Official Luthiers Forum!

a question for the "made a fair few" folk rather than the pros or beginners......

at what point did you stop numbering each build and start serial number or numbering models......

I've got to 29.....or is it 30.......

I'm going to have to go back to the photo album & count them all

because I now have more than one on the go at a time my count is out........

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My soundclick xx luthier blog xx luthier soundclick

Martin,

I just use an incremental serial number system rather than seperate sets of serial numbers for types and models. I'm up to number 33 and the system will be fine for my lifetimes building.

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

Crumbs, I'd better get me skates on. I'm 29 builds behind you....

I'm 32 1/3 behind!

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

I started numbering really at the first guitar I built with a simple #1, #2 and so on Then once I started building commissions I changed the scheme to help with my notations and records to a year and number such as 2007-008 this number is actually set by the commission agreement number and reflects the date of the agreement not the date of completion. This makes keeping my books easy for me One number will get me to any info I need in my build notes, Deposit records, order addendum's, final payments and warranty history.

2007 year order was placed
-008 the eighth order of the that year

I was about fifteen years into building before I had the desire to create a formal label with a number for each guitar. I listed the guitars I had made up to that point and created label design.
My first formally labeled and numbered guitar was a classical guitar #14 in 1982. Previous guitars were retrofitted when I could find them but most are now long gone.
I'm at #90 now and about to commision #91. Usually when I start a project I enter it into my log book, assign a number and provide a description and period (i.e Winter-Spring '07) in which the guitar was built. Inside the guitar will carry a date which is when the body was actually closed up my signature and a number.
I get a little annoyed when I see builders come up with numbering systems which are basically designed to obscure the fact that they've built only a couple of instruments..............no shame in that but they should be honest about it....

I still number them in sequence, but I have started putting the year before the number. At least I can look up the records for it at some time in the future. I also number the comission papers using the same system, so I can go back and look up what I did at some later date if needed. Just for the record, I am now building numbers 2008-21 through 2008-25. I have comissions through 2208-27 on the books right now.

Speaking of records, I try to keep each guitar's receipts separate. At least I can prove to the tax man exactly what I have in each guitar so that I dont pay income tax on the purchases I make. I have never been questioned on how I spend my money, but you never know when I might get "the letter"

My accountant also recommended that I incorporate my business, so I am now an official corporation. "Hodges Handcrafted Guitars, Inc."

kinda has a nice ring to it dont ya think?

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Reguards,

Ken H

"I have comissions through 2208-27"...

Wow. You need to send me some of that orange juice you got over there in Florida, Ken!

I date everything year first, too. I think I got into that habit because of the way I save dated files on my computer.

I'm gonna asssume you mean guitars; I build lots of other things.

I don't number them, or have model designations. I'm way behind in writing them up in a book for my own records, and don't know how many I have built (and there are some that are hard to count since they got "finished" or almost finished but never made it out the door). If perchance someone in the future cares, I figure to let them have some fun piecing it together. I do put the year on the label, but for some of the ones put aside (finished or un-) I'm actually not quite sure of the year I built them, or whether I should use that year when I get to labeling them. I'd really be tickled if some day when I'm gone people might care, but I'm not waiting around for that.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

my numbiering system is realy easy to keep track of... I am working on # 002 right now !~ LOL Jody

I keep track with numbers in a log, but no guitar has a number or serial number on the guitar itself

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Andy Z.
http://www.lazydogguitars.com

I just number them sequentially. I'm at 025 now. The owners seem to get a kick out of what # they have. I write all the pertinent info on the sound hole cutout too.
Terry

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

I'm on #6 now. I throw a couple zeros in front 006 and the date 2008-006. I
think a lot of us save info on the sound hole cutouts (kind of a tradition).

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

Hey that's a good idea putting info on the soundhole cutouts. I was going to use them as coasters.

I started to log mine, listing all the materials used (wood, glue etc.) and any notes particular to the construction. So far
I've just jotted things down on paper, but will end up with an excel spreadsheet someday when I get time.

I'm only on #2,3 & 4 at the moment though.

Cheers

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Horton, MI

I like your system best Howard, it's the simplest of all. Same as the one I use, though I do know I'm on 31 guitars and 4 lutes finished. I figure that when I'm dead and a legend someone will write a Romanillos type book about me and catalogue them. Your unknown year ones Howard could be like the Torres guitars, have a number with a U after it for Uncertain.

Like your guitars Howard you simplicity of system has Class.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

So far, I'm able to keep up!

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars