Hardluck Kings Guitars

BillClay · Post by **BillClay** » Wed Jun 01, 2011 3:30 pm

sup brahs, just got done chillaxing at this boss party with some of my bros and Chad "The Cougerman" Cougerman brought out this sweet guitar, and even though it was like a guitar hero guitar, y'know, the kind that doesn't have a hole in the middle, he started playing that thing and I'd of sworn Jack Johnson was in the room, playing that song he wrote for the Curious George movie. He let me play it and it felt like tits, like I almost felt like Dave Mathews was there with me, standing really close behind me, breathing hot pepperoni breath in my ear, showing me how to mute all the strings except one and just play those sweet chunk a chunk rhythms that drive the Poopy Gamma Beta Hydroxy girls wild. Totes bitching broseph BUY HARD DUCK GUITARS

Viljami · Post by **Viljami** » Wed Jun 01, 2011 3:55 pm

I like this thread.

Then again, I am a moron. AND STILL I WOULD NOT TOUCH THAT HLK SHIT.

If you, dear owner/worker of the aforementioned company wish to use my quote in your marketing, feel free to do so. You have my blessing.

-Viljami

-->and as a bassplayer I'd never join TalkBass, partly because of the restrictions, partly because it sounds like a meeting ground for the "OMG LOLZ LOOK AT MY NEW BOUTIQUE BASS! 100% HERRINGBONE etc.etc.etc. Plus I bet those folks love slapping.

Billy3000 · Post by **Billy3000** » Thu Jun 02, 2011 1:33 am

ekwatts wrote: It looks like a site made by douches for douches.

FYI trying to sue people over the internet ALWAYS WORKS.

Agreed... I bet they wear a lot of ed hardy clothing, and I bet they also enjoy watching UFC fights and drinking bud light.

colabonham wrote: -->and as a bassplayer I'd never join TalkBass, partly because of the restrictions, partly because it sounds like a meeting ground for the "OMG LOLZ LOOK AT MY NEW BOUTIQUE BASS! 100% HERRINGBONE etc.etc.etc. Plus I bet those folks love slapping.

Yea that's the other major half of the talkbass community. I'd say it's about half old fogey classic rock types, and half slappers with basses that look like coffee tables.

StevePirates · Post by **StevePirates** » Thu Jun 02, 2011 2:10 am

The bombshell model is facially defeated, therefor I find the guitars to be terrible.

ultratwin · Post by **ultratwin** » Thu Jun 02, 2011 2:20 am

I bit my tongue and didn't post the first time the thread appeared. I obviously don't know the guy or how he got the business started, but these are my personal observations and opinions regarding stuff.

- Cheap guitar market is a red ocean with insane competition. In other words, good luck even if one's business model is set to snag the appeal of every rocking teen in North America.

- Squier and Epiphone have the power and connections to get a squillion MIC models made cheap and easily distributed.

- Dozens of Chinese OEM factories and their services are at your disposal every NAMM to entice an opportunity, many worth jumping at if you've got heaps of money to blow on a creative guitar venture of your teen dreams.

- Going new and cheap in terms of branding (as opposed to a jumpstarted Hagstrom, Kay, etc. already with an established name) is a hugely risky affair, but what are the options?

- Classic guitar shapes almost always have the potential to be cool, but there's more to the recipe than that.

- Emphasis on gimmicks (read: nothing to do with an active marketing strategy that focuses on tone, longevity, and universal appeal for that matter) may be the only thing one may have to resort to while attempting to do business in this price range, to get the attention of the masses.

- Factory-applied stickers and decals are almost always tacky as acne. Big company logo stickers are the absolute no-no.

- Being a relatively new face on the guitar scene, fake tattoos, half-naked models, cheap dynamic microphones void of specs with a guitar company's sticker on them, and a collection of other swag while still not established in the industry unfortunately won't necessarily make people want to go out and want to be seen with such a company's guitar.. I'd like to suggest it all having the completely opposite effect.

- So much less-than-postive criticism of appearance noted by average Joe guitarists here and elsewhere may be worth seriously noting, regardless of the seemingly purported niche displayed in how Hard Luck Kings seem to be marketed. HLK may still have a chance not to pull an obstinate Gibson on this venture, and still come out in the black by the end of the fiscal year 2012.

In closing: Hard shell case is a nice addition, folks seem to say they're built well, pricing ain't that bad. Lose the tacky stickers and the "ZOMG, I'm trying so hard with all of these branded items on my website" and focus on guitars. Good luck with a better approach to marketing a hard to sell series in this red ocean, and best wishes.

