[Mike Tracz MCT Guitars]

Hello Andrew,

Thanks for sharing your background and goals. You have a lot going for you, and understand the emotions as you play out scenarios. It’s not easy, but small steps may be worth exploring before taking the plunge. Adding more to your plate won’t be easy, but it may feel better than catching up.

Although I’m not a full-time repair or builder, I could share what I get into if it will help you at all.

I’m a designer by day, with a few side hustles nights and weekends. I have been building guitars for 15 years and do some CAD/design work on the side. But you may be most interested in an Etsy shop I started in 2019 that has grown significantly over the past few years. It started with this: what can I do with all the scrap wood and improve my hand skills? I started making combs and hair forks (one version of each)for family and friends. They seemed to dig them, so I opened a shop. I listened to requests and tested variations with Etsy customers and now have ten products in our shop. I wanted to keep to scrap wood, so now I hit up all the furniture shops in the area, and they let me dig through their bins. This keeps me busy, and getting back to guitar building is tough.

I don’t want this to sound like a brag. I guess what I’m saying is, look around at what you have (resources and skills) and what you want to get out of it. I had to be patient and revise my plan quite a bit. I advise looking at things separate from guitars; that way, you don’t get burned out. Please make sure you do time studies and run costs (everything from materials to the time it takes to pack and ship) to make sure you are making money, not investing in another hobby (this is tough for me). Try to link new skills and learning with the venture so that if you only break even initially, you are profiting in other ways.

Feel free to hit me up if you have any questions.

_Mike

mctguitars@gmail.com

https://www.etsy.com/shop/MustCreateThings

etsy.com

MustCreateThings - Etsy

Shop Handcrafted heirloom-quality accessories. by MustCreateThings located in Cleveland, Ohio. Smooth shipping! Has a history of shipping on time with tracking. Speedy replies! Has a history of replying to messages quickly. Rave reviews! Average review rating is 4.8 or higher

[Mike Tracz MCT Guitars]

Chip,

Thank you for your reply! I have been looking at Serious Grit as well. Unfortunately, their hole pattern won’t work with the sander I picked up. I do have some Mirka in the shop that I enjoy working with.

Best,

_Mike

[Mike Tracz MCT Guitars]

Thank you! I’m going to look into the Festool as well. Have a great day!