Members pinchegordo Posted September 20, 2011 Members Share Posted September 20, 2011 Jesus Tits thats awesome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pinchegordo Posted September 20, 2011 Members Share Posted September 20, 2011 So how much do you think that would sell for ? I'm thinking like no less than $2500.00 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gitnoob Posted September 20, 2011 Author Members Share Posted September 20, 2011 Thanks, d00d. I'll have to get back to you on a price.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pinchegordo Posted September 20, 2011 Members Share Posted September 20, 2011 I would definitely want a a guitar like that man you should do a hcagf raffle on one of your builds that would be rad! $25 tickets {censored} if you sold 100 there's your money! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vibroluxman Posted September 20, 2011 Members Share Posted September 20, 2011 beautiful looking. Love the veneer on the back of the headstock as well. Can't wait to hear it play! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Galabar Posted September 22, 2011 Members Share Posted September 22, 2011 Your first guitar build is probably priceless. Sell the second one (and for at least $4500). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Galabar Posted September 22, 2011 Members Share Posted September 22, 2011 I would definitely want a a guitar like that man you should do a hcagf raffle on one of your builds that would be rad! $25 tickets {censored} if you sold 100 there's your money! Heck, we should all put at least that much in a tip jar for Gitnoob to pay him back for this entertaining thread (and the 'uke thread). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gitnoob Posted September 22, 2011 Author Members Share Posted September 22, 2011 Yeah, I think I'll be keeping this one. If I build any more of them, I'll probably have trouble giving them away. Guitars from unknown builders don't sell. And it's probably a good idea to avoid the first 10 or so from any builder -- they're still learning.Anyway, I'm into the long boring stretch now. Sanded the top and back and applied a wash coat of shellac. This coat is just there to highlight any imperfections I need to fix before applying the real finish.And here you can see why rosewood needs pore filler: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WildWill Posted September 22, 2011 Members Share Posted September 22, 2011 Exciting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Galabar Posted September 22, 2011 Members Share Posted September 22, 2011 Yeah, I think I'll be keeping this one. If I build any more of them, I'll probably have trouble giving them away. Ok, I'm in for the raffle on the second one (if that is legal). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted September 22, 2011 Members Share Posted September 22, 2011 Your first guitar build is probably priceless. Sell the second one (and for at least $4500). From what I've gleaned from talking to luthiers in person and online the first few are just for training, though the first one has sentimental value for most and is usually NOT for sale at any price. Most like to show them off regardless and invariably somebody always asks for a price, to which the luthier names an extremely high price - with the understanding that a new build along the same lines would be much cheaper! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted September 22, 2011 Members Share Posted September 22, 2011 From what I've gleaned from talking to luthiers in person and online the first few are just for training, though the first one has sentimental value for most and is usually NOT for sale at any price. Most like to show them off regardless and invariably somebody always asks for a price, to which the luthier names an extremely high price - with the understanding that a new build along the same lines would be much cheaper! I just sold my first commission. I charged him my costs for materials plus $1. He threw in a nice bottle of wine. We're both happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gitnoob Posted September 22, 2011 Author Members Share Posted September 22, 2011 I just sold my first commission. I charged him my costs for materials plus $1. He threw in a nice bottle of wine. We're both happy. I used to build skateboards when I was a kid, and I'd sell them to my friends at materials cost. They'd still come back to me for warranty repairs after they smashed them up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluzboy Posted September 23, 2011 Members Share Posted September 23, 2011 Truly gorgeous, gitnoob! If it plays half as beautiful as it looks, you've done real good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted September 23, 2011 Members Share Posted September 23, 2011 I just sold my first commission. I charged him my costs for materials plus $1. He threw in a nice bottle of wine. We're both happy. Hehe - sounds like a transaction I once had for a vehicle. The $1 was for "title transfer fees"! Come to think of it, will this aforementioned first commission guitar be traveling across any borders? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pinchegordo Posted September 23, 2011 Members Share Posted September 23, 2011 Seriously man we should do a raffle for one of your builds . I'm in for $200 worth of tickets if we do.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gitnoob Posted September 29, 2011 Author Members Share Posted September 29, 2011 Now that the guitar is almost finished, I'm afraid to touch it. I won't make a move without consulting with the luthier, so this is taking longer than it might (I only meet with him once or twice a week). Anyway, today a critical step was taken -- bridge placement. I used something like this StewMac jig (forgot to bring my camera): One end rests on the 12th fret, and the other end rests in the saddle slot. This jig doesn't give much information about whether the bridge is centered correctly. For that, I eyeballed it and then measured from various landmarks as a sanity check. I marked the upper corners of the bridge with tape, drilled out two of the bridge pin locations for indexing, then removed the bridge and applied masking tape to the bridge with about a 1mm gap around the border. Finally, I transferred that tape to the guitar body, using the previously marked corners for reference. That area stays masked off during the finishing process. One interesting point here: most people don't use the bridge pin holes for indexing. Instead, they drill small holes through the saddle slot (later hidden by the saddle). I never understood why -- seems like the bridge pin holes make a natural choice for indexing. Apparently the reason most don't use those holes is because they use a caul when clamping on the bridge, and they want the index pins out of the way of the caul. In my case, I'll be using the Fox bridge clamp, which is bolted through the bridge pin holes. I've also been pore filling, which is an interesting process in itself. I'm using pumice -- basically volcanic ash. The pumice becomes clear in alcohol, and the resins of the wood also stain it, so it makes a great pore filler. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Galabar Posted September 29, 2011 Members Share Posted September 29, 2011 Oooh, so close. Everything looks great. I can't wait to see the final result! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gitnoob Posted October 4, 2011 Author Members Share Posted October 4, 2011 This is kind of frustrating. I would love to French Polish this guitar at home. I probably would have been close to done by now. Except for one thing. French polishing is illegal in my state. I need a bottle of 190 proof Everclear. Nothing else will do. Even the Indian reservation won't sell it to me. So I'm smuggling some in. Should be here by the end of the week. In the meantime, I filled the ginormous mahogany pores of the neck with silex -- finely ground silica. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted October 4, 2011 Members Share Posted October 4, 2011 What's illegal about French polishing in your state? Why not just use denatured alcohol from a local hardware store? FWIW I've been playing with finishes on a couple of smaller projects. As with my other projects it's been slow going and I'm prone to being sidetracked by other things. I admire you for forging ahead with these first 2 projects so quickly without any mistakes - as far as I can tell! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gitnoob Posted October 4, 2011 Author Members Share Posted October 4, 2011 My understanding is that the way they "denature" alcohol is by adding some methylated component rendering it undrinkable and toxic. I'm OK with the undrinkable part, but not so much with the toxic part. It's toxic if absorbed through the skin. To me, the big appeal of French polishing is that it's less toxic than other finishes -- something you can do in the house. Everclear is non-toxic. And working with the help of a luthier is a two-edged sword. It does help a LOT, and it virtually guarantees success. OTOH, it's a crutch. Very few people build a second guitar on their own after taking a class like this. You're doing it the right way if you want to build as a hobby. Self-taught is the best way to gain a deep understanding of this stuff IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitar_goob Posted October 4, 2011 Members Share Posted October 4, 2011 Awesome thread! Just read everything - looks amazing noob! Can't wait to hear some clips Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted October 5, 2011 Members Share Posted October 5, 2011 This is kind of frustrating. I would love to French Polish this guitar at home. I probably would have been close to done by now. Except for one thing. French polishing is illegal in my state.I need a bottle of 190 proof Everclear. Nothing else will do. Even the Indian reservation won't sell it to me. So I'm smuggling some in. Should be here by the end of the week. 'noob, lots of people in OUR state (I live there too) French Polish their guitars. Denatured alcohol seems to work just fine for them, why do you say "nothing else will do?? The fact that you are working with a luthier (in the same state) who advertises that he uses FP says maybe you should get a bottle of whatever he uses. I haven't done a FP altho I regret not using it on the one classical that I built. In my humble you choose your finishing products and methods for a lot of different reasons - the main reason I would use FP is the tradition, the second that it is probably the thinnest, and third, that you want that not-so-shiny appearance. I've used nitro on a few (including my classical), but have switched to water based finishes which I am very satistified with and can apply safely at home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gitnoob Posted October 5, 2011 Author Members Share Posted October 5, 2011 The fact that you are working with a luthier (in the same state) who advertises that he uses FP says maybe you should get a bottle of whatever he uses. He uses Everclear. Of course, I asked him if I could use denatured alcohol from Ace, and he sadly shook his head "no." BTW, the stuff is legal to acquire if you have a commercial license to use it. He does, and the local liquor store does stock the 190 proof stuff in the back. I asked them about the licensing process. They pointed me to the state board's site, but said that the only people they knew who could successfully obtain the license were MD's who use it to sterilize their instruments. Personally, I find it absurd that the non-toxic stuff is impossible to get, but the toxic stuff is available off the shelf. Anyway, a few bottles should be here by Friday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted October 5, 2011 Members Share Posted October 5, 2011 He uses Everclear. Of course, I asked him if I could use denatured alcohol from Ace, and he sadly shook his head "no." BTW, the stuff is legal to acquire if you have a commercial license to use it. He does, and the local liquor store does stock the 190 proof stuff in the back. I asked them about the licensing process. They pointed me to the state board's site, but said that the only people they knew who could successfully obtain the license were MD's who use it to sterilize their instruments. Personally, I find it absurd that the non-toxic stuff is impossible to get, but the toxic stuff is available off the shelf. Anyway, a few bottles should be here by Friday. OK. Really dumb question - why aren't things like finishing supplies included in the price of your course? For that matter, why are you doing so much of this at home? Going back to your two edged sword comment, I would think that one of the biggest advantages to a class like this (besides the fact that you won't make any major mistakes) is that all of the tools, supplies, and workshop are provided. I envy you for that every time I run down to Home Depot for another router bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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