Trent Guitars

TTony

I still think the main obstacle is that there aren’t that many people sat around with £1000 in their pocket, wondering what to spend it on.  Guitars are a very discretionary purchase.

If they got an unexpected work bonus, or tax refund, or similar, then they’re now aware of you, and you’ll be up there on a lot of people’s “one day” lists, probably nudging something else one place down that list.

Others - who’ve probably already said “wow” on the thread might well be quietly siphoning off the food budget at £50/wk, and will come knocking in due course.  Others might be selling stuff to raise the funds.

Sales is a slow game when you’re getting started with a new business.  You’ve done an excellent job in building brand / product awareness and your own credibility.  Those are some of the first steps.  

In some respects, getting overloaded with orders would be a bigger problem.  Slow & steady.

guitarjack66

Maybe you need to get some kind of finance deal for customers to be able to pay off gradually? While I understand that around £1000 is not a lot to some,its still a hell of a lot to others and within this demographic could be your potential customers?

WezV

You are still relatively new and it can take time, and the market is relatively small. 

You are either building or selling, it's hard to do both effectively.  Try to get a shop stocking them, but prices would need yo be higher to cover it

Some builders make their living with setups and repairs as the builds just don't cover it.

I considered doing it properly and ended up spending a year making more telecasters than anything else.  Got bored with that quickly.  I like doing one offs, and it's simply not a profitable way to build.


Sometimes it is frustrating.  You can build something everyone loves, but it doesn't mean it will sell as well as you would hope.


I do think you have a good look and style.  Keep plugging them on social media and getting the reviews in, doing shows when you can ... I'm sure you will have a waiting list soon enough

ThePrettyDamned

I echo the above. For what it's worth, if not for massive life-goal savings on my radar (we want a house with a garden) I'd be placing an order for one of the more affordable models. They're a great shape, the colours are great, the hardware is good and the reviews speak for themselves. But things are also a bit tough for a lot of people.

Keep at it. Keep building. Keep building your furniture! I really want to see you succeed, because it is a really nicely shaped guitar that I think looks great. 

TheBigDipper

Finger trouble… sorry

SPECTRUM001

Are the guitars in any retail outlets yet (or do you plan to do so ?) ?

I wonder if some potential customers struggle to buy into a new product without having ever seen let alone play one (unless they happen to know an early patron of yours and had the pleasure of trying one) ?

I am sure it is super difficult launching a business such as this - if you could afford to do so, would it be worth sending a couple of examples to eg Denmark St ??

NPP

TTony said:

I still think the main obstacle is that there aren’t that many people sat around with £1000 in their pocket, wondering what to spend it on.  Guitars are a very discretionary purchase

...

Sales is a slow game when you’re getting started with a new business.  You’ve done an excellent job in building brand / product awareness and your own credibility.  Those are some of the first steps.  

In some respects, getting overloaded with orders would be a bigger problem.  Slow & steady.

very much agree with @TTony here.

Just to add a few things:

Even sincere admiration for your work and desire to own your products doesn't necessarily translate into sales. Nobody needs more than one or two guitars (I need two because I have two homes a plane ride apart). My playing doesn't justify having another one, and impending economic doom very much justifies putting 1,500 quid aside for a rainy day instead. However, things may change, people may come into money, may grow tired of the guitars they have and fancy something new and over time that may turn into a steady trickle of orders.

To capture people's interest, I think a second model in your line-up would be really useful. Of course it will be difficult to achieve something that looks so obviously right as your model 1 but you've done it once, so you may be able to do it again.

Maybe also think about target markets. Your current offer doesn't seem to have one - like a good Tele (and that's very much meant as a compliment) it seems to be at home in all hands and in all styles. But sales sometimes come from deliberately or accidentally matching the tastes of a very specific group of buyers.

I hope your cabinet making yields enough to give you time to let the guitar building venture develop as it deserves. Good luck!
 

Teyeplayer

Pretty much what @floeighty2 has said. I really wanted to take you up on the founders offer and was really disappointed that I couldn’t and I still want one of your guitars before too long. However, £1000 or £1500 for what I’d want, is a chunk of disposable income I simply don’t have at the current time. Yes, I could put it on a credit card, but I really don’t think that would be a wise move with the current economic climate. 

I also think the attraction of interest free hp that so many guitar stores offer on the mainstream brands makes purchasing of the traditional models easier (because hey it’s £30 a month, etc). I know I’m guilty of this, I’ve nearly always something on finance! Would I prefer one of your guitars, yes I would; the harsh reality is that it’ll take me a while to raise the funds and there is always that gas risk along the way. I’d imagine there  are a few of us in the same boat.

Only thing I can categorically say is I genuinely hope it isn’t too late when I do finally get the funds together! 

WiresDreamDisasters

TrentGuitars said:

So here's something a little more transparent than you'd expect from a business,

I'm struggling to get sales off the ground! I'll be honest I'm a hair disheartened given I've had so much good press recently with universal praise and lots of people saying what a great buy it is etc. I've had a lot of website traffic given that I've been tweeted out by Gary Numan and also the Guitar Nerds have been raving about the one I had sent them to try out.

