I Give Up Trying To Sell What I Build...

[Vinny]

Just teasin Mick, That frankenstein pic of him always creeped me out. -Vinny

[Jehle]

Wow, thanks for all of the advice and words of encouragement, and constructive criticism everyone.

To answer a few of the questions that came up since I last posted, I was really being hard on myself when I first posted. Yesterday, I got a gift from another builder, totally out of the blue, with a note saying that he really liked my work and that I should "Build another great guitar". Moments later, I got word on the go ahead for a commission build (yes, for a recycled cigar box guitar) for an agreeable price. And today, another consignment is in the works. That brushed away my blues right there.

I actually get a lot of demand for the guitars that I make locally. My home town is really big on recycling and on going green. People really freak out when they see what I can do with trash that other people wouldn't think twice about. For instance, making pickups out of bottle caps, washers, and sewing machine bobbins, or making nuts out of hair combs. It caught the attention of not one, but THREE television shows, of which one is set to air in about 6 months, another is part of a PBS documentary, and the third is as a historical consultant on the cigar box guitar. Then there's the book deal and video work that other people want me to produce for them. I actually have more work than I can get done at this point. I should also mention that a track I recorded recently is going to be released on CD soon... For that track I played this guitar that I built for $15...

Beyond my home town, there is a niche market out there for these guitars. For a good example, take a look at the front page ad for "Daddy Mojo" in the Billy Gibbons Guitar Legends magazine that's out right now. That advert must have cost thousands to run, but the guy is cranking out cigar box guitars like crazy and people are buying them. Even Gibbons has a cigar box guitar and has played it on Howard Stern's radio show. Now, I don't aspire to get to the point where I quit my day job and build guitars all day. I get too much enjoyment out of it building what I can, the way I want to.

I've been working on a celebrity endorsement, or celebrity gift more like it. I have a few good leads, but nothing has come out of it yet. You know these guys, but I'm not going to jinx myself by writing it down here.

So, the plan from here is to continue the gradual spiral of success up. I've got a packet of stuff and a few guitars to take to a local vintage guitar shop (where people expect to buy old stuff) and iron out the commission sales. Then I move gradually out from there. One small step at a time.

Thanks again everyone!

[WezV]

the odd commission is good to do, it may not be as 'artistic' as what you want to be building but at least it can add funds to the guitar building pot. At the moment i am only doing 6-7 guitars a year, i do 2 or 3 commisions and they pay for the stuff i want to build. most of it gets sold eventually but the stuff i make for myself is definately harder to move because it needs to fit a specific buyer. So far its working for me, at the moment i am having to hold back and put commision work on a waiting list because i really dont want it to take over from developong my own stuff

[komodo]

Anyone reading this thread who has thought about making a business out of this should read "Art and Fear". Even if you don't want to start a business.

I went to a liberal arts school and majored in graphic design. The only difference between the designers and the oil painters in school was that they thought we were sellouts and we thought they were not looking out for their best interests in the future. ;-P

Keep your day job, work hard, develop a marketing plan, take some business courses and keep making guitars. Running a business really doesn't have much to do with the subject of your business, but in being a great business person. From your last post, it sounds like you are doing most things right!

[mattharris75]

Jehle,

I had no idea that Decatur was so green. Interesting. I know that back in June there was a show here in Huntsville related to Cigar Box Guitars. I imagine you were there. I came close to going to it, but instead decided to spend my little free time working on my guitar in the shop. I ended up having a nice accident with a belt sander and spending the afternoon in the emergency room. Guess it was a sign from God that I should have been at the Cigar Box Guitar show!....So I guess that means that now I need to buy one of your DVD's and build myself a CBG.

[Myka Guitars]

Jehle, I was going to respond to your first post which seemed quite down and out. Then I read your second post and the truth is you actually have made a great deal of headway already. It seems like you are not immune to the internal ups and downs that all artists go through. It is easy to get overly enthusiastic and set yourself up with the greatest of expectations and then come crashing down when things don't start happening right away. Things like setting up a website and the delay of about 2 years before you get any significant hits can really set you back if you don't know how much time things take to develop.

