A Green Guitar Idea

[denver.p]

How does this sound for a small (very) guitar company:
I was thinking about buying and salvaging broken, old and cheapo guitars. I`d find what I could locally and off ebay at a reasonable price, and do what ever was needed to put out solid instruments. Refinishing, fret dressing, new parts, whatever would be necessary. I would then sell these for a reasonable price. They would obviously not be near as good as any of the true handmade guitars in this forum, but they would be a quality alternative instead of Squire or Epiphone. Obviously new players would probably just buy the cheapest one they like the colour of, but these could be for middle of the road guys looking for something differnt. I guess it would be green (not that I really am) as I would be recycling and reusing.

From the parts and bodies I`ve been seeing, I think I could make some neat, affordable, high quality pieces.

Has anyone heard of anyone doing this ? Any thoughts or comments ?

Should I call them Frankenstein Guitars, or is that to EVH and Halloweeny ?

[ghoti]

Sounds like it would be hard to make money, unless you had a steady supply.

Of course, if your "upgrades" substantially added to the playability, sound, or whatever of the guitars, you might make money on a per-unit basis.

Sites like this, where people might have modded their stuff and no longer need some merchandise, might provide a source.

[Glowing Tubes]

Sounds like a cool idea.

[dk123123dk]

I think if you had some decent capital to throw down for wholesale parts it could work. Find a popular set of pickups and buy a bunch. That way you can actually turn a profit.

Good luck.

dk

[denver.p]

Originally Posted by ghoti

Sounds like it would be hard to make money, unless you had a steady supply.

Of course, if your "upgrades" substantially added to the playability, sound, or whatever of the guitars, you might make money on a per-unit basis.

Sites like this, where people might have modded their stuff and no longer need some merchandise, might provide a source.

I'm not looking to make a living doing it. I'm just a student looking for a cheap way to work on guitars without breaking my bank (and maybe adding to it...) and learn more about the art as I do it.

So if anyone has any old bodies, necks, whatever, PM me! Sell me your old junk!

[denver.p]

Any other ideas or suggestions?

[Bryan T]

Originally Posted by denver.p

Refinishing, fret dressing, new parts, whatever would be necessary. I would then sell these for a reasonable price.

If you value your time at all, then it'll be hard to do much work at all on the guitars and sell them for a reasonable price. Refinishing takes a lot of time, as does fretwork (especially if you have to refret).

Do have a look at Subway guitars to see the sorts of instruments they put out.

Originally Posted by denver.p

I'm not looking to make a living doing it. I'm just a student looking for a cheap way to work on guitars without breaking my bank (and maybe adding to it...) and learn more about the art as I do it.

Oh, that's something different altogether. I'd suggest getting a job at a repair shop. You'll see lots of different things come through the door and actually make some money. Plus, you'll have someone to learn from.

Bryan

[nmiller]

It's a neat idea, though as others have said it requires a steady supply of parts. I'd try to make them different from Fender/Gibson/etc - that way, people would feel they're buying unique cheap guitars rather than cheap clones.

[Pfeister]

I thought of doing something like this before I started building. I lived in New York City, where it's obviously difficult to find room to build anything. I thought of buying beat up and broken guitars and making them into something entirely new. They wouldn't be repaired guitars, they'd be salvaged and they'd look like something entirely new. I never did it though.

If you want to sell them, you're going to have to be very creative with what you do with them (just please don't the obvious modern art thing and make them look beat up).

Advertise them as "green" and you'll probably do pretty well. I know it sounds gimmicky, but it'll work.

I'm working on something similar right now. I've been hunting down old and abandoned mahogany furniture and reclaiming the large pieces. I'm an antique table's nightmare. I don't do it to be cheap. Sometimes it costs as much as buying the wood new. I do it so I don't make the problem of deforestation worse. Luthiers use a lot of wood that's becoming endangered and I want to add to problem as little as possible.

By doing this, I can get beautiful mahogany that's sometimes a hundred years old or more and sounds amazing. I always let the customer know if I'm using a reclaimed piece and I even encourage it.

Doing your plan full time would be hard, but not impossible. If you set up an actual business and you price them right, I bet they'll sell.

[denver.p]

Originally Posted by nmiller

It's a neat idea, though as others have said it requires a steady supply of parts. I'd try to make them different from Fender/Gibson/etc - that way, people would feel they're buying unique cheap guitars rather than cheap clones.

That's what I was thinking. If someone just wants a cheap guitar, they'll buy a Squire or Epiphone. I've seen more surf and Japanese style guitars, and that's what I hope to fix up.

Thanks for the comments everyone!

[alaskagrown]

Check out this place for parts, especially their pickups. I know a few people who prefer their $35 GFS pickups over anything Dimarzio or SD put out...

http://store.guitarfetish.com/

[denver.p]

Originally Posted by alaskagrown

Check out this place for parts, especially their pickups. I know a few people who prefer their $35 GFS pickups over anything Dimarzio or SD put out...

http://store.guitarfetish.com/

Why are those necks so cheap?! Anyone ever tried one?

[Kingbeegtrs]

yep...GFS pickups are the best kept secret around. well, not anymore!

[skydog]

If your plan is for a hobby and to just have fun with it, I'd say go ahead. If you plan on even breaking even, I'd say be careful. There are so many manufacturers out there covering so many niches in the market. I wouldn't go out and buy anything in bulk until you've done a couple successfully. Keep good, accurate books on everything including your time. Then make an accurate assessment as to how feasible it is.

[Tonerider]

I may be wrong because I haven't visited in person, but I believe Subway guitars in Oakland California have been doing the same thing for years to great effect!