I really thought that £1000 price point would really open things up and I do understand there's a degree of patience required but I was curious to see what you guys might think is holding people back? Is it a sign of the times? I think I've past the initial 'proven' bar of it actually being a decent guitar to buy given how many I've fulfilled now.

Appreciate any thoughts you might have as potential customers.

I want one. I'm just struggling to justify it to myself. I don't need a new guitar. I just fancy one, as per my PM. I'm very picky with guitars, because after all this time playing, I've mainly just stuck to one guitar. All of the others passed by the wayside, and I wouldn't want to 100% commit to it without being very sure.

You've got a great looking product.

For me, you've hit the spot between features, price, and not having an overly flamboyant aesthetic (that really turns me off a lot of custom guitars out there!!)

Don't be disheartened. Just keep plowing away!

TrentGuitars

Really appreciate all the feedback guys, you've been here since the start when for all you knew I couldve been Elson 2.0 and I really value everything you guys have to say.

I very much agree that £1000 certainly isn't a quick or throwaway decision for anybody - not anyone I know anyway! I guess the source of this outreach really was just the fact that I've been seeing hundreds or hits and unique visitors but no conversions yet. @TTony is usually on the end of the PM's reminding me to be patient but I am trying my hardest to be - I promise!

@WezV really appreciate your wisdom on this, I have considered looking into offering necks but the headstock rabbit hole is just a bit much for me I think. I wouldn't want my headstock shape on a strat body either.

@SPECTRUM001 Unfortunately to get into a shop they need to be buying them at about 50% off (the idea is that it becomes a 30% hit once you're VAT registered) but even then my whole model is based on direct sales. As @WezV correctly says the prices have to go up significantly if you're going into dealers.

@NPP You're bang on with seeing if I can target a little more keenly. I was trying to do that with the Guitar Nerds lot as they are all very offsety and solid coloury, like I am.

@guitarjack66 I have PayPal pay in 3 which has been really popular, but still a major investment compared with a 24 months kinda 0% deal you get with some shops.

Thankfully, my work in furniture and cabinetmaking is still ticking over, I think the other reason I was disheartened a hair was because I was hoping to be able to take less furniture jobs after launching the Debut. My lead time going from 3-4 weeks to 5-7 weeks was actually due to that rather than having more guitar orders.

Appreciate you all taking the time, thanks so much

Lebarque

I think many of the points I was thinking have been covered above. Your guitars look great, but you are very new still. A lot of people won't pull the trigger until you're more established, just because. 

Would you cough up £1000 on a car online without driving or inspecting it, from a maker that had only been going a few months? I agree with the sentiment above that it might be good to get them into a retailer. Andertons would be perfect, as @RiftAmps ;; has done. Most guitarists need to get their hands on a guitar to ensure they like it. Heck, I wouldn't even buy a Fender unseen, especially if there wasn't a return policy.

Maybe consider a business model like @GoldenEraGuitars has moved to. Rather than custom building, just build a bunch of guitars, carefully choosing popular specs. Then sell them with a returns policy.

Like @TTony advises, slow and steady. You've already done better than most new guitar ventures in the short time you've been trading. I can't quite believe the universal praise you've got for your design and colours from the fickle bunch we are on here. Congrats! Keep doing things right and you'll keep selling. The amount you sell will be determined by the market, so don't expect to become Fender overnight. Good luck.i admire your ambition.

Lebarque

Have you got a presence on the offsetguitars forum? If not, do it.

dindude

I’ll chip in with my honest opinion, and it is just one mans thoughts, but one who has been closer than most to pulling the trigger. 

I think there are plenty of people who would still spend a grand plus on a guitar, but you are up against historic guitar brands and the instant gratification of picking one off the shelf or getting one delivered next day. It will take time and this forum is a tiny part of the market, and the gushing comments need to be balanced with genuine feedback.

I think your price points are spot on, great value.

I LOVE the shape / look of the guitar, you’ve done a genuinely fantastic job here, including the headstock! Also really like the water based paint concept.

I recently dropped a similar sum on a new guitar and did strongly consider one of yours, but I bought a Harmony Silhouette instead. Why?

For me the Silhouette had the character to it I was looking for, something a bit quirky and really amazing sounding pickups.

For all the design brilliance of your model 1, I didn’t really get the pang for P90’s in poplar, not really a sound I was craving. Yes I could have tapped you up for a different body wood and some different pickups, but we’re into unknown results and custom build.

I also think that in your efforts to please at the early stage you are being too flexible, I.e. different pickup routes, scale lengths, neck shapes etc etc. 

It just feels like you’ve designed a shape, and your ability to build is not in question, but I wonder if you’ve designed a locked-in guitar. One where you really knew what you wanted tonally / feel-wise from the woods, scale length, pickups, neck shape etc. 

