Covid19 is really mucking up my business
- Thread starter orpheo
- Start date
alex1fly
Well-known member
I wonder if you couldn't find an alternative place to work? Dutch people seem to be very good at making the most out of limited space... maybe you can find a nice rooftop in town to work on, or a barn if you're in the countryside 
Either way, best of luck to you. That must be extremely frustrating.
Either way, best of luck to you. That must be extremely frustrating.
Chistopher
malapterurus electricus tonewood instigator
Yeah, times have been tough for the entire range of locally owned businesses. Hopefully you'll be able to get things moving again when this blows over.
I like the switch location on the HSS one with the Floyd. I've noticed recently I've started liking my switches far enough away to where I rarely think of them.
I like the switch location on the HSS one with the Floyd. I've noticed recently I've started liking my switches far enough away to where I rarely think of them.
I feel your pain Orpheo....
I was on a path to having the best year ever with my entire year's income already booked and on paper by early Feb of 2020! I was going to be well into a 6 digit income after already having a stellar 2019. On a flight from Mississippi to Los Angeles, I went from that reality to having 6 phone calls that had me jobless by the time I hit the ground 5 hours later in LAX. So is the story today as my company is pretty much gone with all the savings I had getting sucked up in just having a normal day-to-day lifestyle. I was lucky to be able to sustain a year off my savings. I am a live sound engineer BTW. So yeah, I was one of the first out and likely the last to be let back in. I do what I do when I can and even wrote up an application to work for SD at their shop ( not too far from me ) making pickups.
Keep fighting the good fight and hopefully, we can all go back to doing what we did.
I was on a path to having the best year ever with my entire year's income already booked and on paper by early Feb of 2020! I was going to be well into a 6 digit income after already having a stellar 2019. On a flight from Mississippi to Los Angeles, I went from that reality to having 6 phone calls that had me jobless by the time I hit the ground 5 hours later in LAX. So is the story today as my company is pretty much gone with all the savings I had getting sucked up in just having a normal day-to-day lifestyle. I was lucky to be able to sustain a year off my savings. I am a live sound engineer BTW. So yeah, I was one of the first out and likely the last to be let back in. I do what I do when I can and even wrote up an application to work for SD at their shop ( not too far from me ) making pickups.
Keep fighting the good fight and hopefully, we can all go back to doing what we did.
I can't see any of the pics for some reason. Orpheo's aren't the only ones.
I'm sorry man
I host them on Facebook so maybe there's a blocker in place where you are?I tried to have those super-rounded fret ends but I don't think that's really that cool to do. it's a pain to do it consistently so the way I do it, is the way I learned from my job. Just nib the corners away, round the tops and polish the living hell out of them.
I wonder if you couldn't find an alternative place to work? Dutch people seem to be very good at making the most out of limited space... maybe you can find a nice rooftop in town to work on, or a barn if you're in the countryside
Either way, best of luck to you. That must be extremely frustrating.
That's really difficult; I would have to move all of my gear
An oscillating sanding thicknesser, a table saw, a bandsaw: those things weigh a TON and finding workspace is really difficult. I really do almost everything myself, from fretboard leveling to making the laminations etc etc. It will be better eventually. But right now, I'm just not in a happy place.
@ewizard: man I'm sorry to hear your story. I feel your pain! Are you eligible for any g'vt assistance?
ErikH
Well-known member
I'm sorry man
Very possible since I'm looking on my work laptop. On my phone I can see them fine though. Same internet connection.
NegativeEase
New member
Orpheo, you are Dutch? maybe we chatted about this before -man, your country needs more of your Dutch made guitars -I'm amazed at how almost no guitar shops in Amsterdam or Rotterdam carry any Dutch or European made guitars. Pretty much all asian imports or American -I know it's the way of the world, but it's sad.
Yup, Dutch!
I know that's the case but Dutch-made guitars just aren't cheap and guitar stores 'need' the cheaper guitars because those sell easier. It's a perpetual battle against consumerism and it's a battle I don't have the energy to fight anymore, hahah!!
NegativeEase
New member
It sucks, not one store I went into the last 2 times I was there had a single new Dutch/local made guiter out of a dozen stores.
closest was a vintage Czech semi hollowbody guitar (can't remember the name but pretty cool), a Shaftesbury British guitar (but turns out made in Japan), and the only new guitars I could find in Netherlands was new Lowden Acoustics made in Ireland (but come to find out most are now built in Australia)
JB_From_Hell
Jomo's Nimions
The alternative to your situation is work for a company who, aside from myriad new rules on cleaning, wearing masks, etc... basically acts like everything is the same as it always was.
As an aside, my store comped 48% in January. For those who don’t know, that means we had 48% higher sales than last year in the same time. However, sales targets are purely arbitrary numbers, so we ended up missing target.
As an aside, my store comped 48% in January. For those who don’t know, that means we had 48% higher sales than last year in the same time. However, sales targets are purely arbitrary numbers, so we ended up missing target.
Yeah, do that and be fined into oblivion. The fine itself is for me already+- 15% of my annual revenue.
maybe they can get away with that there, but there are plenty of places that will get you shutdown and/or fined real quick
JB_From_Hell
Jomo's Nimions
I meant that we have all sorts of rules about masks and cleaning now, but aside from that, they're behaving as if everything's normal.
That still wasn't very clear... we all wear masks, the customers have to, and we have to clean everything every 2 hours.
That still wasn't very clear... we all wear masks, the customers have to, and we have to clean everything every 2 hours.
NegativeEase
New member
It's a shared workshop right? can you do some tasks there in off hours and do the rest at home?
Is there no compromise you can work out for continuing with your guitar making?
Got to be some way to keep going I hope
well, it's a big complex with 36 individual smaller workshops. I can't even enter the complex let alone my own studio, haha! And I need that place to carve tops, shape necks etc: all the stuff that makes way too much dust to do at home. The entire complex is locked, so even sneaking in is not possible without breaking and entering
I can't do it at work either because the factory just isn't designed to handle wood and you don't want wood dust all over the factory floor. Besides, all my materials are, you guessed it, in my workshop studio. All I have at home are just a few fretboards and older guitars that can use some refinishing here and there.
NegativeEase
New member
well, it's a big complex with 36 individual smaller workshops. I can't even enter the complex let alone my own studio, haha! And I need that place to carve tops, shape necks etc: all the stuff that makes way too much dust to do at home. The entire complex is locked, so even sneaking in is not possible without breaking and entering
I can't do it at work either because the factory just isn't designed to handle wood and you don't want wood dust all over the factory floor. Besides, all my materials are, you guessed it, in my workshop studio. All I have at home are just a few fretboards and older guitars that can use some refinishing here and there.
That's quite a pickle. Damn.
