Complaint #1

[Jester]

I have two complaints about this forum. #1. We badly need a classified section for selling used guitars. Most of the heavy users of guitar forums are guitaraholics. We buy and sell guitars often. New incoming often means one or several outgoing. When choosing a forum to call home, it is a HUGE attraction if it has a classified section. I do not believe this forum will achieve critical mass and thrive without one.

Yes, I know PRS is in the business of selling NEW guitars. However, the success of the forum will benefit PRS by increasing interest and enthusiasm in the brand. Also, I do not think used guitar sales will take away from new guitar sales. Let's face it, used PRS are MUCH less expensive than new PRS. It is not the same market. A guy who wants a new one is going to buy a new one because it is pristine, it may be the newest hot thing, he has a huge selection to get exactly the right color and options her wants and there is virtually no fraud risk with dealers. A guy who wants to save money on a used one is going to get a used one; he is not going to give up and pay an extra 50% for a new one.

I will also say a word about liability. If you are worried about the company getting pulled into a dispute on a sale gone bad, I would simply say put a BIG HONKING DISCLAIMER IN BOLD TYPE ALL CAPS IN HUGE FONT at the top of the classified section and each thread therein making clear that the company is in no way involved and is not policing the section.

Anyone else with me?

I'll post #2 in a few days.

 

[Twinfan]

I agree with you, but I can't see it happening.

 

[james]

I have two complaints about this forum. #1. We badly need a classified section for selling used guitars. Most of the heavy users of guitar forums are guitaraholics. We buy and sell guitars often. New incoming often means one or several outgoing. When choosing a forum to call home, it is a HUGE attraction if it has a classified section. I do not believe this forum will achieve critical mass and thrive without one.

Jester, thanks for the feedback.

On your last point in bold: You may be correct on that. Please understand, critical mass is not our goal here. Of course, we do realize that people like buying and selling guitars on forums. It's fun, but this is not the spot for it. Fortunately, between eBay, The Gear Page, Vintage Rocker and other forums, I feel there are sufficient number of outlets for the used PRS market.

I think many people who have signed up here have already demonstrated that quality content can be generated without the relying on the central hub of a marketplace as a catalyst.

 

[Jester]

On your last point in bold: Please understand, critical mass is not our goal here.

I'm sorry to hear that.

If I may ask, what is the goal here?

 

[docbennett]

I made a similar point in the past, as I agree with you 100%. I took it to a higher level...I recommended that PRS set up a "used PRS" "profit center" for the company itself. They would act as the intermediary, buying and selling used PRS...or allowing them to be used as trade bait once a dealer agreed to the piece as a trade-in and accepted the "used price".
Clearly this is not a concept that the PRS company is comfortable with...for a variety of business reasons that are obvious to many. They clearly don't want to compete with themselves in the used market arena.
But...if it means anything...I would LOVE to see PRS take on the "used market" and somehow fold it into their overall company business plan.

So....what was your 2nd complaint??? :top:

 

[aristotle]

I visit this forum mainly because people from the company participate. It implies at least a bit more accuracy with regards to information and news. Seems to me that this forum is a subset of others anyway, and it seems that adverts here would be redundant. Then again, I've never actually sold a guitar, so what do I know?

Besides, I wouldn't allow my company to have a forum where people sold used versions of my products, and it wouldn't have anything to do with detracting from my new sales. Sooner or later, somebody will get ripped off, and I won't have any control over it. Sure, people are warned up front, but if they get ripped off on my company sanctioned site, they'll remember it.

 

[james]

If I may ask, what is the goal here?

I think the goal is the same as any manufacturer's self-hosted forum: to provide a place for people to discuss our products and things related to our products (Fender and Orange come to mind, off the top of my head). I like how Shawn can chime in with some content even I haven't seen (and I work down the hall from him). We're going to make an effort to do even more of that here.

