GGBO

[Deleted]

I see that the Great Guitar build off is getting ready to kick off.

 They made a whole lot of changes. I seen another update today that was posted just a little bit ago. I was going to try my hand at it this year. But with all of the expense I have gong through with the Eagle Blues guitar build I will not be interning this year. Plus I have had a lot of medical expenses and other medical ( health) issues going on that might keep me from completing the project.

 Sound like  Crimson Custom Guitars are tying to improve the contest. They added another category aimed at the pros. That will be be nice to see them separated for the rest of the builders.

 I still think that the Guitar kit one should be guitar kits only. I don't see how they still call it a kit if you start with a pre-made neck and you still scratch make the body. Hum...

 Well,anyway... What to you all think? Does it sound more fair this year? They also changed once again the way the voting will happen. It will not be a free for all voting. The only ones (as far as I can understand) will be up to the people that are in the Build off.

  The only other weak spot I see is how they will pay the winners. Watch the video for more info.

 Is anyone going to join this year from Guitar Attack? I am going to watch again thins year and see how things go.

EB    

[antares]

I'll only take interest in those builders I'm familiar with ... Other than that, GGBO holds little interest for me Eddie. I find some of the whacky designs to be too "out there" to warrant the investment in time anyway. You know what I'm saying there.

Some 25 years ago now, I built an eleven band shortwave SSB and CW transceiver from a collection of kits and boards following a series of magazine articles but substituting my own ideas and components. It's been up in the loft for the last 24 years! It was in a self made aluminium "bedstead" style case with black anodised 3/16" thick aluminium front and back panels, 1/2" radius folded silver anodised aluminium top and bottom panels, lovely big Bakelite knobs, chunky toggle switches and a gorgeous Eddystone 898 dial. I got it working as far as receiving on seven bands (due to shorted out IF oscillator cans) and, configuring it to work as a receiver on the night, entered it into our local club's construction contest. It didn't even get a place. The winner was a great guy who lives in the next street from me. He entered a ten bucks kit build in what looked like a large matchbox case- all of twenty minutes soldering. He immediately came over and apologised to me for the travesty. When I was at school, I really wanted to get in the school's soccer team but my "face didn't fit". One week they couldn't muster a full side, so they jiggled around and left me a space to play on the left wing- not great for a right footed player. I even scored a goal, but next week the old chums were back together and I was out of the team once more. I know all that rhetoric about bouncing back up but I've moved on from all that. Experiences like those have made me totally uncompetitive. I'm not ranting here- I'm fine with it, I'm just saying that anyone who wants to compete- have at it but include me out. The foregoing is at least in part prompted by watching Dane's magnificent 335 style bass sink without trace in an an example of déja-vu. I can do without that.

All that said, if you should decide to go for it (or Dane for that matter) I shall still watch with interest.

でつ e&oe ...

[Deleted]

Mar 5, 2022 3:24:26 GMT -6 antares said:

I'll only take interest in those builders I'm familiar with ... Other than that, GGBO holds little interest for me Eddie. I find some of the whacky designs to be too "out there" to warrant the investment in time anyway. You know what I'm saying there.

Some 25 years ago now, I built an eleven band shortwave SSB and CW transceiver from a collection of kits and boards following a series of magazine articles but substituting my own ideas and components. It's been up in the loft for the last 24 years! It was in a self made aluminium "bedstead" style case with black anodised 3/16" thick alluminium front and back panels, 1/2" radius folded silver anodised alluminium top and bottom panels, lovely big Bakelite knobs, chunky toggle switches and a gorgeous Eddystone 898 dial. I got it working as far as receiving on seven bands (due to shorted out IF oscillator cans) and, configuring it to work as a receiver on the night, entered it into our local club's construction contest. It didn't even get a place. The winner was a great guy who lives in the next street from me. He entered a ten bucks kit build in what looked like a large matchbox case- all of twenty minutes soldering. He immediately came over and apologised to me for the travesty. When I was at school, I really wanted to get in the school's soccer team but my "face didn't fit". One week they couldn't muster a full side, so they jiggled around and left me a space to play on the left wing- not great for a right footed player. I even scored a goal, but next week the old chums were back together and I was out of the team once more. I know all that rhetoric about bouncing back up but I've moved on from all that. Experiences like those have made me totally uncompetitive. I'm not ranting here- I'm fine with it, I'm just saying that anyone who wants to compete- have at it but include me out. The foregoing is at least in part prompted by watching Dane's magnificent 335 style bass sink without trace in an an example of déja-vu. I can do without that.

