Happy New Year!

Well, it is the end of 2011. So it’s time for my annual Happy New Year blog post. It has been a really great year for Clay Conner Guitars. I feel very fortunate to be able to make a living doing what I love in such a rough economy. Many thanks go out to my friends at Guru Guitars. They continue to run a great shop and keep me buried in repair work! Check out their website at www.guruguitarshop.com. Better yet buy a vintage guitar or amp from them! You won’t be sad. As I sit here trying to catalog all of the news worthy items that have transpired this year, I’m finding it hard to sort through everything. So much has happened and so many ideas have floated through my head over the past year it seems like one big blur. The custom guitar side of Clay Conner Guitars has been growing slowly and steadily, but it has done so largely on its own. I have been so busy with the repair work for Guru that I haven’t had much time to work on promoting my own instruments. Somehow amidst all of the chaos, I’ve have managed to produce and sell a few guitars. One of the big highlights of 2011 was our very successful trip up to the Montreal Guitar Show. It was my first time exhibiting at a major international exposition. I was honored to be a part of it! My instruments got a lot of attention, I met a lot of great people, and sold a guitar! It was a great experience and definitely the kind of exposure I need. I’ve been invited back for the 2012 show, and I’m looking forward to the trip! Over the last couple of months, I have been thinking a bit about what goals to set for 2012. The obvious goal is more sales...but ideas of balance and sustainability have been rattling around my head for most of 2011. One of the down sides to doing repair work is that the thousands of guitars that cross my bench serve as constant reminders of just how many instruments already exist. There seems to be a never ending flood of guitar companies churning out product. I occasionally get to the point of wondering why I need to add my own screaming to the noise of it all. I recently watched a documentary about Ayrton Senna, one of the worlds greatest Formula One racing drivers. After winning his first world championship, he was asked by his mother when he was going to stop racing, he answered: “I can’t stop.” I’m paraphrasing, but I kind of feel the same way about my guitar building...I can’t stop. So the question for 2012 is: How do I grow this business into a company that I enjoy running, which creates thoughtful and meaningful products with minimal impact on the planet, and still be able to pay my bills? I don’t know that I will be able to figure all of this out in just one year...but 2012 will be all about moving in that direction. On a practical level, We’ve finally updated the website. www.clayconnerguitars.com The new site is much more dynamic and it is easy for me to make changes and updates so check back occasionally. The blog,www.projectsonthebench.blogspot.com has been moved over and included in the new site. This will be the last post here at blogger...So check for new posts on the blog button of the website. As always, many thanks go out to everybody who has bought a guitar, inquired about a guitar, sent us an email, joined us on Facebook or Twitter, told a friend about us, or sent us happy thoughts from afar. We are very grateful! Happy New Year! Clay www.clayconnerguitars.com www.facebook.com/clayconnerguitars