sMg Guitars

June 11, 2008

I’ve been conversing by email back and forth with Michael, the bloke who found my blog through Google and wanted me to build him an OM-15 (Martin) copy.  A recent email from him got me to thinking that what he really wanted was to build guitars himself.  I suggested that fact, and he responded today.

“Hello again Stephen

My apologies for not getting  in touch with you sooner via email or phone…I had some business travel last week, and a full weekend with the extended family.

I wanted to thank you for this note, it really got me thinking a lot about what I really want. You are on the money with your assessment about my desire to potentially build a guitar myself.  My interest in custom guitar building has always been a passion of mine, but always from the outside looking in. I love wood, and I love art and I love music.  You made me really consider WHY I want a custom guitar. And when I really think about it, it isn’t the fact that I NEED a custom instrument for my playing. An off the rack model is more than sufficient for my talents. It is because I want to be involved in the process of creation. I want to have something that I had a hand in designing.

So when I thought about this, and spoke with my father, and my wife, they both urged me to give it a try on my own. So I am going to give it a go, and try to build a kit myself. I am sorry that this means I won’t be commissioning one from you. You have been a true inspiration, and I feel very lucky to have stumbled on your weblog. I want to thank you for your time and for your offer of help…I may very well take you up on that in the near future.

Stephen, I really want to thank you for inspiring me to take the plunge. It may turn out to be a disaster, but at least I will have tried! I am sorry that I won’t be ordering a guitar from you at this time. Who knows what the future holds however.”

So, keep your eyes posted for new guitarbuilding weblogs spawned by (as Little Richard would say) ME!

But, even though I’ve lost a customer, maybe I’ve gained a student.  And, it gives me room to think about what guitar 0508 should be.  After building a few and thinking about what I need for my own collection, I think about a cutaway, a dobro, and my own parlor as options.  I’ve still got months of work ahead finishing up 2, 3, and 4, so don’t need to box myself in with a decision just yet. 

June 3, 2008

I started this blog as a means to document my progress through the guitar building projects which were mostly self initiated.  I somewhat knew that by putting myself out there in  the “sphere” that I would get some  hits from interested parties in my venture into building.  I did reach out to friends and family to seek their interest in commissioning projects, but I never suspected that total strangers would find an affinity to what I was producing and seek to use me as their vehicle for building the guitar they dreamed of (OK, I dangled my participle).

I had a very interesting inquiry from a person who found my blog through a search for guitar builders.  He liked something about what he read and saw in the photos which lead to questions about building a guitar of a detailed specificity which led me to believe he knew what he wanted and that there might be a fit between my ventures and his needs.

With a certain amount of amazement on my part, and a confirmation from my wife that this was not just some spam of the blog, I exchanged emails, and found that his desire to procure a particular type of guitar, and my ability to fulfill that need were coming together.

This is a moment in my building journey where I will hopefully look back at someday and say, “Yeah, there  was this guy who got one of my guitars just for the cost of materials.”  And, hopefully, he will turn to his friends and say, “I have one of the first sMg guitars ever produced!”  But that’s a skosh bit of egomania.

So, Mike, I look forward to our opportunity to build your dream guitar, that Mahogany OM, so much like the Martin OM-15.  And I also look forward to the day when you come back and tell me it’s the guitar you were looking for all this time.