Current Happenings

[goroth]

Relooking at this thread, that new Attache is really kick ass!

[AngryGoldfish]

I shared the Indiegogo campaign a bunch of times and posted it on ultimate-guitar.com, but I don't know how much good it did. I really want that shit to succeed! I should have done it sooner.

[Nelson Instruments]

Thanks for the help! This has been a BIG learning experience! I have a hunch that since so many people are doing crowd funding these days that folks are getting tired of constantly being hit up for money.
Whether that's true or not I can say it has been HARD to get people to pay attention to the fundraiser and ever more difficult to get participation.
(This isn't a complaint but just an observation) It is interesting that on the Nelson Instruments facebook page I have almost 1,250 fans/followers. Now I know that with facebook not all of them see my posts, but you'd think that out of all of those followers I'd have a healthy amount of support! NOPE barely any at all.
I even emailed everyone that has contacted me (via facebook or regular email) and only a couple people responded.
It leaves me to wonder if all of these people are merely there to be entertained with pictures of guitars? It is odd!

[goroth]

I don't use FB so I don't really understand it, but I think you may be right. I think people in some/many cases just like stuff and do stuff to create "activity" with their accounts - I guess indicating preferences, building a recognisable identity online (oh you're the muso guy who likes esoteric guitar shapes, cool... wanna date?) without actually investing in the activity beyond its symbolic value. 1000 followers is like... a lot (?)

[Nelson Instruments]

Well we made the goal!!!!! Another down payment came in an we are just over $8k!
Now if we are somehow able to get to $9,600 I will be able to have a certain cool control knob reproduced by the original manufacturer!
But regradless I am grateful that we made the goal! Wow! I'm humbled and a little shocked!!
Thanks to all that contributed and all who are still going to contribute in these last few hours!

[Glenouille]

I'm glad it worked!

It leaves me to wonder if all of these people are merely there to be entertained with pictures of guitars? It is odd!

It's partly true I guess, people do follow you out of curiosity, to see what you are up to, what you are building/doing, and hopefully see something nice, inspiring, exciting. Free eye candies.

Timing was wrong for me, I so wish I could have ordered a baritone instead of a T-shirt... I'll have a Nelson guitar at some point.

[AngryGoldfish]

Well we made the goal!!!!! Another down payment came in an we are just over $8k!
Now if we are somehow able to get to $9,600 I will be able to have a certain cool control knob reproduced by the original manufacturer!
But regradless I am grateful that we made the goal! Wow! I'm humbled and a little shocked!!
Thanks to all that contributed and all who are still going to contribute in these last few hours!

That makes me happy. I am stoked to receive the pickup fridge magnet. That was all I could swing for (I recently had to replace my PC). I'm glad it worked out in the end.

Thanks for the help! This has been a BIG learning experience! I have a hunch that since so many people are doing crowd funding these days that folks are getting tired of constantly being hit up for money.
Whether that's true or not I can say it has been HARD to get people to pay attention to the fundraiser and ever more difficult to get participation.
(This isn't a complaint but just an observation) It is interesting that on the Nelson Instruments facebook page I have almost 1,250 fans/followers. Now I know that with facebook not all of them see my posts, but you'd think that out of all of those followers I'd have a healthy amount of support! NOPE barely any at all.
I even emailed everyone that has contacted me (via facebook or regular email) and only a couple people responded.
It leaves me to wonder if all of these people are merely there to be entertained with pictures of guitars? It is odd!

I think I see most of your posts on Facebook and I always read them. Your work is fascinating to me. The thing is, I've become highly cautious of buying from 'boutique' (I don't know if you call yourself boutique; sorry if you hate that descriptive) or lesser known brands from overseas because I'm screwed if it isn't what I want. I used to be obsessed with custom gear. I was designing shit all the time. Then I had a few experiences that knocked me off the boutique and custom wagon. The economy in Ireland is struggling at the moment, like it is in other European countries and in the States, and people only seem to want to buy things they know they can resell easily and without major loss. I've begun to adopt this tact myself and invested in a couple of rare Japanese guitars that are only going to increase in value, and are of course excellent. The Irish love Japanese and US gear, as long as it comes from a production line (Gibson *cough* Fender *cough*). I don't really always want to buy their guitars, though, so a happy medium are companies like Gretsch, Guild, G&L and maybe a few others. Japanese guitars, then, are cheaper but just as good as many US-built instruments. The problem is, I also have very specific preferences: I want something different, something that was built by a passionate craftsman and has a personal touch, at a price that isn't too far from 'production' models. This is hard to find in a company that would also function as an investment and possess economic stability. This isn't a dig at the myriad of awesome and incredibly companies out there like Wild Custom Guitars, M-Tone, Dismal Ax, Echopark, and of course Nelson Instruments. It's just the way the cards fall unfortunately. Custom instruments aren't as secure as they once were.

