Is Collings changing after Bill?

[pto]

but with talk about them looking to 3rd parties

i definitely should have emphasized that that was just one phone call, and maybe it was just one of the many options they were looking at going forward at that time, another option being to stay totally in-house. bottom line, to me, i assume that steve is running the show.

as a side-note, making money in their business got more complicated with the increased competition and, big-time, with reverb. at least for the retailers. all different parts of the puzzle - at about the same time - give or take a few months that year, richard hoover volunteered that they were still trying to figure out how to "monetize what we do." (typical RH-speak:)) -- and another big collings and scgc dealer said that reverb had changed the way many of their customers do business, and that things were definitely tighter. i have noticed that that dealer doesn't carry as many scgc and collings for some time now, although they expanded into other brands. the call i got from Collings may have just been research related to the changing way the world is scrutinizing instruments in the internet era. TME, for one, doesn't appear to have slowed down their orders from anyone!

[Eric Jones]

PTO,

What is it about Reverb that is changing the business for manufacturers and retailers? Is their fee cutting into the profit margin? Some dealers list stock on Reverb but others don’t. It seems to be a good resource for finding stock from all builders.

[pto]

this consolidated, to the best of my ability and understanding, for 3 longtime different well-known businesses: essentially it makes it harder and harder to get people into the store, AND if they want to compete ON reverb, then that means another 3% (i think it is now) someone has to pay - dealer or customer - or even consignor. rather than paraphrase any more, here is a quote from spring 2016 from one of the biggest collings dealers.

"... with a number of key factors negatively impacting business. One of them is the consolidation of authorized dealers ... on the Reverb platform. For example, last week I searched for statistics on (new) Collings posted there. More than half of their annual production is posted there. If I were a customer, it would be my go-to place for selection, and a good opportunity to pit one dealer’s pricing against another. ... I understand [another major boutique builder] has been threatening to make a statement about this for several weeks."

in addition, at the time, this retailer was finding that he was getting more returns from buyers who ordered multiple instruments on reverb so they could pick "the best one." more expensive, naturally, but if someone is convinced they can find exactly what they are looking for long distance, why even bother call the shop to get an in-hand description, etc, etc.

i'm no businessman, but i take the word of those who are, that this has caused problems for some.

[elambo]

Reverb is becoming the Amazon of the musical instrument business and putting brick & mortar shops out of business, but that's a different topic, though I suppose it is related in that it's consolidation and greed taking over, and the question in this thread touches on cash-grabbing and a drop in customer service. Thankfully, it seems from those who've responded in this thread, Collings is not taking the company off-path even if a couple of signs might have suggested so.

[pto]

agreed. both points.

[Dwain]

Collings is as much Collings as it has ever been from what I see from my relationship that I have with them.

Collings is solely owned by the Collings family. No outside third party has invested in Collings.

The company was left in the hands of three people that Bill has trusted and has run the company for years.
( Steve, Clint, and Ruth)

I started with Collings as a dealer in October of 2009 and have seen years that they brought a lot of changes and new items to NAMM and some years not as many like this year with the new arch top and Waterloo products.
They had to work out some of the production which has happened more years than I want to remember because we always wanted more. Sometimes I believe we think of Collings as a machine that just cranks out new models and the instruments that we want. In reality they are common people making uncommonly great instruments and they have to retool or take the time to fit everything into place. In my opinion this is as much Bill Collings as it was before he left us. Just do it then figure out how to make it fit into the plan.

Hey on the bright side their were some price drops like the standard D, OM, CW, CJ, C10, O-12, and O-14 models that went back to the TKL cases oh and some of the mandos.

[pto]

great stuff. thanks.

[elambo]

Thanks for your perspective, Dwain!

[pjkesq]

Collings is as much Collings as it has ever been from what I see from my relationship that I have with them.

Collings is solely owned by the Collings family. No outside third party has invested in Collings.

The company was left in the hands of three people that Bill has trusted and has run the company for years.
( Steve, Clint, and Ruth)

I started with Collings as a dealer in October of 2009 and have seen years that they brought a lot of changes and new items to NAMM and some years not as many like this year with the new arch top and Waterloo products.
They had to work out some of the production which has happened more years than I want to remember because we always wanted more. Sometimes I believe we think of Collings as a machine that just cranks out new models and the instruments that we want. In reality they are common people making uncommonly great instruments and they have to retool or take the time to fit everything into place. In my opinion this is as much Bill Collings as it was before he left us. Just do it then figure out how to make it fit into the plan.

Hey on the bright side their were some price drops like the standard D, OM, CW, CJ, C10, O-12, and O-14 models that went back to the TKL cases oh and some of the mandos.

I bought a guitar in 2000 from them and the interaction with the company was spectacular. I have purchased a custom order in July 2018 and am awaiting delivery. My interactions with the company have been exactly the same as they were back in 2000. I am confident that my guitar will be everything I dreamed it would be. I think Bill left the company in great hands and it runs like a well oiled machine!

[Hokiebob]

Thank you Dwain for sharing your personal observations with us. It is all too common for some Message Board posters to adopt a "The sky is falling." attitude about any change.
Certainly a man as smart as Bill Collings, who knew of his impending death, made plans and provisions that the company and the work he started would go on and would continue to benefit his family and his employees.
Those trying to read tea leaves or whatever and coming up with dire predictions are just stirring the pot.