I do hope when browsing online guitar stores and their pre sale setup messages (if they have any at all) you will remember what I am telling you here...
A number of guitar shops advertise the fact that they "setup" their guitars pre sale.
We also get some customers questioning our delivery times - stating that other shops do what we do but can deliver next day - Hmmm... interesting!
When asked if they provide the same level of service we do of course the answer is always "yes" as we've heard from potential customers time after time.
Let me give you some basic facts that will help you work out for yourself whether the next shop is telling you the truth or little porkies.
The average time to setup one guitar is just over 1 hour. Some guitars may be as quick as 30 minutes when you get a beautiful example, and sometimes it can easily take up a morning of our workshop time.
We sell at least 6 guitars a day which means that our highly experienced guitar tech that I have worked with for 15 years is working solidly on guitars all day long.
In return for this work we generate no income - beyond the sale of the guitar. So we pay a full time, highly experienced guitar tech with thousands and thousands of hours experience setting up guitars for no return of income whatsoever beyond the good will generated from your business and return business.
This then explains why our workshop queue remains around 7 to 14 days (at the busiest of times). Not for any other reason but that your guitar is queuing in our workshop (like an appointment slot you could say) - just as it would do if you went to any professional for a service - such as having your car serviced, your tooth extracted or your guitar setup in a private workshop!
OK - So now you know that ANY professional workshop offering setups will have a queue
To avoid a queue building the business would have to employ someone of equal expertise so DOUBLING the cost to the business - again - with no additional income - just a quicker turnaround.
Now I am telling you - that just isn't economically viable - What we do already with our tech Chris is unique in the industry BECAUSE its so expensive to offer this service. I do it however for our unique added value service which we have always promoted for 26 years.
So - back to the topic headline "Shops That Advertise FREE Setups - But DON'T"...
Next time a shop tells you they offer the same service as we do - thank them - then ask them when the guitar will be delivered.
If they say next day - you know they are lying - plain and simple - OR they literally cannot believe the level of work we offer because they too know how expensive it is to offer - and to them sounds like commercial suicide.
It really is that simple. We only sell a FRACTION of the brands most online mainstream guitar stores sell - a FRACTION. YET our workshop is 7 to 14 days at all times.
If we chose to sell the volume of guitar brands that most online stores sell we definitely WOULD need 2 guitar techs working full time and our workshop queue would STILL be 7-14 days!!!! To bring this workshop queue down you would maybe need 3 to 4 techs all working full time and probably at a cost to the business of around £80,000.
How do I know this? I used to sell twice the volume of brands in my 26 years - twice the volume - and indeed we had 2 techs and the queues were the same!
You think these shops are doing that?
No - nor do I.
Nor do the industry reps who visit our workshop and see the queues of guitars going through the workshop - every single one for a customer we have sold a guitar to! They experience this scenario in no other business they visit.
I have no doubt that some of the shops you see online are tweaking the guitars - to some degree are checking over the guitars (not all but some) but rest assured NO shop that advertises fast delivery is doing the quality control, the personalized setup etc. that we offer.
PS Once a guitar is setup it should stand for 24 hours and checked again - as movement can occur post setup when you have been playing with the trust rod. (thats just a little tip to add further evidence to why next day deliveries are impossible if you are truly doing your best for the customer).
As a possible customer of ours I just want you to be informed and to make your judgement of who you shop with based on the reality - not marketing spin. Nothing is more upsetting than to be told a customer has bought from another dealer because they could deliver the guitar next day whilst still offering the "same" work we do. It really is soul-destroying.
If I were to be swayed by such comments I would take on a new apprentice, put him on part-time hours, maybe save myself £10k a year and give each guitar a quick tweak - or maybe not even bother on the ones I think look "ok".
You want this from me? You want me to reduce myself to "guitar industry" standards - just so you can have the guitar tomorrow? Just so I don't have the hassle of customers questioning my delivery times when all I want for them is the best?
Well - Like Sinatra said "I will do it my way"!
For those that appreciate the old school approach - who appreciate the concept of "good things coming to those that wait" - for those that want their guitar to inspire them for a lifetime regardless of the price - rest assured you are in the safest hands, and you can have peace of mind that this delay sets us apart from 99% of dealers around the World.
THANK YOU for your support, your appreciation and thank you for keeping us so busy during these difficult times
Richard
Feel free to watch this video on one guitar being setup in our workshop before sale - a free service we offer every customer...
We also offer 6 and 12 month check and reset fully inclusive of the price of the guitar!