Santa Monica musician Shawn Gray was surprised last month when the manufacturer of his Speedster electric travel guitar offered to fix loose wiring for free -- three years after he had bought the lightweight instrument and carted it all over the country.
He was amazed when he got it back two days later from Redlands-based Traveler Guitar. Not only was the wiring fixed, but nicks were repainted, fresh strings were put on and the $350 instrument was in a new case.
At first, Gray thought owner J. Corey Oliver had sent him a new guitar. "I didn't recognize my own guitar -- I was blown away," said Gray, 37, who plays and writes songs for his rock band, Six in Six, when he's not flying planes for American Airlines.
"I own thousands of dollars' worth of guitar equipment, and you would never get that same kind of service" from other manufacturers, he said.
Oliver, 37, can't play the guitar but his 16-year-old company is striking the right chord with customers.
Staying on top of their needs, and those of his dealers, is a mission for Oliver and his staff of five. It's also a major force behind the 31% jump in the number of guitars the small business has shipped in the first five months of this year, rising to 2,100 from 1,600 in the same period last year.
The demand for the eight travel models has grown even as the economy stumbles and guitar sales languish. The company's models include the bestselling candy-apple red Speedster, the $400 African mahogany bass and the $500 Escape EG-1 designed by internationally recognized guitar builder John Carruthers.
"He'll do anything to make those customers happy, and that's why his sales continue to grow so well," said Phil Rich, guitar merchandising director for Guitar Center Inc., a national retailer based in Westlake Village. The chain is Traveler's biggest customer.
By the end of the year, Oliver expects sales to total as much as $1.8 million, a 44% increase over last year's $1.25 million. In 2004, sales were $450,000.
"Our customer service is so important. We think it might be the only thing that helps us this year" to weather the slowing economy, Oliver said.
Top-notch service means more than responding quickly to buyer concerns. For Oliver, it's the driver behind decisions in every area of the business. He bought a Prius this spring so his salesman, Matt Heynen, could cover twice as much distance as last year -- and seal more deals -- for the same cost, despite higher gas prices.