All that said, if you should decide to go for it (or Dane for that matter) I shall still watch with interest.

でつ e&oe ...

I have been in a lot of contests in my day as well. From running track, gymnastics form that to drag cars, oval car racing (dirt track) to competing in music. Lost some won some in all.

  I could run a mile in 4min. Back then. Was tested to see if was on drugs to help me run that fast. LOL! Been in music competitions that where not fare at all. People won because they had a lot of family or the judges knew the people that they said won.

   I know that most competitions are not fair to say the least. But there are a lot of people that need to be seen and heard. If it where not for these contest then no one would really have a voice in a lot of things.

 I like to find the underdog in things and I like to support them. I always looked at myself as an underdog.

  One reason I do not sports like football, Basketball, and so on. I never got chosen first for anything. Everything I achieved I have done on my own. So, I know all to well how these things can and do get out of hand. That is one of the reasons I did not enter last year. Way to many people competing.

 Here is one thing I do when looking at things...

  For me I do not tattoos. I think they are a waste of time and money. To me art is something for a wall or table. Not for the human body. But!!! I do like the skill level that some tattoo artiest are on. That is where it's at for me. It is amazing at what some of can do with ink on skin. I only wish they would put it on canvas so that people like me can enjoy it even more.

 So, when it comes to contest of any kind, I do take it all with a grain of salt. I am not to hip on it all. But will be interesting to see how it goes this year. On the subject of contest, I even chose not to watch some of the TV shows this year do to the fact I think they are all fixed, and they have begun to promote some things I can't go along with.

It is heart braking to me to see so many people get toss aside never to heard form again. But again without these kinds of things no one would really be heard. But what I don't like about the TV shows is they use them to promote. Politics, gender choices, to call out a couple of things. Some of these show will surround the show around these two things. The shows is supposed to be about music.

Well anyway... I will watch some of the builders. I will be looking of that builder that is trying with passion to become someone in the way they build. Looking for that person or persons that can draw my attention from the rest again by their passion and talent.

 I too shy away form the over the top odd and weird looking builds. This is one reason I don't look at Crimson guitar videos as I once did. He has gotten to weird for me in lot of the stuff he has been doing.

  I also shy away form videos that go way over the top in making the videos. Like using puppets, or making silly stupid videos in trying to get the hits. Somehow the build gets lost and to me shows they are making a joke out of building guitars.

 Now I do like to see people having fun in the videos and cracking a joke here and there. But I like people that are genuine and again have a passion for what they are doing.

 Now I do think that Crimson Guitars are trying to help out people. they have made some big changes this year. But like we already know it still not 100%. Will it ever be? No noting ever is. But he is trying. Something on this scale takes a lot of work and some wise people to put it all together.

 the legal end of this thing has to be taxing. It is open to so many legal things because it is a would wide contest. So many things can go wrong and could cost Crimson guitar everything. Should something go wrong.

 So I do give him thumbs up for going through this in trying to help people in the world of making guitars. Does it benefit him? Sure it does.

 All of the things I have ever done in my life including doing events and putting them together I understand what he is going through in some since of what it takes.

 Heck, I remember putting together an out door event that the city wanted me to put together. The proceeds where to help the homeless in that city. But by the time I paid for all the permits (12 of them) pay for what the fire department said I needed, pay for the 4 million dollar insurance pay for port a potty's and many other things I was thousands of dollars into it. But in the end I was able to help a few homeless people. But all I could think of is how many more I could have helped out if I didn't have to pay for all the stuff to put on the event. It was a huge undertaking. That was one city. I can't imagine what it would be like to put something like GGBO. WOW! I would not want that headache.

EB                     

[dnic]

I'm not planning on being involved in the GGBO22. I won't mince words, I was very disappointed in the way things went last year. I didn't expect to win, that's not it at all. I got involved because I wanted to get more people to see my YT videos. But at the same time I thought skill was what was needed. What's needed to get noticed in a YT type contest is to be good at YT and social media. I am not, therefor I did very poorly. I Didn't get involved the year before because as I said at the time, I don't need to prove I can build a guitar. And I said it last year and I'll say it again. I don't need to prove I can build a guitar. For whatever reason, I'll put it down to Ben, people are interested in guitars that are strange by design and that don't look like they should even stay together. I think most players want something that plays well and is durable. Tele, come to mind. I am sick however of everybody and their brother building Tele's and acting like they have just reinvented the wheel and come up with some amazing innovation. I think I might almost be done. There are two maybe three people I will watch build guitars this year. Because I already watch them and they build very nice guitars and they are basically not stupid. In the invitational group from the first year winners were determined by what their guitars sold for. By those standards I think I beat all but one when I sold my bass. I din't even notice what GGBO2021 winners got for their guitars.

Something else I want to harp on from both this year and last is the idea that we need a fund or scholarships for wood be guitar builders. What is up with everyone needing to be prodded to do something they might love. I know I probably sound like a rich white guy. Trust me that is not the case. Everything I have ever wanted I worked for and I worked hard for it. When I got into building guitars and realized I was passionate about it I didn't have the money to buy 3000$ worth of tools. Didn't have YT either to tell me I couldn't build a guitar without all these tools. So I designed tools to do special jobs and I went on Stew Mac and copied some of their designs. It still irritates me to see a video where the guy knows nothing about building guitars. Stone cold beginner amateur but he has a shop full of Stew Mac tools. Now that's a rich guy trying out a new hobby to see if it's sticks. That's the same kind of guy that buys a Gibson LP and a Marshall amp to find out if guitar playing is for them.

In the first GGBO22 announcement video Ben talked about voting and the pay off. He used an arbitrary amount of 30,000 from votes. The winner would receive 10% or 3,000 the runner up will get 5% or 1,500. The rest would be split between the guitar building scholarship and a charity? is that Right? The 90pound entry fee goes to operating costs. Anyway, half the money left over from the winners goes to buying tools, wood, hardware, even classes at Crimson for the scholarship people. So Crimson directly benefits from half the voting money. Plus they're selling tools and kits and wood too many folks involved in the contest. Really pushing the limits of conflict of interest in my mind. But I am a cynical old man. I also saw a kid using scholarship money from last year on a "what's oil the bench" episode. He had at least 3,000 worth of tattoos but needed funding to build a guitar. Point made.

My apologies if you made it this far. I really thought I could say this in fewer words.

[antares]

No apology needed Dane, you've simply expressed what I felt about it, but as a non-participant onlooker I felt it was inappropriate for me personally to do so.

でつ e&oe ...

[antares]

Anyhoo- I'm going to enter something in my "Ham" radio club's construction contest on Wednesday night, some 25-30 years after that massive transceiver build tanked without trace. I have built a fair few things this last few years. I have just finished a petite little "Stockton" RF bridge in a tiny 91mm x 39mm x 31mm Eddystone diecast box with two lilliput 14mm x 7mm edgewise moving coil meters (like little VU meters) and I'm only entering it to make up the numbers on the night. You never know! That's the spirit of taking part rather than "in it to win it" in my view? (That way you can't get despondent.)

でつ e&oe ...

[Deleted]

Mar 5, 2022 23:50:38 GMT -6 dnic said:

I'm not planning on being involved in the GGBO22. I won't mince words, I was very disappointed in the way things went last year. I didn't expect to win, that's not it at all. I got involved because I wanted to get more people to see my YT videos. But at the same time I thought skill was what was needed. What's needed to get noticed in a YT type contest is to be good at YT and social media. I am not, therefor I did very poorly. I Didn't get involved the year before because as I said at the time, I don't need to prove I can build a guitar. And I said it last year and I'll say it again. I don't need to prove I can build a guitar. For whatever reason, I'll put it down to Ben, people are interested in guitars that are strange by design and that don't look like they should even stay together. I think most players want something that plays well and is durable. Tele, come to mind. I am sick however of everybody and their brother building Tele's and acting like they have just reinvented the wheel and come up with some amazing innovation. I think I might almost be done. There are two maybe three people I will watch build guitars this year. Because I already watch them and they build very nice guitars and they are basically not stupid. In the invitational group from the first year winners were determined by what their guitars sold for. By those standards I think I beat all but one when I sold my bass. I din't even notice what GGBO2021 winners got for their guitars.

