Wayne Guitars Rock!!!!!!

Wayne Guitars is a relatively "new" maker of electric guitars but owner and proprietor; Wayne Charvel is no novice when it comes to electric guitars. 

In fact, Wayne is a legend to many of the world's best electric guitarists.  If you know who Eddie Van Halen. Steve Vai, Jake E. Lee, Allen Holdsworth and Warren DiMartini are then you know guys that have played guitars made by Wayne Charvel.  And if his guitars are good enough for these guys, then I think they are good enough for anyone.

So what makes Wayne Guitars so special?  To start with, Wayne can draw on decades of experience when building each guitar and he has passed his knowledge down to his son Michael.  As there are no shareholders or guys on Wall Street to keep happy with quarterly earnings, Wayne can provide a hand made, top-notch electric guitar at a price point that nearly none of his competitors can.  For those that like seeing a behind the scenes view of a luthier at work, Wayne has some very cool videos on his site and on YouTube.  You can also see his guitars in action there as well.

And for those that want a 100% custom-made once-in-a-lifetime guitar, Wayne can build it.  You pick the body wood, pickups, bridge, electronics, neck radius, wood for neck and fingerboard, tuning pegs, knobs and what ever color or custom paint job you can dream up, and Wayne and Michael can bring it to life.  Wayne’s son, Michael, does a lot of the finishing touches and when it comes to custom graphics, he is second to none – see some of the photos of his artwork below.

A beautiful AAAA maple top Wayne Exotic Rock Legend Guitar

Oh yeah, most importantly, Wayne Guitars play like a dream.  And at the end of the day, all the rest is icing on the cake.  The connection between the player's hand and the guitar’s neck and its “action” is where the magic comes from.  This is where the emotion and feeling get translated into motion, sound and expression - this is where music is brought to life and is shared with the world - and Wayne and Michael get that.  Building a musical instrument is as much about engineering and woodworking as it is about art and Wayne Guitars is a master of both.

Yup, that guitar is wrapped in real python - sorry snake lovers.  But Michael can do an amazing airbrushed version that looks just like real snakeskin.

Wayne Guitars' Rock Legend Model

Some of Michael Charvel's paint work - a literal "flame top" on a Rock Legend model

For those that like it simple

Look at that finish!  It may just make purple my new favorite color!

Michael Charvel creating another custom paint job - in leopard.

A beautiful tiger stripe finish.

So head to their site now - and maybe if you’re lucky, Santa will put a Wayne Guitar under your Christmas tree.  And thanks to Wayne and Michael for the photos.

Admit Insights - College Admission Consulting for the 21st Century

While most of the firms covered in this blog are involved in traditional manufacturing, the next company to be featured is not.

Admit Insights is a web-based college admissions consulting company that provides high quality, customized and actionable advice to high school students exploring their options for college via - www.AdmitInsights.com

Who created Admit Insights?

The founders of Admit Insights are some very bright and dedicated people; they include graduates of the United States Military Academy at West Point, a Harvard MBA, a Stanford MBA, executives at Fortune 500 companies and seasoned educational professionals.

The founders came together with a single goal "To advance the pursuit of post secondary school education by providing high quality, low cost, targeted college admissions advice to all". The founders felt strongly that high school students shouldn't need to pay thousands of dollars for a private admissions "consultant" in order to receive quality advice.

How does Admit Insights work?

1. Students log in and create an account.
2. Students populate their profile with their grades, standardized test scores as well as a host of other data that colleges look for in strong candidates.
3. Students select their top 5 schools.
4. Admit Insight's Admission Engine™ goes to work and starts analyzing the data the student has entered and comparing it with their target colleges. And in short order, the report is created and the student can immediately download it.

Students get a 14+ page report specific to their situation with personalized actionable advice on how to strengthen their profile and thereby increase their odds of getting into their "dream school" - and they have unlimited access through graduation.

Students can do "what-if" scenarios for upcoming grades and standardized test, thereby allowing them to forecast and plan their strategy.

All that for less than the price of an average video game and a 100% money back guarantee. Wow!

What makes Admit Insights so unique?

