suicidecustom Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 just wondering if any "experienced builders" and Professional builders like Perry and Myka (love both your work), have any advice for someone starting out who would like to eventually (within the next 5 - 10 years) build for a living. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primal Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 Anyone got the fishing poles? Cuz he just opened the can of worms... Seriously though, you probably aren't going to like the answer that the pros here give ya... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 just wondering if any "experienced builders" and Professional builders like Perry and Myka (love both your work), have any advice for someone starting out who would like to eventually (within the next 5 - 10 years) build for a living. Do a search--this topic has been well covered, and I believe you'll find lots of helpful advice on this too. Search the whole site --I don't remember which section it was covered in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suicidecustom Posted July 17, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 Anyone got the fishing poles? Cuz he just opened the can of worms... Seriously though, you probably aren't going to like the answer that the pros here give ya... i'm not here for negativity bud. im here for good solid advice, so lets have it. "Do a search--this topic has been well covered, and I believe you'll find lots of helpful advice on this too. Search the whole site --I don't remember which section it was covered in." sorry Mcguard, i looked for the last hour but couldnt find anything that related. so lets have it, positive or negative as long as its constructive i want it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doeringer Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 I think he meant to use the search feature. The short answer to your question is that it is a rare few that get to that point and it takes many long nights to get there. Primal wasn't giving you anything negative either, it has just been discussed many times. My suggestion... keep working at whatever goal you currently have in place (other than building guitars), continue to build guitars and hone your craft, visit this site everyday and soak it all in. Then in a couple of years, re-evaluate your guitar building dreams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 Don't smoke pot before turing on the big power tools ( But maybe it's ok with a Dremel with a little plastic bristle brush bit chucked in there). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarfrenzy Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 First off, buy both Melvyn Hiscock and Martin Koch books and read them over and over. Then practice on scrap, until your ready to tear into some good wood. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 Here is what I found with a quick search. click click click Click click click click I can say one thing about most people I have met that can say they have made a living building. They are dedicated, resourceful, hardworking and find their own nitch. They have also invested many years of labor and sacrafice to achive an even mild level of success. Did I mention resourceful . Even after you have achived some level of professional competence you will have to have a mind for business (which will make or break you). I am mainly saying it should be a hobby for the great majority, and a job/business for a few brave souls. Peace,Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 I somehow think Lutherie finds you, if you have to go out hunting for it, chances are it's probably not for you. Let's put it another way...I've never seen anyone who actually became a luthier have to first ask how to go about doing it. And vicey-versey, I've never seen anyone who had to ask how to do it actually wind up doing it. And anyone who isn't willing to spend the time looking on the search engine after being prompted (because I've also seen all the 'how do i become a luthier' threads over the years also...probably won't have the wherewithal to withstand the hard times coming down the pike. Just the facts as I've seen 'em over the years... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spazzyone Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 here's my take on this and im not trying to be a dick! im still a newbie and i belive i only had one question and i belive it was about building a pin router if you ever look at the bottom and see my name as here "wich is quite often" im in hear reading everything i can find P.S wich is why i donate biweekly to the blues presence project ive read more usefull info on this site than any book i own i've built two whole guitars in like 10 years and i still play one Drak is correct in that it finds you. i'll never be the player i wana be but................. my guitars are a dream to play and i have a few freinds that only let me touch their guitars. what a compliment that came from my desire to be great not good but great at this im a better tech/repair person and its my passion more than playing i only reply to questions off of my direct knoledge so this makes this my ultimate knoledge to become Myka will take many years and many more so my suggestion is do like i did read every thread you can find and ill say again many thanks to brian for starting this site i feel at home here and its all to the credit of the fine people on this site Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suicidecustom Posted July 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 thanks for the comments EVERYONE..... I think he meant to use the search feature. The short answer to your question is that it is a rare few that get to that point and it takes many long nights to get there. Primal wasn't giving you anything negative either, it has just been discussed many times. My suggestion... keep working at whatever goal you currently have in place (other than building guitars), continue to build guitars and hone your craft, visit this site everyday and soak it all in. Then in a couple of years, re-evaluate your guitar building dreams. That was pretty much my plan Don't smoke pot before turing on the big power tools ( But maybe it's ok with a Dremel with a little plastic bristle brush bit chucked in there). man, 10 years ago you dont know how well that comment would have fit Here is what I found with a quick search. click click click Click click click click I can say one thing about most people I have met that can say they have made a living building. They are dedicated, resourceful, hardworking and find their own nitch. They have also invested many years of labor and sacrafice to achive an even mild level of success. Did I mention resourceful . Even after you have achived some level of professional competence you will have to have a mind for business (which will make or break you). I am mainly saying it should be a hobby for the great majority, and a job/business for a few brave souls. Peace,Rich thanks for the links, i was using the search engine this afternoon for like an hour but kept gettin page errors stuff And anyone who isn't willing to spend the time looking on the search