Factory vs handmade guitars

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Jan Willem

Posts: 274
Joined: Feb. 21 2007
From: Belgium Halle

Factory vs handmade guitars

Hi all you luthiers,

Is it wrong to think that factory guitars (say around 1500 - 2000€) are "stronger" build than handmade guitars 'cause of rougher materials used?
As I see it handmade guitars have a far more superior sound and playing ability cause of the use of more delicate materials. But does that makes them more sensitive for scraches and dents, (even cracking of the soundboard)? (yes)

I'am thinking of buying a handmade guitar but I'am afraid that I will never be able to take it outside for "a play in the park" or a rougher environment. And how fast does the soundboard cracks?... Can i do a loud golpe on it? :-) (sure it can be fixed)

How delicate is a handmade and should those fears of scraching it prevent me to buy a handmade? Or do the pro's far outweigh the con's?

JW

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 21 2008 23:41:29

Anders Eliasson

Posts: 5780
Joined: Oct. 18 2006

RE: Factory vs handmade guitars (in reply to Jan Willem)

Hi Jan

Handmade guitars should not be more delicate than factory guitars. Exept the French polish. French Polish is more delicate than industrial laquer but its also 10 times easyer to fix.

Factory guitars are not nescessarily made out of "rougher" material. In fact some of the expensive ones from Valencia are made of very high quality material. Its because they get it cheaper because of buying a lot.

Factory guitars are often made heavyer, but thicker wood cracsks just as easy as thinner. NO difference. Wood cracks because of change in humidity and because humidity was not controlled while they were built. In this last case, handmade guitars are often way better. (not always though depending on the builder)

Dont worry about golpes. You can give your guitar golpes all day long and it´ll just sound better.

What you should learn is to monitor humidity and not go outside in the park when its very dry after a long period of humidity, also be carefull with stron sun directly on the guitar. These advices go for handmade and for factory guitars.

I use one of my first guitars as a "swing around guitar" It fell on the hard floor when being built, so I had to repair it and decided not to sell it. Its also built to thin. Its some 5 years old now. It always stays outside its case and I play it a lot outside, its with me when I go camping. It stays in the car in the sun etc. Its not a good way to treat a guitar. I dont encourage anyone to do so, but I´m testing it. So far no problems it hasnt changed at all, not even a tenth of a milimeter.

Anders

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 22 2008 1:19:32

krichards

Posts: 597
Joined: Jan. 14 2007
From: York, England

RE: Factory vs handmade guitars (in reply to Anders Eliasson)

quote:

I use one of my first guitars as a "swing around guitar" It fell on the hard floor when being built, so I had to repair it and decided not to sell it. Its also built to thin. Its some 5 years old now. It always stays outside its case and I play it a lot outside, its with me when I go camping. It stays in the car in the sun etc. Its not a good way to treat a guitar. I dont encourage anyone to do so, but I´m testing it. So far no problems it hasnt changed at all, not even a tenth of a milimeter.

I have a similar guitar which i keep in the campervan and, like you, I see it as an experiment

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Kevin Richards

http://www.facebook.com/#!/kevin.richards.1048554

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 22 2008 6:43:41

gshaviv

Posts: 272
Joined: Mar. 22 2005
From: Israel

RE: Factory vs handmade guitars (in reply to Jan Willem)

quote:

Is it wrong to think that factory guitars (say around 1500 - 2000€) are "stronger" build than handmade guitars 'cause of rougher materials used?

I think it is wrong to think so...

I'm not a luthier so what I'm writing now is based on my understanding of things. Luthier built guitars are not more 'delicate' than factory ones, they are more 'personalized'. A luthier treats each guitar individually, and adjusts the thickness and perhaps some other features based on the characteristics of the piece of wood he is working with. A factory guitar on the other hand can't give each piece of wood its personal treatment, its more like an assembly or production line. So everything gets processed the same way. The superior sound quality and playability of a luthier guitar comes from this attention to detail which just can't be done in a factory.

I have one factory guitar (a Vowinkel, pretty good for a factory guitar, goes for $2500 today) and one hand made guitar (Aaron Green). The Green guitar is so much more fun to play and to listen to I rarely play the factory one. I wouldn't take the Green guitar to the park though, not because it is more delicate, its way more expensive! and its a one-of-a-kind.

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Guy

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 22 2008 9:27:37