NotYou

That last quote (the p5 part) from Benedetto is right on. Every builder needs to get it tattooed on themselves, or at least write it down. What book is that from? I've got to read that.

One of the best sounding guitars I've ever built was from redwood that was leftover fom somebody's deck job. If nothing else, learning to work with what you have will make you more observant and an all around better builder in the long run.

Pine is great sounding wood. They actually used to make Teles out of it. A lot of boutique and relic guys are making them from pine again. Chances are Fender noticed the demand for them and jumped onboard. There are a lot of great sounding woods that are very cheap. Price should be more determined by build quality, etc..

That being said, I've never been impressed with Fender's quality, so it's still too much, IMO.

I didn't know there was such a thing. Thanks!

I agree on the epoxy.

I've heard a few times that rubbing the metal with a slice (not a whole clove) of garlic will help out. The oil apparently reacts with the metal and makes it less smooth. I've never tried it, but it's worth experimenting with.

I have a theory about guitar length and size and how the positions nodes land can affect tone. After some informal testing, I seem to be right. But, just so I don't sound like a hack, I don't want to go into details until I'm sure.

I agree with that, but it also depends on your business setup. We're about to start a less expensive line that will likely make up most of the business. We're going to start selling them at just over $2000, then go from there. I had to go through a lot of people, but parts and wood will run about $400 and I've come up with a good way to make them quickly. If they start selling, it'll turn a decent profit (decent for me... at least for now). We'll raise the price later, but it'll be cheap for a while as an intro price to get people playing them.

While I'm doing that, I'll be making two customs at a time which will take longer, but cost much more. I currently have four either ongoing or about to start, ranging from $3000 to $6000 (my prices have rising steadily. The $3000 one is the oldest and the $6000 is the newest).

I have a couple agents who I pay a commission to if they sell one and my shops rent is only $400, soon to be $330 (I split it with some sculptors).

Things have been picking up and, if it works out like we think it will, this new line should sell well.

My point is, even though they're going to be near $2000, it's enough to make business, if it's planned properly. If you're making them one by one and by hand, then $2000 won't cut it. I know some builders who can do that, but they all make strat copies and things like that. I don't actually know how much business they do, though.

Thin

tbh i wasn't thinking brand specific... but look at fender and gibson - they often triple the price to make something seem more desirable, usually with only a slight change in spec!

once you have a name people will pay attention to you can charge what the hell you like

for a specific example - how much does a les paul junior cost now from gibson? (real guitar money upwards!!) is anybody not buying them because they used to be sold as cheaper student models? The actual parts value & labour value means nothing here. they price them based on desirability

Exactly. Just like I said earlier, your name is everything. You could be making the modern equivalent to a Strad, but if you're looked at as being a beginner or hobbyist, you won't really have any buyers.

If I wasn't on Destroy All Guitars I'd have to get a real job. Without some real recognition, it's about impossible to sell anything for a half-decent price. It's not impossible, but almost. If you want to do it full time, you need to hang on until your reputation catches up with you and that will always take longer than you think. That was probably the hardest thing I've ever done (and I'm still not quite there yet!).

I might be interested. I could use some CAD work. All of my know-how is limited to photoshop and paper.

It's tough to price a handmade guitar when you're not "in business". From what I've seen, you could get $2000 for a guitar with a unique shape or style, as long as it sounds and plays well. They're not easy to sell, though. You need to find the right person, or be willing to sell for less.

It took a long time before I could casually ask for $4000 for a custom. People rely on your experience, so selling them without a known name can be very difficult. There are guys who build in their spare time and sell them, but rarely for more than $2000, no matter how good the instrument is.

Chile: Again, the craftsmanship is there but the body shape; I just don’t understand it. I know it has meaning to you so I guess that’s the sacrifice. You understand it but most people wont.

You have to look at it upside down

obviously not so much people knows the flag of my little island

I friend of mine asked this particular work...

ps. green flakes rules!

Whoa! You would probably get a lot more votes if you showed that in your submission post.

I voted for it, regardless. Great work!

This is the "Lupin".

For the first time ever, I'm submitting a guitar that isn't distressed.

I wanted this guitar to look organic and handmade. The finish is extremely thin and is hardy noticeable and the pewter hardware was all made by hand. My goal was to make it comfortable to hold and play, and to feel totally natural. The pewter really helped with the handmade folk-arty look.

This is my favorite sounding guitar too. It's noticeably woody and the sound matches the "organic" look and feel of the guitar nicely.

Specs:

Body: Semi-hollow

Top: Black walnut

Back: Black walnut

Body: Bubinga, walnut details

Finish: Hand rubbed satin polyurethane

Neck: Black Walnut

Fretboard: Macassar ebony

Neck shape: "C"

Scale: 24.75”

Frets: Medium, Nickel, 21

Bridge: Wilkinson wraparound

Nut: Buffalo Horn

Inlay/Hardware: Pewter

Pickups: Bare Knuckle “The Mule” set

Electronics: Blend pickups/Master volume/Tone

You can see all the photo's here:

Closeups of the finish and wood:

http://pfeisterguitars.com/Lupin_Gallery_f.../DSC_2966_1.jpg

http://pfeisterguitars.com/Lupin_Gallery_f.../DSC_2975_1.jpg

http://pfeisterguitars.com/Lupin_Gallery_f.../DSC_2982_1.jpg

http://pfeisterguitars.com/Lupin_Gallery_f.../DSC_2985_1.jpg

Fretboard:

http://pfeisterguitars.com/Lupin_Gallery_f.../DSC_2967_1.jpg

Binding tape and fat rubber bands. Tight ones. Lots of them.

I'm always very, very iffy when I see new guitar inventions and innovations. They're generally just trying to make a buck with a gimmick and usually aren't doing anything new (don't get me started on those guys).

This, however, is f***ing brilliant! An idea that mechanically simple that can pull that off is a stroke of genius. Of course, until I see it work, I can't say for sure, but huge props for just the idea.

From now on, your life will be remembered in regard to two criteria: Life before bandsaw and life after bandsaw.

Nice! That matches the wood very nicely.

I love a good chemical finish.

I was finally able to take a picture of this insane macassar ebony top!

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/6067/photo634x.jpg

...I think I'm a little jealous.

Yeah..but the only thing is...look at the 5th photo down...see those two matching pieces of red wood sitting next to each other and about three pieces to the left of the big piece of mystery "bubinga"?

That is bubinga...and the color difference is what is bothering me...

That still looks like bubinga. I'd be willing to bet it is. I've seen it look like everything from dark purple to pale pink. I bet if you wet it, it'll look more like color you're expecting. I don't know of any other wood with that kind of grain and pores and that color.

That definitely looks like bubinga in the photo.

I might do a proper tutorial of this soon, but here's the how to do it.

The most important thing to know is different types of wood will react to this differently. This works because the tannic acid in the wood reacts with the rust and turns black. Some woods have low tannic acid content. Walnut and mahogany, which are both incredible sounding woods, work great with this. Walnut has an especially high tannic acid content and will turn pitch black in seconds. If you're using a wood with low acid content, you can brew some black tea then wipe it onto the wood a few times. Black tea is loaded with tannic acid and it will absorb into the wood. Just make sure it's even. You'll know if the wood species does not have a lot of tannic acid by doing a test run. It will turn gray and not black if there isn't enough. Maple will turn gray, for instance.

You'll need white vinegar, a jar with a lid, any rusty scrap (rusty nails, screws, etc.) and 0000 steel wool.

I use both rusty nails and steel wool, but I've heard it works with just one or the other. I assume only using steel wool will result in a cleaner black color, but I've never tried it.

Fill the jar with the white vinegar and drop in the nails and steel wool. Let it sit for about a week. Once a day or so, stir the contents of the jar. After a week (four days should be enough if you're in a hurry) the steel wool should be dissolved and the rust should be mostly off the metal parts. Pull out the big pieces of metal and it's ready to use. If you want it to be a little cleaner, you can filter it with an old t-shirt to remove the rust particles. Also, if you let the jar sit a long time, the sediment will all sink to the bottom and the top will be clear. You can use that clear liquid for a completely rust free black finish. I sometimes like to leave the rust particles in; they give the wood an interesting rusty look along with the black.

Wipe the vinegar/rust mixture onto the wood. The change can take a couple minutes. You can repeat if necessary. When it's dry, you can finish like normal. The color won't rub off because it's a chemical color change, it's not sitting on the wood like dye. Keep in mind that it will raise the grain, so you might need to sand back the first time you wipe it on.

By the way, you only need a jar with a lid because it smells. Any container will do, though.

Just ask if you need to know anything else. Let me know how it turns out!

If you want pitch black, you can use oil dye.

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Fretting_suppl...=3&xsr=6496

Just make sure to be careful when you clear coat it because it can run off. I did a finish like that once way back when. I gently blotted the clear for the first coat and worked fine.