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Thu Jun 02, 2011 8:55 am

BillClay wrote:sup brahs, just got done chillaxing at this boss party with some of my bros and Chad "The Cougerman" Cougerman brought out this sweet guitar, and even though it was like a guitar hero guitar, y'know, the kind that doesn't have a hole in the middle, he started playing that thing and I'd of sworn Jack Johnson was in the room, playing that song he wrote for the Curious George movie. He let me play it and it felt like tits, like I almost felt like Dave Mathews was there with me, standing really close behind me, breathing hot pepperoni breath in my ear, showing me how to mute all the strings except one and just play those sweet chunk a chunk rhythms that drive the Poopy Gamma Beta Hydroxy girls wild. Totes bitching broseph BUY HARD DUCK GUITARS

lels!

Sloan · Post by **Sloan** » Tue Jan 17, 2012 7:41 pm

I'm bumping this because they have fucking firebird style guitars shipped with a case for like under $400. shit is UNHEARD OF. Also, the LP styles look like they're made the same as the Dean Evo's and Schecter Solo series - that means fucking quality. I am pissed that the firebirds are called spiders and have goddamn spider inlays, but what the fuck ever.

mkt3000 · Post by **mkt3000** » Tue Jan 17, 2012 7:47 pm

Sloan wrote:I'm bumping this because they have fucking firebird style guitars shipped with a case for like under $400. shit is UNHEARD OF. Also, the LP styles look like they're made the same as the Dean Evo's and Schecter Solo series - that means fucking quality. I am pissed that the firebirds are called spiders and have goddamn spider inlays, but what the fuck ever.

Fawk. They ship free to Puerto Rico. I'm warming up to these douchebags.

ekwatts · Post by **ekwatts** » Tue Jan 17, 2012 8:25 pm

It's just a shame that if you buy a guitar from these people you immediately turn into a credibility vacuum.

Rox · Post by **Rox** » Tue Jan 17, 2012 8:44 pm

I doubt they have the same quality as a Schecter . I would think lower end Epiphone quality . But for the price and if these things are made of decent wood they now seem they'd prolly be a better buy than say a Squier , Epi or whatnot . But I'm seriously contemplating the Firebird thing... Despite the stupid name .

But the name ... Just seems ghey .

I try to veer away from playing with things with the words " Hard " and " Kings ( plural) " in them .. Just seems icky...

endsjustifymeans · Post by **endsjustifymeans** » Tue Jan 17, 2012 9:15 pm

The green "southern belle" would be nice looking if it's weren't for the giant "X" inlays.

Which is oddly about as tasteful as these seem to get.

laterallateral · Post by **laterallateral** » Tue Jan 17, 2012 10:35 pm

Rox wrote:I doubt they have the same quality as a Schecter . I would think lower end Epiphone quality . But for the price and if these things are made of decent wood they now seem they'd prolly be a better buy than say a Squier , Epi or whatnot .

I dunno, their persistence in pushing ugly tough guy graphics and inlays on all of their customers tells me there probably isn't much "good" to their products going beyond that.
I predict south asian Gibson knockoff level quality.

bradzeera · Post by **bradzeera** » Wed Jan 18, 2012 1:33 am

When does the chad kroger model come out brah?

Sloan · Post by **Sloan** » Wed Jan 18, 2012 3:34 am

bradzeera wrote:When does the chad kroger model come out brah?

DONE'D
http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electri ... -Paul.aspx

Sloan · Post by **Sloan** » Wed Jan 18, 2012 3:44 am

Rox wrote:I doubt they have the same quality as a Schecter.

I watched some vids that feature the lp style and they look JUST LIKE the fucking Schecter Solo's. The neck joing/cutaway - it's like the Dean EVO's as well so they are all prob the same factory.

bradzeera · Post by **bradzeera** » Wed Jan 18, 2012 4:39 am

Sloan wrote:
bradzeera wrote:When does the chad kroger model come out brah?
DONE'D
http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electri ... -Paul.aspx

I just threw up a little

Sloan · Post by **Sloan** » Wed Jan 18, 2012 5:16 am

bradzeera wrote:
Sloan wrote:
bradzeera wrote:When does the chad kroger model come out brah?
DONE'D
http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electri ... -Paul.aspx

I just threw up a little

haha, yeah we all hated everything when that shit hit the fan.

mkt3000 · Post by **mkt3000** » Wed Jan 18, 2012 6:13 am

I really try to find something positive in everything... in this case it's that they ship free here and they have a cheap Firebird copy.

However, having gone to their facebook page, I found something that overwhelms any positivity from that last bit. KE$HA's guitar player plays one of these.

Yeah... keep these pieces of crap off my island.

Sloan · Post by **Sloan** » Wed Jan 18, 2012 9:50 am

mkt3000 wrote: KE$HA's guitar player plays one of these.

FUCK I GOTTA GET ONE.

Viljami · Post by **Viljami** » Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:50 pm

Sloan wrote:
FUCK I GOTTA GET ONE.

+1!