EDA Office of Foreign Trade • Riverside County, California • USA
November 2012
|
EXPORT
8
W
ith a seemingly endless selection
of guitar bodies, necks, types of wood,
fret boards and colors, JS Technologies/
Suhr Guitars in Lake Elsinore estimates
that is has about 30 million options
for guitar players who embrace every
style, from blues to heavy metal.
Each guitar, however, is made with the
same precision and attention to detail
that has garnered Suhr its reputation
within the industry for producing unique
instruments that are custom made to
help musicians produce exactly the type
of tone and sound they are looking for.
Buyers who typically plunk down several
thousand dollars for a Suhr guitar know
about things like how the moisture level
in a piece of wood will make that piece
of wood sound once it is crafted into a
custom guitar and paired with different
guitar components, most of which Suhr
also makes. A small army of JS/Suhr
craftsmen manufacture everything on a
Suhr guitar except screws and strings.
“
This is our wall of wood,” Larry Campbell,
the company’s director of corporate
strategy, said gesturing towards a
massive selection of mahogany, alder
and other exotic woods in the company’s
headquarters off Interstate 15. “The best
woods come from all over the world. This
business is all about vibrating wood.”
The guitar-playing community has
obviously taken notice. In 15 years in
Lake Elsinore, JS/Suhr has grown from
8,000
square feet to 27,000 square
feet, and the number of employees
has nearly doubled in less than a year,
from 45 to 70. About 40 percent of
the company’s sales are exports.
Working with a series of dealers and
distributorships all over the world, Suhr
connects with guitar aficionados who
are serious about their next instrument.
Build-out – determining everything
about what will go into each instrument
–
can take more than two months. The
custom manufacturing process lasts
anywhere from three months to a year.
“
We’re trying to create the best customer
experience,” Campbell said. “That is our
focus. If you are a guitar guy, this is what
you want, what you are looking for.”
Whether it’s a desire for one
wood over another or frets
made out of nickel on a
stainless steel fret board,
Suhr clients usually know
exactly what they want
and why they want it.
Part of the purchasing
process includes
potential buyers
talking to a company
representative
about their musical
influences, what type
of music they most
often play and what
kind of sound they are trying to produce.
“
Traditionally, you’ve had a couple
of guitars already before you find
your way to us,” said Joshua Smith,
Suhr’s marketing director. “This is
the culmination of what you want,
the pinnacle of what you are looking
for in a playable instrument.”
Suhr Guitars in Lake
Elsinore estimates that
it has about 30 million
options for guitar players