engine after being prompted (because I've also seen all the 'how do i become a luthier' threads over the years also...probably won't have the wherewithal to withstand the hard times coming down the pike. im not trying to be a dick here or anything myself but.......if you actually read the prevoius posts you would see that i did spend the hour of free time that i had this afternoon (while my 1 year old daughter was sleeping) on the search engine but could not find anything relevant or got page errors (i would have found some of the threads fryovanni posted had i not gotten page errors. im not trying to start a fight or anything, i just get a little offended by comments like that. I somehow think Lutherie finds you, if you have to go out hunting for it, chances are it's probably not for you. Let's put it another way...I've never seen anyone who actually became a luthier have to first ask how to go about doing it. And vicey-versey, I've never seen anyone who had to ask how to do it actually wind up doing it. i do however appreciate comments like these, so thankyou here's my take on this and im not trying to be a dick! im still a newbie and i belive i only had one question and i belive it was about building a pin router if you ever look at the bottom and see my name as here "wich is quite often" im in hear reading everything i can find P.S wich is why i donate biweekly to the blues presence project ive read more usefull info on this site than any book i own i've built two whole guitars in like 10 years and i still play one Drak is correct in that it finds you. i'll never be the player i wana be but................. my guitars are a dream to play and i have a few freinds that only let me touch their guitars. what a compliment that came from my desire to be great not good but great at this im a better tech/repair person and its my passion more than playing i only reply to questions off of my direct knoledge so this makes this my ultimate knoledge to become Myka will take many years and many more so my suggestion is do like i did read every thread you can find and ill say again many thanks to brian for starting this site i feel at home here and its all to the credit of the fine people on this site thanks for the comments thankyou all for the comments id just like to say im not asking "How to become a luthier/guitar builder". i would like to build guitars for a living, and have and will continue to devote all of my spare time to learning and building the skills necessary and see where that takes me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 thanks for the links, i was using the search engine this afternoon for like an hour but kept gettin page errors Sure, I get this all the time...the search function on this site blows chunks. That's why I usually caveat my questions with something along the lines of 'I tried a search but no luck' I say, if it's your dream, go for it--no point in wasting your life trying to live someone else's. I believe you should take the business end seriously, as someone else pointed out. Maybe even take some courses in that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suicidecustom Posted July 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 already have the business thing down. spent between 1995 and 2003 running 4 business with my father and the last year or so running a mobile electronics shop with a friend (im currently running the installs while he runs the sales end) building guitars isnt something i will just drop everything for at this point. i have been playing for about 17 years and have been modding guitars of my own for the 5-6. its only been the last 2 or so years that i have toyed with the idea of building. in those to years i spent the first year and a half on this site reading and soaking in all the info and a half a year building my first in what spare time ive had lately Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 already have the business thing down. spent between 1995 and 2003 running 4 business with my father and the last year or so running a mobile electronics shop with a friend (im currently running the installs while he runs the sales end) building guitars isnt something i will just drop everything for at this point. i have been playing for about 17 years and have been modding guitars of my own for the 5-6. its only been the last 2 or so years that i have toyed with the idea of building. in those to years i spent the first year and a half on this site reading and soaking in all the info and a half a year building my first in what spare time ive had lately Yeah, with a 1 year old kid, spare time is hard to find....things start to free up when they hit 5 or so. You can do the Zachary Guitars thing (not trying to open that can o' worms!), he builds guitars in his spare time, maybe one a month, while running his regular business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 Might have been mentioned already (too lazy to read all the post - and I DON'T even smoke pot ). Learn guitar set-up first. Buy the videos and books about it, find out what tools are needed, then start getting them, and using them. (Maybe make some of them, if possible. Learn skills for doing that stuff. basic woodworking, machinist techniques, etc). I can't imagine being able to get the most out of building a guitar from scratch, if you can't diagnose and tweak all the little flaws they always have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarfrenzy Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 Might have been mentioned already (too lazy to read all the post - and I DON'T even smoke pot ). Learn guitar set-up first. Buy the videos and books about it, find out what tools are needed, then start getting them, and using them. (Maybe make some of them, if possible. Learn skills for doing that stuff. basic woodworking, machinist techniques, etc). I can't imagine being able to get the most out of building a guitar from scratch, if you can't diagnose and tweak all the little flaws they always have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suicidecustom Posted July 19, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2006 You mean guitars have to play good and not just look good? lol Couldn't have said it better myself.. Setting up a guitar can be one of the hardest and to me the most important part of building a guitar. What good is a guitar that isn't playable, a work of art? Learn how to do a good fret job, slot the nut correctly, and optimal bridge adjustments, and your heading in the right direction. Learn the proper setup methods that will make your guitar not only look great, but play that way too. Imagine buying a beautiful Jaguar car, and although the engine runs good, while your driving your constantly fighting it from pulling to the right. It wouldn't be much fun, although everything looked good, it's not going to be something you'd want to drive, until you can get it fixed. Same way with a guitar, you can have everything just perfect, paint job, electronics, hardware, etc..., but if you constantly have to fight it while playing, then your probably not going to want to play it much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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