hooglebug Posted April 18, 2007 Report Share Posted April 18, 2007 someone saw the video of my purple mirror mattocaster copy guitar on youtube and asked if i would be willing to ake one for him too. i was a bit reticent about doing a straight copy but as it turned out, thats not what he wanted either. so after talking for a while, seemed he wanted a mattocaster shape but with an rg type lower horn. these are the two final (rough) designs that i came up with, and he chose the first one - click he wanted a birdseye maple neck (pic), ebony board (after considering rosewood for a while) and a mahogany body. at first he wanted the mirror finish that mine has, only a different colour. then he decided he just wanted a painted colour, in which case the body would have been heavily rounded and sculpted like the chrome covered mattocasters. i was really excited about doing this, and then he changed his mind again! this time to mirror all over, front sides and back. and now its back to just being on the front. o well. its gonna be his guitar after all! as for the colour, that hasnt been decided yet. either mirror, or red mirror at the moment. who knows what it will be in the end. hehe. anyway, heres the first few days work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCH Posted April 18, 2007 Report Share Posted April 18, 2007 I build furniture as a hobby. I have built for friends and family. I get a general idea of what they want functionally. I then design what I think will work. I don't compromise too much on my designs. If they don't like it I don't build. But then they get a great deal as I only charge them for the cost of materials; sometimes I'll ask for a nice bottle of wine or a sack of beer. Now that I've added guitars to my hobby, I only build what I want. If someone likes it and wants it, cool. I can't be bothered with custom order builds. Life is too short. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biliousfrog Posted April 18, 2007 Report Share Posted April 18, 2007 sounds like a cool project. I'd recommend getting everything in writing first, know exactly what he wants & get each stage signed off, & if possible paid for, before moving onto the next. For animation work I'll make a quote based on what information I'm given & then any extra work is charged at an hourly rate. I make sure that each stage is physically signed off & paid for before moving on which tends to make the client think a bit before making any random changes. As an example, you could have ruined the build already by curving over the edges when the client then decides that he wants a flat front. If he'd already signed off the design & paid for the work involved he'd be less inclined to redesign it later on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somn Posted April 18, 2007 Report Share Posted April 18, 2007 (edited) im more or less saying what's been said before here but you got to let him know once its set into motion and everything he wants is said theres no going back if he cant handle it and insist on the ongoing changes then I wouldnt do the build if i were you it becomes troublesome p.s biliousfrog that p/g member map is cool Edited April 18, 2007 by somn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooglebug Posted April 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2007 great advice for anyone there guys! yeah im making sure that before i do anything he's sure about what he wants and he knows when im doing what and so understands that certain things cant be changed by certain points. he's buying all the materials and having them sent to me - that way i know im not spending any money and he knows im not ripping him off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooglebug Posted April 20, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2007 fretboard is being glued to the neck and some body shaping has taken place. heres a couple of pics pic 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooglebug Posted April 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 the necks been shaped and fretted and bolted to the body for the first time today. quick tip - finding it hard to screw into the hard maple of a neck? rub the screws against a candle - you wont believe how much easier it is. saw this tip in gitarist magazine this month and just tried it after struggling for a while - i was amazed how much easier the screw goes in to the wood. anyway, heres a couple of pics full frontal full back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biliousfrog Posted April 25, 2007 Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 shaping up nicely, I can't say that I like the shape very much but it's cleanly done. Were did you get the truss rod from?...somewhere in the UK? I can't seem to find the spoke variety anywhere this side of the pond. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooglebug Posted April 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 no i just get them from stewmac. cant find them here either. i get them with the carbon rods too to make me feel like its worth the postage. hehe and no its not to my taste really either but then its not mine so it doesnt really matter. he seems to really like it which is good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooglebug Posted April 30, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2007 control cavities done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Sorbera Posted April 30, 2007 Report Share Posted April 30, 2007 +1 on getting everything nailed down before you start. I can't tell you how many times Paul wanted something changed during the build of his guitar (the GOTM winner). he's buying all the materials and having them sent to me - that way i know im not spending any money and he knows im not ripping him off. That worries me a bit, but I guess if thats what you agreed on.... In the future I'd make sure the customer knows that after the design stage (ie, you talking to him figuring out what kind of guitar he wants) that it's up to you to get the guitar to him. I wouldn't have the customer buying any parts for you. Thats just asking for trouble. 