Something else I want to harp on from both this year and last is the idea that we need a fund or scholarships for wood be guitar builders. What is up with everyone needing to be prodded to do something they might love. I know I probably sound like a rich white guy. Trust me that is not the case. Everything I have ever wanted I worked for and I worked hard for it. When I got into building guitars and realized I was passionate about it I didn't have the money to buy 3000$ worth of tools. Didn't have YT either to tell me I couldn't build a guitar without all these tools. So I designed tools to do special jobs and I went on Stew Mac and copied some of their designs. It still irritates me to see a video where the guy knows nothing about building guitars. Stone cold beginner amateur but he has a shop full of Stew Mac tools. Now that's a rich guy trying out a new hobby to see if it's sticks. That's the same kind of guy that buys a Gibson LP and a Marshall amp to find out if guitar playing is for them.

In the first GGBO22 announcement video Ben talked about voting and the pay off. He used an arbitrary amount of 30,000 from votes. The winner would receive 10% or 3,000 the runner up will get 5% or 1,500. The rest would be split between the guitar building scholarship and a charity? is that Right? The 90pound entry fee goes to operating costs. Anyway, half the money left over from the winners goes to buying tools, wood, hardware, even classes at Crimson for the scholarship people. So Crimson directly benefits from half the voting money. Plus they're selling tools and kits and wood too many folks involved in the contest. Really pushing the limits of conflict of interest in my mind. But I am a cynical old man. I also saw a kid using scholarship money from last year on a "what's oil the bench" episode. He had at least 3,000 worth of tattoos but needed funding to build a guitar. Point made.

My apologies if you made it this far. I really thought I could say this in fewer words.

Kind of what I was saying... In that all contest is about their bottom line. It's all about business. I too Dane get tired of seeing so many with the top of the line tools and they can't build. I see it a lot! I also see a lot of tools for sale from people who spent a lot of money on wood tools and found out that wood working was not for them. I too have made a lot of my tools. I guess I got that from my car building days. Back then I could not go buy a tool or ready made items. I had to make them.

 Yes I too think that the money part is not fair. It will be interesting to see how many sign up this year.

EB

[antares]

I had no idea that the so-called entry fee was that stiff. Hmmm. It just makes me appreciate all the more what Dane did.

でつ e&oe ...

[dnic]

Mar 6, 2022 4:37:13 GMT -6 antares said:

Anyhoo- I'm going to enter something in my "Ham" radio club's construction contest on Wednesday night, some 25-30 years after that massive transceiver build tanked without trace. I have built a fair few things this last few years. I have just finished a petite little "Stockton" RF bridge in a tiny 91mm x 39mm x 31mm Eddystone diecast box with two lilliput 14mm x 7mm edgewise moving coil meters (like little VU meters) and I'm only entering it to make up the numbers on the night. You never know! That's the spirit of taking part rather than "in it to win it" in my view? (That way you can't get despondent.)

でつ e&oe ...

Good luck with that Steve. I know you don't care about winning but I've got my fingers crossed for you.

[GuitarAttack Forum]

First, I think Dane did a great job on his custom GGBO bass. That was really incredible, and the design feature were fantastic. I'm with you Dane -- when I hear someone say "who builds the best Telecaster", I always reply "Fender".

Second, best of luck in the competition, Steve. Ham Radio is an obsession I have seen first-hand. I had a colleague who was a Ham, and he taught me a lot about electronics and he was passionate about "getting it right."

Finally, I'm trying to spend less time on social media, including YouTube. They don't provide the same exchange as our forum here, and I wind up spending hours on them without much to show for the effort. I've got some guitar projects to finish up!

Good luck,
John

[antares]

We owe a great deal to you John. Respect Sir.

でつ e&oe ...

[antares]

"Electronics"- I take this opportunity to remind folks that "Electronics" specifically implies semiconductors (as in diodes, transistors, valves (tubes / toobs) and so on, together with their various modern derivations with many legs). A (passively wired) guitar, not having any such devices in it has no electronics in it all, it has electrical wiring maybe- you know- like a "flashlight ("torch"!)... You know ...

I know we Brits call them "valves" and "tubes / toobs" doesn't seem correct somehow over here, but as an abbreviation of "vacuum tube" I guess you guys have the moral high ground?

The floor is yours!

でつ e&oe ...

