[Mycroft]

Originally Posted by TBman

I think all guitars built now are mechanically assisted builds. Whether its by one person or many.

As far as the "assembly line" idea of a factory, I don't think that it takes away the notion of "hand built in that its probably more feasible for one person to become an expert in the manufacturing of a few parts than every part in a guitar.

So for example only, one guy does necks and bridges, another does tops and backs, another bends sides and closes the boxes, another does the trim, etc. All these people develop specialized skills that are above average. For one person to become highly skilled in all the areas is tougher I would think.

But what that does not do is allow the person making the braces to vary their dimensions based on the properties of that individual top and/or the particular tone or responsiveness desired.

Originally Posted by TBman

This results in many guitars getting built over a short time with lower costs as opposed to the one or two guitars being built by one person.

But are those guitars, less expensive though they may be, as good in their consistency as one or two built by a single person who has become highly skilled in all the areas and is able to fully integrate all the parts in a way that accounts for their innate variability? The real question is not is there a team or is there a solo builder, but rather do they build to a specification or to the materials and response desired?

There are small production facilities who straddle the line. Santa Cruz, for example, has a team who builds the guitars. A guy who roughs out parts. Someone who does finishes. Someone who does necks. Someone else does inlay work. But they also have someone who voices the tops. Mark Traugott once held that position. He was followed by Roy McAlister.

So are they "hand-built" or "factory?"

Originally Posted by TBman

The very small shop charges a lot more money per unit due to the economies of scale among other things, Also the small shop builder will do extra bling features which are labor intensive that you don't see in a "mass produced" guitar. To be fair to the small builder, custom work takes time and time is money. Go into the custom build section of the forum and take a look. The work these builders do is exceptional. They take the craft to another level.

Yes, economics of scale are a factor. But also, and probably more important, is the time per unit invested just in the construction. You might be surprised at the number of small-builder guitars without any extra "bling" to speak of beyond pretty wood. And pretty wood takes no more time to work than plain-looking wood does. Where the time comes in is someone working slowly, with thinking and consideration. You are also paying not just for the man-hours that go into actually building the instrument, but the time and experience of the builder.

I have had people in court ask what I charge after watching me work, and then recoil, saying that I only spoke a few words to the judge. I usually laugh and then tell them that my clients are not paying by the word, but rather for the 4 years as an undergraduate that I put in and then three years of law school, plus my 15 years of experience, knowledge of the applicable law, and institutional knowledge of the particular court that I am in and the Judge that I am in front of. But feel free to represent yourself.

I'm not even sure of why I am bothering to try and convince people that there is a difference between a hand-made custom guitar and a factory-to specification produced guitar. Can there be a great production spec guitar? Absolutely, when the specs match the characteristics of that individual top needs to be its best. The difference is that a small or solo builder is building to those characteristics. That point has been made over and over. And not just in this thread.

TW