Allow me to share my new venture

[LushTone]

All sounds awesome, except that ebony is the only fretboard option. I like ebony on my Breedlove acoustic, but it isn't my cup of tea for an electric. The neck joint and woods sound cool. Any double cut options?

 

[Orpheo]

Double cuts aren't my cup of tea. I can MAKE them. I just don't offer them. IMHO there are so many guys out there who make great double cuts. The singlecut market is just very small compared.

Ebony is the standard fretboard. I can use rosewood, pau ferro, ziricote, padouk... all except braz. RW, for very good reasons of course. Ebony simply appeals to many because it feels luxurious and looks fancy, too

I did some measuring. My ' standard ' guitar is 3.8 kilos, all included, solid.

Can you guys live with that?

 

[LushTone]

Double cuts aren't my cup of tea. I can MAKE them. I just don't offer them. IMHO there are so many guys out there who make great double cuts. The singlecut market is just very small compared.

Ebony is the standard fretboard. I can use rosewood, pau ferro, ziricote, padouk... all except braz. RW, for very good reasons of course. Ebony simply appeals to many because it feels luxurious and looks fancy, too

I did some measuring. My ' standard ' guitar is 3.8 kilos, all included, solid.

Can you guys live with that?

I'm glad you have a variety, that's very important. I understand the singlecut focus, I like them too. Keep up the awesome work!

 

[Orpheo]

Stubhead: I forgot to mention that I don't do body veneers. Only on the headstock a 2mm veneer but that's it. Imho binding blurs craftmanship. If you want to hide a sloppy joint,  or a veneer, binding is your friend. I have soke 5A grade maple but also pieces with very moderate flame (but more flame than a plain piece would have).

Eventually Floyd Rose and hipshot trems will be possible too. We try to be environmentally friendly hence our use of shellac. That means: no solid color.

Oh. And standard timber backplates with a magnetic locking system.

 

[dmraco]

Good luck.  That is something I always wanted to do.  Not really to make $$, but simply finance making guitars.  I love to make them but simply do not have any more room. 

 

[Orpheo]

Exactly what I plan on doing. Just making a living. As long as I can pay My rent, I'm happy.

 

[rapfohl09]

Damn I want to see some of these instruments!

 

[mayfly]

You know, I've always thought that you're crazy, but this might just work for you.  Hell, you could support yourself for that hard first year just selling your current inventory 

 

[Jumble Jumble]

It sounds like you're going to be making some killer instruments! Can't wait to start seeing some photos or videos!

 

[alterbridgefan]

We try to be environmentally friendly hence our use of shellac. That means: no solid color.

Damn.

 

[Jumble Jumble]

You could always order it unfinished and have someone else do that bit.

 

[Orpheo]

Is a solid color that important to you?

Go to Gibson or PRS. It costs us too much time to do it, and in turn, too much money for the customer. Same with binding and inlay. It aint worth it.

And no. I am not crazy. Absolutely not. I am dedicated and focused.  I believe that my guitars are guitars with amazing playability,  tone and feel. I don't compromise on hardware,  woods and parts so why on labor? I rather spend 7 hours in setting it up and dressing the frets and 3 hours on french polishing than the other way around.

And no. I don't sell kits. I sell guitars, within my personal vision. you wouldn't ask Frank Hartung to deliver an unfinished guitar, right?  Or Nik Huber...

 

[Cagey]

You don't need to defend it. There's no way to satisfy 100% of the market. That's why there are (almost) always multiple manufacturers/vendors of a given product or service. You don't see Gibson changing their scale length to satisfy those who like them longer, or Fender gluing on their necks to satisfy those who think that's a better attachment method, or Carvin setting up distribution deals with the Guitar Centers of the world, etc., etc.. There's more than one way to skin a cat. Present your case, and those that agree will buy into it.

 

[Jumble Jumble]

Is a solid color that important to you?

That's a strange thing to ask when you then go on to say:

I don't compromise on hardware,  woods and parts

Of course, that's fine, why should you compromise at all? You are making a product, and that product is how you want it to be. But you also have to accept that if you don't make a guitar with a solid finish, then a person who wants a solid finish would have to compromise if they bought one of your guitars - and they don't have to compromise either.

Note that I am categorically NOT saying that you should offer a solid finish. In fact I really like the idea of all your guitars being shellac-finished. I'm just pointing out that a no-compromise attitude works both ways.

 

[alterbridgefan]

I don't usually go for single cuts, but helping out a friend is always on the list... But yeah, it really is. I have serious issues with anything other than a solid finished guitar.

 

[Orpheo]

When everything is all online, drop me a line about a solid color. If you feel the pricing is right, if you feel the specs you can get from my shop, donned in a solid color, maybe we can work it out. Bare in mind: the top is always flamed maple, so you'll be covering that up. Also, solid colors take longer since I don't do them in-house (and they're much, much more work).

 

[Cagey]

I'm not sure why you think solid colors are more work than a tinted/clear finish, but I do know that putting a solid color over curly Maple can be tougher than regular Maple or most other woods. The grain has a tendency to telegraph through the finish, texture-wise, because figured woods are exposing both longitudinal and end grain so it doesn't want to sand flat due to varying density. It's very subtle, but you can see it. Filling doesn't help at all; what you have to do is put on more coats with sanding in between, which reduces the fun of it all. It's even worse if it's a carved top, because you can't block those surfaces.

I just got done doing one a few weeks ago, and I ended up spending a lot more time and money on that finish than I intended. I may have even invented some new cuss words and suffered a bit of depression. But, it's gonna be fine. I sincerely doubt I'll be putting a solid color on curly Maple again, though. I wouldn't have done it this time because I knew it was gonna be a problem child, but it just wasn't that nice of a piece of wood so I decided I'd rather not expose it than show something less than stellar.

So, I guess what I'm saying is, you may not want to volunteer to put a solid color on a figured Maple top.

 

[Orpheo]

@cagey: my point exactly. You can't make a super-glass like tight finish coat with shellac and if I'm gonna do a solid color, I'll be doing something else than shellac. i won't be using a pore filler at all (except a bit of pumice!) and that works fine for a transparent color. but a solid color? it's a pain.

 

[Cagey]

Well, what I was really trying to say is if you do decide to do a solid color, don't do it over figured Maple; use regular Maple. Although, it seems catalyzed poly can work magic, but most folks aren't set up for that.

 

[Orpheo]

Well, what I was really trying to say is if you do decide to do a solid color, don't do it over figured Maple; use regular Maple. Although, it seems catalyzed poly can work magic, but most folks aren't set up for that.

that stinks cause I only stock flamed maple