Blogs

This cigar box guitar caper has pretty much taken over my time nowadays...although nominally I still have a day-job...it's very much in the background these days.  I managed to get a late booking at the Barnsley Guitar Show...so pressure is on to get some stock made..but how hard can that be?.... 8 or so guitars and half a dozen stompboxes by the end of the week.

First priority however: I had to make sure I had 24 guitar kits ready for Malc's workshops at the Sweeps festival...so I had to go out, buy all the materials, check my stock for parts and get making  24 boxes and 24 part-finished necks...then put together all the parts, and draft out the HGMC Health and Safety assessment. I make-up a couple of sample guitars as well..it all takes time

Next up was confirming a couple of gig dates for Tinqui8..so more phone calls, facebooking etc...but got that sorted, then drafted-out some posters. Several e-mails and phone calls about Boxstock...more calls and emails from Roosterman, and blimey, that's another morning gone. Still got a list as long as my arm...update Facebook stuff, chase down some sponsorship contacts, order some parts, quote someone for a guitar. Start wiring up 4 guitars.

The next day Hollowbelly dropped by for half an hour on his way back from recording his latest album..I'm really looking forward to it!  Back on with the guitar making....install necks in some more guitars...and I've got to get one of HB's guitars overhauled before he's next back in the Midlands in few weeks time.

Thursday sees a few guitars beginning to look like something...so on with the stringing up, cutting bone nuts, bridges and assembly.

Friday..hooray,,two dulcistrummers finished, two guitars ready for final set-up, and another couple of necks having  more coats of TruOil on them. 24 hours left to get everything done for this weekend's show.

Saturday morning  Malc. calls in to collect his kits, have a natter and drop off the HGMC banner.  I'm well impressed with the banner...and Malc has got a nice feature in the Rochester Sweeps programme for the workshops - he's got half the places booked already. We have a quick refresher on the guitar building, I sign off the H&S assessment forms, give him a copy of HGMC public liability insurance (yes, all this grown-up stuff is happening behind the scenes)....and he's on his way home, and I'm back into the workshop.

Saturday evenings sees me doing the final set-up and checking of the guitars, wrapping them, stacking all the gear for a quick load-up in the morning and finishing a few stomper boxes.

Up at 5.00am on Sunday morning, load-up, 100 mile drive, unload and set-up. It's a new location and venue for Ken, of Mojo Guitar Fairs...a typical local authority community centre hall in a village outside Barnsley...nothing glamourous...but it'll do the job. I'm a late booking a spot, so my pitch is on the stage... although it's a prominent position, it's a bit intimidating for punters to step up and have a look. Setting up for one of these things single-handed is tiring, intense, methodical  work...I have to transfer a van-load full of stuff into the building, set up the tables, put on the cloths (black denim..very rootsy!), put up the display stands, lighting, set out all the product...guitars, stompboxes, books, bottlenecks CDs, business cards, HGMC leaflets & banner, make sure everything is priced up. Next sort out the computer, power to my amp and PA system, test everything...and I'm just about ready. By now it's 9.40am...just time for a breakfast butty and a cup of coffee...but the doors are open 10 minutes early..so I'm on duty straight away!

Things are very quiet to start with, and Ken asks me to play something and liven things up..so I get a bit of interest, but still no takers..what feels like an eternity passes and no money has changed hands...hmm, this isn't looking like great way to spend a Sunday..and loose £100 to boot!  Anyhow...I get my first proper enquiry, a little bit of banter and bartering and the first wedge of folding is in my wallet and a guitar is off my stand..then it starts, a few botlenecks sell, people are watching videos of Ben Prestage and Hollowbelly on the computer...more playing..I get a crowd, some applause... someone asks me to put a guitar aside while they go to the cashpoint. While they are gone, the same thing happens, ten minutes later, the first customer is back with the folding..I write out a reciept, slip a card and a HGMC leaflet under the guitar strings..guitar no 2 is sold. By now I've got a fair number of people milling around, chatting, watching the vids..lots of people chatting, asking about Boxstock, asking if I've got CDs and DVDs. A few people talk to me about building guitars, I explain the basic points of playing 3 string guitar to loads of people..someone has a go..and quickly gets the hang of it...the other customer is back, same routine, reciept, card, HGMC flyer, jot down the tunings on the price tag for the customer.  So it goes on...a couple of stompboxes are sold, another guitar, a couple of books..and after a few hours, from a very unpromising start, I've earned a wage and loads more people are enthusiastic about cigar box guitars!

By mid afternoon it's quietend down a bit, and I meet one of the other stall-holders who makes guitars and runs guitar making courses and classes...he says "You know David Ward, don't you?"..of course, that's Smojo, and he's building a ResoElectric guitar with him.  Chatting with other people, and other names crop up...Bluesbeaten Redshaw, Catfish Keith, Kevin Brown.. The organiser asks me to do a showcase performance at the next show in Thirsk...also lots of people asking when I'm next up in the area...going on the road like this creates loads of interest, which is good for business, but it also sparks a lot of interest in the whole home grown/cigar box guitar thing.  A quick mooch around the show, buy a few sets of machineheads, a string winder and some lemon oil..put a little bit of money back with the other traders, but refrain from buying any guitars from other people...get asked to do some session work by someone...all handy networking.

Then the worst part of the day...taking down the stand, packing away and loading it into the car...by this time I'm tired, and it's really hard work.  A 15 minute drive and I'm at my parents for dinner, an hour's break, then another 100 miles back down the slab to Birmingham. Two hours later, back home, unload, then a sit down and a beer...after a fifteen hour working day.

So that was my week, pretty typical when I've got a show on...now to face another working week..but I need a day off!