[dnic]

Mar 6, 2022 9:42:18 GMT -6 antares said:

"Electronics"- I take this opportunity to remind folks that "Electronics" specifically implies semiconductors (as in diodes, transistors, valves (tubes / toobs) and so on, together with their various modern derivations with many legs). A (passively wired) guitar, not having any such devices in it has no electronics in it all, it has electrical wiring maybe- you know- like a "flashlight ("torch"!)... You know ...

I know we Brits call them "valves" and "tubes / toobs" doesn't seem correct somehow over here, but as an abbreviation of "vacuum tube" I guess you guys have the moral high ground?

The floor is yours!

でつ e&oe ...

I like what our friend Melvyn called it. "Electrickery"

[dnic]

Mar 6, 2022 9:24:57 GMT -6 GuitarAttack Forum said:

First, I think Dane did a great job on his custom GGBO bass. That was really incredible, and the design feature were fantastic. I'm with you Dane -- when I hear someone say "who builds the best Telecaster", I always reply "Fender".

Second, best of luck in the competition, Steve. Ham Radio is an obsession I have seen first-hand. I had a colleague who was a Ham, and he taught me a lot about electronics and he was passionate about "getting it right."

Finally, I'm trying to spend less time on social media, including YouTube. They don't provide the same exchange as our forum here, and I wind up spending hours on them without much to show for the effort. I've got some guitar projects to finish up!

Good luck,
John

Thank you John, but again you were a big part of the final project.

I love Tele's, but I don't want to build anymore of them. Currently 3 of the 4 I have I built. At this point even Fender and Gibson are building copies or their 50s guitars.

This place is social media with a conscience and accountability. Without accountability there is chaos.

[Deleted]

Mar 6, 2022 14:33:55 GMT -6 dnic said:

Mar 6, 2022 9:24:57 GMT -6 GuitarAttack Forum said:

First, I think Dane did a great job on his custom GGBO bass. That was really incredible, and the design feature were fantastic. I'm with you Dane -- when I hear someone say "who builds the best Telecaster", I always reply "Fender".

Second, best of luck in the competition, Steve. Ham Radio is an obsession I have seen first-hand. I had a colleague who was a Ham, and he taught me a lot about electronics and he was passionate about "getting it right."

Finally, I'm trying to spend less time on social media, including YouTube. They don't provide the same exchange as our forum here, and I wind up spending hours on them without much to show for the effort. I've got some guitar projects to finish up!

Good luck,
John

Thank you John, but again you were a big part of the final project.

I love Tele's, but I don't want to build anymore of them. Currently 3 of the 4 I have I built. At this point even Fender and Gibson are building copies or their 50s guitars.

This place is social media with a conscience and accountability. Without accountability there is chaos.

yes Dane you did do a great job on the bass!

 I love the Ts and the LPs, that is one reason I put the two together. The eagle Blues guitar build is on. The butt is LP and the wings are Tele. The body shape is something I came up with only to find out others have done the same thing. I did reshape the Tele wings part of it. The bottom horn is shorter then a real Tele. The top wing in smaller in size as well. A lot of people mistake this design as a Tele, but really it's not. It has a look of one until you look a real Tele.

 But for me I am going to stick with my design. I am going to make one that is kind of acoustic looking. I also have another that I want to make that will be more on the LP side of of things.

 But I have some big news. I may have to put all my project on hold for a few months. We are going to be moving. We found a house with a huge Garage. The garage has 2 hug bays and I get to have one of the bays for my wood shop! To give you an idea in how big this bay is. You can park an RV bus in it with room to spare. The garage is brand new! Wow! My little bit of shop tools will be lost inside of it. Has a big role up door as well as an entry door. Plenty of space for me and tools.

 The house sets on ex farm land. Around 2 acres with a few out buildings. The house a 2 bed 2 bath house with a bonus room. Pretty cool place. Most of the farms around us, have fishing ponds and one of the farms our new landlord introduced us to, and he told me I could go fishing anytime I wanted to. How cool is that?

I won't know what to do with myself with a big boy shop. Being able to BBQ again will be awesome! The bad thing is the packing up and then hiring some people to load the truck for us. NO way my wife and I can haul stuff down the fight of stairs. LOL! No more Stairs!!!!

 So yet another move. The new place is 2 1/2 hours away from where we are at. It will be so nice to get outside and do things again. We are so looking forward to yet another chapter in our lives.

EB