How easy is it to make your own gear?

[adamj]

Firstly let me start by saying this is probably a flash in the pan idea which will never come to fruition, but im curious as to how I would go about making my own guitars or FX pedals, how much outlay there would be, what tools would be involved etc etc etc.
I got thinking of this because im currently looking for some source of income (unfortunately out of work but looking) and I always see people i know setting up small businesses selling bits of tat they make themselves and people are genuinely interested. Obviously this isnt going to be something i could retire off but some odd pocket money making something i could also use myself in the process of having fun appeals to me.

Now i know guitars are a big deal so im edging towards custom stompboxes. Although I am a complete noob I did qualify with a digital product tech degree a few years ago so i have a little experience with circuits.

what websites are there to get me started with info as to what i would need? how would i go about marketing them? Is it actually worth the effort? oh and anything else i have obviously missed off.

[juansolo]

There ain't no money in stompboxes unless you can come up with a really simple, cheap, and hopefully good idea. Then get a good rep for it, then knock em out for a massive mark up. I'm thinking along the lines of a SHO/Meathead. Do that and do it in bulk and you might make money...  However forget it with custom boxes.

I do one-offs for people, friends and wotnot because I enjoy building them. But there's a shitee-load of time in them. I might make £50 or so on top of the raw materials that go into a pedal if it's a complex one. A lot less on the simple stuff. That doesn't even come close to cover the time it takes to make one considering I get that for an hour or so sat on my arse staring at a computer screen as my day job. A pedal takes a hell of a lot longer.

FWIW, the money above the build cost I use to further fuel my hobby by buying parts and other stuff. Doubt I've ever even managed to buy a pint with any of my earnings from it ;)

[horsehead]

Right, I'm buying you a pint next time I see ya mate

[juansolo]

Right, I'm buying you a pint next time I see ya mate

Beer is always welcome :)

[dave_mc]

I always see people i know setting up small businesses selling bits of tat they make themselves and people are genuinely interested.

:lol:

Couldn't help but laugh at that.

I suspect juansolo is right. I've never built one myself, but i've sorta half looked into making pedals myself (just for fun, not as a business), and there looks to be a lot of work in it compared to how much you can actually sell the things for.

You might actually make the most money by making your own pedals for yourself, instead of paying £300 for a ready-made one. Find the expensive-but-fairly-simple boutique pedals (or old vintage pedals) and clone them for yourself. That's more money saved than money earned, but still.

[forestcaver]

I set out with an idea to make my own guitars, effects chain and amp (so that everything was home made !). If you have no experience in guitar/cabinet making or electronics you will struggle to make money. It's often more expensive to make your own stuff than to buy ready-made (economies of scale/wasted material on mistakes, etc). As soon as you charge your time at a realistic rate it becomes very expensive ! It's very good fun though...

www.batguitars.co.uk - some of my home made guitars and effects pedals...

Cheers,
Andy

[ToneMonkey]

The best advice that I heard about making guitars:

'If you want to make a little pile of cash by making guitars, start off with a big pile'.

[Alex]

I read an interview from Nick Huber around 4-5 years ago. It was quite sad, that even a guitar maker as skilled as him is not really earning a lot. Back then he relied on a lot of help from his wife (office stuff) to make ends meet. I would hope that things have improved a lot for him given he is now being recognized much more widely.

[adamj]

i noticed the kits etc for pedals cost just as much if not more than budget versions of the same FX, so i guess its more of a labour of love than a profitable investment

[JacksonRR]

i noticed the kits etc for pedals cost just as much if not more than budget versions of the same FX, so i guess its more of a labour of love than a profitable investment

     Ah, but the thing here is that when put together correctly you have a better product with the understanding of how to change the circuit to fit you better should that be something you want. Some kit suppliers will use top notch components and some won't so be on the lookout for that. The thing you are paying for with a kit is the time to source the parts, which can be a bit on the frustrating side at times. However, sourcing your own parts will normally not cost you too much extra and you will have a whole bunch of components left over for other projects (and there is always another project, you're not allowed to do just one, sorry).
     As far as building guitars is concerned, you will be paying more for tools on the first go than the parts of the instrument and it is no easy task first time around. Once that wood is gone, it's gone. Not too many ways to recover from mistakes. Still fun to do and once the tools are paid for and you have some idea of what you are doing(or you think you do), it becomes relaxing. I like to change the lyrics of a certain Judas Priest song when I'm using grain filler, for instance.

[FELINEGUITARS]

I read an interview from Nick Huber around 4-5 years ago. It was quite sad, that even a guitar maker as skilled as him is not really earning a lot. Back then he relied on a lot of help from his wife (office stuff) to make ends meet. I would hope that things have improved a lot for him given he is now being recognized much more widely.

Interesting to read that  Alex
My own experience would match that .
Considering the skill levels involved and the dedication to the job that it requires guitar makers are amongst the most poorly rewarded craftsmen on the planet.
In fact swapping working as i do for a job filling shelves in a supermarket would double my wages.

I roll my eyes or crack up with laughter when people see the nice guitars on my website and assume that I must be rolling in it - yes I have some nice guitars , but no car , no money to go to the pub, no money to have a cheap holiday or any of the other things that most take for granted

[Transcend]

It is quite an interesting subject is this.

I have seen some people do say a BYOC ts808 that costs roughly £50 if you get it in this country and paint it really shabbily but the circuitry is really well done and have seen these sell on ebay for around £90

On other occasions i have also seen them go for as little as £15 so its a double edged sword really.

It has to be something that somebody wants at that particular time.

There are a lot of resources out there that can give you the info that you need but i wouldn't say it is going to be profitable unless you buy stuff in bulk and still you run the chances of making a complete loss.

It is something that i have considered myself at times.

[ToneMonkey]

I roll my eyes or crack up with laughter when people see the nice guitars on my website and assume that I must be rolling in it - yes I have some nice guitars , but no car , no money to go to the pub, no money to have a cheap holiday or any of the other things that most take for granted

If you take cars and beer as currency, we could have a deal  :lol:

[dave_mc]

^ that's assuming he doesn't say, "Sure, i'll swap you a lion for 4 brand new ferraris..." :lol:

[jpfamps]

Without wanting to sound discouraging (and I'm someone who repairs and build amps for a "living")........

I suspect it's already a pretty crowded market.

Unless you are going to simply assemble kits (and there are plenty of people doing this) it will require some investment.

I fix plenty of boutique pedals, and my main criticism is that many of them look home-made rather than hand built, ie badly painted boxes, poor quality PCBs and wiring.

You also need to work out how you can gain access to the pedal market, ie can you make it cheaper than other builders (probably not), why is my tube screamer clone better than all the others (indeed assuming the world needs another TS-9 clone......), or can you offer something unique to the market (which will require R&D and knowledge of electronics) and then convince people that they can't live without it.

If you are going to do this seriously you will also need to know about RoHS, CE marking and WEEE.

Having said that, building anything is very rewarding, and not "working for the man" has it's benefits.