Going for it. How many risks have you got left in you?

I've been quiet about this here up till now, but here I feel like it's appropriate to reveal something I've been doing. I've started a guitar manufacturing company. It's small so far, and we only have one finished prototype (five others are in various stages of construction. Lest you shake your head in bemusement - let me tell you about it. There are two basic models with a couple of major options on one - they are a six string solid body and a twelve string electric solid body. Designs are original and unique to me - no Strat clones here. Prototypes have been made by Alex Watson of Watson Guitars (a high end luthier who primarily makes custom basses). They've turned out beautiful. These will be faithfully duplicated by CNC technology, specifically The Knowhow Shop in Los Angeles. Components will include parts from Schaller, Wilkinson and Righteous Sound Pickups. The two models will come in three colors each. Those are pretty much the only options aside from the selection of either the SB1-R six stringer or the SB1-C (R for Rock, C for Country). The twelve stringer is called the SB2, and will come with Hipshot locking tuners and "Seymourized" mini hum-buckers.

I have twenty five years of background in the music industry - doing artist relations, advertising design and strategic consulting for clients in the music equipment industry. I've incubated my guitar designs for pretty much that whole time. I'm sixty five years young, and figured I'm finally old enough to start another company. It's not that great a leap for me as I've always been an entrepreneur, severely allergic to working for anyone except my clients, and have a couple of companies under my belt - the first one was a photofinishing company in Northern California called Local Color Photo.

I'm telling you this thinking it might encourage you to take a leap if you believe in yourself. Ninety percent of those who "fail" in life are those who never stepped out in faith to begin with.

Good luck, my brother. May the force be with you. I have my own force in my personal faith, but that's another too-long post.
 
Mr Pinter, this sounds awesome. When can we expect to find out more or see these models? I for one am really intrigued.

 
Well, now that the cat's out of the bag, here's what the first prototype of one of my models looks like:

SB1-R%20Proto%20in%20music%20room%201.jpg


me%20and%20sb1%20slfy.jpg
 
Here's a little cell phone video clip showing Brad Rabuchin (former guitarist for Ray Charles and has played with EVERYBODY) playing my SB1-R prototype:

[youtube]HacIeqnGZy0[/youtube]
 
If you can handle a little internet glurge:


At age 23, Tina Fey was working at a YMCA.
[/size]At age 23, Oprah was fired from her first reporting job.
[/size]At age 24, Stephen King was working as a janitor and living in a trailer.
At age 27, Vincent Van Gogh failed as a missionary and decided to go to art school.
At age 28, J.K. Rowling was a suicidal single parent living on welfare.
At age 28, Wayne Coyne (from The Flaming Lips) was a fry cook.
At age 30, Harrison Ford was a carpenter.
At age 30, Martha Stewart was a stockbroker.
At age 37, Ang Lee was a stay-at-home-dad working odd jobs.
Julia Child released her first cookbook at age 39, and got her own cooking show at age 51.
Vera Wang failed to make the Olympic figure skating team, didn’t get the Editor-in-Chief position at Vogue, and designed her first dress at age 40.
Stan Lee didn’t release his first big comic book until he was 40.
Alan Rickman gave up his graphic design career to pursue acting at age 42.
Samuel L. Jackson didn’t get his first movie role until he was 46.
Morgan Freeman landed his first MAJOR movie role at age 52.
Kathryn Bigelow only reached international success when she made The Hurt Locker at age 57.
Grandma Moses didn’t begin her painting career until age 76.
Louise Bourgeois didn’t become a famous artist until she was 78.
Whatever your dream is, it is not too late to achieve it. You aren’t a failure because you haven’t found fame and fortune by the age of 21. Hell, it’s okay if you don’t even know what your dream is yet. Even if you’re flipping burgers, waiting tables or answering phones today, you never know where you’ll end up tomorrow.
Never tell yourself you’re too old to make it.
Never tell yourself you missed your chance.
Never tell yourself that you aren’t good enough.
You can do it. Whatever it is.
 
My experience might be a little different than what I've read in this thread so far.  Nine years ago in the grip of the recession I walked away from my corporate job because I saw the writing on the wall.  I seriously downsized my life.  It was only after I gave up pretty much everything that I found true happiness in life.  I used to live a comfortable upper middle class life, but that's all gone now.  I'd say I live a comfortable lower middle class life now, maybe even not quite lower middle class. 

My family thinks I'm nuts, but who cares, I'm not living this life for them.  I have a nice place to live, great food to eat and a very happy home life.  I don't have many material things anymore, but I still manage to buy the occasional vintage amp or modest guitar on Craigslist once or twice per year.

