A couple of sales!

[Stray Feathers]

I participated again in the Guitars by Hand annual show in the small rural community of Errington on Vancouver Island Saturday. It's a very noisy event and I would not expect to sell anything there, but at least fly the flag. I did sell a tenor uke - my first instrument sale - at last year's show. As this year's show came to a close, I sold another uke. The wood in the uke cost me nothing: Sweet Cherry back, sides, and neck, courtesy of my backyard. The top is a low-grade piece of Red Spruce that did not make the grade as a parlour top, so the company sent it to me as packing material in a shipment, and I found a way to get a tenor uke top out of it. The interesting thing is that it is the sweetest sounding uke I have made (out of nine) - and I don't know why!

_DSC6497_resize.jpg

Then, when I got home, I had an email from a man who wanted to buy one of my guitars - my first guitar sale! It's a Sitka Spruce and Black Locust OM, and it is in my mind the overall best guitar I have made, with remarkable volume and projection for its size.

_DSC6601_resize.jpg

_DSC6600_resize.jpg

I still have to complete a small but thorny lacquer repair on this guitar, so it is sold - almost! I am a bit sorry to sell these two, but need the house room, and some funds to buy more material. And it's funny how a sale makes you a little nervous about whether they really were good enough. We'll see . . . Bruce W.

[phavriluk]

Path to sanity: Only put up for sale something that exists - - - no commissions. Like it? Buy it.

[jread]

Congrats on your sale! That's awesome. I've sold a decent number now but all to friends and family at wildly varying profits and loss depending on the buyer. I can't imagine a total stranger just emailing me and wanting to buy one. Not sure how I'd handle that.

[MaineGeezer]

Path to sanity: Only put up for sale something that exists - - - no commissions. Like it? Buy it.

YES!!!

Of course, you may handle a build-to-order situation better than I can, but for me it was extremely stressful.

[Kevin Sjostrand]

I've made 4 guitars pre-order and it was much more stressful for me however I also think it caused me to be more careful and particular on accuracy and fit.

A two edged sword!!!! More fun to just build them and give them away for sure.

[nkwak]

Congratulations on the sale!