Five Minutes With

LYMAN GUITAR CO.’S STAFF

By Brian Berk

South Carolina-based Lyman Guitar Co. had an excellent Summer NAMM show, with some MI retailers seeing the company for the first time and subsequently placing purchase orders. We reached out to the company to hear about its Summer NAMM success, the company itself, plus much more. In return, five members of the Lyman team joined us: founders Art Tantiyawarong and Sophia Woods, as well as marketing and sales representatives Marina Xaykosy, Jordan Atkins and Jake Hammett. Let’s learn much more about Lyman Guitar, which is actively seeking MI retailers to sell its products.

The Music & Sound Retailer: Let’s start off with how the company got started:

Sophia Woods: We got started as retailers. We have been in the MI industry for 15 years. Four years ago, we decided to try something new. First, we decided to distribute accessories. But alongside of that, we thought, What if we make amps? In order to do that, we had to put a lot of thoughts together involving manufacturing and more. We also came up with the name Lyman, which is the name of the town [in South Carolina] we work and live in. We wanted to name the company Lyman to contribute back to our community. Many supporters in town helped us during times of difficulties. Here we are now. In addition to making amps, we decided to make guitars to match the amps.

The Retailer: The guitars were on full display at your booth at Summer NAMM. Can you tell us more about them and what makes them cool?

Art Tantiyawarong: We initially imported guitars from China. We took the neck off and started over here [in the United States], because the quality control from China to the U.S. was not what we wanted. Anyone who plays our guitars will see we try to make the necks the best we can. We want to make sure beginning guitarists do not stop playing the guitar. Our guitars are easy to play and they fly off the shelves. They have been selling great for us. We are doing everything here in South Carolina.

The Retailer: Having enough supply has been a problem for several companies. Do you have the supply ready to send to MI retailers?

Woods: Yes, we definitely have the supply.

The Retailer: What were your thoughts about Summer NAMM and how did you do as a company during the show?

Woods: We did great. It was our first NAMM together as a team. We have been to Summer NAMM [separately] three times, but this was our best Summer NAMM. We were just hoping to meet and greet people at the show to introduce the guitars and the amps. We did not expect so many people to come to us. It was a wonderful experience all around. Marina, Jake and Jordan were there as our marketing team, and we were looking for feedback. We wanted people to let us know what we can do better. We got great feedback from many dealers.

Tantiyawarong: And we got great feedback from many [NAMM] Top 100 dealers. Eighty percent of the Top 100 dealers who visited us signed up with us.

Marina Xaykosy: Marketing-wise, the feedback

allows us to brand ourselves more. I took the NAMM experience as a learning experience and a way for us to connect to people, especially with COVID. Going to Summer NAMM was very special for us. It brought us closer to our customers. Just being there was incredible.

The Retailer: Marina, now that you had a successful NAMM show, how will you get the Lyman name out more?

Xaykosy: The goal right now is to use the experience we all had at NAMM to push the reconnection to our customers. Being able to meet with all of those people let us take the feedback, learn about their experiences and learn what they think of our guitars, and use that feedback when we make our products. We will use that information to create and remodel our products.

The Retailer: Can you give us some information about your specific products?

Xaykosy: We went to NAMM with three new releases, including our USA model guitar. That product has actually become much more popular than we thought it would. We featured the LT400H, an archtop model. We also had our LT200, our newest model, which is basically a second entry-level product. We also have the LS-300.

Woods: We built everything with the idea of making Teles and Strats first. We have entry-level and intermediatelevel models that roughly have a base price between $200 and $350 MSRP. We recently visited a guitar dealer in North Carolina, Guitar Wishes. We were supposed to be there for two or three hours and we ended up staying there the entire day. We really got to connect.

Tantiyawarong: They said [at Guitar Wishes] that after trying the neck, the guitar could easily sell for $600.

Woods: A lot of people at Summer NAMM thought our guitars would sell for $600 also. They were [surprised in a good way]. They thought they could sell it right now. As Art mentioned, it is about making products that are affordable and of great quality and playability for musicians. And make sure they do not need to get it fixed; they do not need to go to a luthier and spend another $200 or $300 to do so.

The Retailer: At Summer NAMM, there were not a lot of the largest MI manufacturers exhibiting. Was that a plus for you, as you got to spend more time with retailers?

Woods: Most definitely. Our little company got to shine [laughs].

The Retailer: In addition to supply of course, MI retailers are looking for excellent margins when they sell your products. Can you tell us your goals in terms of margins?

Woods: Regarding supplies, we do have inventory. We want to make sure the quality is very high and the products are ready to sell once retailers receive them. It takes about a week to get everything going. From the MAP price, we provide 35 points of margin. We are revamping our website so everything has a list price. Retailers definitely can make money from selling our products. We have the supply, and our products are providing a better margin than most [competitors]. We also do not have a big buy-in. You order six pieces to start, and we go from there. We are family owned. Our team is right here [on the call]. We also have a luthier who is not here today. We work as a team to make it all happen. We work with the customer and build a long-term relationship versus short-term. The relationship works both ways. We help each other. We always listen to what our customers have to say. That is the key.

The Retailer: The pandemic has brought on more guitar players. Have you been able to sell more products as a result?

Woods: Yes. During the pandemic, we all worried about what would happen. Everyone was getting antsy, as they should. When our governor said we had to close, we asked, What do we do? Our online presence really shined. We were also delivering to customers’ doorsteps in our local areas. Things we had in the warehouse, we had to reorder quickly. We started by advertising for beginners about our $100 guitars.

Tantiyawarong: One month, we sold 50 guitars just on deliveries we made to people’s doors.

Woods: Things have really soared since then. We are blessed we had the opportunity to sell our products.

The Retailer: Are you optimistic about the future of the guitar industry? How do we keep the new guitarists involved?

Jordan Atkins: As far as keeping players involved in the industry, I do not see it as an issue, especially in our area. With our storefront, we have events and really support the community around us. With our guitars, honoring the Lyman name is really important. Going forward, as long as things do not shut down again, I definitely think we will keep many of the guitarists. Woods: So many musicians want to go out and play live too. We have always been optimistic. We push forward and keep ourselves busy while interacting with everyone. Even though we are a luxury industry, I see people who want guitars, and I think it will keep going. Whether it is playing at concerts or at home as a hobby, people want to play.

Tantiyawarong: I have attended The NAMM Show for 14 years. I was never worried people will stop playing the guitar. AI [artificial intelligence] can replace a lot of things, but not the feeling of putting your hands on a guitar.

Woods: During Summer NAMM, I was surprised to meet a lot of music schools in addition to retail stores. It is really good to know that we are teaching the younger generation.

The Retailer: Looking to the future, are your working on any new products? How about exhibiting at Winter NAMM?

Woods: What do you guys think?

Xaykosy: We are going to Anaheim!

Woods: We are getting a lot of inquiries about new guitars and amps.

Tantiyawarong: We have received orders for future products that have been more than we expected.