Bourgeois Guitar played by winner of The Voice!
NETAAC Financial Grants are often credited with an providing instrumental advantage for helping compete against foreign trade. But NETAAC Grant Recipient Bourgeois Guitars took the concept of “instrumental advantage” to a literal level when one of their limited-edition acoustic guitars was played by Sawyer Fredericks as he won the 2015 season of The Voice!
According to Bourgeois Guitars’ CEO John Karp, “In a world typically dominated with $100 million companies such as Taylor Guitars, it is interesting that we have been able to wind up with one of our guitars being played by Sawyer Fredericks. Our recently hired Online Marketing Manger got in touch with the artist’s mother and kindled a relationship which led to his playing one of our Ray LaMontagne Signature Series* guitars—and winning The Voice with it! With Sawyer due to go on tour as the winner, we believe the positive impact on our business will continue.”
Karp went on to explain how improved marketing and social media helped get the word out about the kind of musicians that favor the hand-made, limited edition guitars that Bourgeois has become known for. “Luke Bryan is playing several Bourgeois guitars these days…and we just shipped a very cool black stained guitar to Madonna's Guitarist, Monte Pittman. We're growing beyond bluegrass—though we're still grateful to Ricky Skaggs and Bryan Sutton for helping us obtain leadership status in that genre!”
Karp also expressed gratitude to NETAAC for their assistance. In 2011, Bourgeois Guitars qualified for a grant that was used in part to boost internet marketing and communications. “Our business is on solid ground, and has grown its sales, both domestic and international—much of which is directly attributable to NETAAC cost shared projects.”
Often, the assistance we provide at NETAAC translates into improving processes and communications focused on increasing sales volume and profitability over time. Having a client like Bourgeois Guitars experience such dramatic good fortune so quickly has been especially rewarding. In the case of Bourgeois Guitars, their newfound success has been music to our ears — literally!
*About the RayLaMontagne Signature Series* guitar used by Sawyer Fredericks:
Sawyer Fredericks is a huge Ray LaMontagne fan, modeling himself very much upon Ray from dress to musical style. Ray actually gave Sawyer an unreleased song of his to play during a broadcast of The Voice.
The Ray Lamontagne Signature Series Sawyer used is one of only 33 made. Crafted of great-sounding, master-grade Premium Sitka Spruce & Mahogany, the instrument purposely understated in design and decorative features. All 33 Guitars in this limited-edition production have been Signed and Numbered by Dana Bourgeois and Ray LaMontagne.
