difficult question...

[jimmy]

hi everyone

due to my recent need to upgrade ALL my guitar gear, i have run out of money, and my parents arent willing to raise my allowance  :x .

so, mum suggested i should put an ad in the local paper advertising making fairly custom effects and small amps for people so i can get a bit of money and valuable experience.

thing is, although ive got the skills to knock up a few effects here and there, im just a tad reluctant to go into that because of unforseen risks.

anybody have any experience or suggestions?

thanks
Jim

[AllyP]

what happens when a customer rings up saying the pedal/amp is broken?  Are you gonna fix it?  Chances are they will chuck it about like a Boss tank and kill it inside a week  :?

Also....i'm not sure but you may have issues with Copyright...

All-in-all i think its not a great idea...You dont want the community not liking you for getting money for there ideas!

Well hey, thats my t'uppenys worth anyway.....

[Arn C.]

Maybe an AD for repairing broken pedals and amps?

Peace!
Arn C.

[Mark Hammer]

My guess is your mum doesn't know very much about the business.  She sounds like a lovely lady, but quite frankly, it'snot the same as knitting shawls and selling them at crafts fairs.  Producing something that people will willingly shell out money for requires a certain level of professionalism in the product.  Since your goal is to raise money in the absence of much startup funds, I really don't see this as a viable way of reaching your goal.

That is certainly not to discourage you from either building or selling your own stuff.  I sell my stuff from time to time, but for the most part it's simply to provide enough money to justify purchasing more components to build the next thing that intrigues me (and the next one....).  However, raising the sort of capital you anticipate needing, in the time frame you likely want, will most assuredly require MORE than selling 4 fuzzboxes to guys for $20 more than it cost you to build them.  Anybody who has tried to make a go of it here can probably tell you that the first few sales are easy.  The hard part is sustaining sales after those first few.  I'd hate to see you invest what little you have and end up with a shelf full of inventory and be no closer to your goal.  It may be more expedient (though infinitely less fun) to get a job at a supermarket of fast-food outlet and save.

[jimmy]

haha yeah thats about what i said to her. she was quite persistant though. if i WAS to do it, i sure wouldnt be cloning. that would just give my conscience a battering.

thanks
Jim

[Roland]

Maybe approach your favourite music store offering your services like a contracter or maybe as part time or fulltime worker.

[Marcos - Munky]

Maybe it's time to develop your own effects. You can start with a overdrive using the LM386.

[Hal]

approach your friends, and friends of friends...like Mark Hammer said, the first couple are easy.  If you're just looking for enough money to make some more pedals for youself, this always works.

Do Keeley DS-1 Mods :-D

DO sell on HCFX, if you can.
DONT sell on e-bay.

or maybe ::gasp:: get a part time job!!!!

[jimmy]

thanks for more suggestions! i was thinking about the music store one... around where i live, there are 3 stores:

Musos Corner - this is THE place to go for range. they stock everything. unfortunately, the current staff there are the biggest bunch of arseholes you can imagine. this is also the place that every kid who plays an instrument goes for a job.

Lathams - the 'other' music shop. this is where everyone who gets rejected by musos works.

Music HQ - these people dont hire.

its a hard life.

cheers
Jim

[mikeb]

You are unlikely in the extreme to make more than a few dollars an hour selling custom made pedals to Australians. My recommendation would be to find a x$/hr job - when you walk away from it each day it is over, whereas you NEVER get to walk away from inherent responsibility of a sale of a custom electronics device. Selling *anything* for profit means a lot of preparation and planning (eg warranty issues, contactability issues, change of mind refunds and so on) .... before long your enjoyable hobby could become not so enjoyable.

