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#1
08-06-2014, 05:34 AM
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New builders - what do you do with the first guitars?
Hi,
I took a sabbatical year to train fulltime with a local luthier, with the aim of setting up on a part-time basis. I'm lucky in that my primary career provided the necessary capital to self-build and equip a small workshop, but realistically, I will never make a living as a fulltime luthier. So, as planned, I've returned to the day-job and spend evenings/weekends in the workshop where possible. This allows me to concentrate on building, without the pressure of absolutely having to make sales, take in repairs etc to feed the family. I'm currently on my 5th guitar, still building my basic skills, and sticking to less expensive woods for the time being. I anticipate making at least 10 guitars before having something I'd risk putting out there with my name on it (as an aside, the marketing issue is a whole other ballgame, but I'm not at that stage yet...) Question is - what to do with the "learning process" guitars? They're starting to clutter up the house (risk of domestic strife), but I'm nervous about even gifting them to family members. They all have beginners flaws to some degree, although I do at least see definite gains in workmanship as I go along. How they sound is just a throw of the dice at present though. So, hobbyists, pros, semi-pros, anyone - what happened to the first few guitars you ever made? Drew 
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#2
08-06-2014, 06:01 AM
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I display them and play them. My third guitar was a commission. I had the final set up done by a pro.
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#3
08-06-2014, 06:04 AM
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Speaking from the vantage point of a player, rather than a luthier, I would be happy to receive any hand made guitar someone made, regardless of the flaws. I am sure anyone else would feel the same. If you don't want to keep them for historical value or for nostalgia, I think you should feel free to give them away. If the flaws are so severe (neck angle, structural instability, bad intonation) that you are embarrassed by them or no one would want to play them, then I would scrap them.
__________________
Warren My website: http://draudio56.wix.com/warren-bendler "It's hard...calming the Beatle inside of me."
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#4
08-06-2014, 07:16 AM
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Just getting ready to start on my next three builds. I started with a box guitar, then made a sort-of electric sized acoustic just as a practice tool, turned out well enough that I thought I could build a real acoustic parlor.
   So my building has a definite upward progression.  I had an offer for the cigar box when I first made it, it was my toy so I decided to keep it. Now I could part with it, just not sure to where. The practice guitar, scrap the body, the neck is good but not really sure what to put it on. If it had a heel I would use it for an archtop. The parlor my niece's husband played and commented to my sister he would really be interested in it. I think it has too much of a contribution from the back to the tone, maybe I can put a heavier brace on it. I would rather build him a new one rather than give him one that I think does not sound right. Slight flaws in construction I have no shame about, put a few dings on it before it was even finished and the binding could have been a little better in places. But it does have to sound good to my ear before I give it to anyone. Bought an acoustic that needed work cheap that I wanted to give to a woman I know that wants to learn how to play. Once I got it strung up I found out how bad it sounds. Might take the neck off and use it rather than give it away to someone. So I guess that is my dividing line, if it is pleasing enough to the ear I would give it away otherwise it is used for parts. Or maybe use guitars that do not measure up as project mules to try ideas out on. Mind you I do not have anyone to complain to me about all the guitars laying around.
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#5
08-06-2014, 08:07 AM
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My first was built under the watchful eye of an experienced luthier during a training class and turned out and sounds great. My second I started on my own and made mistakes then put it aside for 2 years until I could repair the mistakes. I use those guitars as demos because they both sound fantastic (not just my opinion) and I have had multiple offers to buy them (even knowing the mistakes on the second). #'s 3-25 have been commissioned sales (actually all but 2 and they were sold before I finished them).
__________________
Tim B
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#6
08-06-2014, 08:32 AM
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I still play my #2 guitar. My first is in a case, and is just fine, except that the neck is a bit thick. Plays well, and sounds great, but my second has a wider nut and thinner neck and I love playing it. I have loaned out a couple over a period of time to folks who needed a good guitar for a competition, but couldn't afford to buy one. Gave one to my son, still have a couple of others. Didn't even want to sell any of my first 5. The difference between 5 and 6 was night and day.
__________________
Waddy
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#7
08-06-2014, 08:48 AM
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I still play my #1 guitar, but I'm not a luthier. I've built four or five guitars, and the first was very sentimental bc I built it with my dad.
__________________
1930 Martin OM-28 2017 LeGeyt Parlor 2021 LeGeyt CLM Red/Tree 2021 Kostal MDW German/Pernambuco
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#8
08-06-2014, 09:10 AM
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Quote:
-Rob
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#9
08-06-2014, 09:16 AM
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Quote:
Professional just means you do it for your living, and doesn't have a direct correlation with quality, although of course the more you do and the more often you do something, the better you get, so most pro luthiers have at least a certain basic standard of quality.
__________________
---- Ned Milburn NSDCC Master Artisan Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
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#10
08-06-2014, 09:41 AM
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My #1 hangs in my shop and I still play it. It's not at all a bad playing guitar though it's looks like hell. Granted I've treated her like hell too but that's the beauty of having a beater. Don't mind dropping it on the sand in the beach or camping in the damp Florida coast etc...
So there is a good time and a place for such guitars. Two of my nephews have one each of my first ten guitars, not sure which one's. It took me ten guitars to finally have enough skills to start selling them but I had zero prior work with any hand tools other than a hammer. Some people start producing real nice guitars a lot quicker than that.
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#11
08-06-2014, 10:43 AM
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Quote:
 ) and tell them to be brutally honest in their assessment.
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#12
08-06-2014, 10:12 PM
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If you can do as well as a $300 Yamaha you are doing good.
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#14
08-08-2014, 05:19 PM
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My first 2 I still have....still play them as do customers....my last 3 went to people who played and liked the first 2. I've had offers on my first ones that were reasonable to me, mistakes and all, but , they are probably the only ones I will have that I built solely for my specs. Think I'll keep them :}
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#15
08-09-2014, 08:04 AM
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I can relate to this. I'm a semi-retired hobby builder, been at it for 2-3 years now off and on. I've built 2 ukuleles, 2 guitars, 1 mandolin and 1 guitar bodied octave mandolin, working on a 3rd guitar. The first guitar I made, the sides, back and neck are cherry from a tree I cut down in my dad's back yard about 40 years ago, I did a bolt on neck because I was afraid to try a dovetail, and though it's far from perfect it has great tone and tons of volume. I only had a book("Build Your Own Acoustic Guitar") and youtubes to go by but I have done a lot of woodworking. Having said all that, it seems kinda like I've gone downhill from there. All the other instruments are lying around hardly ever being played. They all sound and look so-so, don't know what to do with them. Still learning, hope to improve, meanwhile they keep accumulating. Just like the original post, the sound is just a roll of the dice, and the sound is the most important thing to me. Challenging and frustrating!!! Danny
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