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"It's Created, Not Bought"

In the new issue of Cycle World magazine, Technical Editor Kevin Cameron’s article talks about, in part, some of the benefits of building/modifying (motorcycles). For anyone who questions our motives with our cigar boxes, etc., I thought some of his ideas might help explain our efforts..

“The result is usually low-key and as personal as old clothes. It radiates the feeling that this is a traveling companion, not a star in comparison with which you, the rider, are nothing but a roadie. It says that the partnership and the journey are more important than the arrival.”

{snip}

“In the process of building something, you learn so much and have so many more ideas that when you’re done, you can’t wait to start building something better. Each thing created thus potentially carries the seeds of further creation.”

Kevin Cameron, “The Quest for the Authentic, It’s Created, Not Bought,” Cycle World, Dec. 2014

Thought it was worth sharing.

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on November 20, 2014 at 10:03am

You didn't actually BUY a copy of the mag, did you???

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Permalink Reply by Tom T on November 20, 2014 at 10:48am

"Kevin Cameron".....

A name I haven't heard in over twenty-five years.

I spend many happy hours modifying and racing motorcycles of one type or another. It is truly satisfying to see your idea come into existence and, even better, function as well or better than you had envisioned.

Building CBG's is, in many ways, similar to "building a bike". You start with an inspiration then try to make it happen. That is, for me at least, one of the primary attractions to building and playing my own designs.

While I may no longer be able to "drag a knee" in the corners, I still get a thrill when I complete a CBG, play it for the first time and realize "I did it!!".

Thanks for the analogy. It works perfectly.

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Permalink Reply by Tom T on November 20, 2014 at 12:30pm

Hi Jim.

Know Firebird well. Lived in Scottsdale for 11 years. Did a few hot laps in a 370Z.

Getting a four-stringer just right is just as thrilling these days.

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Permalink Reply by Bad Finger (Eric) on November 21, 2014 at 1:30am

Similar reasons for me as well.

Jeepers usually say "built, not bought" to describe their modified off-road vehicle. It is excessively cheaper to purchase an already-modified Jeep from someone who has run out of money, had a life changing event, or other reason to give it up. But I had too much fun researching and doing my own mods to ever think about just buying a used lifted Jeep for $5,000.

I've given up off-roading and sold my Jeep. I was working on rebuilding a 1947 Willys CJ-2A, which I still have, when I caught the CBG bug. The Willys sits in the barn waiting for the electrical work to get done so I can fire up the motor to see if it runs. The repro steel tub is sitting there on a pallet taking up space. And still, I build guitars.

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Permalink Reply by Tom T on November 21, 2014 at 1:46am

Funny how our OCD focus changes so quickly.

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Permalink Reply by JL on November 21, 2014 at 1:54am

kinda like having Adult ADD and ...SQUIRREL!

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Permalink Reply by Jim_N on November 21, 2014 at 3:33am

Ya’ know, if we could find a good psychiatrist who’d give us a group discount, I bet we could get to the bottom of this. Or even better… does anyone know a shrink who’d take new/unused B and high E guitar strings in lieu of cash??

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Permalink Reply by Tom T on November 21, 2014 at 4:22am

The real challenge is designing an instrument that would use all those unused strings. There must be hundreds sitting in shops and garages.

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Permalink Reply by Bad Finger (Eric) on November 21, 2014 at 9:35am

Set up strings for checking fret level and neck alignment.

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Permalink Reply by Jim_N on November 22, 2014 at 1:40pm

Eric > Yup, good one.
Also… and most of these are just silly, obviously:
http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/forum/archive/index.php?t-850782.html
(I like the “Our school shop class has a styrofoam cutter, which uses a heated-up old G string” reply… tho’ I can’t remember the last time I needed to cut Styrofoam.)

I'd like to find a needy 6-string player who breaks his/her 1st and 2nd strings way too often...