If you don't want pitch black, you can get a good permanent black by chemically changing the color of the wood like the photos below. There's a whole process to it (it's not that hard), but I can let you know how if that's a look you want.

its amazing how serious people take gotm. ITS SUPPOSED TO BE FUN!! its not like you get to be emperor of the world if you win. liten up people have some fun and let it be what it is fun.

Someone could let them know that over at MLP forums. Some people over there come here to sign on and just vote on GOTM. And as Wes has pointed out time and time again, people will vote for whatever reasons they seem fit. Clicky

Yuck. I know of Rist from TGP, but I never really paid much attention to him. That's pretty shady. That's certainly not the first time I've seen builders doing stuff like that. I've seen some big builders asking facebook people to go to certain forums and write fake reviews and praise about them. I just try to stay out of it, though.

I really picked the wrong month to submit. There is a ton of amazing stuff this month. Every build was great this time around.

Sergiokuns: I love that top; it's gorgeous! I normally don't like gold hardware, but it matches so perfectly with that wood it looks great. Good choice and very nice work.

***mkm***: Great body shape! I like what you did with the optional bridges.

hufschmid: I love the color of the top. It's very unique. Everything about this one looks well done.

SwedishLuthier: Great job with the color. It comes across as very bold. I don't normally care for Teles, but this is a great looking one!

NotYou:

Maikkeli: Like I said before, I'm normally not much for Teles, but I love this guitar. The top is absolutely gorgeous! The thing that really got me, though, was the headstock. It's just a little thing, but really makes the guitar look complete. Great job!

Quarter: I always love your work. This one is especially nice. Your workmanship is top notch. I really don't know what else to say about it. Great job!

Menapia: I really love that headstock. The overall style isn't my cup-o-tea, but that's purely subjective; it doesn't affect the fact that it's very nicely done.

Metalhead28: I love the body wood and the neck! I don't really like tops like that, but I'm definitely a minority. It's very nicely done. I bet it sounds great.

3DogNate: Very clean work. I actually agree with what everyone else said. I'd love to see the back of it, though.

stereordinary: I love this one. The body shape is great and paint job and bevels work perfectly with it! The pickguard was a very nice touch. Really beautiful work!

Scatter Lee: This reminds me a lot of Les Godfrey's work. The top wood is absolutely stunning! I would love to hear this guitar. Great work!

I think local stores are the best places. That way you can see and hear each piece in person. I spend a lot of time wondering around hardware stores knocking on wood. It'll often be cheaper than online too, since you won't pay shipping.

From what I hear, it's extremely beneficial to befriend someone who owns a mill. The way it works, when it comes down to it, is that the more people who touch the wood, the more it's going to cost.

If you can establish a relationship with a mill owner, you get the wood before it goes through a distributor or five.

Definitely. I got a huge stash of very nice black walnut from a local mill for like $20. The only problem is you'll need to let it season completely, which take a looooonng time.

You can get creative with it and put it on a guitar. Then put on some monster platform boots and go glam!

"Stagolee"

It was named after the folk/blues song (also called "Stack O'Lee", "Stackerlee", "Stagalee", "Stagger Lee, and so on). The Black Keys did my favorite version of the song and their guitar sound was my benchmark for this guitar. I'm pretty proud of the guitar's tone.

This was a tough finish to pull off. I really had to get innovative with it. At one point I was even grinding sawdust into the clear coat and the red paint with my hand. The bridge was especially hard to figure out; it used to be chrome. The tailpiece is a found object. I'm still not sure what was. I assume it was part of a gate lock of some kind. Whatever it is, I got giddy like a little girl when I found it.

I guess I won't say too much about it. It kind of speaks for itself. This guitar sounds great, it's not just meant to look interesting. It's sound is surprisingly twangy and bold for a semi-hollow; it was made for blues and really think I captured that sound. This is definitely a playing guitar.

_______________________________________________________________________

Body: Semi-hollow

Walnut/Maple

Neck: Goncalo Alves/Black Walnut

Fretboard: Cocobolo

Neck shape: Large "C"

Scale: 24.5”

Frets: Medium, Nickel, 21 (coated in copper oxide)

Bridge: Tune-O-Matic

Nut: Buffalo Horn

Pickups: Hand-wound (9k ohm humbucker, 7k ohm single coils)

Electronics: 5-way rotary selector/volume/tone

Finish:

_______________________________________________________________________

All photos can be seen here.

http://pfeisterguitars.com/Stagolee_Galler.../DSC_2844_1.jpg

Closeup of the finish:

http://pfeisterguitars.com/Stagolee_Galler.../DSC_2832_1.jpg