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The thread on "fit and finish" has made me wonder what others do with their guitars? I am most interested in hearing what other amateur / hobby builders do with their guitars. I have one finished, two more on the bench and materials for the next four. I don't think I would have the guts to sell one, my building skills just aren't at that level.

So, do you keep yours in the closet, display them, give them away, or what?

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53% of all statistics are made up on the spot
http://driftwoodguitars.blogspot.com/

Before I started building for sale and while I honed my basic skills I built for my self and gave away a couple to friends and students. If you are comfortable with the structural integrity of your work I think giving them to students and underprivileged is a great thing. When I have a an experiment build or a non commissioned build that goes cosmetically a rye I still do this

Hesh, that is an impressive wall-o-guitars.

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53% of all statistics are made up on the spot
http://driftwoodguitars.blogspot.com/

Hey isn't system designed to play the guitars in by exposing them to loud music?

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

That's right John, it "seasons" them.

I personally think Hesh is hoping to be discovered posthumously. They'll bury him in 30 or so years and find hundreds of his guitars!

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Joe Breault
Merrimack, NH
Perpetual novice

Hesh, you gotta to open up a store or a museum and at least charge an entry fee for just watching them Man!!
If you really need to protect your wall from your dog, i have a very ugly first ya know

Wayne, Michael is right, i think that you have to constantly aim higher until you know your skills are satisfying enough to know that your instruments won't collapse in your customer's hands. In the meantime, many of us make beautiful gifts to family and friends( Hesh, i love ya Man!) You can also make one for yourself of course but seeing the expression on the faces of loved ones when they receive such a labor of love is just priceless!

[QUOTE=Hesh1956] I use mine to protect the wall from the dog throwing his spitty ball on the wall......





[/QUOTE]

Hesh I am not fond of busts on acoustics but I will take Koa OM on the left off you hands That will give you some room on the rack By the way do you really want to tade bridges?

Back to the question!!!!

I've flogged a few on a "it cost me ?X for the parts. Feel free to give me more if you feel it's worth it" basis.

One Mando I put on Ebay with a HEAP of pics and a sound file. I started it at cost and was delighted to see it go for triple that. Still nowhere NEAR pro handbuilt money, but certainly enough to fund my next two builds.

I'm still not at a pro standard so I wouldn't DARE charge pro prices. I'm delighted that other people might want to fund my building hobby!!! Long term, If I end up near to break even then I'll be over the moon.

I have three people who want me to make them instruments on the strength of what they've seen me make. This is on the cost plus a donation basis.

Does this undermine the pro builders? I don't think so, cos for ?200 you'll maybe get a ?500 guitar. MY "customers" wouldn't be spending Lowden or McIlroy money anyway........

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My soundclick xx luthier blog xx luthier soundclick

Let's see....

#1, a mahogany 12 string, was intended for myself, but ended up being given to someone to play in church

#2, a IR 12 string, was built for my uncle, who gave me an old Harmony mando in return

#3, a IR 6 string, went to a lady at church - her husband did pay me for materials

#4, a yellow cedar and euro maple archtop, I still have and enjoy almost every day

#5, a quilted maple 6 string, went to my stepdaughter

I did sell a couple of dulcimers and a mando, but pretty much for cost. As I get older, my standards seem to keep rising

Interesting time for this thread to come up. I've recently completed #2, and #3 and 4 are not far behind. Number four is a herringbone a good friend has commissioned - he's tired of people laughing at him when he pulls out his Ovation to play bluegrass!
I've been kind of approaching it the way Martin is, and right now, I'm not pursuing selling these. I'm happy with the tone I am getting, but not satisfied with fit and finish yet, so I would feel awkward selling them to people who don't know exactly what they are getting...


But yesterday, a local picker and instrument collector came over to check my progress. This guy really knows his stuff, he's also one of the premier (ahem) banjo setup guys around. He really "gets" that bluegrass tone, I am going for. So anyway he picks up the first, a maple/sitka dread and picks a bit. The first two words out of his mouth are "holy %$#&"! Anyway long story short, after playing the Rosewood/Carpathian dread, he commissions one, and offers me a more than fair price. Made me feel REALLY good, and also made me start thinking about how I want to approach this craft. For now, I'm not going to pursue marketing/selling these. If someone wants to make me an offer on one, great, otherwise, I'll have wall of guitars, like Hesh. I'll be doing this until the grave, whether I sell them or not!

-Mark

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Pullman, WA

The more I know, the more I know I don't know.

trippguitars.com
OR
Find me on Facebook

I kept my 1st,
Gave away 2nd and third to good friends,
I'm working on my 4th.
I'll probably try to sell some in the future just
to buy more Zoot.

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

I have my first.
My son has number 2.
#3 was sold for just over cost.
#4 was traded fro a Taylor 12 string
I'm building #5 and #6 - both are commissioned builds.
I've been lucky. I thought I would be like Hesh, not that that would be bad.

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"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered." G. K. Chesterton.

I would never sell my first ten guitars, I would give them away as gifts first, for I do not feel they would be worth anything until I have gained some experience, and feel relatively competent.

...then, number 11 would cost the earth...

nah, I can see myself never selling guitars directly, but perhaps taking doing an apprenticeship with a small luthier company (dream on). Working on your own can be a little lonely...Sam Price38973.5495949074

I have 2. Donated one to my church. Sold one to a friend at cost.

[QUOTE=Sam Price] I would never sell my first ten guitars, I would give them away as gifts first, for I do not feel they would be worth anything until I have gained some experience, and feel relatively competent.