The most interesting and frustrating thing was watching all the PRS and Strat copy artists go from totally unknown to having a serious backlog in 2-3 years. These are the CNC builders that we all see selling many guitars that are relatively the same with exception to materials choice, paint, and inlay. You cannot make individual instruments and hope to utilize a CNC so you are sort of stuck with choosing a couple designs. The best bet is to copy something that is already doing well and offer a superior version. The upside is you get to market quickly. The downside is that you have to compromise on your design to suit the market. If a guitarists wants an improved guitar but still wants it recognizable this is the best way to get it and that is why these builders are doing so well. They make superior quality versions of these classic designs and they fill a much needed niche. To me this would be boring but to them they are refining the past into a truly superior instrument. And from all I have played they are very successful.

Of course this is probably not a problem if selling guitars in general is your goal but for the artist with a unique vision this sort of kills the idea right off the bat. We want to have our way and sell too. That is a multi-facted problem. For one we have to design something that appeals to our own sense of design, build it on our own schedule, reject most customizations that do not fit into that vision, and then try to sell it to the general public. For me it has been hard to work with a request that takes away from what I know to be a great design (example: a request to make my single cut guitars more like a trditional Les Paul). I have taken a couple commissions like this but I now refer those people to other builders who enjoy making replicas. My business has slowed a bit it in this area but it has also grown on the custom front in a bigger way. It is a balance.

It all comes down to what you want to do and who you want to please. If I offered Strats or Les Paul replicas I would have more work than I could ever need but I would not be taking care of myself. With the freedom I enjoy with my designs I feel like it would be a huge step backwards for me as an artist to start from zero. Although my designs are obviously inspired by tradition they are not copies nor are they restrained by any set ideas of what a guitar should be. I wanted to move forward and have some fun. I find that I really enjoy the hybrid instruments I build more than anything else. It is relatively uncharted territory so there is much to be discovered there. As a result my clients are people who want to explore new tonalities in music. These are the fringe artists that are not looking for another LP or Strat. These are the people that have finally realized that there is a way out of the limitations imposed by traditional designs and they are ready to change. Finding them is difficult because they are just as tired of flipping through the guitar mags and seeing the same old thing as we are. But they are out there and are more than willing to work with you in way that more closely resembles an artist-patron relationship. This always produced a superior instrument because I can really get into my work and be as creative as I want.

I started out not wanting a business as well. The thing is now I have one and I love it. While it is not about the money I make sure that I charge enough so that I can keep doing it the way I want to. My prices reflect that my desire to have my own shop and to work on my own schedule. I don't make compromises and I make sure that my needs are met. The result is that I have the time and materials to build the best guitars I can. I take all the time I need to do it right. Sometimes a project sits on the bench for a couple of months before I get the full inspiration to build it. Sometimes the work is done in fits and starts. Sometimes I get a project that is exactly the creative outlet I need and it gets build practically overnight. I accept that I am an artist and a quirky one at that. I just let my clients know this so that there aren't any surprises. It works for us so far.

So to repeat what others have stated just hang in there and do your thing. People will find you because of your style. If you stick with your vision you will attract the people need what you are building to produce their musical vision. They way I see it this is the reason why you have so many opportunities. Although you got down and weren't appreciating all you had going for you the vision you have is still your priority. This is what opens doors that will lead you to like minded musicians. You do awesome work and play some amazing music (still have your CD).

~David

[Jehle]

I couldn't have said it any better myself. Yes, I was being really hard on myself that day. I was deflated. Anxiety and depression can tear me down faster than anything despite any and all success I've had. Perhaps I jumped the gun and posted the "oh, woe is me" topic when I started this thread. But, I wasn't thinking too clearly either. Disappointed and frustrated I needed to rant a little.

I know that there have been threads about selling guitars on here before, but this one, being kicked off by my initial comments, I've found really really helpful. There's arguments for building guitars either way. But the main question is, what is my motivation. If I want to build what people want I could do that. But I have to do my thing and if someone digs it, they are welcome to have one of my creations or comission one.

It's interesting that you said that you started out not wanting a business. I suppose I could say the same for myself. I wanted to record my music (and I appreciate the complement on that as well) and I needed the right guitar to do it. A steady stream of instruments later and I'm building more than I play. Funny how that worked out.

Thanks again everyone. My crisis is over. However, keep the comments coming in. I'd like to know what your own experience is with motivation, why you build what you do, and how you respond to people asking you to do something that you normally wouldn't. That sort of thing...