hello fellow fanatics. i just recieved my first order for 12 cbgs... yeah mam good news ( i can finnally get my wife off my back about building so many guitars lol) so i struck up a conversation with a man at my favorite cigar shop about a possible purchase and it turns out he is the owner not only of that store but 5 more stores. 4 of which are are at the beach along one of the busiest tourist beaches on the gulf coast. thats the good news .... bad news is he wants all twelve by the end of may. i only built 13 all last year. so my question is how do i build 12 guitars in two months without cutting quality. i know i need to standardize the builds somewhat but i want to still make the their own unique intsrument. so any suggestions on how to makk these builds easy but still interesting enuff for the skeptic to buy. thank as always for any and all sugesstions. darryl aka uncle D-Rail
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I haven't even read the other responses - this comes from 30 yrs in sales, product mgmt etc:
He doesnt want interesting or unique, and your market is not skeptics. He isn't gonna - with a shop full of cigars - engage customers in selling your CBGs.
He is your primary customer.
The secondary customer are the people who rock up to his shops and ask - what's that? and then, sure, he'll try to sell it.
Sounds to me like he wants 2 CBGs per store, so that even if one sells, he has one in the window.
So you need to standradise on a "his special" spec and set a price so that every time he sells one you replace it. It isn't necessarily art, but it might be the backbone of a business/lifestyle.
Keep it simple, use components you know you can source continuously - he really doesnt want a bio for every CBG.
done 15 in one week ,did like John said did all the same on all the items ie cut necks,fret slots,oil necks buff-make it a assy line but the only bad thing bout that type work is it gets boring making the same thing over and over
let me start by thanking everyone who has giving advice . im am very thankful for each and every fellow builder its a gr8 thing to hav the nation to ask any question and get a simple straight forward response without any hesitation to help .thanks again to all .i hav only been building a year so i hav built 13 to date .i wasnt really looking for such a big order but that said im not one to back down from a challenge either so i will do this ..... on time and exceed all expectations . with a little help from my friends .... hey wait that is a gr8 lyric let me write that down lol so once again thanks
Roosterman said:
I agree with John 100%. If you aint geared up for it, it can be a real pain!
I am geared up but still find that building in big batches really takes the fun out of it. Doing a job you dont enjoy (for me thats the fretting) is ok once, but 12 times a day...ugh! I now stick to building a maximum of 4 at a time, and I dont do them all the same.
Unless you have a supply of identical boxes, your heal length, depth, fretboard etc etc are all going to be different anyway, so use that as an excuse to make them all a little different. One of the main issues with bulk building is they all end up looking the same. Maybe not an issue if they are going in different shops, but it will get to you in the end!
I dont know how many guitars you have built to date, but I would suggest building a few more and really thinking about the design - it could save you a lot of stress in the future. Iv built 120+ now, and Im still refining the process. Its a fine line between unique insrument and mass produced lets-ship-the-work-out-to-China!!
Dont let this put you off though - its great to sell guitars so you can make more!
Organize by box size, I find that the neck is the most labor intensive part. If you have a bunch of box's in simular length the necks can be the same, make them all, then move on to the next box size. That way less measuring and re-measuring. Then throw in a few odd details in each one to make them unique. Oh and if you cant make all 12, send him my way I have a few that need to be sold. lol.
Batch building isn't the most fun. Even tho' I'm well over 50 builds now, I'm still like a kid at Christmas as I string, tune and hit the 1st chord on a new build.
No matter how many I build , even using the same boxes .... no 2 are ever the same.
I agree with John 100%. If you aint geared up for it, it can be a real pain!
I am geared up but still find that building in big batches really takes the fun out of it. Doing a job you dont enjoy (for me thats the fretting) is ok once, but 12 times a day...ugh! I now stick to building a maximum of 4 at a time, and I dont do them all the same.
Unless you have a supply of identical boxes, your heal length, depth, fretboard etc etc are all going to be different anyway, so use that as an excuse to make them all a little different. One of the main issues with bulk building is they all end up looking the same. Maybe not an issue if they are going in different shops, but it will get to you in the end!
I dont know how many guitars you have built to date, but I would suggest building a few more and really thinking about the design - it could save you a lot of stress in the future. Iv built 120+ now, and Im still refining the process. Its a fine line between unique insrument and mass produced lets-ship-the-work-out-to-China!!
