Official Luthiers Forum!

I've been lurking for awhile now...& I was wondering how many of you folks build guitars to sell vs. as a hobby...& also how many you build per year.

There's a lot of talent on here...!

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http://www.PeakeGuitars.com

Welcome to the OLF Parser! You'll love it here, I'm sure...

I'm a hobby builder although I sold no.2....

I've completed (well almost, neck to be done for no.3) in about a year now...

My first took a long time since I'm but a poor fellow and I had to wait between pays for materials and tools and whatnot...

I'm hoping to up that number to about 5-6 a year.Alain Desforges39049.9115046296

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I'd like to be able to prove, just for once, that money wouldn't make me happy...

Well, even with almost a year away from the shop, I'm still "averaging" 13.5 per year. When I get back into the swing again (shortly) I will be at a much reduced 5 per year rate....I hope!

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Hank Mauel

I think after you reach double digits, your not a newbie anymore...... or maybe just to darned modest

Yes welcome Parser.....

I would like to build more, but find that I can only get in about 1 per year. I'm working on #5 & 6 at the moment and all have been for other's but for #5 and #1, some have been for cost, other's for more.Rod True39049.9213657407

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My Facebook Guitar Page

"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Hi
Welcome to the OLF. This is a great place for the beginner as well as the
seasoned veteran.
I started as a newbie building my 1st around 18 months ago. Boy am I
addicted to lutherie and this forum. I started this just as a hobby if you
could call it that.   I just wanted to see if I could build one for myself.   Well
it exploded into more than a hobby. In that time, 13 are done and 14 and
15 are in construction. I have given away 3, kept 4 and 8 were/are
commissions. I still have a full time job, so I am just nuts!!!!!

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Andy Z.
http://www.lazydogguitars.com

Yes Andy, you are nuts....but we love ya just the same

13 guitars in 18 months wow that's fast....you go man...

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My Facebook Guitar Page

"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Guitars per year? For me the better question is, Years per Guitar

Don't be deterred or intimidated by the high output of some of the keener hobbiests that hang out here...

Not to rain on anyones parade but not all build them from start to making their own bindings/purfling, hand cutting inlay or lacquering and polishing them to completion. (Trully not meant to sound like sour grapes).

Where's the 1/2 a guitar button?

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Joe Breault
Merrimack, NH
Perpetual novice

I'm doing about 15-20 per year to sell. I have a limit of 2 orders pre month but never quite get that many.
Average about 1.5 a month plus the occasional build for myself.

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

I started building about four years ago. I just posted some pics of #2. But I've also built the best part of a house, fitted it out, pool, pool deck, bathroom, kitchen, gardens etc etc. I'm not that slow, no really . I won't start #3 until somewhere around the middle of next year if I'm lucky. Still have to build a new extension on the house which will include a new workshop! Starts next monday when the excavators arrive.

I better pick up the pace though, I'm buying tonewood at a far faster rate than I can build guitars. Just wait til the house is finished!

Anthony beat me to it.....

I'm in the years per guitar boat and the way my free time disapears I'm estimated two years but kust to be safe I'm writing in my ballot at 0.49

Anthony said it well. Some use kits, some use parts pre made, some farm
out the finish work. Some make every single piece. It doesn't matter. As
my skills improved, I did more and more on my own. Also it depends on
what equipment you have. Some steps require more tooling/jigs. I still
don't slot my fretboards...so what.

The bottom Line is we all have a passion for guitars and building them.
We all do them at our own pace and NOTHING is a competition.
Whether it takes 2 years or 2 weeks doesn't matter. The key is to have
fun and be proud of your work. Building guitars is a ton of fun and you
learn from each of them. You will improve on each one and you will make
many mistakes on each one.

I think it was Bob Taylor that said when you make your first, throw it a
way and start over. You will make so many mistakes.

Personally I am massively amazed at the quality of the work posted here.
Especially First guitars. It is mind boggling how well some do on their
first guitar.

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Andy Z.
http://www.lazydogguitars.com

In the past 6 years of doing this full time I've built as many as 34 and as
little as 10....average somewhere around 20-24, and throw in a half dozen
other instruments and projects.

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John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

in the last year I've finished 10, sold 5, binned one (and a neck). #11 & 12 are commissions under way, #13 & 14 are for me.

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My soundclick xx luthier blog xx luthier soundclick

In the last year and a half, i built 2 and a half! And so far, one is a gift and more gifts are to come!

Hi Parser, welcome to the best group of folks the web has to offer!

    I've built as many as 54 in a year, but that included 16 hours a day, six
days a week.

    This year I had completed 21 before I injured my shoulder in july and was
put out of commission for the remainder of the year.

   I'm actually looking to settle in between 26 and 30 guitars per year from
here on. That will allow me to pay the bills and to have a life outside of the
shop.

Regards,
Kevin Gallagher/Omega Guitars

[QUOTE=azimmer1]
I started as a newbie building my 1st around 18 months ago.
...
In that time, 13 are done and 14 and
15 are in construction.
...
I still have a full time job
... [/QUOTE]

That's a remarkable accomplishment. We started about the same time, I'm working on #2 and #3, I don't think I could have done that even if I didn't have a full time job.

I have completed one and 1/64th of a guitar in the last twelve months.

1/64 ????

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

[QUOTE=Don Williams] 1/64 ????[/QUOTE]

#2 Planning/zoot ordering/jig making stages Sam Price39050.6985532407

I'm really just getting into building..

I've had a few early attempts that I really wasn't too crazy about so I stopped work on them.

Guitars 1 thru 3 - these are sitting in my shed in various stages of completion. For one reason or another I wasn't real hot on them...& may end up using them to heat the house.

Guitar #4 - this one is coming out pretty good.   It's a singlecut design...body is mahogany with a thick piece of maple set into the middle in the form of a pick guard. I inlayed abalam purfling all around the perimeter of the maple & it looks decent. This might be the first one I actually feel is worth putting pickups in..!

I'd really like to build an acoustic...I'm a bit turned off by all the electrical "crap"...acoustics seem to be more like art..

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http://www.PeakeGuitars.com

Welcome, Parser.
Hey, don`t heat the house with #1-3. Are you familiar with the wall of shame? I think we all have one at one point or another. That`s the place where we can look back and reflect on our mistakes and who knows, later on maybe be able to correct what we did wrong and end up with a presentable guitar from what was once a miserable failure!
BTW, my production rate at the moment stands at 1.6785 guitars per year with 4 in various stages. Pathetic, I know, but hey, I have a good time with it. That`s what counts for me.

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Give me 50 cents worth of regular.
Check my oil too, if you don`t mind,,,

Coe, 1.6785...

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I'd like to be able to prove, just for once, that money wouldn't make me happy...