“Handcrafted” vs. “Handmade”
What is the difference in the terms “Handmade” & “ Handcfafted” when referring to how a particular manufacturers guitars are made. I am a bit confused, because I recently heard a member here refer to Eastman acoustic guitars as being “Handcrafted”, when I’m pretty sure they are machine-made for the very most part...to keep prices lower, I suspect. But, that term would suggest they are not.
I have always thought of guitars like Bourgeois, Collings or Thompson being “Handmade”, with virtually no machinery used to build their instruments, and therefore they are made in far lower numbers than even those made by Martin, Gibson or Taylor...which I would consider more “Handcrafted” than “Handmade”. Will someone smarter than I give a shot at this? |
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I think it’s probably more sensible to think of things in terms of mass production instruments vs those made one by one. In the case of the former, guitars are built to average specs with a combination of machines and humans. In the case of the latter, it’s mostly a person with jigs and hand tools/power tools. Instruments are individualized. And there are boutique companies that are somewhere in between. |
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When examining a certain luthier's work, a pal of mine described the guitar as, "more homemade than handmade". I think we can all understand what he was getting it.
As for "handmade" vs. "handcrafted", I agree: Both = marketing. In reality, I doubt there's anything substantial that distinguishes between them. Cheers, Steve |
As for the use of (CNC) machines, I suspect that most everybody is using something along those lines these days. I have two guitars that each were made in one-man shops, and both use machinery of one kind or another. Neither shop makes more than 10 or 12 guitars per year though.
So what does "hand made" really mean? Does a guitar built by one person, rather than 2 or more, constitute "hand made" even though machines were used? Is there a dividing line of some kind where we consider "mass produced" to be over a certain number and those shops that turn out fewer than that number are considered to be "hand made"? I don't have any answers to these questions, but I suspect the poster who said "marketing", might be closer to the truth about this stuff. :) Tony |
I agree, the definition's personal.
Like off-the-rack, boutique, and luthier reference standard - marketing & your personal absorption rate influence definition. |
Tomato...tomaaato.....
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I would think almost all well known makers use machines to varying degrees these days. They are much more consitent than humans could ever be at repetitive tasks.
Still I watched a recent martin factory tour video and was pleasantly suprised by the amount of handwork going on, but the video may have been a few years old and things change so quickly. As has already been said both terms are more about marketing than anything else. |
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It's not possible to make a guitar with one's bare hands.
You need tools and machines. Even a simple electric saw is a machine. I pretty much ignore all manufacturer's use of these terms because there is no agreement on meaning. |
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Like "Select spruce top" (which means the one next in the pile) If a neck is shaped on a CNC machine with what does the operator press the button with ? ... his toes? |
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Neither term, handmade or handcrafted, have any real meaning anymore: they mean whatever anyone wants them to mean.
The obvious intention is to invoke sentiments that something was made the way things used to be made and that the way they used to be made was of a high quality. As anyone who has attended a Christmas craft sale with works by less skilled amateurs knows, being "handmade" is not a guarantee of quality of design or workmanship. As others have pointed out, very, very few things are made anymore without the aid of some sort of machinery or automation. What might be a more relevant is the distinction drawn by David Pye (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Pye_(furniture)), the workmanship of risk versus the workmanship of certainty. Quote:
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I agree that at this point in time these terms come down to how a luthier advertises what might set them apart. I remember back in 2003 when I first met Kathy Wingert, her tag line was something like “One of a kind, one at a time.” I liked what that evoked - a singular focus on a guitar that was made expressly for a specific customer taking into consideration their needs and wants. Of course, as Charles points out, that doesn’t tell you the quality of the work.
It was after playing a number of her guitars and learning about her reputation that ultimately sealed the deal. Handcrafted, handmade, bespoke, homemade - all up for interpretation. Best, Jayne |
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