Dont let this put you off though - its great to sell guitars so you can make more!
Making multiple guitars quickly and consistently needs a) a systematic approach and b) the right tools and workshop. I have acquired a fair amount of equipment now, so this really helps: 12 in a week is hard work but quite feasible with my set-up & approach, so 12 in 2 months even without a lot of kit should be do-able.
It's vital that you have a design that will work without having to tinker each time you make something, so the way you do the headstock and fit the neck to the box needs to work everytime. If necessary do a prototype build before mass-producing. I divide it all into stages, classic mass-production technique. I make all the necks in one go, then fit them to the boxes, then wire-up, then a final assembly and set-up. Also, make sure you have got ALL the parts you'll need to hand...right down to the last screw and washer, otherwise you'll waste time either running around picking up parts or waiting for them to arrive.
Here's what I do and the equipment I use - you'll have to figure out work-arounds if you haven't got the tools.
Day 1 Select the neck timber, plane to size and thickness. Same for the fretboards (6" bench jointer and 13"planer). Scarf the headstocks (bandsaw and bench sander), glue-up.
Day 2 Slot the fretboards, glue to neck blanks. Make bridge & tailpieces(scrollsaw & bench sander)
Day 3 Trim fretboards to width, profile backs of necks (bench belt sander), drill headstocks (drill press) Install position and side dots (drill press and jig)
Day 4 Fret the necks, trim & fill fret ends and oil-finish the necks
Day 5 Cut boxes to fit the necks, drill soundholoes, control & jack holes (drill press), install internal blocking. Oil finish to necks.
Day6 Install electrics. Make nuts (scrollsaw & bench sander). Oil finish to necks.
Day 7 Final assembly and stringing.
It's very hard work and you really need to be organised so you are not wasting time between stages - there's some things that you just have to wait for, such as glue and finishes drying. If you have to use hand tools, then it will be slower, but the principal remains the same - work logically and efficiently, but don't rush or take shortcuts.
Be warned...you might regret doing so many on one go...the repetitiveness and pressure to build to someone else's deadline can be wearing and stressful. I know this from my own deadlines of having to get stock ready for guitar shows in addition to my customer orders. Try not to be pressured into an uncomfortable situation. Not everyone still finds it enjoyable making guitars under these circumstances - sometimes you may find you have to push yourself very hard to get thru it, so think abut this long and hard and get yourself organised if you decide to take on the challenge. Good Luck
once again let me say thank you this whole group of people are the greatest . i cant bleev the support i am getting ( i wish my wife was so supportive lol) just kidding shes great shes the reason i started his hobby . cause she told me i had to stop playing so much online poker lol thanks again afkm
Artist Formerly Known as Matt said:
I can do 2 a day by doing one step on both and just kind of rolling thru it. Lay out neck 1, cut the scarf, glue it. Lay out neck 2, cut the scarf, glue it. Neck one is now dry enuff to go to the next step and so on.
well let me start by saying im honored to get a comment back from u john ( you are the reason i got started in this crazy addiction called cbgs in the first place lol) but thnx for the advice but i bleev i will make the deadline just needed a few words of encouragement since this will b my first commission . ill keep every 1 posted on how they r comming thnx again
darryl ps i bought your instructional video and it was gt8 it has help my playing alot especially since i had never played guitar b4 i made my first cbg. BeetleJuice! said:
do them all at once...one step...move on.....but, if you think it is not possible, if you think its to much, tell him you can only do 6 or 8 by that time, he will understand, hes not your boss....your the shot caller....just tell him whats possible
Replies
I haven't even read the other responses - this comes from 30 yrs in sales, product mgmt etc:
He doesnt want interesting or unique, and your market is not skeptics. He isn't gonna - with a shop full of cigars - engage customers in selling your CBGs.
He is your primary customer.
The secondary customer are the people who rock up to his shops and ask - what's that? and then, sure, he'll try to sell it.
Sounds to me like he wants 2 CBGs per store, so that even if one sells, he has one in the window.
So you need to standradise on a "his special" spec and set a price so that every time he sells one you replace it. It isn't necessarily art, but it might be the backbone of a business/lifestyle.
Keep it simple, use components you know you can source continuously - he really doesnt want a bio for every CBG.
My 2c
Good on you mate!