1.    Its Admission Engine™. Admit Insights developed its own proprietary algorithms, databases and engines. These proprietary algorithms and engines have been calibrated by those intimately familiar with colleges'  admission standards. Admit Insights constantly tunes its models and college databases to ensure the advice is accurate and relevant.


2.    No software to purchase or upgrade. Just go to the website using any web-browser. A student's profile and data are password protected and encrypted on Admit Insights server. Students (and parents) never need worry about data loss should their computer crash, get lost or stolen.


3.    Nationwide access 24/7. No matter where a student is located in the United States, they can easily access Admit Insights. This is advantageous for students in rural areas where resources and access to college admission advice and planning are limited.


4.     Students can continually update their data/profile as they progress through high school. New grades, new SAT/ACT scores, new classes – enter the new data to your profile and the Admission Engine™ recalibrate his or her score and profile.


5.    Students can forecast how they may do in future semesters by running "what-if" scenarios.

Start This School Year with Admit Insights and received a 15% discount! - Visit www.admitinsights.com/ and enter the code: "12Admit" at check out

I wish this had been around when I was trying to figure out where to go to college; it would have saved time, stress and money. But then again, when I was in high school the Internet as we know it didn't exist, telephones had cords, a laptop was the size of a small suitcase, a cell phone was the size of a 10lb dumbbell, music had just come out on CDs….and dinosaurs walked the earth………how technology is changing the world.

A.S. Tees - Great Tee Shirts Made In The U.S.A.!

A while ago I received a marketing mailer from the good ole' United States Postal Service (USPS).  The mailer targeted marketers and covered various capabilities that the USPS had in direct marketing that were also environmentally friendly.  The USPS also had a short survey they asked recipients to compete.  As an incentive/reward for completing the survey, I would get an organic cotton tee shirt.  

Nice. But it's no iPad/iPod/iTouch/iPhone. As all good marketers know, you can get people to do just about anything by offering the chance to win any product with an "i" in front of its name from that little tech company in California that's named after the pomaceous fruit of the Malus domestica. Complete a survey, walk 10 yards through molten lava, swim across a river full of starved piranha with an exceptionally bad disposition, skydive without a parachute, climb Everest without oxygen, slather themselves with Stubb's BBQ sauce and enter a lion's den or the lair of the rainbow speckled north-eastern Mexican chupacabra…….you get the picture. But that is the topic for another post – perhaps.

Fast forward a week or two and the tee shirt arrived.  It had the name of the USPS campaign emblazoned on the front as well as the USPS logo - nothing surprising there.  What was surprising was when I went to check the shirt size the label said Made in USA!!!!  I couldn't believe it! From my unscientific observation, every t-shirt that I have purchased over the past 5 years has come from all corners of the world except the USA. Moreover, this t-shirt was very well made and comfortable to boot.  I immediately flipped the label to get the name of the company.........A.S. Tees.

I immediately started searching the Internet to find out more about A.S. Tees and to see if they had website.  And it was pretty neat what I found on their website.
 
"A.S. Tees was formed in 1997 as a private label t-shirts manufacturer. Over the years, we have expanded our scope of operations to include distribution of our own line of products under the A.S. Tees label and manufacturing custom designs. Our primary goal, however, still remains the same- to make fantastic products at great prices, domestically. A.S. Tees strives to keep the manufacturing in the U.S. while staying competitive. Our garments are made in the Southeastern United States. Much of our production is achieved at A.S. Tees Manufacturing, our production facility in Salley, South Carolina."

A.S. Tees' employees are provided with a healthy work environment. Employees are provided with benefits such as retirement plans, paid vacations, and health and dental coverages. We feel that our satisfied employees help us deliver a quality and competitive product to our customers.

As a response for the need to better our earth, we are proud to introduce our new eco-friendly line. Make a difference for your future with what you wear today. Less pesticides, minimal water consumption, resilient bamboo plants, replace man-made fertilizers; these all come down to one factor, a healthier planet. You can help make a difference, too."

While A.S. Tees is a private label manufacturer, if your company or organization is in need of lots of t-shirts for a company event, trade show, product launch, employee give-a-ways, etc., you should give A.S. Tees serious consideration.

Below are just a fraction of the styles and colors they offer.

