The number 1 question

[Gary Reyes]

I've been offering my guitars for sale at local art and music festivals here in Phoenix and the question I'm most often asked is: "How long does it take you to build one of these?" at which point I look like a deer caught in headlights because I don't have an answer right away. I know what they cost to build but since I kind of go into" the zone" while I'm working, time just either stands still or flies away. I sometimes wonder if they'd like to hear me say 3 months or something like that. Can you imagine how long it would take Martha Stewart!? first she would plant and nurture the tree for the neck, then travel the world in search of the perfect box and so on. It probably would have been a good past time while she was in the gray bar hotel.

[jim]

depends on how long it takes for the finish to dry. then move along

[Keni Lee Burgess]

It sounds like when people ask me how long have I been playing guitar. I say a week. LOL We laugh and move on. Enjoy your builds. Best Wishes with your sales. Enjoy 

[Randy S. Bretz]

I`ve built one in a few days but also have built one that took me a year to finish....lol. Of coarse the year long build had goobs of details on it. That was my Skull build, 75% of it was bone work and the carving of the skull top from a solid 3/4" piece of rock maple.  But usually I don`t build simple cigar box guits so my instruments always take longer than I figure...lol.

[Skeesix]

About twice as long as you think it did.

If you really want to know, take a kitchen timer to the shop. Every time you do a session in the shop, write down how long you spent. Keep a special piece of paper in the shop for this purpose, so all the information is in one place.

If you're working on multiple guitars at the same time, you might have to time each step and then add it all together.

[Gary Reyes]

It will probably be easier to track my time once I get my shop set up (soon) right now I'm knocking em out 1 at a time in a bedroom closet.

[B Tal]

Who's Martha Stewart?

[Gary Reyes]

Google her

[The Phrygian Kid]

im of the opinion ppl ask this cos they really have no yardstick to judge the value of your stuff..
ask someone to make you an offer for a cbg and see what i mean..

[Nancy Barnes]

Just because someone asks a question, it doesn't mean that you have to answer it... talk about things that are more important than time, with time words included, like "I sand this for hours, until it feels just right" and point out this and that, the special features, processes, or details that add value.  If they press the issue, tell them that if you charged by the hour, you'd have to double or triple your prices.  (I've yet to sell a guitar, but I've used that tactic selling other homemade things. Oh, and thanks for the Martha giggle... gray bar hotel? lol.)

[Gary Reyes]

There's my answer! thanks for the advice, good luck on that first sale. Thanks.

[ChickenboneJohn]

I often get asked that when I go to shows selling my guitars, and I'm straightforward about -  I won't tell them. All I'll say is that's priviledged information, and  that after building over 300 of them I've got the hang of it by now. I make light of it, but really, they are in effect asking you "how much profit do you make on each ?"...and that's your business, not theirs.

[Roosterman]

Its taken me over 2 years so far to build the current one, though I only started it this morning.  The 120 I built previously were all part of the learning curve essential in this build. In the same way this one will be educating me on the next one .... :o)