Decling work

Pete Howlett

Pete Howlett

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I don't get many of these but I have effectively turned it down by quoting out of the park. Can you see why?
I would like a Price on 5 string low G tenor solid all mahogany ukulele please:-
Finger board & bridge of African Black Ebony, with bridge pegs to retain strings.
15 frets total on a short fret board with 14 frets​ clear to the body , similar to a soprano type, just covering the neck/body joint.
Grover open gear or Gotoh closed gear tuners.
Bone nut and saddle.
Banding.
Strap button.
The same reinforcement wood used under the sound hole as the body.
Head shape as diagram (Not shore)
Deep body as you deem appropriate to the instrument.
The neck at the nut 38mm.
The A string not too close to the edge of finger board
Fret markers in colored Abalone bright green or blue.
Can you supply and fit a pickup preamp ETC
Click to expand...
and it's not immediately obvious....
 
It confuses me with 5 strings and a low G this means one of the C E or A has to be double or is he asking for octaves on the G ?...So how do you design a bridge with pins to anchor them ? Maybe put one pin behind the other..Or anchor two strings in the same pin hole....or maybe there is another reason for giving the order the elbow.:D
I love riddles me!
 
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I don't know Pete. I get these sorts of requests quite regularly.

The only thing there that I'd say no way to is the headstock shape. Clients don't get to dictate that to me.
 
I didn't think you did ukes with pickups and pre-amps, and - as a consumer - I don't understand "The A string not too close to the edge of finger board", or "The same reinforcement wood used under the sound hole as the body."

-Kurt​

Hoping to be able to order another custom uke one of these years, I am always interested in what a luthier will/won't do, and why.
 
Well done - all of the above + he just didn't do his research. Why would I build 'his' uke when I am, as others here are, about building my brand. His design ideas are such a dogs dinner as to read 'disaster' from the get-go. I have enough work. I don't need a piece that I am going to see coming up on eBay time after time.
 
From this order I feel no respect/understanding to builder, its like instructing a ukulele building robot to build a already designed ukulele. I feel sorry.
 
This is why I switched to build and sell last year. Even "good" custom build customers can sometimes be a pain in the ass.
 
Whatever this instrument would cost, I would add the "You-Think-That-I-Am-A-Prostitute-Fee", which should not be under 500 £.
 
It's true in any service business. You'll be miserable unless you learn which work to turn down. In my business I turn away about a half dozen potential clients for every one that I take. Over the years I've learned that if you are going to be self-employed you need to learn which work not to take.
 
And another vote for "you were right to turn it down". I make part of my living putting websites together, but I have a habit of turning down any job where a) I would be working for a committee, rather than an individual (you'll never please everyone), or b) where the client gives me a drawing or a powerpoint slide of the website and expects it to look just like that - (it won't.)
You are an artist as well as a builder, and if there is hardly any room for your input, where's the fun in that?
 
As a customer (which I will be from one of you one day) I would place an order like this:

One Tenor ukulele
Wood builder's choice for best build
Inlays builder's choice within $ x price range
Setup per builder's experience for fingerstyle
Hardware builder's choice based on preference within $ x price range

Seriously, I would never commission a painting; why would I want to hinder your experience of what you feel would make the best instrument based on your experience and style? I would also guarantee my acceptance of the piece, and I would trust that you would return excellent value. One of you will get that order. I'm financially able to place it now, I'm just not ready from a player/owner standpoint to receive it yet. As for price, lots and lots of folks buy new bass boats for their leisure... Me? I play the ukulele.
 
Back when I was doing some ghostwriting, I got an offer to work with a fairly-well known TV news personality on a novel. The money was outrageously good, and I was tempted to put a bag over its head and do it. In the end, after some back and forth with the potential client, it became obvious what an idiot the newscaster was, and what a terrible nightmare it was going to be if we went forward. In the end, what I realized was that life is too short to work with assholes if you can afford not to do so.

Sometimes, you do what you must to keep the wolf from the door, but now and then, you can afford to walk away.

Never regretted the choice to turn it down.

There's a story I heard somewhere, a luthier talking about building for clients. His comment was something to the effect of, a client comes to you with a commission, and what he wants is a good guitar. By the time you are halfway through, he wants it to be the best guitar ever built.

Probably not a client who will be pleased ...
 
Yes, you have to know when to say no. Even with turning some customers down, we average 50 emails and phone calls for each custom build at May-Moe. It's a lot of extra work that takes a great deal of Gordon and Char's time. I am glad I get to keep my head down and just hit the shop, although I like the customer interaction when I get the chance.
A
 
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