Post by Farmduck on Dec 12, 2022 21:21:49 GMT 10
Based in the USA and presumably made in China, judging by their prices. The odd part is that I've never seen such an invisible guitar brand. Aside from their very comprehensive website, there is no other mention of them on the internet. I can't even remember how I found them. I think I might have read an ad on some site and in the comments somebody said, "Looks like a Hofmeiner." or something like that.
hofmeiner.com/index.php
Not a single YT video. Not a single Hofmeiner for sale anywhere except their site. No reviews.
What are they like? No idea. They seem to have a wide range of options in each model but sometimes even these options are confusing. Have you ever seen a guitar site that auto-defaults to "left-handed?" Why does their Firebird come in 5 colours with optional vibrato except you can't get the vibrato on the surf green model? Why can you get a Filtertron on their cherry-burst LP but only as a middle p/u between 2 humbuckers?
"How can we offer so many amazing options and looks?
Well, these guitars are made for you from scratch! This usually takes around 10 days, sometimes 20 days."
Technically possible I guess, if they bought bulk lots of necks and bodies, especially already painted, with tuners, bridge and pots installed. Or if they were a Chinese factory already producing most of these models as knock-offs for other brands.
What's with their model-numbering system? Take a LP Goldtop as an example: if you want a white pick guard rather than cream, then that's a different model but both models still come in 5 pickup configurations.To my thinking the pickup type and configuration defines a model more than the colour of the pick guard.
No twitter or Facebook accounts.
The "About Us" section on their site is very generic. It includes "After years of searching for the perfect custom production facility we found a guitar guru who knew every pickup, headstock shape, wiring plan and guitar finish on every guitar ever made since 1950." Really? It took you years to devise a range of Gibson and Fender knockoffs with random p/u configurations?
They even offer free shipping and make no distinction between domestic and international. They even say " our international shipping is via air-frieght.(sic)"
Their physical address is also the home of Stackry - I'm a bit lost for modern corporate-speak to explain exactly what Stackry does. They give you a USA address to shop online in US -why you'd need one is beyond me. They then have a deposit/holding service where your goods can be delivered and held and when you have a big-enough order compiled they ship them to you. Given that the bulk of online consumer goods comes from China these days, wouldn't it make more sense for this type of business to be based in China?
So what is Hofmeiner Guitars? I'm guessing it's a Chinese Factory - maybe a few factories - using Hofmeiner as a brand and ostensible US-based guitar importer/distributor. How is this different from Epiphone? In many ways it isn't but, with a brand name that has an actual USA presence and actual USA distributorship, there are probably better consumer protections and procedures in the case of faulty products. (a cynic might say that USA "consumer protection" laws have never prevented Gibson from continuing to operate so what good are they?)
There is nothing fundamentally wrong with Chinese guitars. I own an Ibanez AG95 I paid $A1,000 for and I think it was worth every cent. I have an Eastwood H59, more expensive and less impressive but still more overpriced than downright bad. I have an Artist Cherry 58 which puts so many other brands to shame in terms of quality and value. There are some differences that we should distinguish between:
- Quality of materials. This is completely within the control of the Big Brand Name that orders the guitars. If they tell the factory to churn these things out on a $50 budget then that's what you'll get. The customer can specify every component used in the process - they could even specify which brand of paint to use or the specific metal makeup of the solder.
- Quality of construction. Even with modern CAD and CNC equipment there are variations and there are elements of construction which are still dependent on human activity. In any mass-produced line, there will be variations. The customer can set the acceptable level of variation. If a range of products becomes so variable that no individual product is indicative of the range then that is the fault of the customer for not setting standards and/or imposing penalty clauses in the contract.
- Once it leaves the factory .... : The Chinese factory has no control over how the German or American or Japanese brand distributes, markets and sells the product. They might make a product which is excellent value at $300 - a good solid beginner model that stays in tune and has no finish or construction flaws. It's not their fault if a European or American shop wants $800 for that guitar and makes all kinds of performance claims about it.
Getting back to Hofmeiner, would I buy one? No, but that isn't a well-informed decision on my part. In fact it's precisely the lack of information which would stop me from considering one. If any aspiring Chinese manufacturer wants to get a foothold in the broader market they need to accept the standard (these days) process. They need to pay up for some YouTube guitar demo channels to play their guitars - RJ Ronquillo or Brett Kingman would be two random channels that come to mind. Send some models to Phillip McKnight or Landon Bailey - again, just random examples - who will pull the guitars part and discuss the various component parts and construction.
There are so many brands and models around now that, even living in Sydney, I wouldn't get the opportunity to try them out before I bought one. It isn't just obscure low-volume or new brands. If I wanted to try a Gretsch Black Falcon is there any guitar shop in Sydney that currently has one in stock? I doubt it. Even something at half that price, say, a Yamaha SA2200, a standard jazz, blues, rock type guitar that's been around for decades. Most shops in Sydney would sell it as soon as it came in so I still wouldn't get to play one.
YouTube videos are an essential part of guitar marketing and Hofmeiner needs to address that if they want to grow.