was thinking about approaching some makers/doers here to ask about a body and fnishing, and it requires a bit of digging around (company names not always a clue to what they do).
anyway i wondered whether there may be a way for them to be organised, or to organise themselves, into categories according to what they do. just a simple standard template entry for each and a link to their website:
bodywork,
finishing,
pickups,
amps,
effects,
etc.
that way someone who wanted to wanted to quickly locate all the pickup winders on a the forum could find them all in one place, instead of a lot of digging in or putting out a shout 'does anyone know someone who?' etc.
maybe this already exists somewhere and i'm being exceedingly dim in not being able to find it. but it seems quite a simple logical way to arrange basic 'yellow pages' style info. a thought anyway.
hofner hussie & hayman harpie. what she said...
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the problem will always be the number of sections that don't get looked at. Made in the UK already has that issue, splitting it into categories would make it worse.
A stickied directory linking to their profiles or on going threads may work
The other issue would be categorising the business members who have fingers in multiple pies.
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Unfortunately, I can't answer the question about you being exceedingly dim.
If you spend anytime in the Making & Modding section (or browse the Made in UK section), then you'd probably know who does what, but that doesn't help anyone who hasn't live in those sections regularly, so perhaps it's something we should do.
Somehow.
The bugger is in keeping lists/directories like that updated. We had something similar with the recommended luthiers and amp techs threads, which then depend on someone keeping a "directory" type thread updated with all the posts that get added.
Many guitars have a re-sale value. Some you'll never want to sell.
Stockist of: Earvana & Graphtech nuts, Faber Tonepros & Gotoh hardware, Fatcat bridges. Highwood Saddles.
Pickups from BKP, Oil City & Monty's pickups.
Expert guitar repairs and upgrades - fretwork our speciality! www.felineguitars.com. Facebook too!
It would be unhelpful to recommend a repairer in, say, Newcastle to a guitar owner in Exeter. There is also little point in recommending somebody whose workshop services are fully booked weeks into the future.
i'm in m&m most visits, to follow personal builds and marvel at skills. and i dip into miuk now and then, so can name a few makers/doers in each category but not all (i don't have the purse for custom and boutique, hence m&m interest).
i definitely wouldn't want to propose something that became an admin nightmare if adopted. so was thinking basic basic, not new subforum or complex. maybe a spreadsheet of some kind?
categories of 'making and doing' along one axis, and 'makers and doers' names (with a link to their tfb thread and their website) along the other.
and they could check against things they do in the grid. or perhaps the checking of could be done by admin for a small token fee to tfb, so the list was locked.
that way a prospective customer for finishing could run their eye along whichever category or 'making and doing' they were interested in, and then dig into individual makers for a closer look to see if they are what they are looking for.
on a desktop computer that may be ok. on a phone maybe too small. but could be as simple as a single spreadsheet. as easy as poss on mod time and patience, while delivering the basics.
btw it's good to see your avatar around again. keep it in condition TT!
Not enough people look in the made in the UK section to justify a separate list of people and contact info. Anyone interested in services within the uk know where to look if needs be
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maybe some 'newbies, innocents and unawares' would get more involved in the section but for that very sense that if they don't already know who they are looking for, they shouldn't really be just wandering around in there.
that may be an exaggerated impression, but there's potential for a negative cycle in there that fails both sides.
but we are all born ignorant and innocent. the easier you make it for people to get involved, the more likely they will do so, in my experience.
One of *my* priorities when we set the forum up was for it to act as another platform for the smaller UK businesses. That's my personal prejudice / preference, and I've repeatedly spent my money with those businesses rather than the traditionals (IIRC, I've got one G, no Fs and a couple of PRS - the rest are lesser-found names!).
Anything that makes it easier for others to find those businesses is "a good thing" in my book - just need to find a sensible way of implementing it.
I think I'd ask any business that was included on the list/directory/whatever, to take the time to create and maintain a "here I am" thread here though - much as @FelineGuitars does.
This is a forum, people can interact if they want to but in the made in the uk section they don’t for some reason. One click takes you into the section and people are free to browse. What more can be done?
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I see them as general interest ... seeing inside classic bits of kit that other folks seldom get a chance to ...
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
That degree of scrutiny is deeper than most people wish to go. You have a professional interest. A small number of geeky enthusiasts seek that level of detail. Most punters just want their instruments to work for them rather than against.
Even those who think that they understand the significance of the innards of old pickups have no immediate need for information beyond satisfying their curiosity. Few will go to the trouble of attempting to build pickups themselves.
The curse of any specialist interest is that few others care enough to wish to share in it.
What we find in Made in the UK, and in Making and Modding, is that many people follow a thread but don’t comment. It’s not like Off Topic where lots of people make smart arse comments. I would not normally comment on one of @TheGuitarWeasel ‘s rebuild threads because I have nothing useful to add. I’m fascinated by his knowledge, and the questionable quality of many historic pickups. The same goes for one of @WezV ‘s build threads.
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
FunkFingers doesn't speak for the forum, nor for anyone other than himself.
If you decide that you're too busy to post them here too, then that's another matter. But I (and I speak only for myself!) won't see them on your blog.
If you go by the “views” count you get a good idea - I’ve had a couple of threads with high views counts and low comments counts. That’s fine by me. I know I’m not talking to myself then
With the endless debates on what is or is not an accurate reissue of this or that classic pickup I certainly thought that helping to blow the lid of some misconceptions by showing some valuable originals and how they were made back in the day was a useful exercise.
This 64 Tele pickup turned out to be a 70s or 80s (very poor) rewind ... note the 'definitely not Fender' blue tape visible in the top hole ...
I always try to find time to post things that are interesting or informative ... but it would be nice if 'made in the UK' was a little less messy, and a little less of a backwater.
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message