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Re: A Few New Projects
Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2024 7:02 am
by llllllllllllllllllll
I understand it probably sucks feeling like you have to create a social media site out of obligation, but that sort of small builder account is exactly what I signed up for instagram to follow. Otherwise I was happy to miss out on whatever else was going on.
And of course there’s a middle ground between someone posting pictures of every lunch and not updating a business site for a year. You can already write, take pictures, and have lots of ideas about how you do things, and I think that’s most of it right there.
Re: A Few New Projects
Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2024 4:12 pm
by mdc
I can say from personal experience that the client management/communication/expectation management/etc that goes along with made-to-order custom stuff is what kills you. If there's a way to mitigate that by doing something closer to the danocaster model you'll probably end up a lot happier. Make a guitar, post it for sale here/maybe the aluminum axes group/maybe reverb? Take great photos, sell the thing, keep the prices attainable, only build when you feel like building, don't put yourself in a position of reinventing the wheel every time you have to make a guitar.
You may be built different, but I absolutely loved the fabrication side of things, and had no aptitude for the rest of it.
Re: A Few New Projects
Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2024 12:21 am
by TylerDeadPine
You can have any color you want as long as it’s black
Re: A Few New Projects
Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2024 9:01 am
by Dr Tony Balls
mdc wrote: Tue Dec 17, 2024 4:12 pm
I can say from personal experience that the client management/communication/expectation management/etc that goes along with made-to-order custom stuff is what kills you.
I'm not saying that it CANT kill you, but in my experience its been just fine. I do some made-to-order pedals and every amp i do is made to order. I just set limitations with what i'll do and what I wont, both aesthetically and technically and it means that i'm always working within the bounds I want to be in.
Re: A Few New Projects
Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2024 11:40 pm
by c jury
mdc wrote: Tue Dec 17, 2024 4:12 pm
I can say from personal experience that the client management/communication/expectation management/etc that goes along with made-to-order custom stuff is what kills you. If there's a way to mitigate that by doing something closer to the danocaster model you'll probably end up a lot happier. Make a guitar, post it for sale here/maybe the aluminum axes group/maybe reverb? Take great photos, sell the thing, keep the prices attainable, only build when you feel like building, don't put yourself in a position of reinventing the wheel every time you have to make a guitar.
You may be built different, but I absolutely loved the fabrication side of things, and had no aptitude for the rest of it.
I like this. I am always torn, as every potential order seems like validation, and I like hearing about all the crazy stuff people want to build. I enjoy solving novel problems...but it is hard to maximize quality when everything is essentially a prototype.
Re: A Few New Projects
Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2024 9:05 am
by penningtron
Maybe offer standard models for the wider public, but continue to do custom stuff on the dl for people who understand what they're getting into?
I think if you tell people up front you do custom stuff they'll come up with all kinds of crazy crap just because they can, but at the end of the day most people just want pretty normal things if they're priced right.
Re: A Few New Projects
Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2024 12:09 pm
by ChudFusk
This ^^^^
Re: A Few New Projects
Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2024 12:23 pm
by Frankie99
I agree with the idea of a couple of standards with some menu customization style options, then if you get a customer with a really specific interest, you can address that ad hoc as needed.
FWIW I think that the Les Paul Jr. double cut away would look so super rad with your set ups, I would vote for that, but that's me.
At any rate, I think you should give it a go and see where you can get.
Re: A Few New Projects
Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2024 12:51 pm
by twelvepoint
If you have patterns and templates that keep your work running efficiently and at a high quality, that's pretty important. I'd be protective of that process, and good clients should respect that.
Re: A Few New Projects
Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2024 1:22 pm
by tallchris
If you start up an Instagram, put up a bunch of your old builds in order of build do people can get a sense of what you have done (and how it's evolved).