If you do how did you get into it? How many instruments (guitars) do you produce in a year roughly?

I make instruments musical (in a fashion)

I make instruments musical (in a fashion)

Are we talking "special" music here 😆 or do you really make guitars!!

Daytime bump 8)

Can I be the first to offer the usual STW advice?

Why on earth should somebody who's already in the business give advice to a potential competitor? If it were that easy everyone would already be making musical instruments. You terribly naive cretin, how dare you waste our collective time with such inane questions? Get a grip on reality, and get a job in IT, where you'll be grateful of the opportunity to lick the soles of the MD's shoes!

The father of someone I went to school with makes guitars for a living, he links to this site on his webpage, which looks like the instrument making version of STW:
http://www.mimf.com/

Actually, looking back at the above paragraph, I'm beginning to wonder if Jeremy Kyle picked up his unique presenting style from STW 😆

that's a bit harsh tron, i don't think he mentioned making a living out of it, it could be…you know…a hobby or something?

that's a bit harsh tron

I was joking! Hence the faux quote and reference to usual STW advice, Jeremy Kyle etc.

The guy's Dad does it full time as far as I'm aware, but I don't know enough about them to say if it's a good living or not (he's old enough to potentially have made his cash elsewhere etc.).

right , sorry!

still a bit harsh though whoever first posted it

I won't mention the skin flute, I won't mention the skin flute.

Paul Reed Smith makes a good living out of it.

someone on here makes guitars. (for a living as opposed to for fun iirc)

Jahwomble is it?

😆 I'm not interested in taking someones livelihood nor do I have the skill set. I studied cabinet making at uni, before specialising in design so do have some knowledge.

Although from the images I have seen it is a super skilled job, I was just interested how people have got into and whether it gives people an income I guess.

Thanks for the help 8)

Jahwomble is it?

Come on jahwomble come out come out wherever you are!

One day I could see myself trying to make my own guitar. It'd probably be crap of course, but there you go. Along the lines of Gibbs in NCIS with the boats.

😆

I think it looks difficult and I have a good knowledge of timber construction. You can do courses with professional makers plus there are a few great online guides. Depends how quick you want to do it and of course mucking up a piece ebony is far more expensive than a piece of ash/cedar.

I used to ride with a chap who makes accordians for a living. V specialist area.

This is him: http://www.briggsaccordions.com/home.html

Wow that is specialist, must be nice handing that over to the user.

Dad's made a couple of bass guitars out of flamed maple – lovely things but not for his own use, not to make money.

Which is a good job as they took fricking ages to make!

Two chaps i know make musical instruments.Both did a course at college,and i think there's weekend and evening courses available,not just HND and above level courses.
One of the above worked in our workshop so i got to see him building his guitars[electric]
He started off with a blank about 1 1/4" thick,to this he added a decorative top[say a book matched pattern]about 1/4" thick.
The maker then used a jig[made at college he told me]to router the holes for the electrics,pick-ups etc and the seat for the neck.
The neck he bought pre-made from one of the music catalogs
Fitted the bits together and gave it all several coats of pre-cat lacquer.
The work didnt seem that difficult or technical 😕
Acoustic guitars are far more advanced and will take a decent course to teach you to make them

Any help? :d

Thanks dyna ti it was acoustic that I have been looking at. I have seen electric guitars made when I studied, as you say less technical but still worthwhile.

Yes, I do; in actual fact I'm currently converting my garage into a workshop just for that purpose, as I've got a bit carried away!
I've only actually finished one so far(an electric ukulele to match my Telecaster – a "telelele" and started another couple – an 8 string ukulele and a tenor guitar.
I'd only started making instruments because I couldn't buy the specific instruments that I wanted, for instance although you can buy fully electric ukuleles – they tend to be a bit shonky, whereas mine's got a mother of pearl inlaid fingerboard, hand carved maple neck etc.
Give it a year or so, and I'll be able to answer loads of questions 😉

I made my own skateborad when I was a kid.

It was shite.

make an aeolian harp. easy. cool.

Me too cynic. Mine broke.

I made my own skateborad when I was a kid.

It was shite. 😆

Where are you based tarka? Do you use specific timber merchants or just any timber merchant?

Not a bad idea swiss01

cynic-al – Member

I made my own skateborad when I was a kid.

It was shite.

Did you nail your roller skates to the bottom of the coffee table too?

Yep…Yahwomble is STW's resident Luthier.

cheers foxy, guess he is not on STW right now or he'd have spotted this. I'll wait till he resurfaces than bombard him with questions.

I made a tele body at school, though I used a warmoth (I think) neck. To be honest, it wasn't very good but I did turn a £10 profit on it Did a wee bit of rebuild work for a local shop through uni, but I'm only any good at electronics, my strat has some custom channelling for the silly wiring setup I'm putting in it but I wouldn't build from scratch again i think. Fun to do though.

I'm in London's fashionable Leighton Buzzard…

There are simply loads of specialist tonewood suppliers – David Dyke, Touchstone Tonewoods etc. etc. Just put tonewoods into Google.

Stewmac in the US (stewmac.com) are very good for specialist tools and supplies.

Although personally, making the specialist jigs and tools is half of the fun – I'm looking for a bit of 4 inch diameter aluminium pipe at the minute if anyone knows where I can find a bit, to make a bending iron.

"someone on here makes guitars. (for a living as opposed to for fun iirc)

Jahwomble is it? "

Yup. i'm a luthier specialising in solid bodies, depending on the materials and hardware spec of the instrument, I make between 3 and 5 most weeks, ranging from about 1 to 2 grand each usually, though some people want to spend more.Acoustics are'nt really harder, just a lot more time consuming,and I like solid bodies so I stick to what I know.

I got into it through maintaining and servicing my own over the years and just kind of drifted into building them for people and it eventually turned into a full time business, I don't have any quals, but I have been building and modding guitars for forty years.

Sorry not to reply sooner but I've been working 🙂 People seem to be spending chunks of their redunancy money on Statement guitars for some reason, so I'm currently up to my armpits in swamp ash,p90s and tele necks.:)

So your making a fair few each week! Nice way to get into a trade.

What did you do before? Also why do some makers have top reputations as surly a at the top bespoke level the sound quality is all the same high standard.

You guys got any pictures of your instruments online – flickr?

Thanks

Hers the guide which looked good for anyone who is interested.

http://gicl.cs.drexel.edu/people/sevy/luthierie/guitarmaking_guide/building_flattop.html