Several months ago, I was
approached by one of the
wealthiest guitar collectors in
the world. He requested that
I send pictures of everything I
make. After a month of emails
and very short phone calls, I
had sold him a big nothing.
Apparently, no guitar I’d done
in the past excited him. I had
no choice but to throw down
my last card—the Red Queen.
The Red Queen is something
I’ve been planning for years—a
hollowbody concept electric that
can only be described as
Alice
in Wonderland meets
Cirque
Du Soleil—and it’s such a big,
bizarre, painstaking project that
the editors of
Premier Guitar
thought I should tell you about
it even if it risks having some
readers thinking this page has
been set aside for self-congratulatory
blathering. But the Red
Queen is expensive—private-jet-on-wing-to-your-private-island
expensive. So please rest assured
that I’m
not trying to sell you
this guitar. I just thought you
might like to ride along on this
journey with me.
After giving this collector a
few details about my vision for
the Red Queen—such as that it
would have a 1000-piece neck,
a 500-piece top, and a few
details that I can’t talk about
yet—he responded with, “Well,
I’m very interested in that.” For
a guitar maker like me, this is
one of those rare events one
can only dream about. So I’ve
been drawing up the details
and making sketches for a few
months, and now I must begin.
There is no room for failure or
disappointment when you’re
dealing with a billionaire and
a Red Queen. Either I achieve
success or it’s off with my head.
Wish me luck! I’ll keep you
posted on my progress with this
guitar over the coming months!
As I reflected on this long-dreamed-of Red Queen project,
I contemplated my career as a
luthier up to this point. It’s been
long, hard, and rewarding. And
over the years I’ve been asked
the same two questions over and
over: “How do you get into guitar
making?” and “What does
it take to have a career in it?”
Here’s what I tell people.
Step 1.
Shut up and do it.
Do it today! Stop telling people
(like me) it’s what you want to
do. Instead, go buy some damn
materials, some simple tools,
and start cutting and gluing some
wood. If you’re just drawn to guitar
building as a great hobby, this
will put you on your way. If you
want a career, keep reading.
Step 2.
Spend two years
learning to build. Seek out
other guitar makers, take
classes, research online information,
and devote the months
it requires to making sense of
what you’ve absorbed. You can
take one of those expensive
courses where you build two
guitars, but I’ve never met any
would-be luthiers who actually
continued building once they
stepped away from the comfort
of the classroom and instructors.
My advice is to teach
yourself first and learn to figure
things out on your own. You’ll
be better off in the long run.
Step 3.
Work in the field.
Get a repair gig or start your
own repair business. This is the
way to start building a reputation
and a clientele list. You’ll
also learn tons about running
a business and client expectations.
While you’re at it, start
acquiring luthier tools.
Step 4.
Keep building and
always keep learning. After five
to 10 years, you might start
selling a few pieces. Build from
the heart, build what you want,
stand your ground at times, and
be a bit stubborn.
Step 5.
If you can make it to
the 15-year mark, congratulations!
You should be fine.
Building a guitar is the
easy part. The hard part is
designing something original,
finding a buyer, correctly
negotiating a price (remember,
if you think a guitar will cost
you $500 to make, it will cost
you two grand), keeping on
schedule, managing the budget,
finishing the instrument,
surpassing the customer’s
expectations, and then getting
paid. Remember this is your
job—you’d better have money
left over for food and rent.
Now start the process all
over again.
It’s a fact that 80 percent
of making guitars is sanding.
It’s a dirty, unhealthy, physical
job, and it’s the part no
one sees. They see the cool
stuff—the shop, the tools,
the videos, and the magazine
articles. They don’t understand
the marathon. Someone asked
me, “How did you decide to
become a guitar maker?” I
replied with a half grin, “It was
an error in judgment.”
It’s not easy if you’re trying
to get noticed. Most builders
fail, many stay poor, and to say
that making guitars is a labor of
love is an understatement.
So, is it worth it? Yes!
Randy Parsons
builds guitars for Jack
White, Jimmy Page, Joe
Perry, and other adventurous
players using
out-of-the-box materials
like bone, flowers, copper,
and solid ebony.