 

Wow! A.S. Tees actively attempts to make all of its products in the U.S.A., provides its employees with meaningful benefits and produce shirts made with minimal impact to the environment. Oh yeah, all that and the quality is great. What more could a patriotic shopper ask for? Nothing! So go buy some Tees from A.S. Tees now.

McIntosh Labs!! Consumer Electronics Still Made in USA! Yes, You Read That Right.

Over the past 30 years, the US has seen its consumer electronics manufacturing capabilities all but disappear. Some of the most venerated American brands have been relegated to the dustbin and other once iconic names live on only through 3rd party licensing deals. And while there are numerous reasons for the near extinction of this sector of manufacturing; from foreign nations dumping products in the US below market cost, labor/management issues and a lack of political will, the company I'm about to profile has weathered trends and economic cycles for over 60 years and they are still going strong! Nestled in Binghamton, N.Y., meet McIntosh – and no, they are not part of, or affiliated with, Apple/Jobs et al.

“McIntosh makes the finest amplifier there is.” - Les Paul.

For those unfamiliar with Les Paul, he impacted literally every form of music you hear today. For starters, think of Jimmy Page, Slash, Jeff Beck and Al Di Meola. Odds are when you see them perform they are playing a Gibson Les Paul model solid body electric guitar. Other musicians that use the Les Paul include Alex Lifeson, Zakk Wylde, Pete Townshend, and even Paul McCartney. This legendary guitar was created by Les Paul and Ted McCarty, then the President of the Gibson Guitar Company. The Gibson Les Paul was one of the first solid body electric guitars and it has changed very little since the 1950’s when it was introduced.

How many products are revolutionary, then remain essentially unchanged and then become a standard in their realm? So you don’t listen to that loud rock n’ roll music? Well consider that literally every single recorded song in the last 50+ years has benefitted from Les’ innovations in multi-track recordings. So now you know about Les Paul - and why an endorsement coming from him carries the weight that it does.

So What Makes McIntosh Special – Other Than Being Made in The USA and Earning Les Paul’s Ringing Endorsement?

Well, think of McIntosh as the Buggati or Ferrari of audio - performance, innovation, endurance and a rich history. In fact, McIntosh has 35 U.S. Patents. Moreover, McIntosh is considered the "Holy Grail" of sound reproduction by audiophiles around the world. A large part of McIntosh’s legendary quality and performance comes from the fact that they do their own research and development. In addition to great R&D, all of their products are still made by hand in their Binghamton, N.Y., facility. McIntosh is the last remaining audio and home theater electronics company in the USA that maintains in-house product development/R&D and manufacturing right here in the USA without the use of subcontractors or outsourcing.

McIntosh makes a complete line of audio and video products that include video displays, source units, power amps, pre-amps, loudspeakers and car audio. Below are some photos of their products. But I would suggest going to one of their dealers, so that you can HEAR their products.

While McIntosh does not make a product for every market segment, there may not be a better company in the world making high-end audio and home theater systems. If you are a music and tone fanatic then you must check them out. And like most high-end manufactures they do not sell their products at “box stores”, rather they market their legendary products through a network of independent dealers.

If you are looking for proof that America can still design and BUILD world class audio and video products, look no further than McIntosh. The gold standard in audio electronics around the world – made right here in the USA.

Wow! Santa Cruz Guitars and McKinley Leather Still Make Their Products in the USA!

As promised, this post will introduce two American firms that still make their products in the USA.  I'm a proud and very staisified customer of both, so I figured, they should get the honor of being the first two companies profiled. 

Santa Cruz Guitar Company

The first company that I will profile is the Santa Cruz Guitar Company.  Santa Cruz makes some of the most amazing acoustic guitars in the world.  All of their guitars are handmade in Santa Cruz, California.  Founded, and still run, by Richard Hoover, Santa Cruz Guitars are played by some of the most respected and influential musicians in the world - Eric Clapton, Tony Rice, Gary Moore, Robert Plant, Doc Watson, Glen Frey, Dickey Betts, Otis Taylor and Jimmy Buffet - just to name a few.  Richard and his master luthiers hand craft every guitar. 