Be a bit bolder and forthright with your intentions, even if it is a little more left field, and you should have a wait list as long as Novo (Novo have a few pickup configs for some of their designs, but tempered Pine, characterful neck shapes, their own style of aged finishing are their USP’s). Hope this is constructive, I’m sure the next person along will have a different view. 

DrCornelius

TrentGuitars said:

So here's something a little more transparent than you'd expect from a business,

I'm struggling to get sales off the ground! I'll be honest I'm a hair disheartened given I've had so much good press recently with universal praise and lots of people saying what a great buy it is etc. I've had a lot of website traffic given that I've been tweeted out by Gary Numan and also the Guitar Nerds have been raving about the one I had sent them to try out.

I really thought that £1000 price point would really open things up and I do understand there's a degree of patience required but I was curious to see what you guys might think is holding people back? Is it a sign of the times? I think I've past the initial 'proven' bar of it actually being a decent guitar to buy given how many I've fulfilled now.

Appreciate any thoughts you might have as potential customers.

I can honestly say that if I had a spare 1k I’d be over in Poole in the morning to try one out. I’m only 40 mins away and ever since you brought out the non custom model I must have done and redone my sums 20 times and they tell me I’m skint every time unfortunately.

I entered the Planet Rock Tell Us The Total thing today and for a laugh the mrs and me sat down and went through what we’d spend our share on (most will go on bills and clearing loans).

‘A Trent guitar’ , I said 
‘You don’t need any more guitars’ , said she exasperated 
‘But they are made in Poole !’
‘Ah ok then , you can have one’

They look great , they are different enough but not too different to appeal to a traditionalist like me and the price is spot on.

I just think people are worried about jobs / interest rates / the economy etc

Once I’ve paid my Strat off I’ll be in touch :-)

grungebob

I’d echo what everyone else had said. The product is good it will sell. 

It might serve you well to get some video on the website of decent sound quality of various styles. 

They look well made, they look unique but familiar all at the same time ( not an easy thing to achieve so kudos) but, how do they sound?

we all know how we can personally use a strat or an LP/SG  as we’ve held them and played them many times over the years but how can we personally put yours to use, what can we expect it sound like for our styles?
lastly the humble P90, THE best pickup ever made IMHO but lots don’t know or have enough exposure or experience with them to maybe take the punt on an unknown guitar with these pickups fitted . 

This is why I think it’s key to get sound samples/video up. 

Logie

I think there is so much competition out there it's never going to be easy bringing a new product/ design to market.
All I generally see in the bands I go to watch are the typical Strats, Teles and Les Paul's with Ibanez RG's covering the metal bands. 
It's no doubt been said before but in the main, I think we're a traditional lot at heart and most of us have an eye on getting a decent bit of cash back on resale. You already said you've had universal praise from this forum but how many saying how much they like them have actually bought one?
 Add to that the quality of guitar you can get for £1000 on the used market (even at today's inflated values) and it just compounds the problem for a new design/ builder.
I think your design looks great even though I'm one of those traditional Strat players and purely judging from the pics and specs the price is bang on. It's great to see people taking guitar design somewhere a bit different but it's bound to take time to really establish a brand.

guitarcookie1

I would really like one and I have about £1,000 to spend. 

The problem for me is that what I want would cost approx £1,800, which I can’t afford - no slight on your product, just the way it is because I’d have to go with the full Model 1. 

Also, I haven’t seen a picture of a guitar in the spec that I would order - twin humbuckers with coil split & a trem - so I’d be wary of dropping the cash on something “unseen”. 

Maybe I’ve missed them, but if you’ve built guitars with trems, etc where are the pictures; show them off

Genuine question from someone who knows very little about actual guitar building - if the savings on the Debut model come from the finish and standardised options, how much of a “cost” would it be to you to offer that model with a choice of P90’s or Humbuckers, paired with either a hardtail or Strat-style trem? None of the other options, bar the junior-type options maybe. 

Maybe the Debut spec is just too limited to get the appeal you want?

I have to say though, a hand built guitar for not much more than a new Epiphone or Fender is still very appealing.. Please don’t give up

Danielsguitars

Fwiw I've been building a good few years now and it's still a slog, doesn't matter how good it is we're competing with big brands 

Hopefully as the prices go up.on mass made it makes hand made more attractive

We can't get enough people to play them to compare with the big guys, that would really help imo

Good luck with the guitars

WezV

Danielsguitars said:

We can't get enough people to play them to compare with the big guys, that would really help imo

I think getting them in people's hands is so important.

It's why some shows might be good for Trent at the stage he is at.... if shows become a proper thing again.  9 could see them doing well in that environment.

It's also a good reason to offer other guitar work.   Gives you chance to put your guitars in their hands whilst still getting paid for the other job they have come to see you for.  

steer

If guitar shows are starting up again, then maybe a presence there would help. I am unlikely to splurge over a grand on an unknown guitar, no matter how good it looks in pictures without seeing one in the flesh . But I might spend a grand on a Fender for example, because I know more or less what I may be getting.

I would not have Eggle on my list of potential future purchases if I had not seen their stand at a guitar show.