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J_Smith 
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Post subject: Guitar's - anyone interested?
 Posted: Nov 10, 2011 - 11:10 PM
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First post: Sep 30, 2008
Total posts: 2145
Location: Southampton
Status: Offline
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Hey all,
My mate just sent me a message on facebook, asking if id be interested in making some electric guitars.
After a quick bit of research on eBay, we've seen that 'finished' and 'unfinished' project guitars are quite popular, and seeing as i have all the tools/equipment we'd need at my house its totally do-able.
He wants to setup a website where people can design their own guitars - whether that be body/neck/headstock/whole guitar - along with options of either no finish or be painted/lacquered to the customers specification. He is adamant that the prices must be low so people will be more inclined to order a guitar for them/friends/random events.
I think selling extra stuff such guitar hardware, or 'create your own kits' (our basic wooden templates, made from a selection of woods so the customer can shape their own bodies) would be just as/more popular.
So before we commit ourselves to doing this (ive been wanting to make my own guitar for a while now, seeing that ive been missing mine dearly since selling it a while ago :/) i was just wondering if anyone knows of a service like it, or would be interested in a service like it.
Any extra comments such as prices you'd consider paying, options for customisability, or anything else would be much appreciated 
*and just to clear up, we'd be making a few guitars first to perfect our technique and test them before offering our services to customers. Im sure we'd also have 'pre-made' guitars for sale too
Either way, its just an idea - tbh, i quite like it! |
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når helvete fryser over, ville jeg snøbrett der også
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Trigger85
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Post subject: RE: Guitar
Posted: Nov 10, 2011 - 11:23 PM
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First post: Dec 09, 2009
Total posts: 985
Location: Burford, Oxon
Status: Offline
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| excuse the ignorance as i dont play the guitar but wont it take a lot of skill and knowledge to make a guitar? i.e. the length of it will effect strings and what not which will effect the sound, wont it? or am i thinking of acustic ones? if this is different for electircis i.e. the electric part is what makes it sound good etc, why are there high end ones like a fender strat? why not just buy an Argos special? im not knocking you, im just interested in this that is all |
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Bataleon Evil Twin (Artist Edition) : Flux RK30 : Thirtytwo JP Walker
www.armourlock.co.uk if you need a locksmith in the Cotwolds area PM me SCUK discount offered.
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J_Smith
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Post subject: Re: RE: Guitar
Posted: Nov 10, 2011 - 11:34 PM
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First post: Sep 30, 2008
Total posts: 2145
Location: Southampton
Status: Offline
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Trigger85 wrote:
excuse the ignorance as i dont play the guitar but wont it take a lot of skill and knowledge to make a guitar? i.e. the length of it will effect strings and what not which will effect the sound, wont it? or am i thinking of acustic ones? if this is different for electircis i.e. the electric part is what makes it sound good etc, why are there high end ones like a fender strat? why not just buy an Argos special? im not knocking you, im just interested in this that is all
Naa, on an electric guitar (as the name suggests  ) its all about the pickups - you can make the body out of whatever you like, in whatever shape you like and as long as the neck is inline with the pickups/bridge (so the strings are in the right place) you will have a working guitar!
You can buy pre-made necks which is probably what we'll do as getting fret-placement is pretty important, but the headstock can be shaped, and the colour can be whatever the customer wants.
People dont tend to buy argos ones as they are made of low-quality parts. Just like buying a cheap sh1t board - yes, it'll work and its probably perfect for learning on, but you buy something better when you can ride.