My other goal for the forum is to be the first place we announce anything new and can answer questions on it. If I have new info on a new product we're coming out with, or an event that's taking place somewhere, this is the first place I'll post it.

Finally, I want to hear what Goldtop is listening to today.

 

[james]

I visit this forum mainly because people from the company participate. It implies at least a bit more accuracy with regards to information and news.

That's funny. I check with you guys to make sure I didn't make a spec error or typo on the website.

 

[themike]

edit: Nevermind. Not worth it being twisted haha

 

[AP515]

I may be the minority, but I like that we don't have a for sale section. I come here for the reasons james stated. I like hearing from the company. Some of the things you don't get at the other PRS forums cuz they just don't kow what goes on inside. But I can see a day when PRS's stiffest competition is there own used guitars. When a used PRS is recognized as better than a new Gibson or Fender, (because they are), and people are through with the historical thing and are going for the best player. It may be hard for PRS to get the buyer to pay the premium for a new one when the used one KILLS!

 

[JMintzer]

I come here for the chicks...

 

[clcwarlock]

I think that Seymour Duncan has the right idea with their forum site. They are not really concerned about people talking about other pickups or selling other pickups. The selling section has huge amounts of people in it daily. They simply keep a list of bad sellers to avoid. The SD fourm kind of reminds me how Amazon gives you prices from other companies and at first you would think that they are killing their own business but in reality they just got bigger from it. The cool thing is that MJ (The famous pickup winder) is in the forum all the time for questions. It doesnt really bother me that much that there is no selling section here but it just seems to me that this is an old way of thinking in business like fender etc. PRS guitars can hang with and exceed any other guitar and I think most people on this forum already know it but there are still people out there that dont. If there were 30,000 people visiting your site daily I am pretty sure that some new PRS guitar would be flying off the shelves.

 

[Danerada]

I am with AP....

 

[james]

cool...thanks for the feedback guys. gonna lock the thread because we're not taking a vote on this at the moment. but rest assured, we're aware that many would like a classified section!

 

[james]

Thread re-opened by request.

Please feel free to add anything you'd like to the thread. We're not going to be doing a classified section anytime in the foreseeable future, but talking about it is fine by me!

 

[markie]

I have some "Waterpump" Impellers for sale............................................... NEW!


:biggrin:

 

[docbennett]

I have some "Waterpump" Impellers for sale............................................... NEW!


:biggrin:

 

[11top]

I have some "Waterpump" Impellers for sale............................................... NEW!


:biggrin:

Do you have any with 1 piece, spalted maple, Bonnie Pink tops?




And for the record, I agree with Jester that it would make this forum more interesting and draw more participants.

 

[Jester]

I think the goal is the same as any manufacturer's self-hosted forum: to provide a place for people to discuss our products and things related to our products (Fender and Orange come to mind, off the top of my head). I like how Shawn can chime in with some content even I haven't seen (and I work down the hall from him). We're going to make an effort to do even more of that here.

My other goal for the forum is to be the first place we announce anything new and can answer questions on it. If I have new info on a new product we're coming out with, or an event that's taking place somewhere, this is the first place I'll post it.

Finally, I want to hear what Goldtop is listening to today.

I am with you. I think this forum can be exceptional in that it can combine input by the company (announce new things, Shawn and co. chiming in to answer questions) with a robust user community of PRS fans. Input from users provides feedback on the company's products, content of miscellaneous interest (e.g., what Goldtop is listening to today) and expertise as well. Hey, if you want to know esoteric details about an 86, you don't ask customer service, you ask Queencityguitars or one of the other collector/historians.

I think developing a strong user community should be one of the main goals of the forum. I will be more successful if you have a large number of people checking in here several times a day, generating a lot of the above mentioned content. I see that you are pretty firmly resolved on not having a classified section. Unfortunately, I really believe it is going to be hard to build up the forum without it. Just my opinion.

 

[]-[@n$0Ma☩!©]

Out with #2 already, James.

Ok... that just didn't sound right at all. :biggrin: