Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jason Hitesman on March 29, 2011 at 12:46pm

I did two at the same time as Christmas gifts (which doubled my previous production) and found it went a lot quicker than building just one by itself.

 

I tried to make them both identical just with different boxes and treatment to the headstock.  But things happened and they ended up developing their own unique features naturally ;)  So I wouldn't worry too much about that.  

 

If I was tackling building 12 at once I would try to standardize and make jigs to speed things up.  Cut all the necks at once, make a little drilling jig to drill the tuner holes (I actually did that for my 2, made it so I could flip it to put 2 tuners on one side and 1 on the other so a set of 6 tuners worked out good between the two guitars...one git has 2 tuners on the left the other has 2 on the right)  Make a bunch of nuts/bridges/tailpieces and then with all the parts pre-made assembly goes pretty quick.

 

Might be a good idea to build one first - then take it apart and use it as a template for the others.

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Permalink Reply by 3 String Blues on March 29, 2011 at 2:32pm

do them all at once...one step...move on.....but, if you think it is not possible, if you think its to much, tell him you can only do 6 or 8 by that time, he will understand, hes not your boss....your the shot caller....just tell him whats possible

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Permalink Reply by Outhouse Instruments on March 29, 2011 at 2:59pm

I can do 2 a day by doing one step on both and just kind of rolling thru it. Lay out neck 1, cut the scarf, glue it. Lay out neck 2, cut the scarf, glue it. Neck one is now dry enuff to go to the next step and so on.

 

 

 

AFKAM

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Permalink Reply by Darryl Leytham on March 29, 2011 at 3:48pm

thnx jason, you said exactly what i already knew just needed some 1 to reassure me in my thinking

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Permalink Reply by Darryl Leytham on March 29, 2011 at 3:55pm

well let me start by saying im honored to get a comment back from u john ( you are the reason i got started in this crazy addiction called cbgs in the first place lol) but thnx for the advice but i bleev i will make the deadline just needed a few words of encouragement since this will b my first commission . ill keep every 1 posted on how they r comming thnx again

darryl
             ps i bought your instructional video and it was gt8  it has help my playing alot especially since i had never played guitar b4 i made my first cbg.
BeetleJuice! said:

do them all at once...one step...move on.....but, if you think it is not possible, if you think its to much, tell him you can only do 6 or 8 by that time, he will understand, hes not your boss....your the shot caller....just tell him whats possible

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Permalink Reply by Darryl Leytham on March 29, 2011 at 4:00pm

once again let me say thank you  this whole group of people are the greatest . i cant bleev the support i am getting    ( i wish my wife was so supportive lol) just kidding shes great shes the reason i started his hobby . cause she told me i had to stop playing so much online poker lol thanks again afkm

Artist Formerly Known as Matt said:

I can do 2 a day by doing one step on both and just kind of rolling thru it. Lay out neck 1, cut the scarf, glue it. Lay out neck 2, cut the scarf, glue it. Neck one is now dry enuff to go to the next step and so on.

 

 

 

AFKAM

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Permalink Reply by ChickenboneJohn on March 29, 2011 at 8:08pm

Making multiple guitars quickly and consistently needs a) a systematic approach and b) the right tools and workshop. I have acquired a fair amount of equipment now, so this really helps: 12 in a week is hard work but quite feasible with my set-up & approach, so 12 in 2 months even without a lot of kit should be do-able.

 

It's vital that you have a design that will work without having to tinker each time you make something, so the way you do the headstock and fit the neck to the box needs to work everytime.  If necessary do a prototype build before mass-producing.  I divide it all into stages, classic mass-production technique.  I make all the necks in one go, then fit them to the boxes, then wire-up, then a final assembly and set-up. Also, make sure you have got ALL the parts you'll need to hand...right down to the last screw and washer, otherwise you'll waste time either running around picking up parts or waiting for them to arrive.

 

Here's what I do and the equipment I use - you'll have to figure out work-arounds if you haven't got the tools.

Day 1 Select the neck timber, plane to size and thickness. Same for the fretboards (6" bench  jointer and 13"planer). Scarf the headstocks (bandsaw and bench sander), glue-up.

Day 2 Slot the fretboards, glue to neck blanks. Make bridge & tailpieces(scrollsaw & bench sander)    

Day 3 Trim fretboards to width, profile backs of necks (bench belt sander), drill headstocks (drill press) Install position and side dots (drill press and jig)

Day 4 Fret the necks, trim & fill fret ends and oil-finish the necks

Day 5 Cut boxes to fit the necks, drill soundholoes, control & jack holes (drill press), install internal blocking. Oil finish to necks.

Day6 Install electrics. Make nuts (scrollsaw & bench sander). Oil finish to necks.

Day 7 Final assembly and stringing.

 

It's very hard work and you really need to be organised so you are not wasting time between stages - there's some things that you just have to wait for, such as glue and finishes drying. If you have to use hand tools, then it will be slower, but the principal remains the same - work logically and efficiently, but don't rush or take shortcuts.

 

Be warned...you might regret doing so many on one go...the repetitiveness and pressure to build to someone else's deadline can be wearing and stressful. I know this from my own deadlines of having to get stock ready for guitar shows in addition to my customer orders. Try not to be pressured into an uncomfortable situation.  Not everyone still finds it enjoyable making guitars under these circumstances - sometimes you may find you have to push yourself very hard to get thru it, so think abut this long and hard and get yourself organised if you decide to take on the challenge. Good Luck

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Permalink Reply by Roosterman on March 29, 2011 at 10:05pm

I agree with John 100%. If you aint geared up for it, it can be a real pain!

I am geared up but still find that building in big batches really takes the fun out of it. Doing a job you dont enjoy (for me thats the fretting) is ok once, but 12 times a day...ugh! I now stick to building a maximum of 4 at a time, and I dont do them all the same.

Unless you have a supply of identical boxes, your heal length, depth, fretboard etc etc are all going to be different anyway, so use that as an excuse to make them all a little different. One of the main issues with bulk building is they all end up looking the same. Maybe not an issue if they are going in different shops, but it will get to you in the end!

 

I dont know how many guitars you have built to date, but I would suggest building a few more and really thinking about the design - it could save you a lot of stress in the future. Iv built 120+ now, and Im still refining the process. Its a fine line between unique insrument and mass produced lets-ship-the-work-out-to-China!!

 

Dont let this put you off though - its great to sell guitars so you can make more!

Best of luck

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Permalink Reply by Outhouse Instruments on March 29, 2011 at 11:43pm

Batch building isn't the most fun. Even tho' I'm well over 50 builds now, I'm still like a kid at Christmas as I string, tune and hit the 1st chord on a new build.

No matter how many I build , even using the same boxes .... no 2 are ever the same.

 

AFKAM

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Permalink Reply by MichaelS Country Boy Guitars on March 30, 2011 at 3:25am

Organize by box size, I find that the neck is the most labor intensive part. If you have a bunch of box's in simular length the necks can be the same, make them all, then move on to the next box size. That way less measuring and re-measuring. Then throw in a few odd details in each one to make them unique.  Oh and if you cant make all 12, send him my way I have a few that need to be sold. lol.

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Permalink Reply by Darryl Leytham on March 30, 2011 at 12:48pm

let me start by thanking everyone who has giving advice . im am very thankful for each and every fellow builder  its a gr8 thing to hav the nation to ask any question and get a simple straight forward response without any hesitation to help .thanks again to all .i hav only been building a year so i hav built 13 to date .i wasnt really looking for  such a big order but that said im not one to back down from a challenge either so i will do this ..... on time  and exceed all expectations .  with a little help from my friends .... hey wait that is a gr8 lyric let me write that down    lol  so once again thanks

Roosterman said:

I agree with John 100%. If you aint geared up for it, it can be a real pain!

I am geared up but still find that building in big batches really takes the fun out of it. Doing a job you dont enjoy (for me thats the fretting) is ok once, but 12 times a day...ugh! I now stick to building a maximum of 4 at a time, and I dont do them all the same.

Unless you have a supply of identical boxes, your heal length, depth, fretboard etc etc are all going to be different anyway, so use that as an excuse to make them all a little different. One of the main issues with bulk building is they all end up looking the same. Maybe not an issue if they are going in different shops, but it will get to you in the end!

 

I dont know how many guitars you have built to date, but I would suggest building a few more and really thinking about the design - it could save you a lot of stress in the future. Iv built 120+ now, and Im still refining the process. Its a fine line between unique insrument and mass produced lets-ship-the-work-out-to-China!!

 

Dont let this put you off though - its great to sell guitars so you can make more!

Best of luck

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Permalink Reply by Ted Kaczynski on March 30, 2011 at 4:23pm

done 15 in one week ,did like John said did all the same on all the items ie cut necks,fret slots,oil necks buff-make it a assy line but the only bad thing bout that type work is it gets boring making the same thing over and over

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