Re: Dream Guitars


"Wade Hampton Miller" <WadeInChugiak@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1f9619c2-c317-4771-9378-1457183a8fe0@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On Jul 5, 3:52 pm, rlet...@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

Is this policy for real? I couldn't find any mention of it on the
website--just the "by appointment" line (which is unobjectionable). I
suppose $50 isn't a big deal for someone serious about dropping $3-8K
on a guitar.

Well, it seems to me that, if enforced, it would operate a bit like
Costco's membership fee: that's just money upfront for the
establishment.

It also occurs to me that this is the sort of policy he can waive
whenever he wants, but having it in place sort of sets the tone and
focus to the whole enterprise.

When I was still living in Kansas City, I participated as an
instructor in an adult education program sponsored by UMKC called
"Communiversity." It still exists - basically, it's a free education
program on any subject you want to teach or take.

As an instructor, I wasn't allowed to charge anything for the classes
themselves, but I WAS allowed to charge for materials. For the
handouts, any books, whatever.

I taught Communiversity mountain dulcimer classes for three or four
years, until I moved away. Kansas City actually has a surprisingly
large number of dulcimer owners, because of the regional proximity to
the Ozarks, and I had loads and loads of students.

But what I discovered was that, when there was no charge at all,
people didn't take it seriously, and typically I'd lose a lot of
students after the first class. This pissed me off because people
would sign up and fill up the class lists, and perhaps keep others who
might be more serious from attending, then engage in the equivilent of
window-shopping and not show up again once they understood how much
work was entailed.

Then quite by accident, the second or third time I taught a round of
classes I had to charge a bit more for materials costs, because I was
using a different book or something, and found that I had a much
better student retention rate. The more money the students had to pay
upfront, the more likely they were to take the class seriously and
return and actually work at learning the instrument.

So my "materials costs" mysteriously ROSE after that...

Hey, I feel no guilt. I made a little beer and pizza money, and the
students did better because they were more motivated to apply
themselves - EVERYONE benefited.

My guess is that this $50 charge is something along the same lines:
the buyers get more serious when - HOLY ***! - they just had to pay
$50 simply to testdrive a few fancy guitars.

If the $50 fee is applicable to an instrument purchase, it makes even
more sense. I'll bet he gets less window-shopping, tire-kicking and
general dicking around, and faster decision-making by a group of
people who aren't used to being hurried along, but who NEED it
sometimes.

General dicking around and neurotic indecision is endemic at that end
of the guitar market, especially by those who don't actually play
music professionally but have the money and the ego to get a really
nice instrument. Some of the hand-holding these custom guitar
builders have to do would really be better accomplished by licensed
mental health professionals...

So I'd say it's good psychology on his part, and I say more power to
him.


Wade Hampton Miller
Chugiak, Alaska

I understand psychologists have the same policy. Charge enough money that
the patients decide they are now sane. And it works. ;>)

Dave Hajicek


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