Official Luthiers Forum!

With Intuit there are limitation but everything is quite easy to manage.

Let me know if there is any glaring omission or any bad form....or whatever. It's simple enough to fix. I have a lot more guitars to list and a detailed photo spread of each one so that's all coming soon.

www.stuartkeithguitars.com

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I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

It is just enough on the spartan side, which is what I like. There's enough information without being inundated. The one thing that I found missing was a return to home icon while visiting the pages.
I think that I could easily fall in love with Elise, Stuart!

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

The home page is sort of long so your menu ( Features, Inventory..., about) is off the bottom of my screen, and I had to look around before I found the menu. I would have them up at the top. I would also make the pictures links into your web site. Let's say I see Molly and really like it, I would naturally click on it to find out more.

It would also be good if you maintained site navigation on each of the pages, do not make the user have to use the back button for navigation.

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http://www.Harvestmoonguitars.com

Ditto John -- clicking on the pictures getting to an awesome description link is important.

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

Stuart, I think you've done a nice job on the site. And your guitars look great.

One caveat. Please don't refer to yourself in the third person. "Stuart did/does this or that..." It's your site, you're the one talking. Take ownership. I did this. I do that. I do this because...

There is no great disembodied narrator out there telling your story. You have to tell it. And honestly? It's way more compelling that way. Imagine someone's in your shop and you're talking to them about what you do. The person on your site is, in fact, in your shop. Always remember that.

Having said all that, nicely done. And beautiful guitars.

Steve

Yes...that third person thing is goofy. I went back and forth, writing it both ways and to tell you the truth, these thing always seem better in the first person to me. I listened to someone else tell me I should eliminate first person references. Now that I've gotten advice to do it both ways I can do it like I wanted to do it in the first place.

I added a site map to every page and a home button as well....and kicked them up to the top of the page.

I planned on setting up links to each model and have a nice photo and design description of each model....but I only have photo spreads of Elise and Molly for the time being. So that's coming eventually.

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I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

When you are on the home page the home page link should be disabled etc.
Don't say your inventory guitars are enjoyed by yourself. (a lot of folks will see this as a used guitar and as such less valuable)
Your explanations about ordering and your "about" page are too wordy. Be more concise in your language or have someone who has done some editing fix it.
The three guitars are very nice but the graphic layout of the text on the home page doesn't quite work.

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Michael F Smith
Goat Rock Ukulele
http://goatrockukulele.com

Just a quick impression over a breakfast java.
The third person thing, please, drop it.
Get it proof read, e.g.
Also doesn't add anything to the value of the guitars - evaluation, yes, enjoying them is what prospective customers do.
In the "about" section maybe you want to stress the luthier aspect a bit more. I realize the color printing experience and pilot/prop maker part are emphasizing quality.
I know your work speaks for itself, but do prospective customers?
But, are you a self taught builder, supported by "internet friends", or a skilled craftsman, driven by the dream, bringing it to reality.
Also are any of your guitars out there - anyone well known? Anyone apart from yourself played them even?
Sorry for the ramblings, need another cup.
Classy guitars, well thought out and put together, reasonable prices.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Looks good but, just to pick nits, I'd reduce image file sizes, particularly the home page. You want it to load quickly, even for stone age dial up types like me (...took over 5 minutes!)

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Dave
Milton, ON

Love it .

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The Shallower the depth of the stream , The Louder the Babble !
The Taking Of Offense Is the Life Course Of The Stupid One !
Wanna Leave a Better Planet for our Kids? How about Working on BETTER KIDS for our Planet !
Forgiveness is the ability to accept an apology that you will probably NEVER GET
The truth will set you free , But FIRST, it will probably Piss you Off !
Creativity is allowing yourself to make Mistakes, Art is knowing which ones to Keep !
The Saddest thing anyone can do , is push a Loyal Person to the point that they Dont Care Anymore
Never met a STRONG person who had an EASY past !
http://wiksnwudwerks.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/groups/GatewayA ... rAssembly/

I got in after the changes and I like it too - well done.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Nice looking website, Stuart, and very impressive guitars. I caught one typo, I think. On the Order/Inventory page you write that the tuners on the guitars are "Gotah 510 Mini". Unless I'm mistaken, it's Gotoh, with two O's.

I sent you a PM, Stuart.

