Cost of Getting Started in Lutherie

[@kohl-1934]

I've heard a saying that I agree with "I am too poor to buy cheap tools"

[@270west]

Old retired guy. I've played trumpet since I was 9 that's 62 years ago. About 20 yrs ago I started buying used horns. Doing repairs and refinishing then selling. I've gotten to the point where I've amassed a museum collection of historic instruments that date from 1886 to the early 70s, about 40 - 50. I realized that my margin for profit in horns was limited on what was available and cost to profit plus time. I started to do the same with guitars during the pandemic. I realized that there was more quality used guitars than trumpets available quickly. Easier to sell to a larger market, more guitar players than trumpet players. Also at a lower cost in this. A good quality trumpet to flip would cost $300 - 1200 dollars. That range was substantially lower in guitars I've found. I found your channel a good easy to understand and practical resource. Thanks! Not into it for income makes watching the tube a learning tool rather than, well my opinion there is very personal... Keep the info coming.

[@jasong546]

Not to cause an uproar, just devil’s advocate a bit, after being an a&p mechanic for a long time and building a few instruments, I have myself bought tools that were really expensive and then realized that I did it because I wanted to be or seem professional. But found that it was not always better, in functionality. I just wanted cool tools lol. Don’t be discouraged if you have to buy that cobalt saw, no one will judge you if you do a good job. If you are not going to try to make your living at it, don’t worry about that too much. Just enjoy the build. And listen to Eric, he is right on here, for sure. Great video!

[@PelleKuipers]

To piggyback on this comment, I'm always following Adam Savage his philosophy; buy the cheapest version first. If it breaks buy the most expensive one. I also added my own thing which is that if I get too annoyed at the tool not functioning the way I want it, I replace it by the most expensive one. Case in point: bought a Festool orbital sander second hand for 200 bucks because my old sander just wasn't working for me. The old sander couldn't sand any edges properly. I'm stoked to have this. Lastly; buying premium brands second hand is a great way to go. I've bought a Festool Router as well for a 180 and it's still going strong 10 years later. You can save a lot of money buy buying second hand and being patient.

[@jasong546]

Pelle Kuipers Music that’s totally true, I bought a lot of stuff for more complex jobs where it was necessary to have the best, but second hand and that was a great way to go. Great point.

[@carpocraftguitarscarpentry8469]

That's right, a certain type of person can build a whole guitar out of hand tools. As a carpenter for half my life I have found that the fancy tools aren't always necessary

[@270west]

Thanks!

[@Wu2u22]

I've collected a significant amount of these tools over the years, some from just doing home cabinetry (4 kids worth of toy boxes, bunk beds, shelving, bookshelves for our thousands of books, etc.), others from "knowing" I'd need them for guitar work. So, I at least have a good head-start of what I need. Right now, it's a bigger band saw - I have a benchtop, which I plan on building a table around, but I'd like a decent Jet or Rikon for re-sawing work on tops. This was a really useful video, and I appreciate the time and effort you put into it for the beginners like me. :D

[@walterrider9600]

thank you Eric . lots of good info . when it comes to tools get the best you can afford . example back in mid 70's i got a starrett combo square set for about $60 huge cost well i still have it so break that down to cheap . i does pay to get good tools . oh i got a 17" 2hp bandsaw and storm blew down trees i harvested some of them for boards . in just that aspect that paid for my bandsaw . pear birch oak board for other things .

[@mahatmadoo2566]

Loved this video, considering that I've been piecing these exact tools together for a couple of years. Now I just have to clean up the clutter in the garage...

[@brucebrowning5270]

Good advise. What about "finishing " tools and supplies!

[@TheJonci0322]

Thanks! Very insightful

[@alexsmokemusic]

Super helpful thanks.

[@robertnewell5057]

Well, Eric, that was excellent as always. This may be a long post so apologies in advance, and I'll put what I think is most important at the start. 1 SHOP SAFETY. Even if it's only good masks and safety glasses. Do the research and get the best. Even a positive pressure respirator with a safety visor is less than the cost of a set of timber, and if you don't carry on with lutherie you should still be using it for DIY! If yo never do any DIY they hold their value for resale. 2. Education next, however basic. Get an idea of what you are getting into before any other outlay. 3. Buy used! you can decrease the cost of everything from basic woodworking tools to specialist lutherie tools (bought from people who didn't do step 1!). You touch in the when you talk about rasp and files, but it applies equally to all tools. If you don't have the skills to evaluate and, if necessary, finesse used tools, get a buddy who does - you will probably need them to help you with the work as well. 4. Your point about not needing to do all this at once is CRUCIAL. This is a lot of money with potentially a bonfire at the end. Get the wood, then get each tool as you need it. 5. BANDSAW. 6. Check the internet for how everyday items are recycled for lutherie (e.g. box section aliminium as a figerboard beam). 7. Fret files. Get the best. Don't be fooled into thinking you can make do with welding tip cleaners. 8 AND finally, Thickness sanders are a huge investment, but worth every penny once you've made your first guitar. This is especially important if either your hand plane skills are poor or you are using highly figured woods. DISCLAIMER: I'm not an expert and I'm not trying to show how much I know. I'm an amateur who has made about 12 instruments (including 5 guitars) and done some repair work and setups. I've also made lots and lots of mistakes along the way, including purchases (remember those tip cleaners?). This is a fantastic and very balanced video, and you should not be put off by the costs stated (see point 4). Thanks again, Eric, this is a true service to beginning guitar makers.

