Re: [HG-new] Re: Affordable Hurdy Gurdy Construction

[Kazimierz Verkmastare]

Great post, Barbara.  Especially the 'it stops being all about you when it goes beyond your desire to build into your desire to sell for a profit'.  Probably why I don't sell many instruments - I give them away mostly, because although I am experienced and skilled I don't believe that many of my pieces are more than just intermediate and I don't know how to charge someone to limit their potential.  (I have been told many of my designs for instruments and my execution are world-class, but it is not what I have been told, but what I believe, that drives me).  Thus I will sell Kantele without reservation, because my Kantele sounds as good as I believe it is possible for Kantele to sound, but it makes me neurotic to think about selling a nice gothic harp, as I don't believe my quality is what it needs to be for a customer to buy it - even though I don't know that the nature of the instrument will allow it to get any better)   I think it is a matter of understanding.   Some folks think that a wheel-fiddle that makes decent musical sound is everything expected of a gurdy.  Some folks have gained the experience to understand that a gurdy is much more than just a wheel-fiddle.  I built a sinphone that is a wheel-fiddle, not a good example of a gurdy, but it is great for showing elementary school kids how one works.  But I would never sell it to anyone who wanted an instrument to play beautiful gurdy music on.  Maybe I would sell it to a pirate, or a medieval tavern wench, or a quasi-Celtic or fake Breton folk player as a cool sound for their atmosphere, but I would never advertise it as being capable of making beautiful gurdy music.  It's tone isn't bad, I accept it as, well, acceptable.   But I understand what I have, what I built, and accept it's limitations.  And I am building a much better instrument, and it is costing more in materials, time, research, frustration.  But it will be closer to a professional instrument, both in quality and sound, and in cost.  I have come to learn that professional builders don't have a great margin, and I can't build what they build for any less actual cost than they have.  And this with 15 years of lutherie experience, and tools, and such.   I would never cause anyone else the frustration of having to own my instrument and wanting it to sound like Patrick or Giles.  But once I build one that can stand up in comparison, then the only thing will be setting a price - the first good one is always most expensive, especially if you have to factor in replacing it for yourself.   Chris   > Okay, folks, everybody has gotten off onto the "can you build it" > track. Yep, you can build one, and if you are playing it yourself > and tweaking your life away (or rebuilding and tweaking, like us), > go for it. It can be a rewarding and educational endeavor. My > problem with the original post is this fellow, no matter how > skilled at woodworking and well-intentioned and loaded with > personal integrity he may be, intends to sell his gurdy for a > profit when he's done. He does not play, has stated no intention to > learn, has not indicated he knows anyone who knows anything about > playing the hurdy gurdy to play his creation and advise > improvement, just intrigued with building one. > > Yes, > if you have good woodworking skills, can find good plans and follow > them to the letter, you can build a good looking instrument, which > will probably sell on ebay. But, will it sound good and perform > well? Or, without intending to, will you have taken money from > someone who thinks they are getting a bargain and a playable > instrument and failed that customer (who being new at the > instrument himself may not know it for quite some time)? How many > on this list have bought instruments that turned out to need a lot > more money and work to make them playable, even had to have them > rebuilt or did you give up dream of playing (probably more people > not on this list gave up)? How many would have been better off > saving their initial investment, waiting and adding to it, to get > an entry level professionally built item instead of someone else's > woodworking experiment? It stops being all about you and > your skill, tools and investment when your full intent goes beyond > "gee, I want to try to build one" and goes on to "I need to sell it > for a profit." You can build a playable guitar if you are good at > following plans and directions, but a one-off hurdy gurdy fit to be > sold to an aspiring player? > > I've got a problem with that. > Oh, and by the way, when considering the cost of materials and > trying to keep that under $500, don't forget strings (decent > strings, essential to sounding good), or is > gut string making from scratch in the plan, too? > > > All the Best to all concerned, > Barbara > > On Wed, Oct 26, 2011 at 3:00 AM, Steven Tucker > <steven.tuc...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> So this discussion seems to have boiled down to two camps, those >> who say it's possible to make a good instrument for a low cost by >> spending enough time on the project, and those who say it's >> impossible to make any instrument without spending more money >> than buying a professionally made one. >> >> So those of you who say it'll cost you more to build one than buy >> one, where are your numbers?  What exactly is it that is going to >> cost more money?  I'm seriously interested in specifically what >> you are thinking the money will go towards.  Do you truly believe >> you can't build a good sounding instrument without spending >> thousands of dollars on exotic hard woods (and therefore a >> beginner will ruin more expensive wood than a new instrument will >> cost.) Or do you believe that only a $600 block plane will make >> the proper top for a good sounding instrument? >> > >> Lets have some specifics, not just a generalized "it'll cost >> more" statement. >> >> >> -Steve >> >> On Tue, Oct 25, 2011 at 10:27 PM, Kazimierz Verkmastare >> <k...@nogy.net> wrote> >> > [snip]. . . >>> >>> >>> It is a project done for enjoyment, and because I am wasting >>> resources as I am building knowledge, it is NOT going to be >>> significantly more economical than if I had commissioned it. >>> ... that it will end up expensive (the cost is truly inversely >>> proportional to your skill and resources), > > >> -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "hurdygurdy" group. > To post to this group, send email to hurdygurdy@googlegroups.com To > unsubscribe from this group, send email to > hurdygurdy+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit > this group at http://groups.google.com/group/hurdygurdy   The rules > of posting, courtesy, and other list information may be found at > http://hurdygurdy.com/mailinglist/index.htm.  To reduce spam, posts > from new subscribers are held pending approval by the webmaster. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "hurdygurdy" group. 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