Why American-Made Martin Guitars Are So Expensive | So Expensive | Insider Business

[DJ Mango]

 

[BigJackBrass]

Thanks for posting that. Funny that it doesn't actually tell you why they're expensive, compared to, say, a Chinese guitar. Great look at the process, nonetheless.

 

[MarTay6]

Robotics and automation should decrease the price of the guitars, I would think... I'll still take a Taylor over a Martin, no matter how much I'd rather prefer the Martin's!

 

[man0a]

Thanks for posting that. Funny that it doesn't actually tell you why they're expensive, compared to, say, a Chinese guitar. Great look at the process, nonetheless.

A more interesting comparison would be US-made Martins to Mexico-made Martins. The video does briefly say that some Martins are made in Mexico, but they never follow up on how the Mexico manufacturing is different.

 

[EarthSea]

Or you could compare the price of the d18 to the price of the Concert uke. They are about the same….
I have always wondered, are ukulele’s expensive or are guitars cheap, compared to the work and materials that go into both instruments..

 

[MarTay6]

As far as Uke's go, their cheaper ones are made in Mexico, the more expensive ones are made in US.

 

[rainbow21]

Thanks. I'll stick with the salt in a cap in a sealed plastic bag for my test, then.

From where I sit it is all one continent and the differences are mostly superficial, like the difference between QLD and Victoria.

The differences are as superficial as the differences between England, France, and Spain, where much of the cultural origins for these countries are from (even though Europe is one continent, too).

 

[hendulele]

The selling price of the Martins is currently about the market. The difference between the two North American countries of Mexico and USA is in the perception created by the marketing.

Martin is covering the cost of production and materials and then adds a profit. The profit can be huge in today's market because of the customer perceptions of the one of a kind custom builds. As with most collector markets, the market value has nothing to do with how much the item cost to build and everything to do with the market perception of value.

If the people of North America decided that Mexicans deserve the same pay as USA citizens, then would there be a price difference between the product from Mexico and the USA? I am not sure why Canada has been left out, its in North America as well. So all of the Martin instruments are made in North America. From where I sit it is all one continent and the differences are mostly superficial, like the difference between QLD and Victoria.

Three independent governments. Mexico has laxer labor and environmental regulations than the U.S. or Canada, so it’s cheaper producing things there. It‘s not at all like the EU.

 

[man0a]

The selling price of the Martins is currently about the market. The difference between the two North American countries of Mexico and USA is in the perception created by the marketing.

Martin is covering the cost of production and materials and then adds a profit. The profit can be huge in today's market because of the customer perceptions of the one of a kind custom builds. As with most collector markets, the market value has nothing to do with how much the item cost to build and everything to do with the market perception of value.

If the people of North America decided that Mexicans deserve the same pay as USA citizens, then would there be a price difference between the product from Mexico and the USA? I am not sure why Canada has been left out, its in North America as well. So all of the Martin instruments are made in North America. From where I sit it is all one continent and the differences are mostly superficial, like the difference between QLD and Victoria.

I've played both the US and Mexico Martin ukuleles at my local Martin retailer. The US version sounds much better to my ears and feels more responsive to my fingers. I assume US versions are made with more precision and labor-intensive techniques than the Mexico versions. I do not know how much more time and skill goes into making the US versions, but they do cost 3 times as much as the Mexico versions (comparing solid wood Martin ukuleles of the same scale).

 

[Rllink]

I've played both the US and Mexico Martin ukuleles at my local Martin retailer. The US version sounds much better to my ears and feels more responsive to my fingers. I assume US versions are made with more precision and labor-intensive techniques than the Mexico versions. I do not know how much more time and skill goes into making the US versions, but they do cost 3 times as much as the Mexico versions (comparing solid wood Martin ukuleles of the same scale).

Why do you assume that? I don't assume that made in America automatically translates into better built.

