I have a question for my fellow builders.
How much time & effort do you put into your Cigar Box Guitars?
I'm beginning to think I'm doing too much, with no return in my investment here.
I see very basic builds with threaded rod nuts & bridges, and 1 x 2 flat necks selling on Ebay while my builds with carved bone bridges & nuts, contour shaved necks, and radiused fret boards either selling for the same amounts or simply not selling at all.
Am I putting too much effort into building my guitars?
Does workmanship & quality mean nothing when it comes to CBG's?
Replies
John, so true. As a "hobby craft" I can work obsessively for a few weeks, then do nothing for a long while. No harm. But if I had to earn "daily bread" from CBG making I'd starve. I really respect the effort and discipline the those who are making a living from the craft must exert daily.
Like I've said before, I wish I could find another line of work, but you sometimes have to play the hand you've been dealt. I'm just dealing with an emotional low point, and frustration with the current market. At least I'm attempting to be a productive member of society. But holding a "will work for food" sign on the street corner looks like it would be more lucrative and a whole lot easier. I'm trying to learn a few Blues riffs as an option of last resort.
Greg with a nice wood shop like you have maybe try building some furniture, I recently made a carved top foot stool which sold for great money. Very easy build with a high return ! Another idea is maybe trying a themed guit, being in Florida there must be a high amount tourist on hand. You just have to find the right niche. Like I said before it has taken me many years to have the standing I have now. But then again I have " niche " that I more or less have the market to myself. I just got my first dealer in Australia to sale my work, his first order was over 2k. Maybe you could look out of your state for a dealer to carry and sale your product. For myself I wouldn`t depend on just the local craft fair to show my work, start going to open mic sessions with some builds, run adds in guitar mags, maybe hook up with local cigar shops, music stores.
Randy, the wood shop that I have has been in the family since before WWII. It was started with my Grandfather and has been building furniture and kitchen cabinets for the last 60 years. If furniture was profitable BELIEVE ME, I would not be turning it into a Dulcimer Works and Luthiery. When I moved back home after losing my job and going through a divorce, I had a long discussion with him about what we could build. We searched and researched for about 3 months for a way to make money in the shop.
By the way... the guitar build that I'm doing the video series on is a commissioned piece ( if only I could get more of them ) for a local band I met at an open mike night. It's being built on their budget and I'm hoping that I get more of these in the future. Still though, the price I can bring for this caliber of workmanship is rather low and competitive with Mass Production guitars, even though I think mine sound far better.
I just saw your youtube on building the neck of a guitar. You obviously know what you're doing and deserve a high dollar for your work. Keep at it! Good things come if you don't give up.
I hear you man. Terrible situation to be in. After watching your video (which was very impressive BTW, I couldn't help but think that it seemed a very fancy instrument - a 6 stringer is far more cost and work for you than a 3 or 4, and for a lot of potential customers the 3 or 4 string think adds to the quirkiness which encourages them to splash out... as you may be aware, I have started selling my guitars in a local music store on commission, and even though I feel that my builds with homemade boxes etc are better instruments, they guys in the shop are confident that the cigar box ones are more of a draw for customers. We have settled on 'basic' CBGs at £150 ($250), and homemade box guitars at £180 ($300), as they are a logical step up for the customer. If you play one then the other, that's where you see the difference in quality. I feel a similar way about your high end builds. If you could produce some basic ones, and then be able to say 'this is what an extra $X gets you'... this might make them more attractive.
Best of luck to you.
interesting term that, hobby craft. as a hobby time is of no consideration - but to earn your corn from it you have to treat it as a job - how can i turn out a guitar i'm satisfied with, on an artistic and playability level, but can still earn a profit from?
If you could sell one for $400 then that's a good deal but to earn a living you'd need to sell one a week - every week.
i't may be more realistic to make a more sell-able $150 to $200 range but sourcing a better deal for your parts (tuners, strings etc) but keeping your production standards high.
there's a hell of a difference between making for fun and making for profit, but it can be done
good luck to ya
My two cents isn't worth a farthing, but I'll spend anyway. I'm fortunate enough to be able to build as a hobby. I love guitars and I love woodworking so for me it's sawdust therapy. I build for friends and family and give them as gifts. I only give to those who play, and I try to tailor to their style of play - do they like acoustic, roots sounds, electric, lead, rhythm, etc. My dad used to say about work; "If if was fun they wouldn't have to pay you." But I think the really answer is: "If it's fun then you have be much better than everyone else." So if you are making just ok CBG's for non-players you will likely be hungry, And know that eventually some mass manufacturer with plants in China will produce them and take away everyones entry market. But if you truly become a luthier and make custom high quality instruments or even amazing novelty ones, there's maybe a market, but it's reputation based and a long hard slog to get there. And likely when you get there you will have sucked all the fun out of the whole process anyway, but hey, it's a living.
I've only built seven real CBG guitars and I've found unless I accept a new challenge each build, its not as fun. I've made some decisions early on in my jouney. One - I want to build 'real' instruments that play well and last. I am not making novelty boxes, I'm making musical instruments for real musicians to play. Two - I will use quality supplies, hey if a spatula makes a good effective tailstop than I might try it, especially if experience builders recommend it. But if I'm going to make a resonator, I'm gonig to use Lowe's cones, not kitchen stirring bowls. That's my choice. I have nothing but admiration for the folks that use everyday items and make them sound great. Maybe when i become a better builder I'll accept that challenge. Right now I don't know enough to determine what will work and what screws the pooch. Three - I will not sell my builds; they still aren't that great and as soon as I do it will likely stop being fun.
I wish you good luck in your efforts to earn a decent living and admire your work ethic. It's a damn cold world out there.
you can make "good enough", cheap (less than the price of a squire strat), if you mass produce. For me, that was never the answer. So, I build better quality for myself, play until I get bored, or want something different and send it down the line, either as a gift or for 2-5 times material cost. The exception are labor of love builds or true "custom" jobs where someone comes to me wanting a very specific guitar with certain characteristics.
I'll never make a living at it, don't intend to, but have always covered my costs in materials and tools.,,,hmm come to think of it, I need to get out and buy that spindle sander. I'm putting "wings" on my newest "favorite" CBG and that will do a better job.
I had a fine one this week, sold him £100 model and he returned it, because the "frets were getting in the way of the slide"...i offered to de-fret it for him and change the bridge for free and just charge the return postage and he says firget it, gimme back my money...that's the 2nd time out of many builds i've had to take back, but like they say the best buyers are the educated ones...(-;
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