cold95 Posted January 27, 2005 Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 im just wondering if anyone has sold or does sell their guitars or basses they have made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockthe40 Posted January 27, 2005 Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 no, but ppl sometimes pay me to re-build (re-wire it, install necks, stuff like that). i dont actually build them from scratch or anything anyway. just make it look cool and do all kinds of mods... in other words make shitty guitars pretty cool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doug Posted January 27, 2005 Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 There are many in this forum, including myself that do. -Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xebryusguitars Posted January 27, 2005 Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 hopefully soon ill be talented enough to, i love building. Shoutout to doug, you're webpage is in my favorites because your stuff is freaking amazing. I want your guitars and learn your ways. haha great stuff you make Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myka Guitars Posted January 27, 2005 Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 I sell my work. In fact it supports me now. I build custom guitars direct and also make some to my own specs for the occasional consignment, although I usually can't hold onto them long enough for that. It takes a long time to get steady orders, and a lot of marketing (shows, ads, etc). It is totally worth it and I love what I do. Wow Doug, I just checked out your work too. I love your necks. Awesome stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cold95 Posted January 27, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 i have an ideal. how about some video tutorials for us newbies. i think would be really great. would be alot easier to see how you guys do what you do. i have some web space where i could host some large video file if anyone wants to make one or something. what do you guys think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted January 27, 2005 Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 Stew-Mac already makes a slew of videos that cover almost everything already. Bill Jehle made a DVD, you could ask him about his. My personal take is that for most of the guys you see around here that have stuck with it over time, none of them needed to watch videos to get it done. If you really have the aspiration, you don't need any videos. And all the videos in the world won't help you build a nice guitar if you don't have the aspiration and inner drive in the first place. I have used videos to great effect, namely for finishing and tremolo installations, but I had already done tons and tons of work before I ever saw them, so I had a truckload of aspiration to begin with, the videos were just an aid, not a motivator. PS rockthe40, you are not allowed to have pics in your signature line. Just letting you know before a mod sees it and tells you the same thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted January 27, 2005 Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 After I've finished a couple of bocasters for myself, I'm planning on making another and put it up on ebay--just to see what happens. With any luck, I'll make enough to pay for new tools/wood/guitars. Depends on how good I get at finishing these things. The real goal will be to get my wife to say, "oh, so you mean it doesn't cost you anything? well, okay then." Other than that, I have no plan to rival real craftsmen! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doug Posted January 27, 2005 Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 I sell my work. In fact it supports me now. I build custom guitars direct and also make some to my own specs for the occasional consignment, although I usually can't hold onto them long enough for that. It takes a long time to get steady orders, and a lot of marketing (shows, ads, etc). It is totally worth it and I love what I do. Wow Doug, I just checked out your work too. I love your necks. Awesome stuff! ← Thanks MyKa! I build so many necks that I've barely enough time to make whole guitars. You're right, it does take a long time to get steady orders. -Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted January 27, 2005 Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 i have an ideal. how about some video tutorials for us newbies. i think would be really great. would be alot easier to see how you guys do what you do. i have some web space where i could host some large video file if anyone wants to make one or something. what do you guys think? ← Yeah, right... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted January 27, 2005 Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 After I've finished a couple of bocasters for myself, I'm planning on making another and put it up on ebay--just to see what happens. With any luck, I'll make enough to pay for new tools/wood/guitars. Not unless you can build 'em nearly for free. You'll be lucky to get back what you paid for the parts. Seriously. The real goal will be to get my wife to say, "oh, so you mean it doesn't cost you anything? well, okay then." If you accomplish THAT, let me know how you did it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclej Posted January 27, 2005 Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 minor hijack alert...idch, you said you've thought about putting your stuff on e-bay and i'm not at all trying to discourage your from doing that but...in the past couple of years i've listed three or four of my guitars and while i got a lot of looks and a few inquiries i never sold anything...i know it's not the guitars or the craftsmanship or even the pics of the guitars...i've come to the conclusion that people who shop e-bay aren't willing to plop down $1200 to $1500 for a brand, "texas naturals", that they've never heard of. most of my sales are actually custom made gits for local musicians who come into the shop and tell me exactly what they're looking for. anyway, i'm curious as to whether any of you guys that have been doing this for a while have ever had any luck selling your product on e-bay? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joej Posted January 27, 2005 Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 im just wondering if anyone has sold or does sell their guitars or basses they have made. ← I don't sell what I make ... yet. This is because: (1) I've not built a volume of guitars to actually believe I've got it down well & correct enough. Enough for the proper level of quality, as well as enough for the ability to be creative as I'd like; (2) I've not built enough over a period of time to see some outcomes of my decisions (finish, woods, workmanship, etc.) But having said that, I am hard pressed to start recovering $$$ from the rediculous amount of guitars around my house. (says the wife). So, to help defray costs of this obsession, I will either (a) sell for cheap, some of the finer proejcts --OR-- ( tear some projects down and sell the parts -- joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted January 27, 2005 Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 minor hijack alert...idch, you said you've thought about putting your stuff on e-bay and i'm not at all trying to discourage your from doing that but... ← Oh sure, I know it's a long shot, and it certainly won't be to get rich...more for the fun of it than anything else --it might cost me $5 to do it...if it don't sell, no big deal. Still, it'd be fun thinking someone out there might be playing one of my guitars... Oh, and hey, erikbojerik: the guitar I'm building right now will have cost me less than $50 by the time it's done...maybe a little more, depending on how much clear coat I put on! I've turned into a collector of spare parts.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joej Posted January 27, 2005 Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 minor hijack alert... i've come to the conclusion that people who shop e-bay aren't willing to plop down $1200 to $1500 for a brand, "texas naturals", that they've never heard of. ← This is repeated by many art/craft folks: eBay'rs are primarily there to look for bargains. An instrument, where part of the selling is to hold + hear it + see that finish, will not command what its worth on eBay --> unless its got a brand name on it (maybe then). But, I'm with you. To recover JUST parts cost in these early years, I'll think I'd do it. --joe -end-hijack- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mahelcaya Posted January 27, 2005 Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 I sold 4 projects. 2 Custom design to customers , that know me from years. 2 RG copy bodies for a friend of mine. I really did not make that much money, covered hardware, woods, and expenses....with the extra money I was able to by some smaller tools and woods for more guitars. But I am satisfied and they are too, and that is the best reward since I am not a PRO. People tell me to put them on Ebay...... well I think it's something delicate to buy a custom made guitar from someone you don't know, without being able to play it and check it in person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassman Posted January 27, 2005 Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 (edited) I built basses for a living, for a very short period, but these basses were not designed by me or sold by me- I was just paid hourly- and the necks were made by carvin. While I have had many people asking me to build them a bass I have declined until now. There is a huge difference between building a bass then selling it to someone who really digs it, and building a specific bass for a specific customer on a written contract basis. I am still not ready to take a down payment for a custom bass- although I may in the somewhat near future- but I am willing to make a bass that I know a particular person will want, then offering to sell it to them upon completion. My reasoning is that I am not ready for the responsibility of contracted piece. If I screw up the bass in any minor or major way then I really only have burdened myself. This being said I am about to start building a specific bass-similar to my fretless hybrid- for a specific jazz player... if he wants to pay me the big bucks for it when it is done, then sweet. He actually offered me a great deal of money for the one I entered in Feb GOTM (6x the cost), I declined as it is a prototype. If not then I would have built a similar one anyways. Making money doing this sort of thing is no easy gig to get started, there are just so many inexpensive and pretty good instruments out there to compete with, and other very good luthiers. After the time it takes me to build a bass right now, and the cost of pricey hardware and woods I use I must charge quite a bit of money to making a living at this. Edited January 27, 2005 by bassman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jehle Posted January 27, 2005 Report Share Posted January 27, 2005 Stew-Mac already makes a slew of videos that cover almost everything already. Bill Jehle made a DVD, you could ask him about his. Actually, it's an Enhanced CD. Isn't it funny that after all these years of daydreaming, "I'll be a rock star one day." that I should have the biggest success with a CD that focuses on my guitar building as much as (if not more than) my guitar playing. Given the success of the "control FREAK" CD, I'm starting to plan out the next CD with the build it and play it theme. It's a special niche that noone else has thought to do yet so I'm having a blast with something unique. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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