As far as Martin is concerned, they have, and still seem to, had their share of quality issues, at least with their guitars, that often times are overlooked in the name of made in America. Anyway, the video seems to me to be a Martin promotional video more than an explanation of why they are so expensive.

 

[man0a]

Why do you assume that? I don't assume that made in America automatically translates into better built.

As far as Martin is concerned, they have, and still seem to, had their share of quality issues, at least with their guitars, that often times are overlooked in the name of made in America. Anyway, the video seems to me to be a Martin promotional video more than an explanation of why they are so expensive.

I am not assuming that the US-made instruments are better built, that part was evident when I played them. What I am assuming is how they are better built. Have you played the different Martin ukuleles? Please tell us your actual experiences with them.

 

[WebParrot (s2)]

I have no experience with Martin guitars, but I have a general question, errrrrr ... curiosity.

Does Martin make the same models (some or all) at their US and Mexico based facilities?

 

[man0a]

I have no experience with Martin guitars, but I have a general question, errrrrr ... curiosity.

Does Martin make the same models (some or all) at their US and Mexico based facilities?

I don't know about guitars, but for ukulele, the answer is definitely not. The US and Mexico models have different specs and even different naming/numbering systems.

 

[eternal tinkerer]

Or you could compare the price of the d18 to the price of the Concert uke. They are about the same….
I have always wondered, are ukulele’s expensive or are guitars cheap, compared to the work and materials that go into both instruments..

Not to derail the OP’s topic, but I’ve also wondered about the relative value of ukuleles vs guitars. Just how much less sweat builds a ukulele vs guitar, and are the astronomical amounts paid for “special” custom guitars vs similar status ukuleles more a reflection of labor hours or what the market is willing to pay??

 

[ancient tones]

In my opinion, if all that I could have was a Martin made in Mexico, I would still be happy with that guitar, even over all of the other sub $1000 guitar brands. I chalk that up to Martins expertise in building guitars. They all have that Martin feel and tone. I own and enjoy Martins from five different decades and all shapes and sizes.

To answer a question from above, the Martin guitars made in Mexico are not the same models as the US made Martins. In other words the specs are not the same. Maybe the nut width is different and it has a built in preamp.

 

[EarthSea]

I have a Martin T1k made in Mexico and a Martin sinker made in the US and both are of identical design and shape from what I can tell, the only difference being of course the material they are made of. Martin must use the same jigs and or software for their laser cutters in the US as they do in Mexico, production ukuleles are far from a luthier produced ukulele. Personally I would never buy a production model ukulele again. Check these luthier made one offs. https://www.brguitars.com

 

[merlin666]

Are wages not much higher in US than Mexico? Also taxes, benefits, environmental fees, and other expenses.

 

[Tim E]

Cost of labor is a big factor. Not only wages, but accompanying costs, all needed to be competitive in the US labor market. Especially these days with unemployment lower than it's ever been in my lifetime. Martin might have a slight advantage in that lots of folks are willing to make a few allowances for being able to say they work for such a historied company. But the company can't really afford to exploit that advantage too much, lest they find themselves unable to find laborers.

I think another factor is that Martin has lots of incentive to spend more time per instrument than a more budget manufacturer. They have standards to uphold, and that translates to finer attention to detail. In contrast, watch this video showing the Yamaha factory in Indonesia making their budget guitars.

The processes are largely the same. If anything, Martin seems to even use more sophisticated automation. But there's no way the amount of labor per process applied to the Yamaha is the same as the Martin. Not only is US labor more costly, Martin is willing to allow laborers to spend more time doing their tasks to ensure the task is performed to their standard.

Another thing I'd notice is now spoiled we are as guitar players. $2800 for a professional level instrument, which is what you get from any PA made Martin, is cheap considered what other kinds of pro level instruments cost. Not only is it cheap, you can expect to go to any Guitar Center and find one off the rack. Try that if you're a pro bassoonist or violinist.

 

[baconsalad]

Answer: MTV Unplugged. Before that show the acoustic guitar industry was in serious decline. Some companies completely switched to electric to survive