If you take on board what the guys have said, Im sure you'll do grand.
let me start by thanking everyone who has giving advice . im am very thankful for each and every fellow builder its a gr8 thing to hav the nation to ask any question and get a simple straight forward response without any hesitation to help .thanks again to all .i hav only been building a year so i hav built 13 to date .i wasnt really looking for such a big order but that said im not one to back down from a challenge either so i will do this ..... on time and exceed all expectations . with a little help from my friends .... hey wait that is a gr8 lyric let me write that down lol so once again thanks
Roosterman said:
Batch building isn't the most fun. Even tho' I'm well over 50 builds now, I'm still like a kid at Christmas as I string, tune and hit the 1st chord on a new build.
No matter how many I build , even using the same boxes .... no 2 are ever the same.
AFKAM
I agree with John 100%. If you aint geared up for it, it can be a real pain!
I am geared up but still find that building in big batches really takes the fun out of it. Doing a job you dont enjoy (for me thats the fretting) is ok once, but 12 times a day...ugh! I now stick to building a maximum of 4 at a time, and I dont do them all the same.
Unless you have a supply of identical boxes, your heal length, depth, fretboard etc etc are all going to be different anyway, so use that as an excuse to make them all a little different. One of the main issues with bulk building is they all end up looking the same. Maybe not an issue if they are going in different shops, but it will get to you in the end!
I dont know how many guitars you have built to date, but I would suggest building a few more and really thinking about the design - it could save you a lot of stress in the future. Iv built 120+ now, and Im still refining the process. Its a fine line between unique insrument and mass produced lets-ship-the-work-out-to-China!!
Dont let this put you off though - its great to sell guitars so you can make more!
Best of luck
Making multiple guitars quickly and consistently needs a) a systematic approach and b) the right tools and workshop. I have acquired a fair amount of equipment now, so this really helps: 12 in a week is hard work but quite feasible with my set-up & approach, so 12 in 2 months even without a lot of kit should be do-able.
It's vital that you have a design that will work without having to tinker each time you make something, so the way you do the headstock and fit the neck to the box needs to work everytime. If necessary do a prototype build before mass-producing. I divide it all into stages, classic mass-production technique. I make all the necks in one go, then fit them to the boxes, then wire-up, then a final assembly and set-up. Also, make sure you have got ALL the parts you'll need to hand...right down to the last screw and washer, otherwise you'll waste time either running around picking up parts or waiting for them to arrive.
Here's what I do and the equipment I use - you'll have to figure out work-arounds if you haven't got the tools.
Day 1 Select the neck timber, plane to size and thickness. Same for the fretboards (6" bench jointer and 13"planer). Scarf the headstocks (bandsaw and bench sander), glue-up.
Day 2 Slot the fretboards, glue to neck blanks. Make bridge & tailpieces(scrollsaw & bench sander)
Day 3 Trim fretboards to width, profile backs of necks (bench belt sander), drill headstocks (drill press) Install position and side dots (drill press and jig)
Day 4 Fret the necks, trim & fill fret ends and oil-finish the necks
Day 5 Cut boxes to fit the necks, drill soundholoes, control & jack holes (drill press), install internal blocking. Oil finish to necks.
Day6 Install electrics. Make nuts (scrollsaw & bench sander). Oil finish to necks.
Day 7 Final assembly and stringing.
It's very hard work and you really need to be organised so you are not wasting time between stages - there's some things that you just have to wait for, such as glue and finishes drying. If you have to use hand tools, then it will be slower, but the principal remains the same - work logically and efficiently, but don't rush or take shortcuts.
Be warned...you might regret doing so many on one go...the repetitiveness and pressure to build to someone else's deadline can be wearing and stressful. I know this from my own deadlines of having to get stock ready for guitar shows in addition to my customer orders. Try not to be pressured into an uncomfortable situation. Not everyone still finds it enjoyable making guitars under these circumstances - sometimes you may find you have to push yourself very hard to get thru it, so think abut this long and hard and get yourself organised if you decide to take on the challenge. Good Luck
Artist Formerly Known as Matt said:
well let me start by saying im honored to get a comment back from u john ( you are the reason i got started in this crazy addiction called cbgs in the first place lol) but thnx for the advice but i bleev i will make the deadline just needed a few words of encouragement since this will b my first commission . ill keep every 1 posted on how they r comming thnx again
darryl
ps i bought your instructional video and it was gt8 it has help my playing alot especially since i had never played guitar b4 i made my first cbg.
BeetleJuice! said:
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