[@short6691]

Eric, Very helpful video. Your Christmas wish list video several months ago helped guide many purchases last year and I love the Shinto rasp. I use it all the time in my woodworking. This is a great checklist to help me see what I am missing that you recommend. The biggest hole identified is a router table. As we are “hunkered down” for a while I will build one. Thanks and keep up the videos!

[@carpocraftguitarscarpentry8469]

Fortunately I was a carpenter for many years before I started building guitars, so I have most of the stuff. But even then, it was about $800 to buy a bunch of equipment and Tuners, Bridges Etc. It's a very daunting thing to make a big investment like this and I sure hope that I can sell some and make it a viable business venture.... I have about five guitars made in various stages of completion now I just have to finish them totally!.

[@bradjensen4902]

As a violin maker, I have spent in excess of $12K on quality tooling. No inventory or supplies included in that amount. Compared to my original trade, the investment in tooling was not significant. Reinvest any profits into your future and allow for time saving devices to make you more efficient. Good video and good advice.

[@dalehaithcoat5350]

Maybe we should include the cost of a good workbench and vise?

[@sculptureshard377]

Gold, pure gold

[@aaronhale1420]

Thanks Eric for your time and effort to put this together. Hoping to attend your workshop soon. My grandfather instilled in me at an early age to buy the best tool for the job I could get. I'm still using his tools today. We appreciate you.

[@jasong546]

Glad I found your channel man, learning a lot and getting motivated by your work on these videos thanks!

[@tedrowland7800]

Good video. Is an 8-1/2" bench top drill press okay, or does it need to be larger (1/2 Hp.) Shop Fox makes an oscillating drill press, that doubles as a spindle sander for around $200.00 on Amazon. The larger version is over double that price for around $429.00 (13 inch and 3/4 horse).

[@EricSchaeferGuitars]

Yeah, a table top drill press would work just fine

[@tedrowland7800]

@@EricSchaeferGuitars Thank you for taking the time to answer me. I know you are busy.

[@mahatmadoo2566]

The larger shopfox drillpress/oscillating spindle shaper is a complete joy to use, but purchase extra bands that will fit the aperture for spindle sanding, I happened upon some at a local vacuum cleaner shop, I think they are the same type used for sewing machines.

[@tedrowland7800]

@@mahatmadoo2566 Thank you for that insight

[@davidmorales6368]

Is it an average good paying job that I can do the rest of my life? Because I really would like to work on but I’m not sure if it’s decent paying job

[@aniolpetitcantero4997]

Hey, how did you start to sell ypur guitars? I did some guitars and I would like to start selling it.

[@carpocraftguitarscarpentry8469]

Did you have any luck since then? I'm working on the same thing

[@SatOrU-YGG]

I would work for this guy for free just to learn more about lutherie

[@dinosilone7613]

Let me start by saying I really enjoy your videos, so this is not meant as a criticism. But here are some thoughts: 1) I started building guitars and other instruments (as a hobby) after many years of woodworking and woodcarving, and some experience with minor blacksmithing (for tool-making, e.g. carving chisels, knives, plane irons, etc). I expect that's the case for most new builders. For someone who has never used tools, there's a huge skill-related barrier to entry. I'd argue it would be better to start out learning to use tools on non-guitar related projects, using much less expensive materials. 2) If you have some basic skills, you can really reduce the cost of getting into instrument making by making some of your own special-purpose tools. This can save you hundreds of dollars, especially compared to the cost of special-purpose tools from a luthier supply house. An example is fret end-nippers. You can buy a set of "Husky” end nippers at the big-box store for about $10, spend about 15 minutes grinding off the outer bevel, and you have a set that will get your through many builds (unless you use stainless fret wire). Compare that to what the luthier supply houses sell specialized fret end nippers for. Same thing goes for sound hole and rosette cutters, routing planes for bindings, etc. I don't mean this to sound elitist - it's just that building guitars is a pretty skilled activity, and no amount of money spent on tools can compensate for developing the skills. Once you have those skills and a reasonable set of woodworking tools (maybe that you've accumulated for other things), you can really cut down on the incremental cost of entry into luthiery as a hobby.

[@EricSchaeferGuitars]

Nothing 'elitist' about that comment. I agree with everything you've said. Thanks for sharing!

[@kailenshinmoto9931]

What type of non-guitar-related projects would you suggest for someone looking to enter into woodworking/guitar making with little experience?

[@kanker5256]

i think organizing a decent place and also considering building up the whole workshop, tools, materials and consumables included afterwards... you got to have at least 10k, and spare. you should really not spend more than 10% of your yearly income on organizing a workshop and investing serious time, i believe, to be comfortable. because you have to buy woods, maybe even store woods and treat them, which costs A LOT, then even possibly sell the guitars if not for personal use only...