I've been thinking...

[pagemalicious]

Last night whilst i was on my break at work. i was reading through some magazines (guitar player, guitarist) and i noticed an ad for guitar building courses. I thought to myself 'maybe i should take this course up'. Then i done some more thinking and thought to myself 'maybe if i'm good enough, i should maybe try and make a living from it?'

I know this would be a challenge but it's worth a shot..

So for people like Doc Dryer and others alike..how hard is the guitar making buisness?

[markb]

Re: I\'ve been thinking...

I would guess for most people it begins as a hobby, and gradually progresses to more. I don't think its like you drop everything else and try to "make it". Try it as a part time gig for fun and see where it goes, nothing to lose really.

[pagemalicious]

Re: I\'ve been thinking...

Thanks for the words. I finish college next year, after i'm taking a year out to get some money and have some freedom. So this course seems pretty cool.

I'll be trying out some stuff before hand though. For people who've made their own guitars from scratch...was it easy to grasp on to how to make our own guitar?

[Accept2]

Re: I\'ve been thinking...

I once toured the operations of a small builder to see if he could improve his operations. He did guitars, basses, and woodwinds. Everything was hand made, so it took alot of time. Even with a starting price of $2,000US he was still only making about $10CDN an hour. So, if its what you love, then fine, but in reality, McDonalds pays more, and you dont breathe sawdust all the time............I am sure that Paul Smith and other guys like him made absolutely nothing until they could afford their CNC machines and started mass production.........

[Newc]

Re: I\'ve been thinking...

McDonald's pays way less than $10CDN an hour. You'd probably be better off moving near an established company (Gibson, Fender, etc) and getting an apprenticeship or internship there rather than jumping right in on your own as a business. Unknowns can ask $2500 for a hand-made guitar all day, but most people would rather plunk down that money on a name they know, so you'll end up selling stuff dirt cheap on Ebay just to buy more wood and replace tools.

Newc

[Accept2]

Re: I\'ve been thinking...

Actually Washburn's custom shop is filled with luthiers who build their own lines, and also build at Washburn. Although Im not sure if thats a good thing, as it makes me why these guys would want 2 jobs...........

[Black Mariah]

Re: I\'ve been thinking...

Originally posted by Accept2:
Actually Washburn's custom shop is filled with luthiers who build their own lines, and also build at Washburn. Although Im not sure if thats a good thing, as it makes me why these guys would want 2 jobs...........

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Ummm... because they like building guitars, and they like making money doing something they like doing? Same reason why my dad would work on cars all week at a dealership then work on cars at home all weekend. It's extra money doing shit that's super-easy for him.

[Jim Shine]

Re: I\'ve been thinking...

I went to a building/repair school and learned alot. However, the majority of my education came from personal experience. The methods my teacher taught were great for him, but I have learned my own methods of doing things over the years. The schools really help you get over the stigmas of handling guitars and tools and lay a good foundation for you to get started.