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Alain Moisan
Former full time builder of Acoustics, Classicals and Flamencos.
(Now building just for fun!)

Looks pretty nice, Stu. There is still one "myself" on the "About" page that could be changed to "me", or that sentence could be reconstructed to say, "I built......".

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Great work on the site Stu and better still, gotta say what excellent guitars.
As alluded to by some others concise is always best and first person is strongest. If I was to really nitpick then drop the term 'more or less' (wishy washy) and use is or does re string paths and swap out the word fellows (which could still possibly alienate some ladies/female players) for a word like makers or even luthiers. But pretty bloody well done i reckon.

Steve

Free proof reading.

This is great guys...you are keeping me pretty busy.

Thanks all for responding...very helpful.

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I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

No, I haven't slept at a Holiday in Express lately but I watch MadMen religiously.... I think what's missing is "Why Stuart Keith Guitars?" section where you close them.

Overall, I like everything I saw and your guitars are gorgeous. I think you just need to add a closer section. Channel your inner Don Draper and write a paragraph or two describing what it's all about to get in the head of your target buyer and connect with them.

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http://www.birkonium.com CNC Products for Luthiers
http://banduramaker.blogspot.com

I checked your site when I got home from the Marylhurst show, and the changes you've made after the critiques gathered here have already made it much more navigable and inviting. You were smart to ask folks who spend a lot of time looking at guitar websites to take a look at your guitar website.

If you haven't ventured over to http://www.mimf.com, there might be some more fresh eyes to give your site a click or two.

Not sure you can link to your own site at MIMF. Might check the rule first.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

There are a couple of typos here and there. Brazilian rodewood ?

Nice site, I enjoyed it.

How do you like the Duncan p-rails ? Do the do the clean/articulate sound well ?

-jd

Stuart,
The amazing precision and refinement of your guitars makes them seem as though they come from the future. To my eye, your website appears to belong in the past. I find it clunky, awkward and dated; the antithesis of your work. Sorry to be blunt, but that's how it looks to me.

Good design is hard to define, but my basic recommendation would be that you consider revising the aesthetic so that it features full screen (or at least very large) photographs, black type over white backgrounds, and significantly less copy. Show off your beautiful work and let it speak for itself! You're not selling black sand. So why is it taking up all that real estate?

Google search "portfolio website" and you will surely find many excellent examples of clean, modern designs that you might emulate. Or not. It's your site. But you did ask for critiques.

Best regards,

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George :-)

Websites to promote interest and sales are works in progress --- always. Yours is a good start. As I mentioned we found its very important to have logical links (people like to click!). Make sure you have contact us links all over the place, have a text version typed below too, since sometimes a user's browser is unable to process the link properly depending on their email service. No need to obsess about style points for the Website, those going there will be Googling electric guitars not website design.

The "contact us" -- will be your best tool for improving the site -- the questions people ask will be your guide to what information is missing/needed -- easy as that.

Our http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/ and http://www.cncguitarproducts.com/ are extremely simplistic in design but I can assure you they service us very well.

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

Custom-built electric guitars are luxury items. Potential buyers are relatively well-educated and wealthy. They have discerning tastes and value the experience of making a purchase at least as much as they value the item itself. They seek emotional connections with artisans and cherish the stories behind the work. Give them more of the experience they desire and you will sell more guitars. Pretty simple stuff. I believe that larger pictures, coupled with succinct text that is presented in a more legible manner will increase Stuart's chances of enticing his potential buyers into initiating contact. If this make me a design snob, I guess I'll just have to live with it.

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George :-)

This is exactly what I meant when I said "channel your inner Don Draper".

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http://www.birkonium.com CNC Products for Luthiers
http://banduramaker.blogspot.com

Stuart,
Here's my take on things: On your main menu, put "about" first, on the left side.
Put live links on each of your model pictures. As a browser, I want to know what went into each of those axes.
"Features" is okay, but doesn't mean much to me if I can't first read about features by direct linking from your model pictures.

I think your guitars are prettier than mine. But your website currently lacks depth. So..... add some depth to it. Before you do, go to a couple dozen other guitar builders' sites and browse them. Ask yourself what those sites have that your site doesn't. Go from there.

Offered in the best possible spirit with hopes for your ultimate success! Also offered from the perspective of a career marketing guy.

Patrick