Two Ratcasters

[Guitaraxz]

I have always been asked to make copies. So I figure that in order to sell your own individual design you have make it first. I hate being asked to make a Fender Strat, or any other duplicate, so I have desided to start with my own variation of that and call it the Ratcaster. For the first one I'm using wood leftovers that I had laying around. I had to do some gluing in order for it to be wide enough.

9 peices of Parota, Jabin and Korina (Jabin-Parota-Jabin being glued untop).

Here gluing Parota to the Jabin-Parota-Jabin

Korina in the center

 

I ask all of you Luthiers ¿Do you make copies or do you stay firm and say that you only make originals? I would really like to hear your opinion on this, thanks. 

 

[ScottR]

I have no intention of ever making a copy. I am willing to make guitars that are similar to or "based on" a particular model, but they will always have my neck join, headstock, volute, carves and and so on. I prefer to make the whole damn thing my design, but honestly, it's nearly impossible to come up with a profile that doesn't look similar to something that's been done before.

On the other hand, nobody's ever offered mE more money than I could easily refuse to build a copy either. I don't know what it is, but there is probably a number out there that would make me say all bets are off!

SR

[curtisa]

As a non-professional builder (I'd hardly call myself a luthier!) I find it hard to understand why some businesses exist solely to create copies of Fenders and Gibsons. There's no doubt that they produce beautiful instruments, but why not put that effort to create something unique? And if a customer is willing to shell out top dollar for a Fender clone, why not just buy a top-of-the-range Fender instead?

For personal use, as a one-off gift to someone or for the educational experience I can understand why a clone might be built, but as I commercial venture I find the concept a little stale.

On a related note, I find it funny that guitars like the Strat, when initially produced were seen as incredibly futuristic and ground-breaking for their time. Over 60 years later players still prefer these designs over the "new" modern/futuristic instruments and the original manufacturers find themselves locked into producing those instruments. If this were the car industry we'd still be driving Austin A30s.

[ScottR]

11 hours ago, curtisa said:

On a related note, I find it funny that guitars like the Strat, when initially produced were seen as incredibly futuristic and ground-breaking for their time. Over 60 years later players still prefer these designs over the "new" modern/futuristic instruments and the original manufacturers find themselves locked into producing those instruments. If this were the car industry we'd still be driving Austin A30s.

In the music world there seems to be a sizeable segment that strives to re-create the vintage sound. My new amp says "vintage tone for today". Whether it has to do with out tastes in sound being set in the early days when we first started listening to music or if it has more to do with just loving the way rock and roll sounded when it was born, I don't know......don't care either. I love the vintage tone myself.

SR

[Guitaraxz]

16 hours ago, curtisa said:

As a non-professional builder (I'd hardly call myself a luthier!) I find it hard to understand why some businesses exist solely to create copies of Fenders and Gibsons. There's no doubt that they produce beautiful instruments, but why not put that effort to create something unique? And if a customer is willing to shell out top dollar for a Fender clone, why not just buy a top-of-the-range Fender instead?

For personal use, as a one-off gift to someone or for the educational experience I can understand why a clone might be built, but as I commercial venture I find the concept a little stale.

On a related note, I find it funny that guitars like the Strat, when initially produced were seen as incredibly futuristic and ground-breaking for their time. Over 60 years later players still prefer these designs over the "new" modern/futuristic instruments and the original manufacturers find themselves locked into producing those instruments. If this were the car industry we'd still be driving Austin A30s.

I've seen your work and in my book youre not only a luthier, but a damn good one!

I agree; copies should only be done ONLY for an educational experience. Here in Mexico people want me to make a copy in hopes of getting it cheaper, which sucks, and there are luthiers who go ahead and do it. They make a Strat for half the price and it just bugs me, they not only devaluate their own work, they also devaluate everybody elses work.

I did plenty of routing today, got two body's done, one is from the woods pictured above and the other from a single slab of Korina.

 

Edited August 2, 2016 by Guitaraxz

[curtisa]

9 hours ago, ScottR said:

In the music world there seems to be a sizeable segment that strives to re-create the vintage sound. My new amp says "vintage tone for today". Whether it has to do with out tastes in sound being set in the early days when we first started listening to music or if it has more to do with just loving the way rock and roll sounded when it was born, I don't know......don't care either. I love the vintage tone myself

I have a magazine interview somewhere at home with Rupert Neve, who headed the Neve group and designed many recording consoles and studio components from the 60s onwards. In the interview he laments the desire for engineers and musicians to favour his old designs from the 60s and 70s for their tonal qualities, as he can't convince people to buy his newer, technically-superior studio equipment.

A significant portion of the recording industry is also built on clones of vintage recording equipment, even software plugins designed to recreate the characteristics of them. Its not just guitars and amps that are victims of clonewars, but it does seem to be confined to music technology for some reason.

[curtisa]

6 hours ago, Guitaraxz said:

I've seen your work and in my book youre not only a luthier, but a damn good one!

I agree; copies should only be done ONLY for an educational experience. Here in Mexico people want me to make a copy in hopes of getting it cheaper, which sucks, and there are luthiers who go ahead and do it. They make a Strat for half the price and it just bugs me, they not only devaluate their own work, they also devaluate everybody elses work.

That's kind of you to say so - thanks.

I would have thought a private builder who can copy a Strat for half the price of the real deal and create something as good as or better would need closer scrutiny. Either he's making no money on such a build, or the quality of the finished instrument is questionable. Or both.

[Guitaraxz]

On 2/8/2016 at 6:47 PM, curtisa said:

That's kind of you to say so - thanks.

I would have thought a private builder who can copy a Strat for half the price of the real deal and create something as good as or better would need closer scrutiny. Either he's making no money on such a build, or the quality of the finished instrument is questionable. Or both.

Both Curtisa, both. The problem is in the public who for hand labor they want to pay sh#t and they get what they paid for.

 

Just got back my two Rosewood Fretboards which had been sent to be lazer cut.

Put some glow-in-the-dark powder in

Looks like elegal powder from Colombia haha

Used CA glue as shown by Chris Verhoven somewhere in this forum