Official Luthiers Forum!

Inspired by one the the best threads I have read on the OLF, about the most beautiful Classical guitar I have seen on the web....


I have heard it said many times that it is silly to give up building guitars, even if it's just a hobby....

In fact, the latest conversation with a local luthier supplier was about that very same subject. Pleased that I was planning #3, he said that he knows many people who only build one guitar, and thinks it's ridiculous when they stop.

Yeah, I know he had a vested interest (like the profits), but I have heard it TOO often to ignore.

I guess having MANY other creative interests, I am wondering whether I could put my emotional, creative and physical energy into building many more guitars...

So, in your own words, why do you think it's ridiculous to give up guitar building?

Is it because of reaching that "crowning achievement" of 12th, 65th or even 100th guitar, where you have reached the peak of your design element, craftmanship and sound "engineering"?? (or in the words of a Luthier I spoke to recently, "grace, form and elegance")

Man, he's a smooth talker, ain't he?

                              Red

Sam, I would consider it ridiculous to quiting do anything that you like/love to do simple because your work did not meet someone else's expectations. That is giving an awful lot of power to someone else. As long as you are doing this because you love the challenge, the processes, the alone time, et cetera, no one has the right to diminish your joy simple because they can be mean spirited. If your heart's not in it, well, that's a different matter.

Harry Chapin wrote a song about a guy who's joy was destroyed by a few "honest" comments.   Mr Tanner

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Aoibeann

Sam,

Hesh has some good points in general, and in comments he made to you personally (you've been a valuable contributor here). I think, though, that it boils down to three reasons to quit: You don't want to build another one; It would hurt, or interfere with, another part of your life that is more important; You don't have the money to do it. Of those, the only truely irreversible one is the first.

So, if you want to build, do it!

If building a perfect guitar was easy, then everybody would do it and the whole music instrument business as we know it would disappear.  I tend to agree with Carlton and think that as long as you have a passion for building and can financially support your passion, then by all means keep building.

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Reguards,

Ken H

i feel that if you are inspired to do it - you cant help it!

that aside, there's a certain thing about working with hand tools - making that perfect cut, sometimes not having to measure because you just 'know' or finally correcting a mistake (because you didnt measure!?)that makes it a very satifying activity.

to have a guitar at the end of it all is a bonus

 

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www.theguitarrepairworkshop.com

Sam, I get the feeling that you are at a crossroad.

You probably know as well as I do, that just about everyone here at the OLF has got the guitar
building bug. My guess is, many of us could give you lots of reasons why it would be ridiculous
to quit building. I certainly could write a page on the subject.

I’m a builder of custom homes. I’ve being doing it for a long time.
It’s only recently that I’ve started to build my first guitar. It was very easy for me to take up guitar building,
because I love to build! So, it wouldn’t be hard for me to justify why I’d never quit.

If I may, I would like to approach this subject from a slightly different point of view.

For me, it is the DOING, that makes everything in life worth DOING!

It is the journey, not the destination, that really matters.

I think we all strive for a positive end result, but, it is the process of getting there, is where all the
fun is to be had!

What ever your creative interests are, as long as it feels right, and you enjoy doing It, there’s no
reason to quit!

If what your doing is making you happy, then you’re doing the right thing!

Anyway, Sam my friend, I wish you the very best, to where ever your creative interests take you

Sincerely, Robert

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Everything has beauty, But, not everyone see's it!

Don't forget the 2 main reasons for building:
Hand wormanship and the pleasure that brings
The joy of the owner playing and others listening to MUSIC!

Hey Sam,

I think that most builders (including myself) do it because it is truly a passion and an addiction. It is really frustrating for me since I feel so strongly about building, but my skills will not allow me to create what I set out to create...I think this is where the addiction comes in. Constantly striving to make the next guitar better in some way and correct errors that we made on previous instruments. But, because of the passion and soul that goes into building, it can be devastating when the work is not as appreciated as you would like for it to be. I agree with what was previously said (very well written) about not letting anyone have that much control over you...

I think that others have hit on the ONLY reasons for quitting (you're broke, it is messing your life up, or you lose the passion). I was very upset when I started that thread, but the fellas here kept me in check...and I thank them for that. The errors will make us into better luthiers...

Anway, that was really sappy (but true). Actually, I don't even think I am on topic anymore. Sorry about that.

Hey....it's all valid, Kristopher, great post. There are some fantastic thoughts here, and in this thread..

Sam,
    Some people who get into guitar building do so with the goal of
building only one guitar. Sometimes just for the experience and others to
see of it may besomething that they'd enjoy for the rest of their lives.

    I've taught many classes on building...mostly one week long in which
each students has a guitar in hand and ready to play at the end. Most
build only that one guitar and never think about building another. A few,
though, go on to build a few more or alot more. Some to give to friends
and family who play and, again, others to sell.

    I've never even thought it was rediculous for any of those people to
have stopped after that first guitar...let alone say it to any of them. It's
just where they wanted to go with it.

    With family, careers, existing hobbies and interests and other
attractions and time consumers already making thier lives full and busy,
guitar building can be a great one-time experience for some.

Regards,
Kevin Gallagher/Omega Guitars

I know a guy who is/was a very good builder who quit because he was trying to support his family on it and he wasn't able to make ends meet. I don't know exactly why it wasn't working out for him, though I suspect he just didn't have the business end of it together; for one thing, I think he didn't price his guitars nearly high enough, and may not have done a good job marketing himself to create a customer base that would pay what his guitars were worth. I'm not sure if he still builds a few for the love it, but I would guess he would have a hard time finding the time to do that at this point in his life. He's got young children (as I do, so I know how it is - pretty much all my hobbies are on indefinite hold).

Another reason a person might quit trying to do it as a profession is the hard realization that one just doesn't have what it takes. In fact, that may have been the way it was for the guy I was just talking about. I think he knew he had what it takes in terms of talent and determination to build great guitars, but maybe he realized he didn't have what it takes in terms of marketing and running a business. Another person might face limitations in their talent. They try their best and just realize one day that they're just really not cut out for this. No shame in that - it has happened to countless people in many fields that are extremely demanding on the level of talent. I love Robert's "believe in yourself" philosophy, and take that very much to heart, but that also has to be balanced with a realistic assessment of one's talent. Not everybody can be a great guitar maker, just as not everybody can be a great singer, a great painter, etc. Of course, that should not stop anybody from doing it as an amateur - doing it for purely the love of it, without attachment to any preconceived level of achievement.

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Todd Rose
Ithaca, NY

https://www.dreamingrosesecobnb.com/todds-art-music

https://www.facebook.com/ToddRoseGuitars/

In my own words Hummm??? Well my words;

"It is impossible to reach a pinnacle if you keep building".

I know at first read this statement sounds negative. But look for the truth imbedded in the statement. And that is, "you can only reach a given pinnacle if you quit". If you continue to build, any given past point of achievement is only a plateau below the new level of accomplishment you are at now. To have achieved a pinnacle requires that accomplishment ends, and that requires that you stop building.

There is only a limit of accomplishment if self-impose it

the last line of my previous post should have read;

There is only a limit of accomplishment is self-imposed

Man I hate that we can no longer edit out posts