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Groups » The Guitars » Developing Flaxwood guitars -- your input

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04.04.2007, 14:27

jussi

Hey all,

People were asking a bunch of good questions about our guitars in Frankfurt, and making some very useful suggestions for future product development.

Any wishes you have? Features that you'd like to see? Piezos? Midi? Features that you definitely don't want to see going away?

Input here.
- jussi

REPLIES

04.04.2007, 21:58

lars_alexander

What about a Flash-Application that lets you virtually construct a Flaxwood Guitar with all possible combinations of pickups, colours, hardware etc. That way people can enjoy the site and you get some information as to what people like.
(A flash-media player that lets you listen to music
played on flaxwood guitars would be nice, too.)

Anyway, I'd like to see the Laine being equipped with EMG SVs (ivory coloured) and maybe some EMG SPC or other sound accessories.

I can't say it often enough, but I love the "oiled rock brown" colour that was featured on a Fairlane Prototype in the old gallery. There was a very cool red/orange colour as well. So, going for some more colour options would be nice. Those "bursts" are beautiful, sure enough, but lots of people like other colours better.

Piezo could be interesting. I'm not so sure about a MIDI-option. I wouldn't go for one. But others might.

I don't want anything changed concerning the shape and feel of the guitar and neck, though you might think about offering different neck-shapes in the future.
I like them just how they are, but would put some 12-54 strings on.

As for anything beyond that, your guitars are very fashionable :o) you might put out some merchandise... they go fine with leather jackets, I believe... and worn boots. I think that's another reason I like them. (The old gallery showed the guitars photographed outside. There was beautiful sunlight... do some of those again.)
And thus you could do a very beautiful ad-campaign with photographs, short videos of your guitars and their players.

Anything to add? No. "Never change a running system." That was yesterday, when people went mad for re-issues of the "good old stuff", you created something new. And as a guitar-player, I owe you.
Because Flaxwood doesn't mean fiddling in the past, but playing in the present.
Go ahead, and conquer the world with your guitars. And go about it quietly so people don't notice and get afraid ;o)

Anyway, that's how I feel about it.

- lars_alexander

05.04.2007, 15:20

kevin

What I would really like is a bass guitar. I think your commercial director told me you were developing this as we speak. Ofcourse also custom builds available hé :)

No bling bling I like mat style more ... although the oiled version rocks like hell :)

- kevin

07.04.2007, 13:55

laxu

I'd be also really interested in a Flaxwood bass.

I also agree about more color options. Currently there doesn't seem to be any blue colors available. I did see a RZZ with a metallic blue color that looked fantastic in DLX Music though.

Another thing I'd like to see is a few different neck widths and profiles: the current PRSish neck shape/width, a slightly narrower Les Paul style thick neck and an even narrower Strat/Tele style neck.

The body and headstock shapes are perfect. Keep 'em.

- laxu

15.04.2007, 22:33

jussi

Thanks for the input, keep the comments coming! Your feedback is invaluable to us, every suggestion has been noted and will be discussed in product development.

Regarding the colors: are there any particular ones you like especially, and/or ones that you don't feel there's a need for?

- jussi

17.04.2007, 01:20

lars_alexander

to repeat myself yet again:

that oiled rock brown on the prototype laine on the old site

there was a cool(warm) red-orange-ish one, as well

vintage white (sort of ivory coloured) could be cool

but maybe you should do things with the flaxwood texture, the bursts you already offer are nice, but I'd rather go for something not as glossy - so, something matte perhaps?

But all the guitars currently on offer are very fine. Don't change too much in a hurry. You've got great instruments to offer. Eventually people will play and love them - no matter the colour. (Just think of all those people playing those ugly sunburst strats - yuck!)

To raise attention you could offer a multi-colour model, with coloured pickups and hardware, like : 80-ies Hardrock, only that it has to look really good... Steve Vai-ish, maybe.

I thought of a model with Duckbuckers, once, and how cool it would be to add illustrations to body and headstock - an ugly duckling or something. But then, I never played Duckbuckers, I only thought the name was really something :o) (We DO get manipulated/inspired by names and myth... It was a good move of yours, to use finnish names for your models!)

- lars_alexander

22.04.2007, 19:54

lars_alexander

I just read an article about the Rautia in German guitar mag "Gitarre&Bass" where it was mentioned how expensive the mold (?) for one form of guitar or neck was... I take back my suggestion for different neck shapes, since I love them as they are and others will come to like them. Wouldn't make much sense to drive yourself into ruin, just because some player worries about neck shapes or how a Flaxwood doesn't look like a Les Paul... (I'm glad it doesn't)

So, maybe the right direction would be to offer various on-board equipment and colour options (That is what you do right now). Go on then ;o)

And your guitars got quite a good review! Though, they seem to be a bit worried about it not being either a Strat, Tele, SG or LP copy - but that's them conservatives ;o)

Oh, and could you offer something like banners to use as link buttons to your site?

Hope you've got one nice summer up there in Finland!

- lars_alexander

25.04.2007, 00:23

jussi

Hey Lars!

Yes, it's true that the molds we use for mold-injecting the bodies and necks of our guitars are very expensive. This is exactly why so far we only have come out with one design. Depending on the reception it gets, we'll be able to use more resources towards for instance creating alternate body and neck shapes with new molds in the future. Put it this way -- the more all you FW players spread the word and evangelize guitar traditionalists into FW believers, the more we will be able to do with product development as well.

Despite this, and precisely because of this, keep all your suggestions coming on body shapes, neck profiles, anything. Like I've said before, your role in developing the next FW model(s) is invaluable to us. And we definitely see no reason to repeat or rehash the past; Flaxwood is looking to create something new.

Banners should be up on the site shortly. Again, the more the name of the company gets around, the better. I'll definitely be putting some up.

I'm out!

-J

- jussi

26.04.2007, 17:08

davidcarr

As the good people at flaxwood know, I'm a Leikki player and fell in love with the guitar as soon as I saw it. I have spent enough time using it to feel I would like to see another neck profile style close to that of my old ES335 Studio- that is, a 1960's Les Paul 'Slim taper' profile. The Leikki neck is incredible and reminds me of all those 'strat' style guitars I've owned but if I were to have another model to complement the Leikki, it would have a neck shape where the thick curve on the edge of the neck was rounded out. This 'dream' second guitar for me would then have 2 classic PAF humbuckers, 2 volumes (each with a pull single coil tap), a global tone and a three way switch, a sunken trem and a Tobacco finish.
I can dream can't I???

- davidcarr

13.05.2007, 22:39

jussi

I've been getting quite a lot of queries about the possibility of a 24-fret guitar. Also seems that the piezo/tremolo bridge combination is a very attractive one to many. Thoughts?

-J

- jussi

19.05.2007, 07:02

davidcarr

This is myself with old friend David Briggs who was the Guitarist in the legendary Aussie group 'The Little River Band' in it's glory years of the mid 70's through to the eighties. He was endorced by Ibanez and has the most amazing custom 1978 Artist/Musician where the Japanese techs went as far as measuring his hands. His 8 string bass is also something to behold.
We caught up for dinner (and lots of good red wine) and played with my Liekki. He loved it and I would go as far to say he was extremely tempted. He thought the overall feel and equipment layout was 1st class and his only gripe was he felt the neck was a little chunky. Like myself he is a fan of the Gibson 60's slim taper neck and the neck on his Ibanez was modelled on an early 60s ES335 owned by Graham Goble from LRB.
Regarding the 24 fret option, I would only be interested if the overall scale length and pickup layout did not change- I ditched my Custom24 PRS for this Liekki!

- davidcarr

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