JohnMarr's blog

A "Perfect Storm" of Media Attention

Little did we know that on the same day we distributed the press release announcing the Ian Tyson Limited Edition guitar CBC would re-broadcast our appearance on their hit show Dragon's Den. We're not adverse to publicity but once again the response (and cascade of orders) was overwhelming.
Here's where we stand with availability:

Get Your Free Copy of "Six String Nation"

Tell a friend about your MacKenzie & Marr guitar and if they buy their own Tofino, Dionisio or Ian Tyson Ltd acoustic guitar we'll send you both a copy of "Six String Nation", Jowi Taylor's chronicle of building the guitar that incorporates 46 pieces of Canadian history.

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John Marr plays Voyageur - the Six String Nation guitar

The Canadian Tenors

"It feels and sounds fantastic. I haven't played anything like it and it virtually plays itself!" High praise for our cedar top Tofino from a Canadian supergroup.

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Arianna Huffington, the Canadian Tenors and the MacKenzie & Marr Tofino

When a Lousy Web Site Makes Sense.

You'd think that a business that depends solely on the Internet for sales would have a pretty slick web site. In our case you'd be wrong!

One Crazy Week

Back in December, no sooner had we booked tickets to the annual NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Show than CBC notified us that our Dragon's Den episode would air the night before we left for California. We knew it would be a bit hairy handling the trip and interest sparked by the show at the same time. We had no idea how hairy!!

Good Things Come in Great Packages

Most companies will wait through at least one selling cycle before rolling out the "new improved" line. Here at MacKenzie & Marr Guitars we simply don't do things like other companies. Our cedar top acoustic guitars are distinctly our own design. Our way of distributing direct-to-musicians through the web is unusual in the music industry to say the least. Waiting until we actually had some sales to tweak our product line (if one model constitutes a "line") seemed so 20th Century.

MacKenzie & Marr Guitars On Dragon's Den January 13 2010

Tune in CBC on January 13 at 8 PM to see Jonathan and I pitch our business to five savvy investors on Dragon's Den. We know we have a winner in both our Tofino acoustic guitar and our business model. Selling high end acoustic guitars direct from the factory to musicians over the Internet means huge savings compared to retail. Will the Dragons recognize either our cedar top guitar or our business plan as worthy of an investment or will they tell us our "valuation is nuts, we're being greedy an/or there's no business here".

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Kevin O'Leary Playing the MacKenzie & Marr Tofino on Dragon's Den

The Week Before Christmas at Guitar Central

Things were just too quiet! We'd done pretty much everything we could to prepare for the arrival of the first 48 MacKenzie & Marr Tofino acoustic guitars.
We'd set up the stock room, humidified, insured, alarmed and locked down the building.
We'd tested the on-line store, and then tested it some more.
We'd proofed, published and printed our warranty to include with every order.
We'd lined up Canada Post and UPS for shipping.
We'd laid in 40 double walled cartons (with room for extra padding) to insure Tofinos were coddled in transit.

A Facebook Page for our Cedar Top Acoustic Guitar

What self respecting guitar company wouldn't have a Facebook fan page? Most of them, apparently. But never let it be said that the company that broke the mold by combining cedar and Akoumé to create a very special acoustic guitar is one of them. Join MacKenzie & Marr Guitars on Facebook .

First Photos Of Our Cedar and Akoumé Acoustic Guitar

This morning we started shooting photos of the MacKenzie and Marr cedar top "Tofino"acoustic guitar. The back and sides are crafted from Akoume - sometimes spelled Okoume - a beautifully figured hard tone wood with acoustic properties similar to maple. The top is western Canadian red cedar. Combining the warmth of cedar with the crisp projection of Akoume gives the MacKenzie and Marr guitar a distinct full voice.

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Akoume side meet cedar top on the MacKenzie & Marr guitar
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