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Experience Managerial Decisions: With Washburn Guitars

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81 views1 page

Experience Managerial Decisions: With Washburn Guitars

Uploaded by

barlie3824
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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EXPERIENCE MANAGERIAL DECISIONS

with Washburn Guitars

Since 1883, Washburn Guitars has manufactured high-quality acoustic


and electric guitars. Washburn’s guitar buyers include musicians ranging
from garage bands to some of the world’s most famous bands.
Washburn produces many guitar series, and each has many different
models requiring the use of varied resources.1 For example, in 2006
Washburn introduced the Damen Idol, retailing for $2,249. The Damen,
named after Damen Avenue in Chicago’s Wicker Park—a known hot spot
for alternative, pop, and punk musicians—illustrates the complexity and
individuality of specialized guitars. It featured a mahogany body, flame
maple top, mahogany neck with cream binding,
rosewood fingerboard, Seymour Duncan
Custom pickups in the bridge and a Seymour
“While customization
Duncan ‘59 in the neck, a Tone Pros Bridge
and Tailpiece, and numerous other options for created great publicity
frets, scaling, finishing, and tuning. Joe Trohman for Washburn, it led to
from Fall Out Boy, Aaron Dugan of Matisyahu, significant design and
Mike Kennerty from The All American Rejects,
product differences
Shaun Glass from Soil, Marty Casey from the
Lovehammers, and INXS all played the Damen between guitars, even
Idol at one time or another. those within the same
Many guitar buyers, including most
model line of a given series.
professionals, request various product
customizations. For example, Washburn’s These differences meant
Custom Shop Pilsen guitar was made especially that different materials
for Billy Sawilchik to play the National Anthem and labor were needed,
at Game 2 of the 2005 American League
requiring Washburn to
Championship Series between the White Sox
and Angels. While customization created great estimate the cost of each
publicity for Washburn, it led to significant guitar job according to
design and product differences between guitars,
the desired degree of
even those within the same model line of a given
series. These differences meant that different customization.”
materials and labor were needed, requiring
Washburn to estimate the cost of each guitar
job according to the desired degree of customization. Washburn managers
relied heavily on their job-order costing system to help them understand
the costs of such product changes. The costs were factored into the price
set, ensuring that Washburn earned a profit after all costs were covered.

1 By 2009, Washburn stopped making the customized guitars favored by top rock musicians. It now
concentrates on guitars for a mass audience. While the Damen Idol is no longer in production, it is still an
excellent example of job-order production.

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Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203

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