Brand Entry Level Guitars, Do they damage their name Options

[PosterBoy]

I was just looking at a email shot I received from a guitar shop, advertising Jackson Limited Edition JS23 Dinky Archtops for£129.

Now I don't know anything about this guitar but going by the price I assuming it's an entry level model.

It made me wonder whether some of the quality brands are damaging their reputation by not having a clear distinction in name between their entry level guitars and their standard high quality guitars (I'm not talking about the really high Custom Shop guitars here).

I can see from a marketing point of view they are using the good name they made for themselves to sell the lower end stuff, so guitarists can brag about playing a Jackson guitar, so think they can buy with confidence even though the price point is low, but it's confusing if you are trying to get a clear picture of the brands range.

Fender have so many models of their two main guitars, but they have Squier, which separates the entry level from the rest by brand name, much like Gibson has Epiphone, Musicman has the By Sterling series etc. Ibanez have at least categorised theirs into ranges, so you know what is what.

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[liveOASISforever]

I think would be best to name them in such a way that it was clear as day that they were entry level guitars.


As far as damaging there brand I would personally say no. As a beginner guitarist buying there first guitar they would not know much better and for someone that is experienced in buying guitars like you said yourself you would think it was a entry level guitar because of the price.

For the majority of first time guitar buyers I don't think they are going for a guitar that has a great feel to it or sounds good they will go by how it looks. The Jackson looks really cool to most people and they will probably buy because how cheap it is. I think it is a very good marketing job as they know that they are loads of young kids want to pick up guitar and have something it looks really cool.

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This post has been edited by liveOASISforever: Jun 21 2014, 02:46 PM

[Mith]

I kinda agree a little. I have a BC Rich Mockingbird pro X which is one of their higher end guitars which is my go to heavy Rhythm guitar but I think BC Rich get a bad rep since they have alot of cheap guitars with low build quality.

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[Todd Simpson]

They are just trying to sell more guitars Also, they are trying to leverage their brand by slapping their logo on really cheap guitars that are mostly made in the same factories in Indonesia as many of the other brands.

It's become such a commodity process, with less and less human touch, that costs keep going down and they keep using cheaper bits as well. They want to keep sales up so there is a plethora of great looking guitars that often feel half baked. E.G. Frets sticking out, tuners not screwed in all the way etc.

The fairly recent expansion of "Boutique" vendors (small shops making pricey hand made guitars) taking the cream off the top, has left the bigger vendors scrapping for the bottom rung. Among other things

I was just looking at a email shot I received from a guitar shop, advertising Jackson Limited Edition JS23 Dinky Archtops for£129.

Now I don't know anything about this guitar but going by the price I assuming it's an entry level model.

It made me wonder whether some of the quality brands are damaging their reputation by not having a clear distinction in name between their entry level guitars and their standard high quality guitars (I'm not talking about the really high Custom Shop guitars here).

I can see from a marketing point of view they are using the good name they made for themselves to sell the lower end stuff, so guitarists can brag about playing a Jackson guitar, so think they can buy with confidence even though the price point is low, but it's confusing if you are trying to get a clear picture of the brands range.

Fender have so many models of their two main guitars, but they have Squier, which separates the entry level from the rest by brand name, much like Gibson has Epiphone, Musicman has the By Sterling series etc. Ibanez have at least categorised theirs into ranges, so you know what is what.

You are at GuitarMasterClass.net

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