To quote Richard Hoover, "It's not easy to tell some of the world's best musicians that we simply don't supply anyone complimentary instruments to leverage an endorsement (ed. this is a very common practice in the music business).  Surprisingly the response has been "that's cool, here are my specs, call when it's ready".  That is the truest endorsement as to the sonic timbre and incredible playability of Santa Cruz acoustic guitars.  Below you can see a few of Santa Cruz's new 1929 models.

And below is a beautiful example of the Santa Cruz D - one of their many versions of the uber successful "Dreadnaught" acoustic guitar design.  This guitar is the workhorse of many folk, country, bluegrass and rock players due to its great balance, power, tone and dynamics.

I still find it amazing that after nearly 7 years of owning their "D"  model, that every time I play it, I'm still astounded by its sound.  How many products or instruments can keep on impressing an owner years after buying them?  Well, my Santa Cruz D is still enchanting me.....but I do hear the melody of one with Brazilian Rosewood beckoning me........like a siren to a sailor.




McKinley American Leathercrafters


The second company I will profile is McKinley American Leathercrafters, a family owned manufacturer of high quality leather products. 

I came across McKinley while looking for a new leather padfolio.  I was absolutley determined not to buy a leather portfolio unless it was made in the USA.  After doing a bunch of Googling I found McKinley.  I went through their website and was impressed with their story (family owned and their factory is in the USA) and the look of their products.  Sure enough, I located exactly what I was looking for - a leather padfolio in tan or cognac.  But I had a few questions since I couldn't hold the product in my hand or see it person and I needed it super fast, so I pick up the phone and called McKinley.  I spoke with Derrick and he was very helpful and made some good suggestions.  In short McKinley's cutomer service was great and the padfolio arrived on time.  When the padfolio arrived it surpassed my expectations.  The quality and feel of the product is excellent as was the care it was packed and presented.  I was very happy to find McKinley and that their shop is so well run.  Below is the padfolio in a variety of colors offered by McKinley.

Now some readers of this blog may not be aware of the fact that many of the "up-scale" leather goods merchants/manufacturers no longer make their products in the USA. When I emailed two of the better known companies to find out where their portfolios are made, I was informed by one that their portfolios were made in China and the other maker said they "source" from multiple countries - but not the USA.  But here's an interesting fact. Both of these companies moved the bulk, if not all, of their manufacturing offshore and yet they charge the same or more for their products than does McKinley.

Now I'm not a Nobel Prize winner in economics and I didn't go to Wharton or Harvard for an MBA but it struck me that despite manufacturing overseas these two high-end purveyors could not (or didn't care to) be competitive on pricing with a firm manufacturing the same goods in the USA.  Labor is pennies on the dollar in China, India and Pakistan compared to the USA. Moreover, any theoretical savings in manufacturing overseas does not seem to trickle back to the US consumer or, based on these two firm's stock performance, to their shareholders (both firms are publicly traded).  The questions that beg to be answered is that if outsourcing is done to stay "competitive", then why do their products cost more?  And if they are concerned about "shareholder" value, then why have both stocks underperformed the market and do not have a history of issuing increasingly robust dividends?  Hmmm...

So if you are looking for high quality leather goods such as portfolios, journals, organizers, binders, padfolios, planners, business cases, photo albums or scrapbooks - that are made in the good ole' USofA - as a nice bonus - visit McKinley's website or give them a call - I did. And I can heartily recommend them.

Reagan insider: GOP Destroyed Economy - Paul B. Farrell - MarketWatch

This is an extremely interesting read due to David Stockman's CV and his analysis of how the U.S. economy went off the tracks.  And having read Paul Farrell's column for years, he is pretty evenhanded in his view of things.  So let's go....


Please note, this site is neither pro-Republican nor anti-Democrat nor vice versa.  There is plenty of blame to lay at the feet of both parties.

But what do I know?  I went to a state university and write a blog.  So don't listen to me.  However, you may want to read the words of America's first President on the topic of parties.   Below is a section of President George Washington's Farewell Address in 1796 that warns about political parties:

"The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of public liberty.

Without looking forward to an extremity of this kind (which nevertheless ought not to be entirely out of sight), the common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it.

It serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which finds a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions. Thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another."

"However combinations or associations of the above description may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely, in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion."


