The company was determined not to lay off any of its employees, and implemented a few measures to assure it wouldn’t need to.
…given the special woodworking skills involved in guitar making, Martin wanted to avoid layoffs. The company figured it is better to find a way to keep workers occupied than face the challenge of having to train new ones after the economy recovers. The solution: Copy what many big retailers do by offering a lower-priced alternative. The dilemma was how to do that without sacrificing quality or muddying its image.
Accordingly, the company introduced The 1 Series in April of this year. The guitars lack inlay adornment, use “a type of lacquer that doesn’t require time-consuming polishing” and feature solid wood construction (no plywood). The price point is under $1000.
It’s great to see a company concerned about its employees, and turning out a quality product that people can afford and will enjoy.
Way to go Martin!
Note: The link to the online article will only be available for 7 days from today for non-subscribers.
