when John.
I'd like to see this guy have a debate with Trevor, who is the Polar Opposite , all claims proven , demonstrated and substansiated .

MMMMM , the horseshit of marketing......

Thanks for sharing John.

[kiwigeo]

Couldn't watch the whole video......

[charangohabsburg]

Couldn't watch the whole video......

Weakling!

[jeffhigh]

Crap, Crap, Crap!!!

[kiwinoz62]

Couldn't watch the whole video......

+1

[peter.coombe]

Well after all the horseshit I was expecting to hear a few notes. Did not happen.

Peter

[Nick]

Think this company have spent waaaaaay too long staring at the Golden Gate bridge.

It's not horseshit....this stuff flows out of his mouth too easily, horseshit is lumpier than that.

Well after all the horseshit I was expecting to hear a few notes. Did not happen.

Peter

I'm picking it'll have alot of top end on the sound with all that built in rigidity, so maybe a sound sample isn't necessary?

[graham mcdonald]

Apart from all the hype and marketing, the McPherson guitars are actually pretty good. I was in Mandolin Brothers in NY a couple of years back, taking photos of mandolins, and they had a couple of McPhersons there. There were really nice guitars. Ugly as sin, but they work.

Cheers

[Dominic]

For those who came to the course last week, they will know that sound travels along the braces which is why they are there. Now this guy is telling us that the sound follows those little braces on the side of the guitar to the back. Brilliant.
Dom

[woodrat]

I like how he was so definite that the rosewood in the laminated brace made such a huge beneficial sonic impact!

But it is interesting (from a psychological point of view) that guitar players are so wanting to believe that anyway..... you just have to read a few posts on the acoustic guitar forum to see that....

...I thought that you would enjoy a bit of a chuckle....

John

[Trevor Gore]

Everybody (doesn't really matter what sphere) is looking for enlightenment. To many of those people, faith is as strong a persuader as fact. Often, facts are just too, well, factual; whilst faith retains the romance. These people are easy to exploit, if you're so inclined.

(Sorry, just waiting for the rain to stop...)

[Nick]

But it is interesting (from a psychological point of view) that guitar players are so wanting to believe that anyway.....

I think it's (the psychology of it) similar to a snake oil salesman John, selling his 'cure all' to the sick. Its easier for most to believe than actually bother to find out.
Mind you if it sells then I guess they're laughing at us from the back seat of their Merc.

[woodrat]

But it is interesting (from a psychological point of view) that guitar players are so wanting to believe that anyway.....

I think it's (the psychology of it) similar to a snake oil salesman John, selling his 'cure all' to the sick. Its easier for most to believe than actually bother to find out.
Mind you if it sells then I guess they're laughing at us from the back seat of their Merc.

Nick, You make a good point here....in this world where a lot of people believe that you can get anything with two clicks, bothering to find out is a bit "old fashioned"...or perhaps too hard.

John....

[kiwigeo]

Nick, You make a good point here....in this world where a lot of people believe that you can get anything with two clicks....

or two d***ks

[charangohabsburg]

...I thought that you would enjoy a bit of a chuckle....

Oh yes, I did!

Mind you if it sells then I guess they're laughing at us from the back seat of their Merc.

I think there is a certain clientele that really wants to hear the kind of rubbish McPherson is preaching, and one can not sell them a guitar telling them that it is more complicated than "rosewood gives the guitar a good sound" etc. They will buy the guitar from the company which tells them that it takes their beliefs in account. One can not prevent people from wanting to buy snake oil, and they will not buy olive oil instead!

If McPherson would put the same effort he does in advertising this fancy bracing system in any other advertising, his sales would maybe even be better, but it would not be the same customers buying his guitars. So maybe it is a good thing that he takes care of those customers who want to hear the things he is saying, leaving the customers who judge a guitar by other criteria than pseudo-scientific explanations to other luthiers and companies. Not a bad thing after all.

In the end, which real musician (e.g. the one who make music, independent of his level) cares why his guitar sounds, feels and plays like this or like that?

[lauburu]

It's a shame that MacPherson envelope themselves in such hyperbole; their guitars actually sound really good. (IMHO).
Go to their website, download some of their free music and listen for yourselves.
http://mcphersonguitars.com/music/

[Nick]

It's a shame that MacPherson envelope themselves in such hyperbole; their guitars actually sound really good. (IMHO).
Go to their website, download some of their free music and listen for yourselves.
http://mcphersonguitars.com/music/

Yeah it kinda makes you wonder why they do it if the guitars sound good, because just spouting the drivel that guy did makes you a sitting target for somebody such as Taylor (or Trevor ), to say openly "Prove it" & MacPherson to end up with large amounts of yellow substance on their face, mind you if they do sound good (you can always 'tweak' recordings through mastering so I'm always sceptical about sound bites but Graham has stated the same as you so they can't be all bad ) it would be awkward proving there isn't some beneficial effect unless they built a 'standard' guitar & it came out sounding the same.

[nnickusa]

Well, after watching the video, there doesn't seem to be any absolute statement made. Most of it is "we feel," "it seems to us," "we believe," etc....

No need to substantiate subjective comments.....

[woodrat]

I came across an issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine the other day and say this ad from Martin on the back cover. I thought of this thread and so am posting a pic. Its interesting to note the spin that is put on the reintroduction of the 1 series Martin. It has been revived again as a recession guitar. It was first introduced in 1993 which was during the "recession we had to have" according to a former PM:) According to Martin we have been waiting for another recession for them to bring back the 1 series...."This is the one you have been waiting for"

Cheers

John

[nnickusa]

Translated that Martin ad means....

"This is the guitar we had to bring back, because our expensive gear is selling like shit!"

Have a look on eBay. Lots of top end Martins for waaay less than RRP from shops.......

[kiwigeo]

The psychology of selling my guitars would be as follows: "If you dont like the bldi thing then you can sod off.....!!!"

[MattW]

Those two have the same style as the religious nuts on at 4 am on channel 31, they could just as well be asking for donations to save the gits soul

One can not prevent people from wanting to buy snake oil, and they will not buy olive oil instead

-Charango 2012

[matthew]

....in this world where a lot of people believe that you can get anything with two dicks, bothering to find out is a bit "old fashioned"...or perhaps too hard.

John....

Without my spectacles, I mis-read that. Kind of made sense either way.

[woodrat]

....in this world where a lot of people believe that you can get anything with two dicks, bothering to find out is a bit "old fashioned"...or perhaps too hard.

John....

Without my spectacles, I mis-read that. Kind of made sense either way.

I can assure you Matthew thats not what I wrote!....I do believe it is one of the mods showing us his "sense of humour"....

John