Custom Built Guitars

There is always a demand for a product, if you can make the buyer believe they need it.
As an artist that sold, designed, manufactured, Installed and supported my own products (ArtGlass) i would suggest you be brutally honest with yourself and ask the questions.

1. Can i make a superior product?
2. Do i believe in myself to be as good or better than the competition?
3. Am i willing to do whatever it takes to insure my success?

if you can truthfully answer all 3 with a definate YES! then i say Go for it!

BTW Pictures please :wink:

ill try and upload a pic ive been having trouble with my camera
my guitar isnt flashy but it sounds great the body looks alot like an LP

I was just wondering what kind of demand there was for custom built guitars. I finally built myself one and really enjoy it and have always been good at building things. Do you think there would be a high enough demand to make it a primary source of income?

Congratulations on your first build. I just have a few bits left on my own first build. Exhilarating stuff this guitar building.

From what I've heard from several professional builders, it's not an easy life involving long hours. It would be wonderful to turn an interest into a profession but have you considered that becoming a professional guitar builder also means running a business? Are you prepared to maintain books, advertise, follow up on leads, deal with unhappy and/or delinquent customers, etc? And, at the end of the day, will you still enjoy what you're doing once it becomes your livelihood? It wouldn't be the first time that the joy has been taken out of something by the pressures and stresses of trying to earn an income...

I'm not trying to discourage you. However, perspective is important and building guitars professionally involves quite a bit more than just building guitars...

Regards,

Rob

It would be wonderful to turn an interest into a profession but have you considered that becoming a professional guitar builder also means running a business? Are you prepared to maintain books, advertise, follow up on leads, deal with unhappy and/or delinquent customers, etc? And, at the end of the day, will you still enjoy what you're doing once it becomes your livelihood?
I second all of that! Running the business can take as much, if not more time than whatever the business is, and you need to factor that in when setting prices etc.

I think becoming an independent luthier will require insane ammounts of dedication, time, energy, resources and even luck.

Congrats on your first build! Looking forward to see some pics!

My understanding is that this isn't a job you get into to get rich. It's really rough starting out. Rizarry and Arjen, eh-hem, Sleutelbos nailed it.

try going to the MIMF board for more insight.

One more consideration, once you turn something you do for fun into a business it usually ceases to be fun.

One more consideration, once you turn something you do for fun into a business it usually ceases to be fun.

So true.. I know a few guys that are just hating what they started. They start off with all the right reasons and then they realize that it is hard work to try and make everyone happy. They start to bite off more then they can chew. Promises that they don't keep. Lack of comunication. It becomes a nightmare for them and their customers. They start to resent the whole reason they started making custom guitars.

If you start to make custom guitars, limit your orders to what you know you can complete and turn around in a timely fashion. Don't be afraid to say, "I can't do that" And make sure you always comunicate with your customers. Don't get the lutheir head. In other words, stay humble and appreciate every one of your customers! And never favorate one customer over the next. Build your guitars in the order that they came in. As soon as you put one person ahead of another. You start to lose focus and moral.

I hope you don't think I am crossing any lines with this advice. I just see this a lot. Good Luck and Happy New Year!

Will

Making bespoke classical guitars seems to be becoming more and more popular, with prices for handmade guitars ranging from £1,700 upwards and £2,500 being quite common - you can probably double that as a starting point if someone wants one made to measure. There are also courses you can go on to learn how to build guitars.

Best,

A :-)