Brad -
It is, of course, possible to farm out parts manufacture to a 3rd party, but for a number of us, that would take a lot of the enjoyment out of the process.
I, for one, really enjoy carving a neck, gluing up body and neck laminations, etc. If I had a CNC machine, I would use it, but I'm not sure that I would enjoy building as much if I were farming out 80% of the work to someone else. I just think it would take a lot of the therapeutic aspects away, and make it more like "just another job".
That isn't to say that this wouldn't work for some people, especially those who have more orders backed up than they have adequate time to build them, and it certainly would speed up the build process, provided you were making instruments that didn't require special body laminations, etc.
But you also can't deny the fact that the vast majority of the guitar industry operates this way, although it isn't often disclosed.
I've always been a fan of F-style instruments and have been working over the last three years to create a niche for myself in that market space.
Along the way I've discovered that I have skin allergies that cause my hands to crack and bleed while doing the woodworking and finishing that you enjoy so much.
I've spent quite a bit of time and money on tools and materials and have learned a great deal by participating in bass and guitar forums over the years.
When I find something that I think may be of interest to other builders or members, I pass it along.
In hindsight, I wish someone had told me about BGP three years ago.
It would have saved me a lot of time and money.
+1
I noticed this same user posted this at TDPRI too, sounded a little fishy to my ears. Kind of like marketing.
On a side note, and this is not a personal attack, those bass shapes are hideous.
That's kind of like saying, "No offense intended, but you're a #$@*."
But you're right, my designs can be polarizing.
Still, enough people seem to like what I'm doing that I don't get discouraged, and I keep moving forward.
I learned a TON in the years I've been reading and posting at TDPRI, but don't recall ever hearing about BGP's OEM services.
For that matter, I think I'm the only one over there who has applied for and received Trademark protection for a headstock design.
It may be that what I'm doing now is far enough outside the "Tele" realm that I don't really belong there any more.
Something to think about.
Oh, here's the Trademark, by the way:
Brad's cool, he's been on here before and I've never noticed any fishiness with him. I think these kinds of threads get a little confusing just from nomenclature. For example, I would refer to this kind of production as more "assembly" or "instrument production" than building per se, however that does not necessarily detract from the quality or value of their product. By the same token, I would not refer to Fender as a "builder" either as they don't "build" much, but they are a major producer of musical instruments.
I would personally classify building as creation and manufacture of the majority of the materials that go into the construction of a guitar. I would not classify a company that purchases ready built components and assembles them into instruments and adds a finish, as a "builder" either - no matter how custom they turn out to be. But as I've said above, I don't think that necessarily detracts from the quality or value of their products.
Where I think this gets sticky is that some are of the opinion that assembling instruments and referring to oneself as a "builder" is disingenuous, but I prefer to reserve that judgment for when the person actually behaves in a manner that is more universally recognized as disingenuity...
Thanks for the kind words.
I think the title of Designer/Custom Shop is appropriate, as is Manufacturer.
What I'm doing is what most manufacturers are doing these days, with the exception that my product is made in the USA.