Regarding your other point, it's true that a lot of people like to request quotes with only vague interest. I understand that mentality, but it can be frustrating for the builder who has to take the time out of building and his/her day to reply to someone who really isn't interested—plus it gives a false frame of popularity, for want of a better word. I recently emailed the man behind Science Amplification with a question, and his reply was excellent, but I never got back to me. I really should, just to say that I'm still interested in his amps but that I don't want to lead anyone on when I have no money to spare at this time, and probably won't for many, many months.

[Nelson Instruments]

I understand your concern! Unfortunately resale is a reality for people whether they wanted to sell their gear or have to sell their gear!
My drive has always been to give the buyer as much VALUE for their guitar-buying dollar.

But I am also aware of the economic climate! So I am adapting. This is why I am going to start work on a "budget" Nelson electric, baritone, and bass that should be able to be purchased for under $1k!!!

That way there is less risk involved in buying something kind of unknown and if reselling has to happen you don't stand to lose money.

But another facet to this is "Brand awareness". Little by little I am working to grow my audience, and raise awareness for my instruments!

My primary goal is to provide high quality, unique (but not grotesque) instruments that everyone can afford without having to take out a mortgage!

One final point regarding "custom/boutique" builders: I know what you mean! These days it is so easy to throw some guitars together that can be total pieces of....crap..... But make them look very pretty. It is also easy to have a nice website.
Especially with smaller and more affordable cnc machines seemingly anyone can "make a guitar". But there are two dangers. People do not learn the "craft" of it. Many probably buy pre-made necks and bodies and finish them without knowing how to do andecent fret job.

Anyway I am kind of rambling now but I know what you mean. Advances in technology make it easier for anyone to start doing something (like record an album, make a guitar, etc) and that is andouble edged sword.
Just like "free speech", the more speech you have the better because it allows more ideas and perspectives to be heard, BUT that means you have to listen to a lot of speech you won't like.
Just like how there is SOOOO much crappy music out there made by untalented people and it sucks to have to wade through it BUT it makes possible some amazing music that you otherwise wouldn't hear.

For guitars technological advances have made it possible for low/no skill people to make guitars. There has never been such a vast array to choose from in guitar history.
Unfortunately you see the way people can make a guitar but can't design one. It's all the same crap!
The thing modern technology has done for me is allow me to buy "obsolete" industrial machinery at cheap prices, utilized my machinist's cnc machine to make professional routing templates etc.
If you have the skill, the vision, the talent, and the drive you can make something really great.
Otherwise you just join the legions of people building strats and teles and les paul jrs.
Some might be very good but with that realm under slow collapse it IS safer money to just buy a real fender or gibson!!

[Tristan]

Hey Bobby,

Could you give more details on the Riddle?
Is it fully semi-hollow (full dual cavities) or mainly weight relieved with holes?
Which scale length is it and would it be possible to make a baritone / bass VI out of it?
How is the neck constructed, is it neck-through, set-in or bolt-on?
Which woods do you use for the Riddle, I read somewhere on here you used cedar for some guitars, is that right and could you use that (or spruce possibly) for this model too?

[Nelson Instruments]

Here you go! As you can see in the photo below the Riddle is essentially fully chambered. I left a small center section intact for bracing purposes (nothing to do with "sustain" etc, but to provide some too support and to resist against body curling)

The scale for the guitar version is my standard 24.75". I am going to be introducing a bass version (hopefully starting on them this summer!) and while the bass version will be a 34" scale, I will be buildin it on the neck template that I use for the 30.5" basses/ bass VI. All that is to say that YES a bass VI would be possible!
A baritone would probably be possible depending on what scale you'd need.

The neck on these is set/glued into the body.

The woods used on this guitar as standard are soft maple for the body and hard maple for the neck.

I did use Tennessee red cedar on one of the Dilettante bass VI instruments (as pictured on the Nelson website) and could make a Riddle out of it but there would be a bit of an upcharge to do it.

Be advised that Tennessee red cedar is NOT the same kind of cedar that some builders use to make acoustic guitar tops.
This is a TOTALLY different cedar, full of knots and pink and ivory color swirls. It is also very fragrant!

[Tristan]

Interesting, what does the cedar sound like?
So basically you offer two different scale lengths, 24 3/4" and 30,5", or are there other scale lengths available?

[Chankgeez]

[Nelson Instruments]

Interesting, what does the cedar sound like?
So basically you offer two different scale lengths, 24 3/4" and 30,5", or are there other scale lengths available?

Well the forthcoming 4-string riddle bass will have a long scale.

If I end up offering a baritone version of the forthcoming <$1000 guitar model I am thinking of using a 28" scale for that.

What does the cedar sound like? Couldn't tell ya! I made one neck-through bass VI out of the stuff and so far that's it.
I'm sure it sounds much like any other fairly light weight wood.

(Ya gotta know that I'm not one that agonizes over, or analyzes minute tonal differences between woods. I choose woods based upon their individual structural characteristics. :-)

[Tristan]

Oh, uh, okay…
The 28" scale baritone sounds interesting though.

[AxAxSxS]

I bet you could sell a couple 9 strings to the Matt Pike fanboy crew as well.

Goroth, they are always played in pairs. Playing that would be comparable to a short scale bass as far as ease of play is concerned.