Received a new commission today

[enalnitram]

this has turned out to be a really cool and interesting thread. I'm almost embarrassed now that I let my excitement about getting to build another one, start the thread the way that it did.

but so many of us started out building around the same time and are now building more. thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[tippie53]

I remember my first commission , and how excited and apprehensive I was at the same time. Now I am making guitar 126 , and I still have that same excitement when I book a commission. To me building is a passion and I love what I do. To make a living doing what I love makes my job one of the best you can have,

[Herman]

The way Kevin approaches his builds, First to make one and let a customer decide if it is good enough, was the way I build my "El Cheapo". It works quite well and it give much less stress during the time of building as you can do it the way you see fit to all the details of the guitar.

But the times I made one for one my friends and I had to meet their wishes were the builds that brought me the most satisfaction. It gave the feeling I made something someone else really wanted.
More doubts, more stress during errors, more building time, more questions about how things would turn out. But in the end a significant different feel about the process.

My heart goes out to the second way of building. And I tell myself to look for the right "customer" and not to jump in too fast if someone pleases my ego by telling me that all looks great.

In some way it is good that I'm a hobby-guy and don't have to make a living out of it like John. That gives me/us the advantage of the opportunity of an easier refusing.

Herman

[Tony_in_NYC]

I moved up the deadline on the Koa OM and I wish I hadn't. I feel mucho pressure to fix all of the little things I would have taken my sweet time to do if the guitar was for me. I have the guitar apart right now to fix a ding, adjust the neck angle a tiny, tiny bit, and a whole laundry list of things I want to do. May 7th is too close for me at this point.
Having said that, the worst part of building a guitar for another person is that in the end, you have to give it away! I really like this guitar and I want to keep it. But alas, I can not.
I need to take a boat load of pictures before it leaves.