I was terrified when I started this phase of my life.  But after seeing the worst, I know that I can get by doing what I do.  I work for myself, and only take jobs that interest me.  I work very part time, with occasional pushes if I land a big job. 

Of course it helps that I have no children.

Go for it Frank.
 
If I've learned anything in my 50 years, it's this.

Playing it safe, is about as unsafe as you can get.

Dare to dream, and dream big.  Dare to risk, and experience adventure every single time.
 
This has seriously turned into a really great thread - loads of amazing perspective and narratives.
 
fdesalvo said:
This has seriously turned into a really great thread - loads of amazing perspective and narratives.
Click to expand...

Frank I have seen this Thread at a late stage but I can only encourage you to move forward and use your intuition about what is best for you.
I played safe for far too long and now at age 55 am 'stuck' with a mortgage & a job that pays the bills and not much more.

I'd love to try my hand at a few things musically but I'm hemmed in. I have a home studio that's been deliberately stocked with medium priced hardware so I don't waste too much money on real expensive gear that won't be used to it's full potential. I have sometimes veered off that and bought a Kemper & a Peterson Strobe Tuners, as examples, but in the main - microphones,cabling, the room itself, are very much mid priced or in the case of the room the studio is in - untouched for acoustics. I know if I stepped up a grade it would be a waste as my time at work undercuts many efforts to do some serious music. Over the past few years, the only chances I have had to schedule good time with music is when I am on holidays from work! To call this frustrating is an understatement.

I encourage a lot of folks I talk with to have ago at things they want to do.

But for me, without sounding too morbid, taking a risk is just not on now. At this age I can't recover if it goes belly up. My lack of a profession or trade does really cruel me too.

I had offers to play in bands, collaborate with people. I tried to work up a songwriting/recording partnership with an old school buddy when we left school but he wanted to do live work & I wasn't keen on that as a performer.

I always liked the notion of doing it all by myself too. I was never a fan of the old record contract deal and time in big studios. I have seen people burnt badly with 'costs' after that contract is tallied up... But the home studio technology simply did not exist when I was 20-30 years old... I'm so pleased, however,  that musicians have that option more freely available to them these days with the DAW/PlugIns/home studio setups. And, of course, all the information available on internet.

So I'm probably 30 years too late but those in their late teens - early 20s should just GO FOR IT!
 
I'm holding the course!  Been a roller coaster. All of my industry "friends" have issues following through. Go figure!  On my own brother and that's ok. If I fail it's on me!  Really appreciate the response. Encouraging and very timely. Despite what you perceive as your situation, I'd encourage you to continue pushing for something! 
 
Re-Pete said:
So I'm probably 30 years too late but those in their late teens - early 20s should just GO FOR IT!
Click to expand...

That's exactly what I say these days when I'm talking to younger folks. Including my 8 year old. I may be atypical, but I'd love for him to tell me in another 10 years that he's not all that interested in going right off to college and career because some other thing that he's passionate about is more important to him. I ignored what I was passionate about in those times because I had myself convinced that I needed to be responsible and spend my time preparing for a future that, looking back, I never saw coming. My life and my profession have absolutely nothing to do with what I spent those years dutifully preparing for. When you are young and unencumbered by "grown up" responsibilities, when the price of failure is negligible, that's the time to follow all of your wild ambitions. Well, most of them. There are laws and codes of moral decency that must be adhered to... But I digress...
 
Verne, all I know about you is that if you going back in time and "making it" means that I couldn't look at all the crazy cool guitar creations you've shared with us here, I might be tempted to go an additional hour back in time and prevent you from taking the trip.  Then I'd one day wake up, realizing that I've somehow prevented SRV's parents from copulating, the coffee bean & tea leaf from having been conceived, and my purple warmoth tele from having been born out of inspiration from all of the great stuff I've seen here.

WHEW
 
fdesalvo said:
Verne, all I know about you is that if you going back in time and "making it" means that I couldn't look at all the crazy cool guitar creations you've shared with us here, I might be tempted to go an additional hour back in time and prevent you from taking the trip.  Then I'd one day wake up, realizing that I've somehow prevented SRV's parents from copulating, the coffee bean & tea leaf from having been conceived, and my purple warmoth tele from having been born out of inspiration from all of the great stuff I've seen here.

WHEW
Click to expand...

Verne Bunsen said:
You're right, the potential consequences are dire. Stepping away from the TARDIS.....
Click to expand...

You know, I'd just love to set the TARDIS for 1959 in Michigan State so I could roam around all the music stores and buy every new sunburst Gibson Les Paul they have in stock!
 
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