possum1284 Posted September 9, 2008 Report Share Posted September 9, 2008 Hi Would anyone in the ny area be interested in working with me to produce a few of my designs? thanks, Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aidlook Posted September 9, 2008 Report Share Posted September 9, 2008 maybe if you had a more serious and thought-out proposition serious people might want to work with you. But imo you're not really ready to start any type of guitar company judging by your other posts. I couldn't find any where you've actually designed something, and in you last post you ask if painting a headstock with a sharpie is a good idea... If your designs are really that great (come on...it's REALLY hard to come up with something remotely unique and good looking when it comes to solidbodies) maybe you should try selling your designs. At the moment I haven't really found anything you've designed, and you seem to be lacking general experience as well when it comes to building. So what's your business proposition really, royalties for your designs while someone else produces them? I think if you're really serious about starting a business...a oneliner on a forum with no further info might not be the best way to get things going....good luck though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted September 9, 2008 Report Share Posted September 9, 2008 and in you last post you ask if painting a headstock with a sharpie is a good idea... Man, I tried not to laugh when I read that, and my head almost exploded Somehow reminds me of when I was a youngster on the yellow school bus and a bunch of kids were picking on this one guy, because apparently he had a 16 year old brother who tried to paint a real car with a toothbrush. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zyonsdream Posted September 9, 2008 Report Share Posted September 9, 2008 Some people design better than they build. I've seen a ton of original designs done in photoshop that never make it to wood simply because the designer is better at designing than building. I think selling a design has its pluses, You can design a shape in photoshop and if the right person likes it you can make a few bucks off of selling the rights and you might even get some royalties out of it. Owning or running a small guitar company is not an easy thing to do. I'm sure a lot of folks here can back me up on that. I've also seen people do stranger things than sharpie a headstock and have it turn out pretty cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
possum1284 Posted September 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2008 im horrible at wood working i have designed seversal pretty cool looking guitars though in photo shop and autocad. Everyone laughs the sharpie worked fine at looks fine, it was cheap and involved little work. as long as its not hazardous im fine with it. it never hurts to try something new. Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToddW Posted September 10, 2008 Report Share Posted September 10, 2008 Hey Adam, No offense to you, but most people prefer to build their own stuff unless they're getting paid. So if you want to start a guitar company based on your guitar designs, you'll probably have to pay someone. Is that what you were thinking of doing? If it is, you might want to find a production type shop or pay for a prototype, line up a manufacturing facility/option, and market it. In other words, you need a business plan. Regards, Todd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted September 10, 2008 Report Share Posted September 10, 2008 Yeah,there are companies that will build according to your cad drawings and mass produce them for you... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted September 10, 2008 Report Share Posted September 10, 2008 Adam, If your talent is in cad and design(great skills), maybe you should pursue prototyping to work out any bugs in your drawings, then pursue selling full scale plans. You bring designs to the table, and there could be a market for that. There is an investment in prototyping, but after you have confirmed your drawings are fully buildable you would have a product. Plotting is cheap, and you could easily control your costs from that aspect. Your investment would be MUCH lower than attempting production(either way you have to prototype and develop a design, no way you could go into actual production without it). In the end you would probably make more profit for yourself selling your drawings(your design itself) than your cut of profits from production(which would be a small percentage because your a small part of the process, unless you invest heavily in tooling and materials(which extends your risk, and like you said the material and production is not your forte). The value in hand made guitars is in the builder. Which includes the builders design skills as it relates to function as well as asthetics. It also relates to the name and reputation of that builder. How profitable it is relates to the builders abilty to market, control costs and efficiency as well as what the market will pay for the instrument. Even a design that is potentially appealing and tested functionally by prototyping is just a small part of the equation, and may be cost prohibitive in production. I suspect any builder looking to actually introduce a model would prefer to make it their own, so they could use their skills to make it viable and at least have a chance of marketing it. It is an extreamly hard task for a very talented builder to make a living as a luthier, adding the burden of design fees that the competition does not have may make it impossible for them to make a go of it. Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psw Posted September 10, 2008 Report Share Posted September 10, 2008 It is a strange world...almost anything can be produced in photoshop and auto cad by anyone...some can make things that look better than others...but a design is nothing until you hold it in your hands. They still make clay models of cars for instance and make many important changes based on a 3D real life model. My dad was an architect and the office in the house and so they were forever stealing my toy cars to glue to their scaled balsawood buildings and streetscapes. All guitar builders will know that they make a lot of changes as a build progresses and the details will often change in response to the materials, the sculptured form and especially things like neck profile or anywhere the hands might touch. PG is full of threads of guitar designs that frustrate as they are photoshopped realizations of fantasy instruments...some very good, but never see the light of day. All the same, even the best of these will benefit from a broader criticism and feedback from members here. As you are proposing a "guitar company" it implies that these designs are not intended for your own use so such designs would enormously benefit from some market research...another reason to post some designs for scrutiny. Seriously though, the market for new guitars is pretty small...most will want a conventional design not evolved much in 50 years...small custom makers can produce guitars of people's personal dreams...so where is the gap. PRS found it...but he did it by building and working the design and physically hawking the things around...he would never have succeeded with a photoshopped concept alone. I suggest that you post at least some of your design ideas and strategy...if only to back up such a proposal with some actual concepts at least. The reality is that so much has already been done and the classic and derivative designs so good and desirable that the features that most stand out in GOTM or the many threads here are not so much the designs but the execution of them and the materials and little details of the builder... Just some thoughts... pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doeringer Posted September 10, 2008 Report Share Posted September 10, 2008 The best way to earn a little money inthe guitar business is to start with A LOT of money!!! I think that was an old shipbuilders quote, anyway I can't take credit for it. But it does hold true and the advice in the responses above are good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VesQ Posted September 10, 2008 Report Share Posted September 10, 2008 I think l´l pack my sharpies and water color brushes and come to N.Y. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshvegas Posted September 10, 2008 Report Share Posted September 10, 2008 The best way to earn a little money inthe guitar business is to start with A LOT of money!!! I think that was an old shipbuilders quote, anyway I can't take credit for it. But it does hold true and the advice in the responses above are good. you picked that up in melvyns book! I think its a standard expresiion for any small scale manufacturing business! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted September 10, 2008 Report Share Posted September 10, 2008 Hi Would anyone in the ny area be interested in working with me to produce a few of my designs? thanks, Adam With all due respect, nobody you are looking for will consider this. You either will have to produce a strategic and viable business plan (business angle) or have a great talent and resource for producing unique and saleable designs. Where is this, exactly? [...] The best laid plans are a blend of inspiration and sound direction. Without either you'll eaten by the sharks or be plain sub-mundane. If you have one and want to appeal to someone to provide the other then perhaps you need to build a portfolio to demonstrate what it is you have to offer to do so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihocky2 Posted September 11, 2008 Report Share Posted September 11, 2008 Here's thi big problem I see with this. Most people are not going to want to commit to something like this for several reasons. I am sure you are looking to work some kind of partnerships deal, but where is the split. You'll want X% because without your design the builder would not have them and probably not be in the business. The builder will want X% because without his building talent, your designs would be nothing more than pretty pictures. And reaching an agreeable profit split will be very tough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.