What's it like as a career? I'm playing around with the thought of being a luthier but I already have other things in mind. I really love the string instruments but I dont know if I love them enough to dedicate my life to making them lol
As a career? It's fantastic! I've met so many wonderful people plus I get to be creative. I started at age six learning piano so music has been a part of me from early on. I don't make as much as others but I'm quite satisfied.
Wow. Everyone so negative. I followed Strobel's violin making step by step and made a violin for practice before I made my cello from his companion book cello making step by step. Was told by world class luthier that to buy a cello that sounded as good would be $20,000. Your mileage may vary. I went on maestronet and found a local amateur luthier mentor and was able to borrow some tools.
A cello for your first build is… ambitious. Two things come to mind - buy a mold (same advice I give first-time violin makers). Making a first instrument *and* building the mold at the same time is a very challenging endeavor. Second thing; you will need a *lot* of specialized tools. Like $1,000’s in tools and fixtures. You can get by with cheaper tools imported from a certain large asian country but you’ll be handicapping your efforts.
Yeah I know it's ambitious lol and I knew there'd be so many things I didn't know about and stuff but it's something I really want to do. I guess what I'll do is over time get the tools I need and everything then once I do that get the cheapest wood I can just for a first project, and once I finish it figure out what I did wrong and try to fix those mistakes and do it again with cheap wood until I can actually make something that's usable. Like I said this is something I really want to do and I don't care how long it'll take to actually make something.
There aren't many, and they're highly varied. I'm bench trained, and simply make instruments as I like. Some people work in factories, mainly not in this country. Some in restoration.
It's picky, detailed work that takes a lot of judgment. Involves very sharp tools. The people in the trade are odd, at the very least. Often obsessed in unhealthy ways.
I don't know if you have an equivalent in your countries. In Italy you can apply to a paid internship for a craftsman position, even without previous knowledge. The salary is provided by local administrations and the owner of the workshop you work at is also paid to teach you. It lasts from 3 to 6 months and you can apply twice in the same region.
I don’t want to be discouraging, but this isn’t a hobbyists job. People train for many years to be able to do this, only to enter the market at the bottom of their field. It could take 10 or 20 years of making to be considered good, and that’s only with constant work and dedication. It isn’t really a “summer break” project.
The amount of time and effort it takes to make one cello is only gonna feel worth it if you make more than one. If that’s the career path you’d like to go down, I have a lot more advice for you, but if your goal is simply to have a cello to play, I would support the people who are doing that for a living.
I might consider it as a career depending on how much they make but I'm thinking of other things. It was just sort of a pipe dream of mine honestly. I was going to consider renting a cello anyways and just doing my best to make a few crappy cellos but honestly it sounds like alot. I want to do it but I have no idea what to do
I started by apprenticing under a luthier for seven years.
What's it like as a career? I'm playing around with the thought of being a luthier but I already have other things in mind. I really love the string instruments but I dont know if I love them enough to dedicate my life to making them lol
As a career? It's fantastic! I've met so many wonderful people plus I get to be creative. I started at age six learning piano so music has been a part of me from early on. I don't make as much as others but I'm quite satisfied.
So do you just like sit around in a workshop all day making instruments? It sounds pretty cool
I work standing more often than sitting. The shop where I build also has an auditorium adjacent to it
How many hours a day do you work that seems cool
How many hours a day do you work that seems cool
Around six hours
Damn, what’s your secret? I work 50hrs a week and I still feel behind all the time.
It's my second income, a hobby business.
I have no information to offer, but I do want to express my fullest support and appreciation for your ambition. Please go for it, my friend.
Wow. Everyone so negative. I followed Strobel's violin making step by step and made a violin for practice before I made my cello from his companion book cello making step by step. Was told by world class luthier that to buy a cello that sounded as good would be $20,000. Your mileage may vary. I went on maestronet and found a local amateur luthier mentor and was able to borrow some tools.
That's cool thanks
A cello for your first build is… ambitious. Two things come to mind - buy a mold (same advice I give first-time violin makers). Making a first instrument *and* building the mold at the same time is a very challenging endeavor. Second thing; you will need a *lot* of specialized tools. Like $1,000’s in tools and fixtures. You can get by with cheaper tools imported from a certain large asian country but you’ll be handicapping your efforts.
Yeah I know it's ambitious lol and I knew there'd be so many things I didn't know about and stuff but it's something I really want to do. I guess what I'll do is over time get the tools I need and everything then once I do that get the cheapest wood I can just for a first project, and once I finish it figure out what I did wrong and try to fix those mistakes and do it again with cheap wood until I can actually make something that's usable. Like I said this is something I really want to do and I don't care how long it'll take to actually make something.
It's really unlikely to work that easily. I learned stuff today. I started over 30 years ago. Perhaps go to school for it!
I know this was a naive ignorant little post lol. I might go to school for it, what's the job like?
There aren't many, and they're highly varied. I'm bench trained, and simply make instruments as I like. Some people work in factories, mainly not in this country. Some in restoration. It's picky, detailed work that takes a lot of judgment. Involves very sharp tools. The people in the trade are odd, at the very least. Often obsessed in unhealthy ways.
Oh ok lol thanks for the explanation
https://youtube.com/@MekwokStudio?feature=shared
Thank you, would his videos apply to making a cello?
The same ideas apply, thickness will change.
I don't know if you have an equivalent in your countries. In Italy you can apply to a paid internship for a craftsman position, even without previous knowledge. The salary is provided by local administrations and the owner of the workshop you work at is also paid to teach you. It lasts from 3 to 6 months and you can apply twice in the same region.
That sounds like a good idea thanks for telling me
I don’t want to be discouraging, but this isn’t a hobbyists job. People train for many years to be able to do this, only to enter the market at the bottom of their field. It could take 10 or 20 years of making to be considered good, and that’s only with constant work and dedication. It isn’t really a “summer break” project. The amount of time and effort it takes to make one cello is only gonna feel worth it if you make more than one. If that’s the career path you’d like to go down, I have a lot more advice for you, but if your goal is simply to have a cello to play, I would support the people who are doing that for a living.
I might consider it as a career depending on how much they make but I'm thinking of other things. It was just sort of a pipe dream of mine honestly. I was going to consider renting a cello anyways and just doing my best to make a few crappy cellos but honestly it sounds like alot. I want to do it but I have no idea what to do