Max Baranet

[bglamann]

I spoke to Max several weeks ago and he is definitely done building electric guitars and leaving Arizona. He mentioned New Jersey, I think because of family and said he was thinking about building acoustics.
He built me a '59 burst 2 years ago with some of the last of his old wood as well as a'58 Explorer.
Both play and sound amazing but they are high dollar. His standard fee for a burst is 30K and 15 K for a flying V or an Explorer.
I still have both which are pristine and essentially unplayed if anyone is interested.
Anyone interested can e-mail me @ [email protected].

 

[Duane_the_tub]

Glad to hear Max is doing well and heading back east. That's incredible what his builds are worth nowadays. Makes it pretty unbelievable what I bought - and sold - my Max for, not even 10 years ago...

 

[bglamann]

I should add that Max is a very eccentric guy but as nice as can be. He built those guitars for those price tags ONLY because I was buying more than one. Otherwise the 'Burst would have been 40-45K and the Explorer 20-25K.
I should also add he hates people talking about prices so hopefully he won't read this.
He authenticates his guitars with a small post card that says MAX on it an an attestation to the materials he used so beware of people selling supposed MAX's.

 

[ARandall]

Its amazing what a name does for what you can charge. There would not be more than a few grand in materials for even the most accurate burst specs.

 

[Skyjerk]

WTF?

Charging 30k for a guitar build is ludicrous. Im sure it sounds "amazing", but no guitar is worth 30k. Period.

 

[pshupe]

...essentially unplayed if anyone is interested.
Anyone interested can e-mail me ...

If you are soliciting for a sale you should probably put this in the classified section. Although I think selling "replicas" is not allowed on the forum, if I am not mistaken? It's definitely not allowed here, right?

I guess if I owned a couple, I too would say that they are worth at least $60K for the pair!

Cheers Peter.

 

[Roxy13]

Unless rules have changed you may sell it in the classifieds here but no photos of the headstock. If you have an interested buyer get his/her email to send those photos to

You should read the rules of course before posting the ad..

 

[pshupe]

Its amazing what a name does for what you can charge. There would not be more than a few grand in materials for even the most accurate burst specs.

It would be interesting to do a little price list.

Raw Wood

"Old Growth" Honduran Mahogany - $200 for a body blank
"Old Growth" Honduran Mahogany - $50 for a neck blank
Eastern maple - $50 for carved top
Holly veneer - $15
Brazilian fret board - $250

Sub - Total - $565 - Let's say $600

Parts

vintage truss rod - $20
cellulose nitrate inlays - $150
fret wire - $20
Royalite binding - $50
ABS neck binding - $20
Nylon nut blank - $10
Cover plates - $45
vintage replica pick guard - $40
jack plate - $30
CAB pup rings - $235
Stop tail piece / studs - $70
ABR-1 bridge / wheels and studs - $60
tuners - $80
vintage truss rod cover - $40
vintage knobs - $125
vintage screw pack - $20
strap buttons - $20
pore filler - $35
aniline dyes - $20
HHG and UF Glue - $30
strings - $15

Sub - Total - $1135 - Let's say $1200

Electronics

vintage PAF clones - $600
pre-wired wiring harness - $250 ( cheaper for parts wired yourself)

Sub - Total - $850

Finishing

Lacquer & thinner - $40
consumables - sand paper $30

Sub - Total - Let's say $100

So for adding all this up you get about $2750. I'm gonna add 15% for shipping and taxes - So a Sub -Total of $3200 for all the required raw materials and parts.

Labour and other consumables I will charge out at a $/hr rate. What is having all the necessary tools and knowledge worth when translated to $$ /hr? Let's say $60 /hr, which I see as a minimum wage for a full time Luthier running a business. What would be a conservative estimate for number of hours per guitar? I'd say 100 hrs would be reasonable.

Labour and consumables - $6000

Grand Total - $9320

Thoughts?

Cheers Peter.

 

[Freddy G]

WTF?

Charging 30k for a guitar build is ludicrous. Im sure it sounds "amazing", but no guitar is worth 30k. Period.

Ah c'mon Chris....where's your capitalist spirit? Everyone knows that something is worth what someone is willing to pay.

 

[KStopper65]

It would be interesting to do a little price list.

