Thats pretty much what I do, Brian. I've sold about 7 on eBay now and things are going well but they will never make you rich. Some builders can demand a high price but I'm not sure if it's name or qualify or a little of both. If you can do it as a full time job I think you could make a good living, but that's at 10th hours a day or more. The faster you can build, the less you can sell them for, the more money you make. There will always be buyers at the right price. At the moment it's gas money and I use my spare time. I have orders stacking up but I also don't want the fun to go out of building. I don't want.it to become a job.
I hope not, I'm just now hitting my stride. I haven't tried to sell any on Ebay. I've been carrying them to local clubs and getting the local performers to demo them so I can get them out in the public eye. I've sold a few here and there and have some requests for the Christmas season. I'm not seasoned like some of you are, though, so I have nothing to compare to. I'm not looking to make any significant cash off this...I just want to sell them so I can continue to make more.
Maybe it's a PacWest thing. This summer, I was in Vancouver and Anchorage, and I got the same puzzled looks when I mentioned I was building CBGs. Funny thing is, folks in the NW seem to be fans of more folky musical styles, and they got lots of beauty wood around. I bet if someone put some Robert Service poems to music, played 'em on a CBG, they might think it was at least interesting. There is plenty of artistic funk in the NW...maybe CBGs could be the next grunge?
yeah, i have defiantly noticed lots of blank stares and folks not interested, even after they see someone wale away on one...they then turn and walk away like a zombie...but thats OK, i accept that, there is people out there who are "open ' to it...and lots of them.
Brian Reagor said:
I don't know about where you live but in my town there are no real music venues per say and hardly anyone, musician or non-musician knows what a Cigar Box Guitar is. I just showed my "Hobo" that I bought from Shane to my neighbors who own a car restoration business called "Toyland Auto" in Kelso, Washington, which is on Facebook btw, and they had never seen or heard of one before but thought it was cool. And just went to our guitar store yesterday to visit my guitar tech friend and though they heard of one, no one seemed to have much or any interest in them.
For myself, I deduct that most people now, especially teens thru 20's, have no interest in the sounds of old or the concept of learning to play and create some instrument.
No more days of sitting on the porch with the family and friends enjoying each others company, eating, drinking, singing, etc.
So, for those of you who build, play, entertain, my hats off to you, and for those of you who want to to just make money off these, learn all you can, be willing to work 18 hours a day, think smart, and always have a smile and a song ready for those you meet~
And one more thing.........................with instruments..................it's not as easy as point and click...
www.dumb*#@staring at the screenallday.com is a waste of time, Waste of Life!
Go out in the shop, get your hands dirty, use a tape measure, cut some wood, have some fun making something, (preferably a cbg), do it wrong even, then show some folks and don't be upset when some or most don't like it, just keep trying, learning, improving and keep a positive attitude, you'll find your happy place...and one more thing...don't base it on spending or making money to much it will rip the joy from your heart, I know this personally from multiple experiences.
Another point, in my lowly opinion, can anyone hardly blame a average or low income person for not wanting to play an instrument, with the schools cutting their music programs so they can keep a $50,000-$100,000 administrator employed and the musical instrument shops selling crap like the Fender Squier or fake tele's, (I don't think our store even has a Gibson, Gretsch, Taylor, Martin, or anything of decent quality on it's premises), or these Indonesion made acoustics which some are marginal, at prices that are inflated or the massive selection of plastic chinese ukuleles for $30.00 it's no wonder the parents don't want to invest in that stuff when you can buy groceries and gas instead.
I don't know about where you live but in my town there are no real music venues per say and hardly anyone, musician or non-musician knows what a Cigar Box Guitar is. I just showed my "Hobo" that I bought from Shane to my neighbors who own a car restoration business called "Toyland Auto" in Kelso, Washington, which is on Facebook btw, and they had never seen or heard of one before but thought it was cool. And just went to our guitar store yesterday to visit my guitar tech friend and though they heard of one, no one seemed to have much or any interest in them.
For myself, I deduct that most people now, especially teens thru 20's, have no interest in the sounds of old or the concept of learning to play and create some instrument.
No more days of sitting on the porch with the family and friends enjoying each others company, eating, drinking, singing, etc.
So, for those of you who build, play, entertain, my hats off to you, and for those of you who want to to just make money off these, learn all you can, be willing to work 18 hours a day, think smart, and always have a smile and a song ready for those you meet~
Lots of good thoughts. Thanks. I am glad that I build for the fun, I was just curious about how much to sell one seeing that a guy I work with wants to pay me for it. Lots of good points made. Thanks for the input.
There has always been ups and downs, I judge by the amont of emails and people joining site like this one, not sales...and lastly the more builders and people selling there is, the more interest in the hobby in generl and in fact your odds of selling will go up even more!....just keep building them and if so stack them in your closet, they will sell...everything has its day....just keep building.
