Commissions???

I know it's been a while since my last post, but I've been a busy guy, looking for jobs and working and living and stuff. It also doesn't help that I have no internet at home and have to go to the library to get online. That will soon change, as I am starting a job at Qwest on Monday and will have a nice discount on some DSL service, not to mention a decent paycheck finally... I worked at guitar center for about a month from august-september, but it was a pretty horrible job and I basically got paid slightly more than minimum wage to unpack and set up merchandise on their sales floor. I got a job valeting at the country club that my girlfriend works at and I really enjoy doing that, but I don't have enough hours there. Life is good otherwise.

I've gotten one guitar repair job so far, making a saddle for a classical guitar and doing some more extensive work on a 1970s japanese made dreadnought that was in rough shape. The fingerboard was in horrible shape, so I did some repairs to that, including a refret. Being bound, it was a bit difficult, but the frets are now in and it's ready for leveling and dressing. It also really needed a neck reset, but it wasn't worth the effort so I decided to plug the drop in saddle slot, shave the bridge, and re-route and make a new saddle. I'm in the process of finishing that and I will also be making a new nut once the frets are dressed and the work on the bridge is done. I really should stop dragging my feet on this one, but this guitar has been giving me nothing but problems which are to be expected on a guitar of such low quality. Has anyone ever heard of Terada guitars? I really only agreed to do the work because the guitar has sentimental value to the owner and I can imagine it might actually sound pretty decent if I can get it playing decent. I'll post some before and after photos when it's done.

I've also been approached with a couple of possible commissions. The first is for a banjo for my good friend Steve, which would be some pretty straight forward lutherie, except for figuring out how to turn the rim. Most resources I've consulted highly recommend using a metalworking lathe, but those run around $2000 at least, money I don't really have for a one time project. I'm sure I'll figure something out. The second commission is for an OM style acoustic guitar for my friend Adam's wife. I'm really excited about getting this going and getting back into guitarmaking. It will give me motivation to move all my power tools out of my parents basement and start using them to make some guitars. Good things are on the horizon!

I hope to continue posting more here soon, as I am now up to over 2000 visitors to this blog and it is very cool to receive comments from interested readers from all over.