Official Luthiers Forum!

Just wondering what type of production there is on this forum.....

As a "full time"(that's not all I do) maker I have made 19 Guitars in 2024 and 17 guitars in 2023-in those numbers 10 were 12 strings and two were archtops, and the rest were flat tops

No CNC and all Nitro lacquered (90% high gloss) in house.

The only thing I farm out are the MOP inlays(about 20% have "fancy" fretboard inlays)-but I do the cavities on everything except my logo and about 50% have marquetry borders on at least the top.

My average build time is 60-70 hours.

The most I ever made was 24 in a year, two a month. These production models were all sprayed with nitro in my garage....

When I was just a hobbyist I produced around one a month and used pro finishers for the finishing.

140 hours seemed to be the number I was plagued with for time to complete one of mine.

Wow! 60-70 hours. It takes me that long to tune a 12-string

As a hobbyist, I might not finish anything in a year! But since I've been retired, I have way more time, and still don't use it for instruments. If I work a lot, and have nothing at all going on, I'd have maybe 18 hours in 7 days. Most weeks I don't do that much. I do some things fairly fast. But I even thickness sides and plates by hand, and I've only working on my 3rd flattop. The binding is my most difficult task.

This year I made a viola very quickly. I did the oil varnish finish in 5 days, and strung it up. It was dry! I was making it as an experiment, and it came out pretty nice. More doing; less thinking?

I have a little baroque guitar and another viola closing in on finish. The viola needs the neck set, plates glued on, edgework and purfling done, and then finish. The guitar needs binding, peg holes, and then finish. They will be done before the end of the year; easy. I'd say before Thanksgiving.

I have many things started. I made a bunch of spruce necks at one time (for baroque instruments), and cut up mahogany for small classicals. I have the next two projects, a 7 string archtop and a 7 course Vihuela from 1600 something started. The most time consuming part of those 2 builds will be the archtop neck; I just made necks for the small guitars, not one with a truss rod. The back and top are mostly carved, I need to make the ribcage to finish them up.

A lot of it seems to be just doing it, and getting used to what you have to be doing, and thinking about.

People ALWAYS ask how long it takes to make an instrument. I tried to keep track once, and it lasted a few days. I go in spurts. I work on many different things at once. I'm trying to concentrate now on having 2 at different stages. When they get to varnish start gluing up something else.

Many of my projects are "kitted up" so how much time was in that? If you are always making something without a plan, you have to figure out the neck angle, and all that. Make a form to build on.

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Why be normal?

I’m a slow poke. 1 maybe 2 a year. Plain guitar 50 hours, fully purflinged -70
Total production- 29 since 2001

Brad I am impressed! I am much closer to Hesh's rate. Age and various niggles is slowing me further. Fortunately I don't need to make a living from this.

I haven't though put much effort into speeding the process up. I am reminded of a set of articles that Charles Fox wrote in the GAL mag. These ideas seemed incredibly sensible and would certainly speed up one's production. This was a year perhaps two ago.

Cheers Dave

Slow here too. Max output was probably six, more like three-four now as I approach 80.

I am at 93-94. My goal is 100 and I think I’ll get there.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

2-3 (max was 5) for me per year. I’m a weekend warrior.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

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I make ukuleles which is quicker, but I make 20-24 a year, primarily baritones and tenors. All with Spanish heel necks. Just made my first classical guitar which is included in that number. I treat this as my new career in retirement and am in the workshop almost every day.

Before I retired I was building part time and usually put out 1 a year. After retirement I thought I could bump that up to 2 a year, for some reason that didn’t happen. Then the granddaughters started bugging me to build them ukuleles so did 4 of them in 1 year, one was for their Mom)Then they decided they wanted guitars. They were told they had to help and we completed 3 in a year. Now finishing an arch top that’s been in the works for about 4 years, had to put it to the side for the granddaughters.

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Say what you do, Do what you say.

I finish one up every few years. Call me a slow poke.

Usually about one a year. I thought I'd do more when I retired but I went into the repair business so my build rate actually dropped. I did do a commission for Christmas last year in a few months but I don't normally do commissions.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I average about 1 instrument a year. It's a retirement obsession, so no need for speed.
Four styles of acoustics, one classical, a baritone uke and a carved archtop.
I use no CNC, bend on a pipe and french polish everything.

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Craig