Dannymon wrote:What's the point of having this amazing technology to show on a new guitar, if NOBODY will buy it. I don't think that a $1,500.00 or even a $2,000.00 guitar, is a guitar for a kid with a line 6 amp.
How much would the electronics alone be worth for this guitar? I am almost sure that they don't cost half the price of the electronics used on the Voyager OS, and yet the Voyager OS is prices around $2,300.00 with VERY nice wood work.
Even if the technology is worth lots of money, I don't think that Moog is spending more than $1,200.00 on parts for each guitar made.
I might be wrong with my calculations. But the guitar is definitely overpriced. No excuses please.
You have to look at it from a historical perspective. The first of any technology is not consumer accessible. It's not about Moog targeting high end buyers (that is actually the end result) it's that the cost of the instrument is so high. It's taken years of development (guys getting paid for work on an instrument that was not yet creating revenue) and don't forget how small a company moog is. Sure they're ubiquitous, but there's no high volume sales to make a revenue stream to fund such a project.
Then there's the fact that if a synth company is going to make a guitar and be successful, it has to be well built. The electronics would be worthless if it was housed in an affordable body like a squier or epiphone. If they are going to get any credibility in a new market, their guitar has to be flawless and masterful, so that even Leo Fender or Paul Reid Smith would be impressed at the craftmanship.
Which brings up the fact that they couldn't build the guitar themselves, they contracted a high end luthier. A necessary expense if they were going to earn respect. And the luthier isn't doing the work pro bono either...they have to make their profit.
And then there's the fact that it's new technology. The strings that make the guitar work were designed for the guitar. more r&d, plus retooling of machines in factories to produce the strings.
and then there's the electronics. more electronics than is in the voyager (according to theglyph) in a product that is not established...for instance, they can't buy the parts they need in bulk because it's a brand new product with unique parts. if it becomes successful, then it becomes economical to produce larger quantities of the parts, which drives down the costs
and then after recouping all those expenses, they have to make a profit.
and the reason they need to make a profit is so that the guitar becomes a success, so that production increases, revenues increases, and finally, investments can be made to make a more affordable version.
The car was around a long time before henry ford made it accessible to the everyday man.
the computer took decades before it became cheap enough for everyone to own.
granted, this isn't a car or computer, but you're asking for new technology to be affordable right out of the gate. it's just not possible without a lot of startup capital, which moog, being a small company, does not have. that's what it means to be boutique.
So, the short answer is, the point of having a guitar that nobody can afford is to make enough money so that later on down the road, they will have the capability to make a guitar that more people can afford.
I know i'm pretty defensive here for a company that I have no financial stock in, but it is unfair to basically accuse them of greed.