Why Don't You...?

We’re a different kind of guitar shop. With that come some pretty frequent questions; most start with “Why don’t you (fill in the blank).” So, here they are, in case you had any of the same questions:

Q: Why don’t you carry more brands?

A: We carry Lowden, Huss and Dalton, Cole Clark, Cirrus, Furch, select Godin, and several small luthiers, as well as Acus and AER amps. We carry what we believe is best in class- best American high end boutique in Huss and Dalton, for example. Many shops carry a broad range of brands, but only a couple guitars from each. That’s great, but we believe that the best buying experience comes from having the opportunity to play across a brand’s offerings, so we focus on select brands and try to keep high stock levels of those brands. What is the best brand in a class is subjective, our brands are what we feel are the best- we believe in them and their quality and own them ourselves. 

Q: What don't you carry Martin, Taylor, etc?

A: There are a couple reasons. First, you can get them anywhere. Like, literally anywhere. That’s commoditization and results in everyone fighting over price alone. That results in the pathway to profit being volume driven. Volume drivers hurt the customer experience. Offering the level of product we do allows us to focus on customer satisfaction- getting the right guitar in their hands- not getting the next guitar in their hands. Second, many production manufacturers dictate product spread- requiring a mix of all their different lines. Not naming names, but ever see bottom level guitars sitting in the corner covered in dust or even on the floor of an otherwise higher end shop? We have. That’s why. They don’t make any money on them, but have to carry them to carry the higher end stuff. The big production manufacturers have no idea, and really don’t care, about market dynamics in our market. We work with the brands we carry to stock the best options for our market and business model, not the market mean and not what the manufacturer wants to move.

There’s another reason, which we’ll cover another day, and it’s that dollar for dollar, there are often better guitars available. Not always, but more often than most think.

Q: Why don’t you just allow walk-ins?

A: We are by reservation only, it’s true. It’s not because we’re stuffy or elitists, it’s to give you the best experience. Sure, it takes a little more planning than just stopping by the guitar shop, but same day appointments are often available and it’s a small price to pay for a great experience. There’s no crowded shop. You’re not trying to hear a guitar over a drum solo in the next aisle. You never have to ask for a guitar to be unlocked or taken down from the ceiling just so you can hold it. Want to sing? Go for it. We don’t care if you can play like Tommy Emmanuel (as cool as that is) or are a weekend couch strummer and there’s no one else in the shop that you have to worry about judging you either. It’s just a relaxed environment without any sales pressure, ever. 

Guitars are expensive- whether you’re looking for a $1,200 one or a $12,000 one. That’s hard earned money and we think that when you choose to spend it on a guitar, it should be the right one and more of an experience than big box offers. Further, by using a reservation system, we can facilitate you having the experience that works for you. If you want step by step guidance and curation, great. If you want us to ignore you and let you do your thing, great. And, no, you won’t find us in suits when you arrive.

Q: Why don’t you carry more electric guitars?

A: Great question. A lot of it has to do with the same reasons why we don’t carry more brands or carry Martin, Taylor, etc. But, we are working to build our electric inventory. The problem is, premium guitars take a while to build, whether they are electric or acoustic. The electrics we carry are not abundant in the U.S. and are in high demand around the world. We can only get so many and they tend to sell rather quickly. When we started Tree Bone, we focused on a gap in our market for premium acoustics. We have since expanded into premium electrics, but deepening inventory takes time. We could compromise on the level of guitar we carry and fill out a showroom of only electrics next week, but we won’t. That’s not what we do.

Hope that helped. Still have “Why don’t you” questions? Just ask, we’re happy to answer.