Now onward to the article.

By Paul B. Farrell, MarketWatch 

Aug. 10, 2010, 12:45 a.m. EDT

ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. (MarketWatch) -- "How my G.O.P. destroyed the U.S. economy." Yes, that is exactly what David Stockman, President Ronald Reagan's director of the Office of Management and Budget, wrote in a recent New York Times op-ed piece, "Four Deformations of the Apocalypse."

Get it? Not "destroying." The GOP has already "destroyed" the U.S. economy, setting up an "American Apocalypse."

But why focus on Stockman's message? It's already lost in the 24/7 news cycle. Why? We need some introspection. Ask yourself: How did the great nation of America lose its moral compass and drift so far off course, to where our very survival is threatened?Yes, Stockman is equally damning of the Democrats' Keynesian policies. But what this indictment by a party insider -- someone so close to the development of the Reaganomics ideology -- says about America, helps all of us better understand how America's toxic partisan-politics "holy war" is destroying not just the economy and capitalism, but the America dream. And unless this war stops soon, both parties will succeed in their collective death wish.

We've arrived at a historic turning point as a nation that no longer needs outside enemies to destroy us, we are committing suicide. Democracy. Capitalism. The American dream. All dying. Why? Because of the economic decisions of the GOP the past 40 years, says this leading Reagan Republican.

Please listen with an open mind, no matter your party affiliation: This makes for a powerful history lesson, because it exposes how both parties are responsible for destroying the U.S. economy. Listen closely: Click here to read the entire story.

Thank You Andy Grove!

Welcome to my shameless and grossly slanted blog about America's decline as a leader in manufacturing.  I don't like it. And if you don't either then you came to the right place.  If you are indifferent or do not believe the decline in manufacturing is a significant problem, the information in this blog may just change your perspective.  The bottom-line is that the loss of manufacturing jobs and related infrastructure are a threat to our economy, social stability and national security.  But don't take my word for it - further below are some of the "Titans" of American industry and their view of the situation.

In the July 1, 2010 edition of BloombergBusinessWeek, Andy Grove, the former Chairman and CEO of Intel penned a great commentary How America Can Create Jobs.  While Mr. Grove outlines a well structured and multi-faceted plan to create more quality jobs in America, the stark reality of why we need to create jobs in the good ole' USofA is because for the past twenty-five years American corporations have moved significant amounts of production and knowledge capital overseas for a variety of reasons.

And what do other leaders of industry, besides Mr. Grove, think?  BloombergBusinessWeek's Can the Future be Built in America article states that: "At a National Business Summit panel in Detroit in mid-June (2009), Dow Chemical (DOW) CEO Andrew N. Liveris and Ford Motor (F) Executive Chairman William Clay Ford Jr. both openly called for "industrial policy," a term not heard much since the U.S. was under siege from Japanese cars, chips, and steel in the early 1980s. General Electric (GE) CEO Jeffrey R. Immelt declared that GE had probably gone too far in outsourcing manufacturing, engineering, and back-office service work and lambasted as "flat wrong" the notion that the U.S. could remain an economic superpower by relying on services and consumer buying."

As a direct result of this long-term exodus of production, America has lost hundreds of thousands of manufacturing positions and perhaps even the ability for American start-up firms to scale their operations here. Moreover, loss of manufacturing erases the hands on experience, knowledge capital and collective know how that is not easily replaced or replenished quickly.

So now what? 

This blog will look to tackle this issue from two angles.  First, companies that manufacture a majority of their products here in the United States should be highlighted and given kudos especially if they were the inventors, are market leaders or have a reputation for outstanding quality.  Second, this blog can serve as a brainstorming/best practice resource for increasing manufacturing excellence and related jobs in the United States. 

So what can readers of this blog do besides reading it?  Participate in the discussion and solution.  Do you know of a great product that is made in the USA that perhaps the American consumer isn't aware of?  Is there a great product still made in the USA but facing possible extinction due to imports or lack of distributor awareness?  What about American companies that manufacture goods for B2B and not consumers?  Send the info and it will get posted!

My next post will cover two American companies that make great products by hand.  While they are in different industries, they are succeeding at what they do - making great products here in the USA. And you should know about them.