50% up front (which will pay for most if not all of the parts) and 50% on completion is a good rule of thumb. (I let Paul give me a few bucks every payday until he was payed off, but thats just because I knew and trusted him) You have to remember that protecting yourself is just as important as making the buyer feel like he is protected. Your first commission (especially since It's for someone you don't know) is a touchy subject. Just make sure all parties come out happy in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooglebug Posted April 30, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2007 I wouldn't have the customer buying any parts for you. Thats just asking for trouble im telling him the thing to buy and the places to get them so its not really risky. but yeah thats probably how i'll do it in the future, just get money upfront. if there is future! lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Sorbera Posted April 30, 2007 Report Share Posted April 30, 2007 I wouldn't have the customer buying any parts for you. Thats just asking for trouble im telling him the thing to buy and the places to get them so its not really risky. but yeah thats probably how i'll do it in the future, just get money upfront. if there is future! lol I guess thats alright, but it just doesn't make any sense... If the guy trusts you to build him a guitar, he should pay you the amount agreed upon and let you buy the parts, no questions asked. Honestly if someone came to me wanting to order the parts and have them sent to me because of money (or any issue) I would not build that person a guitar. Simple as that. But it looks like things are going to turn out fine for you. Keep up the good work! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooglebug Posted April 30, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2007 (edited) well actually that ws my idea to do that. i guess i just wasnt sure how much to ask for to get the parts and stuff. even though iv done a few of my own. o well. i know for next time Edited April 30, 2007 by hooglebug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted April 30, 2007 Report Share Posted April 30, 2007 pricing everything up before hand is just as important as planning everything when doing these informal kind of commissions - get used to the process of converting pounds to dollars (pretty damn easy at the moment ), and dont forget to allow for delivery charges and customs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooglebug Posted May 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 1, 2007 nothing exciting to report - just a bit of sanding today. just wanted to say thanks to everyone who voted for me in the guitar of the month. i was all giddy! hehe and also - WOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! liverpool for the champions league again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooglebug Posted May 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2007 stuck the mirror on both the front and the headstock. obviously they need tidying up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Sorbera Posted May 18, 2007 Report Share Posted May 18, 2007 Looking good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biliousfrog Posted May 18, 2007 Report Share Posted May 18, 2007 wow, now that the mirror is on it I really like the shape! maybe it's the angle of the pic or something? looks great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooglebug Posted May 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2007 i agree with you, it does look rather different. a lot less pointy and stretched. did a tiny bit more - just drilled the tuner hole and cleaned up the binding on the body. heres another couple of pics - give you a better idea of the body shape this time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmrentis Posted May 19, 2007 Report Share Posted May 19, 2007 Very nice stuff! It's very strange when you first glance at the pics because you don't know exactly what your looking at. AT first it looks like you have like a newpaper top or something, it just doesn't register right away, but once you actually see that it's a mirror it is super cool. Your other one was awsome and so is this one. Good stuff man and good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob_tart Posted May 19, 2007 Report Share Posted May 19, 2007 loving your work as usual! ... and ythe posters in your room Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PTU 7's. Posted May 20, 2007 Report Share Posted May 20, 2007 That mirror looks very good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiKro Posted May 20, 2007 Report Share Posted May 20, 2007 I build furniture as a hobby. I have built for friends and family. I get a general idea of what they want functionally. I then design what I think will work. I don't compromise too much on my designs. If they don't like it I don't build. But then they get a great deal as I only charge them for the cost of materials; sometimes I'll ask for a nice bottle of wine or a sack of beer. Now that I've added guitars to my hobby, I only build what I want. If someone likes it and wants it, cool. I can't be bothered with custom order builds. Life is too short. I'm with you MCH, If they want it the way I make it, so be it. If not someone else will.buy it. Most people don't have a clue when it comes to cabinets so they think, I want this and I want that? That's fine to a point, but there are rules to abide by as for functionalty and what works from a construction stand point, as well as asthetic design. So I'm with ya on that. Man I love working with WOOD!!! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooglebug Posted May 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2007 well, it seems today is my day for being attacked! today i got an email from neil moser (at leaast someone from moser) saying that i've directly copied one of their guitars. now fair enough, i did copy the wave for my dsiree guitar, and openly admitted this, and am willing/was even thinking about, changing the shape of it anyway. as far as i can see, the wave is the ONLY thing that remotely resembles anything by moser. and if the shape of the guitar resembles something byhim, then its a complete accident as i havent seen it. i havent heard back from them yet, so i'll have to wait and see what they say on that. and then i just looked at the guestbook comments on my website and saw two new ones - one saying "I'm guessing you have seen a Liquid Blue show with Mike V" - i dont know who mike v or liquid blue are but im guessing thats the guy who the moser guitar was made for? and the other says this - "That is the nicest ripoff of Neal Moser's work we've seen yet. I can't wait till BC Rich sees the other design you drew out and contacts you about it as well. Have a nice day. And do something YOU came up with" now, as i said before, the wave i can agree with - and i was already thinking of changing it anyway, but as for a rip-off? does anyone else think its a rip off? the other guitar he was talking about was something a guy contacted me about. he said he wanted a cross between two guitars - a beast and a stealth. so i came up with this: now im not familiar with bc rich guitars as i dont like that style of instrument or the style of music that accompanies it, so can anyone tell me if im copying something else without knowing it? iv looked on teir website and cant see anything that looks enough like that to get pissy about. what do people think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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