Like everyone else, it's probably a combo of the recession, and waaayyy more builders than there used to be. You already know what your fixed costs per CBG are. If you're building essentially the same type of instrument over and over (or a few variations) then you probably have a pretty good idea of how much time each one takes. The hard part is figuring out what your time Is worth. If each CBG takes you 10 hours to build, and you really are considering trying to make a living at it, then you might want to compare your time against the minimum wage, then against a handyman or carpenter, then against any number of other "practical" or "mechanical" occupations. If you are doing this full time, then you probably feel like your time is worth at least $15 per hour. So $150 + $30 = $180. You won't get this, BTW, for a crappy build (not that yours are; on the contrary). Higher prices come from 1) lots of builds = technique + experience, 2) good marketing, and 3) customization or rarity. Compare your prices against those of well known builders. Review your marketing. Realize that the market for CBGs might be saturated in your area, or due to eBay and the growth of the Revolution, the market overall may be saturated. Yes, you can price your wares at what the market will bear, but right now, it seems pretty obvious the market won't bear $180 - $200. That's unfortunate.
Most people that are handy will try to build their own if the entry price is $30 and a few hours or couple of weekends of their time. This will be more true when folks have ( or equally important, FEEL like they have) less disposable income.
So several obvious solutions suggest themselves (sorry for the economics lesson - you can tell me to stick it):
1) Reduce your prices.
2) Reduce the costs of production, either through economies of scale (difficult to do for a single craftsman), speeding up the means of production, or getting volume discounts on boxes, parts and shipping.
3) Reduce your labor rate.
4) Increase your prices ( and your costs) by offering custom jobs that are unlike anything else on the market.
5) Provide add-ons as loss leaders: strings, video lessons, slides, picks, straps, etc.
I know, this all kinda sucks. Maybe it should be a self-funding hobby?
Replies
I hope not, I'm just now hitting my stride. I haven't tried to sell any on Ebay. I've been carrying them to local clubs and getting the local performers to demo them so I can get them out in the public eye. I've sold a few here and there and have some requests for the Christmas season. I'm not seasoned like some of you are, though, so I have nothing to compare to. I'm not looking to make any significant cash off this...I just want to sell them so I can continue to make more.
Brian Reagor said:
And one more thing.........................with instruments..................it's not as easy as point and click...
www.dumb*#@staring at the screenallday.com is a waste of time, Waste of Life!
Go out in the shop, get your hands dirty, use a tape measure, cut some wood, have some fun making something, (preferably a cbg), do it wrong even, then show some folks and don't be upset when some or most don't like it, just keep trying, learning, improving and keep a positive attitude, you'll find your happy place...and one more thing...don't base it on spending or making money to much it will rip the joy from your heart, I know this personally from multiple experiences.
I don't know about where you live but in my town there are no real music venues per say and hardly anyone, musician or non-musician knows what a Cigar Box Guitar is. I just showed my "Hobo" that I bought from Shane to my neighbors who own a car restoration business called "Toyland Auto" in Kelso, Washington, which is on Facebook btw, and they had never seen or heard of one before but thought it was cool. And just went to our guitar store yesterday to visit my guitar tech friend and though they heard of one, no one seemed to have much or any interest in them.
For myself, I deduct that most people now, especially teens thru 20's, have no interest in the sounds of old or the concept of learning to play and create some instrument.
No more days of sitting on the porch with the family and friends enjoying each others company, eating, drinking, singing, etc.
So, for those of you who build, play, entertain, my hats off to you, and for those of you who want to to just make money off these, learn all you can, be willing to work 18 hours a day, think smart, and always have a smile and a song ready for those you meet~
Like everyone else, it's probably a combo of the recession, and waaayyy more builders than there used to be. You already know what your fixed costs per CBG are. If you're building essentially the same type of instrument over and over (or a few variations) then you probably have a pretty good idea of how much time each one takes. The hard part is figuring out what your time Is worth. If each CBG takes you 10 hours to build, and you really are considering trying to make a living at it, then you might want to compare your time against the minimum wage, then against a handyman or carpenter, then against any number of other "practical" or "mechanical" occupations. If you are doing this full time, then you probably feel like your time is worth at least $15 per hour. So $150 + $30 = $180. You won't get this, BTW, for a crappy build (not that yours are; on the contrary). Higher prices come from 1) lots of builds = technique + experience, 2) good marketing, and 3) customization or rarity. Compare your prices against those of well known builders. Review your marketing. Realize that the market for CBGs might be saturated in your area, or due to eBay and the growth of the Revolution, the market overall may be saturated. Yes, you can price your wares at what the market will bear, but right now, it seems pretty obvious the market won't bear $180 - $200. That's unfortunate.
Most people that are handy will try to build their own if the entry price is $30 and a few hours or couple of weekends of their time. This will be more true when folks have ( or equally important, FEEL like they have) less disposable income.
So several obvious solutions suggest themselves (sorry for the economics lesson - you can tell me to stick it):
1) Reduce your prices.
2) Reduce the costs of production, either through economies of scale (difficult to do for a single craftsman), speeding up the means of production, or getting volume discounts on boxes, parts and shipping.
3) Reduce your labor rate.
4) Increase your prices ( and your costs) by offering custom jobs that are unlike anything else on the market.
5) Provide add-ons as loss leaders: strings, video lessons, slides, picks, straps, etc.
I know, this all kinda sucks. Maybe it should be a self-funding hobby?
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