Mike

[Bluesgeetar]

Yeah I'll agree with Roland.  If you can find a couple music shops around  to sell your wares then your set.  It has worked for me here in Seattle.  None of the pedals I make ever make it out of Washington so I really don't pay attention to copyright and what all.  Don't know about the folks were you live but here the guys who own the music stores don't give a flying &**( where or how a pedal came to be, only that it sounds good.  They even offered to let me borrow some of Zvexs stuff to copy and make a cheaper pedal that they could sell.  I didn't do it cause I like Zach.  He has helped me in the past.  And if folks don't like you?  So what!  You can't live for others bro you gotta live for your self.  Ain't nobody on this forum gonna pay your bills bro.  


When life gives you lemons you squeeze the juice out, throw the rind at life then pour the juice into the eyes of life.  To hell with lemonade!   :twisted:

[george]

thanks for more suggestions! i was thinking about the music store one... around where i live, there are 3 stores:

Musos Corner - this is THE place to go for range. they stock everything. unfortunately, the current staff there are the biggest bunch of arseholes you can imagine. this is also the place that every kid who plays an instrument goes for a job.

Lathams - the 'other' music shop. this is where everyone who gets rejected by musos works.

Music HQ - these people dont hire.

its a hard life.

cheers
Jim

c'mon man! what's your dream?  If it's making fx send out a call to the guys on this forum who do this - zVex and troubledtom come to mind - find out how they did it and see if you can do the same ...

I'll be totally tacky and quote John Laws: "Keep the Dream Alive" (just don't read his poetry, it's terrible)

[jimmy]

haha john laws...

yeah it sounds like a plan... ill set up a new thread.

thanks for the inspiration guys!
Jim

[mikeb]

Yeah I'll agree with Roland.  If you can find a couple music shops around  to sell your wares then your set.  It has worked for me here in Seattle.  None of the pedals I make ever make it out of Washington so I really don't pay attention to copyright and what all.

They even offered to let me borrow some of Zvexs stuff to copy and make a cheaper pedal that they could sell.  I didn't do it cause I like Zach.  

:shock:

So, you're obviously ok with ripping off designs and other peoples' work - maybe you used tonepads layouts or even PCBs in these commercial productions? And what happens if you don't like a builder - it's ok to make inferior copies of his or her pedals then? If you don't like me, then it's ok to take (say) the commonsound layouts, detailed troubleshooting notes and good mojo, then make money off it without ANY compensation to the designer or people who put in the hard work to make this stuff available?

If people don't like you for this, then I'd say you only have one person to blame.

BTW, if you really 'like' Zach you'd have told him about a dealer of his suggesting someone clone his work so they can get some more $$$.

Mike

[niftydog]

there's definately some money in basic repairs, ask your local music stores if they can offer you some work. But be warned, they expect a professional job, so make sure you can diagnose quickly, competently source spare parts and solder well. Don't take on difficult jobs, and hope to god that you don't need circuit schematics!

Often there are simple jobs such as replacing scratchy pots, replacing switches etc etc... pick the easy ones if you can!

I have in the past gotten store credit as payment for services rendered. This would allow you to get that new gear without the temptation of having money in your wallet!

[Fp-www.Tonepad.com]

None of the pedals I make ever make it out of Washington so I really don't pay attention to copyright and what all. Don't know about the folks were you live but here the guys who own the music stores don't give a flying &**( where or how a pedal came to be, only that it sounds good.

I'm sure that'll upset some of us who contribute greatly to the hobby...

Who knows, one of these days somebody can decide to stop posting new stuff or taking the stuff down because of people like you. (I know some people already have stopped posting free and new stuff)

Fp

edit: mike, correction made, thanks for noticing!

[mikeb]

Francisco, it's 'bluesgeetar', not 'niftydog' you should be (ahem) crediting with that quote!

I've got a few DIY things in the works (infinitphase, flying pan, mutron biphase) and have been considering only selling PCBs in a finished state - no patterns would be available for download, and the final design would be a complex double-sided layout - to counteract any non-DIY use. I'd be disappointed if I had to do this because of a few individuals who seemingly don't care what they do. Copyright laws and morals are still operational and functional in Washington, last thing I heard.

Mike

[jimmy]

thats a good plan, the repairing that is. i think ill try that. ill go visiting on the weekend.

thanks
Jim