Anyone Ever Lose Interest

[Duff Beer Man]

Im in the middle of building two freaking awsome looking guitars... all of the sudden is getting closer and closer to finsh and i seem to be getting lazier and lazier about finishing them. This happen to anyone else, what do u use to get u back up and really modivated?

[thegarehanman]

Oh no, you've got Diminishing Build Interest Syndrome. That's a very serious matter. As a doctor who has graduated from the School of Enjoying Building Things, let me prescribe that you walk away from your build for a while and try to think of a detail to add to it(be it an inlay or some new paint scheme) that sparks your interest once again. Find something to strive for. If you're not into it now, just don't work on it until you are in the mood to build. There's not much of a point to build anything if you don't want/need to, anyway(unless it's your source of income, of course).

peace,

russ

[JPL]

Funny you should bring this up. I've been leaving my current built hanging for a while now. Between moving and life's downfalls I just had no interest.

I tried getting back in the mood by working on some inlays for it but the real kick in the butt was the decision to strip off the finish on the back and do it all over again. While I'm using my new cabinet scrapers (what a great tool!!!) to rip off the old I'm testing dye on scrap.

Friends now think I've lost it, they thought the old finish was very good. I think it can be better.

[soapbarstrat]

You can solve this kind of problem with just a few tools and supplies you'll find around the house. First, you find a hammer, then a lighter, then a can of WD-40

(it's even easier when you do it like me, and lose interest before the guitar idea is anything more than a rough-draft on paper, or a thought in the head for a few days. For 2 days, I've been thinking a lot about building a Les Paul. 2 days from now, I'll probably be thinking what a stupid thought that was.) ( for all these years, it's been obvious that I do better making something that already exists better, rather than creating something new. a.k.a : there's a lot of "unfinished business" out there)

[Maiden69]

I can't help you there! As soon as I start a project (or anything for that matter) I can't let it down until I'm done. The only time that I felt like that is when I messed up or think that what ever I'm doing is sub-standard or that I could had done it better... So far this has been very minimal cases. The 1st guitar I build took me 2 months from start to finish... The last 2 (did at the same time, the Kelly and the gold strat) were done within a month, from start to finish... I wish I had waited a bit more on the paint side, but I get desperate to finish stuff...

[Primal]

I don't normally lose interest unless something prevents me from working on the project (i.e. weather, or in my case, nesting bees in my wood shop...).

[stiggz]

hey man i know wat u mean, even though u can see that it is going to be a great finished product u cant motivate urself to do the work.

what i find is if i loose interest due to the weather being too hot or cold, school (no more of that 1 yay), or what ever it is, if you let it rest for a while ie week or maybe 2 i find i start to think about it more, not consciously, but sort of in the back of my mind, and i gradually get back into it.

(right now im destracted from my tele cos when i go into my workshop for 5 miniutes im drenched in sweat, and i cant spray my jem cos its too humid)

[erikbojerik]

Go find the crappiest guitar you have, play it for awhile, then it will come to you.

"Oh yeah....that's why I wanted to build one."

[Guitarfrenzy]

I'm like Maiden in that aspect, once I get something started I can't stand not to finish it quickly. Right now I've been doing tons of repair work for people, so I haven't been building anything lately, but I can see that the guitar building bug has attacked me again because I'm really wanting to start another one. The JV-1 took longer than any guitar I've built simply because I had wanted to finish off the other guitars first before I got back to it. I can see how taking a break can help you in some instances, which it did with that guitar, because when I started back everything was fresh again and didn't take me long after to complete it. So, maybe taking a break and working on another project for a while will help you. Just don't push it and burn yourself out when you get to the point you don't care or you get a case of DBIS(Diminishing Build Interest Syndrome) like thegarehanman pointed out..

[signguy]

Hi ya Duff, don't know if it's the case or not, but the only time I ever felt like that was when I re did the cabinets in my kitchen. I felt overwhelmed half way through. So much work....

If that's the case, make some goals for yourself that are attainable. ie, today I want to have the rough work done, or have it ready for paint.. whatever, just little steps. Keep it simple and enjoyable or it will become a job rather than something you like to do. Sometimes bringing over a buddy to have a look and (hopefully) getting some positive feedback on what you've accomplished can help too. It can help to try to see your work through someone elses eyes.

Overall, have fun, learn and "git-r-done" then show us lotsa pictures!

[Southpa]

For me the past while its been the working scene. I found myself working out of town for a while and then working graveyard shift after that for 3 weeks on another job. Now I have the time, just getting my sleep schedule back in order, but weather prevents further progress on one guitar. I just look at it as time to think about what to do next. Maybe I'll take all my blades out and give them a good sharpening today.

[Mickguard]

Since I'm still in the process of learning all of this, I've come up against this problem too.