The quality of the sound is determined by the quality of the pickups and the quality of the amp. That said, if you're playing it when its not plugged in, then as long as the guitar is in tune it'll sound fine
The only technical bit is the construction of the body (but having the tools and plenty of experience using them means that shouldnt be an issue) and the installation of the electronics - but thats not an issue as ive grown up around electronics and stuff - the industry my dad is in means he's always making his own PCB boards and such. |
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når helvete fryser over, ville jeg snøbrett der også
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Sidget
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Post subject: RE: Re: RE: Guitar
Posted: Nov 11, 2011 - 12:02 AM
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First post: Sep 10, 2006
Total posts: 10680
Location: Under a lil rock
Status: Offline
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£10 Says it'll end up creating a noise so horrific, it'll raise the dead  |
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You do you, and i'll do me
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J_Smith
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Post subject: Re: RE: Re: RE: Guitar
Posted: Nov 11, 2011 - 12:10 AM
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First post: Sep 30, 2008
Total posts: 2145
Location: Southampton
Status: Offline
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Sidget wrote:
£10 Says it'll end up creating a noise so horrific, it'll raise the dead
Theres a big market for an instrument that can raise the dead |
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når helvete fryser over, ville jeg snøbrett der også
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227angrydonkeys
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Post subject:
Posted: Nov 11, 2011 - 12:16 AM
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First post: Dec 08, 2007
Total posts: 1218
Status: Offline
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sure, if you put the neck in line with the body etc youll have a working electric guitar, but theres a bit more to it than that, its not "all about the pickups" either. The wood its made from has equal to or more effect than the pickups. Theres a reason some guiars are expensive (usually the good ones) You can put a set of seymour duncans into a 90 quid strat copy and itll sound a bit better than the originals but it will still sound flat, have no sustain and no life and thats due to the choice of woods, the glues used in making it, even the amount of wood in the headstock.
Personally id say if youre looking to make money out of making electric guitars you need to know a hell of a lot about it first and have played for a long time. The differences on paper between a total dog and a sublime guitar can be miniscule but in reality when it comes to playing it they are actually huge. Im afraid pretty much everything youve written here about guitars is, dare i say, balderdash and poppycock. Plus, theres no way you will manage to create anything that sounds and plays as good as many of the 120 quid guitars you can buy these days.
Id just like to add that im not a guitar snob. I have mainly cheap guitars but all the ones i do own have somethnig aobut them that you cant really put down on paper and theres no way youll achieve that by just knocking stuff out from pre-made necks and a randome bodyshape youve made cos it looks interesting.
Thats just like, my opinion man. |
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cwj
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Post subject:
Posted: Nov 11, 2011 - 04:44 AM
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First post: Nov 13, 2010
Total posts: 364
Location: Glasgow-ish
Status: Offline
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Have you looked into how much raw mahogany, rosewood and maple costs on top of the cost of the hardware (£50+ for a decent pickup alone) or are you just going to churn out a few westfield esque baddies that look like melty BCRich knockoffs?
I would not suggest going into this to make a profit, any investment of money will maybe result in a guitar and not profit. |
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tortyv
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Post subject:
Posted: Nov 11, 2011 - 08:13 AM
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First post: Oct 15, 2009
Total posts: 4046
Location: Luton, UK
Status: Offline
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I have to agree with Angrydonkey, it's a little more than just pick up and a straight neck. I doubt you'd be able to make something of reasonable quality at a fairly low cost.
In my opinion the guitar market is very much a brand related one, where by a lot of "serious" guitar players tend to go for a specific brand due to image/ sound quality etc.. So unless your guitars have a USP (unique selling point) then I think it would be hard to break into it/ make profit. But yeh, that's just my opinion |
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"and fatigues soon ignored, as your feet hit the board, or the beat hits the floor, these are the moments that we live for"
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Trigger85
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Post subject:
Posted: Nov 11, 2011 - 09:00 AM
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First post: Dec 09, 2009
Total posts: 985
Location: Burford, Oxon
Status: Offline
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227angrydonkeys wrote:
The wood its made from has equal to or more effect than the pickups. Theres a reason some guiars are expensive (usually the good ones) You can put a set of seymour duncans into a 90 quid strat copy and itll sound a bit better than the originals but it will still sound flat, have no sustain and no life and thats due to the choice of woods, the glues used in making it, even the amount of wood in the headstock.
that's pretty much what i thought, even with decent pick ups etc wouldn't the density of the head (the main bit that you strum against) would be effected by resinance all the vibrating parts etc. i.e. hard wood would hold out better than say balsa wood |
_________________
Bataleon Evil Twin (Artist Edition) : Flux RK30 : Thirtytwo JP Walker
www.armourlock.co.uk if you need a locksmith in the Cotwolds area PM me SCUK discount offered.
