How about a discussion about failed builds ( or even problematic builds that were later salvaged ) and all the things learned...
Just sorta venting, sorta just wanna share, sorta just want support.. I dunno...
Well,, I managed to foul up the build I was working on for the Halloween Build off more than enough to take me out of the running... I totally underestimated the time and skill required to pull this off, got in way over my head and somehow got this far... Which honestly, I am proud to 'fail' attempting something that apparently was beyond my skills when I started.
Considering how little wood carving experience I actually have, trying to tame a foot and a half of 4x4 into a femur shape with just chisels and a Dremel was likely a long shot anyway...
At least I think I can salvage this mess and finish this build. It was based on a design I came up with for a gift for a friend anyway, and she'd love a "day of the dead" sort of uke any day of the year.
I just can't finish it before tomorrow night.. between my own fatigue and the glue, and the remaining tasks for the rest of the parts.. This is just the neck, the box is in very rough shape and the electronics only a third done maybe...
But I learned a lot attempting the improbable. I probably would not have started it at all if I had realized how hard it would be, and now I know that I can finish it given time, it isn't beyond my current skills.
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double check the rules, but I don't believe you have to complete the build during the time-frame for submissions, only have to submit the pics.
The larger issue with trying to make _something_ out of it to submit was I had to work Sunday and I was already run ragged when I posted Saturday.. it has been a long month overall. just crazy all around.
No failures here , only discoveries of other ways that may not work . ;-)
Your guit looks awesome so far . and you have a full year to complete it .
keep the fun ;-)
Hmmm... A full year.... goooood point.... muahahaha..
Although, the design was originally conceived as a gift for a friend, and her birthday is new years eve... so, I dunno if I would take a full year to finish this one...
Maybe I could take ~9 months to build a bigger/better one....
Muahahahahaahhaahaha!!! :-D
Coffin looks cool, don't call anything in this business a failure unless it catches fire or gives you an STD, lol...no one woke up and suddenly became a doctor, everything takes time to learn, regardless of the task.
Suggestion..., shift gears and use the coffin box to make a cool stand up base. And to get yourself some confidence going, don't try and build a space shuttle your first few builds, make a couple simple canjo's, I mean S I M P L E, a can a stick, no frets, one string. Get your feet wet with a cigar box guitar, again, simple, a box, a through neck, yardstick fret board, again no frets or instead go with the Dulcimer scale, simple nut and saddle, bolts keys or whatever, 3 cheap tuners, and some strings, don't worry about electronics or fancy adornments, get it playable, and practice and enjoy the instrument.
Myself, my builds have been complicated and tedious, sometimes that takes away from the fun of, after I finish my Resonator build, I plan on going back to basics as well, I have some cigar boxes coming, and plan on making a simple fretless 3 string Dulcimer scale.
Don't be hard on yourself, find a way to make it fun again, and post more often with questions, or any progress as you go.
Good luck!
p.s. I'll make you a deal, when your ready to build a 3 string cigar box, I'll give you a box for the cost of postage to get it to you, I ordered 5 in a lot, and don't need that many right now, it's a VITOLA FORTY-FOUR MEASURES APPROX.: 8 1/4" W X 5 1/2" L X 3 1/4" DEEP
pics of box
I would take you up on that offer of the box, just not for a while, I have too many projects in the works and none are a CBG...
or even just suggest you pass it on to someone else who could use the inspiration as well.
I have a lot of cookie tins, signs, and just random stuff I want to make into some sort of playable thing or other. Including 2 Guitar Hero Controllers ( both in non-working condition and I don't have any games that would use them anyway... )
Also Richard,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFlgtsvYHsw&t=11s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9xBX_KcucI
Tell me it gets much simpler than those? :-)
I have always had this odd habit of coming into a new hobby/pursuit and hitting stride a bit above perfect novice and then ramming head-first into a catastrophe point trying to bridge what I KNOW (via books, websites, etc) and what my skills are ...
Crap, I know I have seen a diagram on that many years ago somewhere.. It looks like a folded 2D graph with Knowledge on one axis and skills on the other.. the ultimate destination is to maximize both, the fold represents the jump if you don't go completely up one and then across the other, but diagonally to the goal.
But bridging theory and practical tends to involve some dramatic crisis point of pass/fail.. sometimes the result is Eureka! and sometimes the result is EEK!
ok, video #2, sometimes it can be too simple...lol, and we're not going to discuss vid #1, no problem on the box, didn't realize you had other viable work pieces, I remember one of your post mentioned you spent all your spendable at CBGitty, wasn't sure if you were having trouble getting what you needed, and thought I'd offer a hand up(not a hand out) difference between charity and just generally being sociable.
Nope. Went broke being a kid in the candy store with the excuse there was a sale.
I bought one-ofs for a few parts I didn't even have exact plans for, wanted to see the size/shape/quality in the flesh. I'm sure they'll all get used eventually.
All of the items from CBGitty I bought I think are fine bang/buck ratio. My only complaint if anything is my fingers are too tiny to use my freebie - the glass medicine vial slide..
but then that I will likely mis-use in a build or give away / sell, it is a nice silde.
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