Official Luthiers Forum!

OK so I know we all love to build guitars, but for those of us who do this for a business, we need to keep track of every guitar, its specs, owner information, and payment history, and possibly more. Is there some software that can do all this? Maybe Excel? I'm too computer dumb to know how to make a spreadsheet to cover all this info and such even if it is possible. Maybe some other software out there? Ideas???

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John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

I keep a master Excel file with multiple tabs. Its around 8Mb so far. Tab for inventory. Tab for typical dimensions. Tab for my planning off all of upcoming builds with what parts I'll use from inventory as well as what is not in inventory. I list build # (SN#), body shape, B+S, top, binding, rossette, FB, bridge, HP, purfling, head inlay, position markers and pins. This allows me to shuffle what could go with what in future builds as well as seeing an overview of all builds.

Then a tab for each build that includes every dimension and note I can think to record. I have a tab for each B+S set I have in inventory that includes picture of the set and then add a pic of the top I plan on using. I start adding dimensions for the standard form I started as well as any pics of the build that I feel would be useful. I include cost in there as well. At some point I may have to break out the detailed tabs on each build in separate files. It may just get too big.

You can do a lot in Excel.

You can indeed, but at some point in their evolution, spreadsheets - even well thought out ones such as the one you describe - become unwieldy or unmanageable.

The next step up is a relational database like Access which many people own as part of their Office suite without even knowing it exists. If designed properly, an Access database can do most of what you're looking for, including storage of photos associated with each guitar. Think separate customer details too, linked to each "build" (hate that word!), to facilitate customer mail-outs/newsletters, etc.

I'm a self-employed software developer with a distaste for Access through having supported some pretty funky database designs in the past, but it's a cheap, effective option if done properly from the start.

Cheers
Pete

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Cheers
Pete

Wow.. ok you guys are more organized than me... haha.. I guess that was a broad open question. But maybe that's a good thing. We all have a chance to learn. Well I spent a little bit and I found I actually have a program on my Mac called "numbers". Spent a few minutes in it and created pretty much what I was wanting!!

I keep photos and such organized in iPhoto, and backed up, but I needed something just to keep specs, payments history, and customer info. Here is a .pdf of one I just did. I just removed the customers info for privacy sake. And then I can print a hard copy of it and use it as my build sheet. I'm loving it. Simple but effective.

I keep notes on voicing/construction and such on hard copy in journals.

Here is the build sheet I cam up with.

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John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

Agreed that Access would be a more elegant way of doing what I'm doing, especially with the pictures. I'm all too familiar with Excel being an enginerd, not Computer. Thats what was easiest for me. I dont know Access and have no other need for it, so time spent learning it would be better spent in the shop.

A separate folder for all build pictures is also a good idea. I only put a few in the Ecxel file.

John, simple is good, but I REALLY wish I could sell you a software package just so I could say:
Duuuuuude, you bought the software - good job!

(Private joke for those who've watched John's Advanced Voicing DVD)

Cheers
Pete

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Cheers
Pete

LOL.... that made my day.

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John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

Yup see my post one above you... I discovered Numbers, and it worked really good. I love Mac programs as they are very intuitive for a computer idiot like myself.
My Camera (Olympus E-500) uses a Compact Flash card, or an XD card so I'm out of luck on the wireless card... ...wait I can just get a SD->CF adapter!

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John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

What about keeping a log book and a pencil on your work carpet? It will give your calipers a soft place to land when you toss 'em AND you can take notes as you build with no pesky hard drive malfuncions to get under your skin.

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http://www.booneguitars.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephen-Boone-guitar-builder/488208541257210

I wrote my own access database to track all my expenses, profitability, time, etc..

Maybe I'll put together a guitar builders database, if there's enough interest?

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http://www.PeakeGuitars.com

When I was at the Montreal guitar show last year there was a presentation from Apple and Suhr guitars. Suhr uses FileMaker for keeping track of everything that goes on in their business.

http://www.filemaker.com/

Josh

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Josh House

Canadian Luthier Supply
http://www.canadianluthiersupply.com
https://www.facebook.com/canadianluthiersupply?ref=hl
House Guitars - Custom Built Acoustic Instruments.
http://www.houseguitars.com

Filemaker is a fine piece of software, and it is available in both Mac and PC compatible platforms, so software can be designed that works on both.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

There it is right there.

Filemaker Pro rules the world of the wee little numbers.


- Phil

Have a look at Filemakers "Bento".

http://www.filemaker.com/products/bento/features.html

I've always had a mental block with database software
for some reason, and I still experienced a bit of a learning
curve with Bento, but it has that typical Apple simple elegant
feel. I'm tracking my builds with text & photographic data and
my inventory as well.

For day to day tracking of research I use Journler, very good & free
http://journler.com/

Cheers
Bob Hames

Evernote is handy for 'random data'. I used to have a pile of papers on my desk, e-mails sitting in my inbox, and pictures somewhere on my hard drive that I couldn't find when I needed them for jobs. It's $5 a month, but it takes care of all of that stuff now and makes it searchable.

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Bob Garrish
Former Canonized Purveyor of Fine CNC Luthier Services

This is maybe OT, but the word "inventory" caught my eye here (I use Excel FWIW):

For you guys in business, do you follow accrual-accounting practices (where you keep inventory and track debits and credits based on orders rather than cash flow), or do you follow cost-accounting (debits and credits based on cash flow)?

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The member formerly known as erikbojerik....

After looking for the same thing, and getting tired of not finding exactly what I needed, knowing my way around Visual Basic I decided to make my own.

It manages:
- my contacts (clients, prospects, supplier, ...)
- my quotes, P/O and bills (the ones I make and the ones I receive)
--- I hooked up my scanner to it so I can scan all bill I receive for easy consultation.
- my wood inventory (with pictures of every wood I enter in it)
- my news letter
- Generates a bunch of reports such as
--- Income taxe report
--- Financial statements report
- Automatically generates my Available Wood web page based on my inventory and current guitar orders.



Took me overall about three weeks to program, but it saves me a huge amount of time in tidious administrative tasks.

Been thinking about selling it, but it would involve some cleaning up to do (debug and allowing customisability).

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Alain Moisan
Former full time builder of Acoustics, Classicals and Flamencos.
(Now building just for fun!)