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J_Smith
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Post subject:
Posted: Nov 11, 2011 - 01:29 PM
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First post: Sep 30, 2008
Total posts: 2145
Location: Southampton
Status: Offline
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aye, you've all made some good points there - tbh i hadn't really considered the density of the wood! haha
I think ill go ahead with making one for myself anyway as ive wanted to for a while, see how it goes and then if my mate still wants to go ahead, ill make him his website and he can use my tools until he gets his own - if it works as a business im sure he'll need some help and ill be more than willing to do so
On a lighter note, i couldnt sleep last night, so i bought myself a creamy-white les paul, with the black outline and all gold hardware as a treat for working so much (ha!) - its like 20 years old and i got it for an amazing price. Its a true beaut  |
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når helvete fryser over, ville jeg snøbrett der også
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dashie
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Post subject:
Posted: Nov 11, 2011 - 02:36 PM
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First post: Sep 24, 2007
Total posts: 4409
Location: stockport/dundee
Status: Offline
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| Making your own guitar is fun. I've bought a few old battered elective and brought them back to life and sold on at a profit. Not cheap though to start. I took a hammered telecaster that had been dropped and took it back to bare, smoothed out the chips, new gubbins and a paint job. quite satisfying. I've not played for so long now I doubt I could even play wonderwall |
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Boobs, booze, snowboarding, in that order!
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Nick7
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Post subject:
Posted: Nov 11, 2011 - 03:00 PM
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First post: Sep 04, 2009
Total posts: 226
Location: Manchester
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I have played handmade guitars in the past and they were pretty good, but ultimately had no magic. Give it a whirl though mate, good luck.
For the record, I believe that the amp has more influence soundwise over pick ups and humbuckers. Thats why all the original Fender twins and Vox AC'30's are like gold dust. Stick a cheap electric guitar through a Boss pedal and it is fine. Its acoustics where the craft and material really comes to the fore. |
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Bill Hicks.
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Nick7
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Post subject:
Posted: Nov 11, 2011 - 03:01 PM
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First post: Sep 04, 2009
Total posts: 226
Location: Manchester
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| PS - Drums are better than guitars. |
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Bill Hicks.
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Jaded_Parrot
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Post subject:
Posted: Nov 11, 2011 - 04:55 PM
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First post: Jul 18, 2007
Total posts: 2120
Location: Birmingham
Status: Offline
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dashie wrote:
I doubt I could even play wonderwall
Is that a bad thing?
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How will i know limits from lies... if i never try?
Proud member of the JRF!
Book or Faceyness
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227angrydonkeys
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Post subject:
Posted: Nov 11, 2011 - 05:11 PM
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First post: Dec 08, 2007
Total posts: 1218
Status: Offline
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J_Smith wrote:
aye, you've all made some good points there - tbh i hadn't really considered the density of the wood! haha
I think ill go ahead with making one for myself anyway as ive wanted to for a while, see how it goes and then if my mate still wants to go ahead, ill make him his website and he can use my tools until he gets his own - if it works as a business im sure he'll need some help and ill be more than willing to do so
On a lighter note, i couldnt sleep last night, so i bought myself a creamy-white les paul, with the black outline and all gold hardware as a treat for working so much (ha!) - its like 20 years old and i got it for an amazing price. Its a true beaut
Pics of this beast are needed. I have an old fernandes randy rhoads les paul custom in ivory of that sort of age. (86) and its a beast, i got it to replace a brand new gibson i bought that turned out to be a bit weedy and it blows it out of the water. Its proper heavy though, its like an anchor with strings on. |
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