[/QUOTE]

I agree. I personally think it's rude to sell a guitar to someone for good money if you don't have many under your belt. I don't care how nice you think it is or how great you think it sounds, because someone could take that hard earned money and buy a nice guitar from someone who really knows what they are doing and have the experience to prove it.

But then again, let the buyer beware, and if they want to drop there dough on an guitar from an un-experienced builder, so be it I guess.

I just personally wouldn't take the money. I told two people from work to go to h$%* when they asked me to build them guitars. I'd rather hang them on the wall or give them away as gifts.

I read it here somewhere. When you make five (or was it ten) guitars in a row that you are consitently happy with and absent of errors that you've been working to get rid of, then you are ready to sell guitars. You just don't know how the next one will turn out if you don't have the experience. I like #1, hate #2. What will three and four be like?

I really think most of mine will end up on the wall for me to take down and play when I want. The rest will go to friends/family or really good teachers.

Everyone has to decide for themselves when to sell their guitars and for how much.

I think it is wrong to try to determiine a number when someone else is ready. I have someone that wanted to buy my third guitar. The guitar has flaws and I pointed out everyone of them. He loves the guitar.
Why would anyone think they have the right to judge that sale as wrong or rude?
Sorry, I don't understand and don't think it is anyone's business to judge that.

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"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered." G. K. Chesterton.

I made my first 6 (4 acoustics and 2 electrics) for my sons and brothers.
...#5 is for ME!!!

I have just started building the next 3:
...#6 is for my Nephew (godson)
...#7 is for ME!!!
...#8 is for ME!!!

With all the wood I've collected over the years I've just gotta keep building. I can relate to what others have said about the anxiety of selling these early guitars. While it's nice to receive compliments from players, I just don't feel that I have enough knowledge, experience and control over the processes yet to accept a commission request. In order to honor a lifetime warranty requires a significant committment. A guitarmaker's reputation should be based on a lot more experience than I certainly have.

One of these days I hope to build a humidity-controlled music room with a rack just like Hesh's. I have a feeling I'll be collecting my own work for a long time to come.

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

Well said Hesh!

-Mark

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Pullman, WA

The more I know, the more I know I don't know.

trippguitars.com
OR
Find me on Facebook

I know i am not ready yet to sell any guitars, too many gifts ahead of me but my goal right now is to catch up on Hesh's, Andy's and Mark Tripp's production! Just jidding, they are way too fast! Seriously though, i'd really like to build a few at once to help me hone my skills and develop my craftmanship even more. I agree with Steve that a builder knows when he/she is ready to sell and like Hesh, to each his own, depending on many personal factors.

Guitars
No 1 is hidden somewhere in my bedroom
No 2 was for Mom
no 3 is for my Godfather
No 4 is for me

Mandolins

No 1 is for my Dad
No 2 is for my wife
No 3 is for my uncle
No 4 is for me

Rudeness is based largely on opinion (usually dealing with social norms.) I'll rephrase and say, I'm of the opinion that it is rude to take on a commission without much experience. The person most likely has certain expectations, and without much experience under ones belt, it could be hard to meet those expectations.

I guess if somebody wants to buy a guitar that you've already built and they know what's wrong with it (at present, who knows down the road) that's their decision. My guitar teacher thought that if I sold my first for $1000, somebody would be getting a good deal. It has developed a hairline crack below the bridge. I had no way to know that would happen. I’ll have to change my building style.

There is also the issue of reputation that was discussed in the $20K ebay guitar. If you plan on sticking with it and sell your first few guitars, somebody might play one of those, thinks it's no good and posts that on the internet. Now all the world can see that you "are no good" (not knowing it was one of your first guitars.) Irreparable.

Please understand, this is all coming from somebody who never expects to sell a single guitar.

Don't EVER let anyone say an ovation can't play bluegrass. Folks, the man himself told me he recorded "Manzanita" with the plastic backed Ovation. :-)

Hesh, pretty impresive wall o guitars man!
Great idea, put them on display.

I’ve technically been building guitars for 29 years. I still have most of my electric guitars from the earlier days. I have been lucky to have a few commissions here and there but have only charged a little over costs.

I think things changed for me a bit when I decided to build a few instruments real slow. I took a lot of notes and contemplated every step of the builds and asked a lot of questions. (These days we are real lucky to have such a great pool of folks here to answer these questions, buy the way!)
I’m working on acoustic #12 now.
Almost half of them are still in my house but I figure I’ll have to do something with them to make room for all the guitars I have planned.
The truth is, I only really need one great guitar. I just have to keep building until I make it.

Wade

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Wade
Nashua, NH
http://www.wadefx.com

WOW !
The replies to this question are incredible!!!!
I sold my first guitars for $450-to $900 -which I though was incredible!!I made $150 a week in 1977!
Guitarmaking was and still is a love (Addiction)of what I was doing!!
I actually gave 2 away to needy players that to this day (30 years later) still thank me for!
As some of you have posted ;when you think your guitars are good enough to sell you will do so!
Well you'll never know if you do not offer the guitars to good players!-Offen beginning players need a good instrument to enspire them to their full potential as a player!
Work with them!
I've gotten some money down and then so much a month (that was good for both of us)
Just think if the wood salesman let us take the wood and pay as we are able later!!
NO GUITARISTS have let me down!!
Some times they gave me extra cash !
Get your guitars in the hands of players !
They need them more than you!
Mike Collins

www.collinsguitars.comMike Collins38973.74

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Mike Collins