Ordinarily, I'm more like Maiden in the things I do--I get obsessed, and work and think non-stop about a project, until it's done. Got tons of energy, when I'm into something.

But building guitars (building anything) is something entirely new for me...

For my first project, one mistake I made was launching a project I wasn't really committed to-- it wasn't really a guitar I wanted to have or to play, it was more just to get some experience. After the umpteenth stupid mistake, I finally gave up on it.

Learned a lot though.

On the build I've just finished (my first!), I found myself getting cold feet along the way...well, pretty much every time I had to make a new, make-or-break step (like routing the neck pocket, or the pickup cavities, etc), I'd agonize over getting it done. And sometimes it took me a couple of weeks just to get up the courage to tackle the step...

Thanks to a little bit of hand-holding I got here (thanks guys! ), I made it through ...whew!

Now I'm already obsessed with planning out the next one....it's too cold to work in my garage though, so it's going to have to wait until February. But I'm hoping this one will go a bit quicker....

[unclej]

i agree with thegarehanman on this one. i've usually got four or five unfinished projects going all the time from a new guitar to a new sculpture or a new song. when i hit a road block on one i just set it aside for a while and work on something else. your subconcious is still working on the one you set aside whether you're aware of it or not and soon your interest will peak again. keep in mind that unless you're doing a commisioned project there really isn't any set deadline to complete it.

i find that if i try to force a project into completion the work isn't up to the standards that i like and my enjoyment of it isn't there. so i'd say back off of it for a while, read a book or something and soon your mood to work should return.

[thegarehanman]

Ha, funny you mention you work on so many projects at once. LSU's on winter break right now, and I'm making the most of it. I just completed a bandsawn box, I'm working on a metal sculpture that I promised an art gallery, I've got the "tang top" guitar that is in progress, I'm finishing a coffee table that was originally an antique school desk, and I've got to lend my dad a hand remodling a house as well. Obviously, the remodling is perhaps the least exhilerating of the five, but I find myself thinking about the next step in all of the other projects while I'm working on one of them. When you can't work in your shop for 4 months solid, you really appreciate getting back into it when you do.

peace,

russ

[Duff Beer Man]

well, i dont really know what i can do to add anything cooler to the project. fretbaord is already inlaid with leds and the jem has a mirror front. It not so much that i dont want to to work on them as it is i dont know how. Its pooring down rain here, and i dont have a workshop inside. My work shop is two sawhorses with a big flat board across it. I have to work outside, and when its raining its just freaking cold outside, i have an awing (sp?) so i can keep out of the rain, but it has a lot of crap on it, barbacue, bench and what not. The rain is starting to slow down, so im going to try and go out and do some stuff, im gonna take a thermas with some hot choco so i stay warm . Im at a cruical stage in the jem's process, if i miss up the body is shot..... Ill post some pics when i come in.

[thegarehanman]

Based on what you've just told us, I have a new project for you that is sure to revive your interest in building guitars. Build a tool shed! You need a nice, climate controlled designated area so you can focus on what you're doing and not some extreme climate. Or you can wait out the rain.

[Duff Beer Man]

i would, but we have like no room in the back yard, there is already a big shed that we store stuff in, plus my moms huge garden. If i built a shed it would be the size of a cardbaord box.

[thegarehanman]

Oh, well if it's going to be a cardboard box, you'd better use the non-corrigated variety so that you can minimize your wall thickness, thus maximizing your interior space.

Edited December 29, 2005 by thegarehanman

[Duff Beer Man]

HAHA nice one. Anyway, i worked on my project today and im totally into it. Its like i put it down for a while, so i found it hard to pick it back up, but now i have i love it. Check out my thread in the progess section for the update.

[Bluetic]

hey man i know wat u mean, even though u can see that it is going to be a great finished product u cant motivate urself to do the work. 

what i find is if i loose interest due to the weather being too hot or cold, school (no more of that 1 yay), or what ever it is, if you let it rest for a while ie week or maybe 2 i find i start to think about it more, not consciously, but sort of in the back of my mind, and i gradually get back into it.

(right now im destracted from my tele cos when i go into my workshop for 5 miniutes im drenched in sweat, and i cant spray my jem cos its too humid)

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I wish I had that problem.... I'ts been freakin freezing here. lol

I sometimes search the internet for custom/ unique guitars to keep me motivated. I look at them and think "I can do that" Then I also sometimes sit in the family room and listen to the kids yellin' screamin' and fightin until I can't take it anymore. Now that's some motivation there to get out into the shop. JK

Hey, Where's the beef. Tell us about your Tele.. I am currently building a Tele as well. I am going for a 69' tele look, sunburst finish, White pickguard, Rosewood fretboard.... I bought the Wilkenson tele pickups from Stewmac. Any feedback on theese anybody?

Sorry, I got off subject there huh? I think I have Adult ADD Just be patient Duff Beer Man. It'll come back tou you.