Raw Wood

"Old Growth" Honduran Mahogany - $200 for a body blank
"Old Growth" Honduran Mahogany - $50 for a neck blank
Eastern maple - $50 for carved top
Holly veneer - $15
Brazilian fret board - $250

Sub - Total - $565 - Let's say $600

Parts

vintage truss rod - $20
cellulose nitrate inlays - $150
fret wire - $20
Royalite binding - $50
ABS neck binding - $20
Nylon nut blank - $10
Cover plates - $45
vintage replica pick guard - $40
jack plate - $30
CAB pup rings - $235
Stop tail piece / studs - $70
ABR-1 bridge / wheels and studs - $60
tuners - $80
vintage truss rod cover - $40
vintage knobs - $125
vintage screw pack - $20
strap buttons - $20
pore filler - $35
aniline dyes - $20
HHG and UF Glue - $30
strings - $15

Sub - Total - $1135 - Let's say $1200

Electronics

vintage PAF clones - $600
pre-wired wiring harness - $250 ( cheaper for parts wired yourself)

Sub - Total - $850

Finishing

Lacquer & thinner - $40
consumables - sand paper $30

Sub - Total - Let's say $100

So for adding all this up you get about $2750. I'm gonna add 15% for shipping and taxes - So a Sub -Total of $3200 for all the required raw materials and parts.

Labour and other consumables I will charge out at a $/hr rate. What is having all the necessary tools and knowledge worth when translated to $$ /hr? Let's say $60 /hr, which I see as a minimum wage for a full time Luthier running a business. What would be a conservative estimate for number of hours per guitar? I'd say 100 hrs would be reasonable.

Labour and consumables - $6000

Grand Total - $9320

Thoughts?

Cheers Peter.

I like how a lot of people don't understand this at all.

 

[pshupe]

I like how a lot of people don't understand this at all.

It's unfortunate that you see a completed guitar at Best Buy, both Gibson and Fender, and they are selling for $150. I couldn't buy a body blank for that.

Cheers Peter.

 

[Skyjerk]

Ah c'mon Chris....where's your capitalist spirit? Everyone knows that something is worth what someone is willing to pay.

What the market will bear. I suppose so.

Still, it irks me to the point that I made loud, judgmental proclamations on internet forums

 

[Skyjerk]

It would be interesting to do a little price list.

Raw Wood

"Old Growth" Honduran Mahogany - $200 for a body blank
"Old Growth" Honduran Mahogany - $50 for a neck blank
Eastern maple - $50 for carved top
Holly veneer - $15
Brazilian fret board - $250

Sub - Total - $565 - Let's say $600

Parts

vintage truss rod - $20
cellulose nitrate inlays - $150
fret wire - $20
Royalite binding - $50
ABS neck binding - $20
Nylon nut blank - $10
Cover plates - $45
vintage replica pick guard - $40
jack plate - $30
CAB pup rings - $235
Stop tail piece / studs - $70
ABR-1 bridge / wheels and studs - $60
tuners - $80
vintage truss rod cover - $40
vintage knobs - $125
vintage screw pack - $20
strap buttons - $20
pore filler - $35
aniline dyes - $20
HHG and UF Glue - $30
strings - $15

Sub - Total - $1135 - Let's say $1200

Electronics

vintage PAF clones - $600
pre-wired wiring harness - $250 ( cheaper for parts wired yourself)

Sub - Total - $850

Finishing

Lacquer & thinner - $40
consumables - sand paper $30

Sub - Total - Let's say $100

So for adding all this up you get about $2750. I'm gonna add 15% for shipping and taxes - So a Sub -Total of $3200 for all the required raw materials and parts.

Labour and other consumables I will charge out at a $/hr rate. What is having all the necessary tools and knowledge worth when translated to $$ /hr? Let's say $60 /hr, which I see as a minimum wage for a full time Luthier running a business. What would be a conservative estimate for number of hours per guitar? I'd say 100 hrs would be reasonable.

Labour and consumables - $6000

Grand Total - $9320

Thoughts?

Cheers Peter.

10k is a lot of money, but within the limits of sanity given the labor involved, especially if its 100% one guy doing all the work and its his full-time gig, and the quality of his work is top notch.

 

[Skyjerk]

I like how a lot of people don't understand this at all.

some people do understand it, and they still think 30k is ridiculous

 

[DBDM]

I guess you could detail out a Picasso--Canvas=$30. Tube of black paint=$12. Bottle of wine to give the Farmer for making the bull stand still =$20. Already owned the brushes. Should be $62.

 

[pshupe]

I guess you could detail out a Picasso--Canvas=$30. Tube of black paint=$12. Bottle of wine to give the Farmer for making the bull stand still =$20. Already owned the brushes. Should be $62.

Only if Picasso was creating a replica of a painting by DiVinci! LOL

 

[DBDM]

Many of the great masters DID paint "after" (art word for "copy") other masters. Including Picasso. He did not paint "after DaVinci" to my knowledge? Van Gogh did it a lot.

Picasso, himself, coined the phrase “good artists copy, great artists steal”. I have heard that used seemingly a gazillion times in the business, music, and sports world. It is taught at Harvard Business School.

 

[pshupe]

Many of the great masters DID paint "after" (art word for "copy") other masters. Including Picasso. He did not paint "after DaVinci" to my knowledge? Van Gogh did it a lot.

Picasso, himself, coined the phrase “good artists copy, great artists steal”. I have heard that used seemingly a gazillion times in the business, music, and sports world. It is taught at Harvard Business School.

My point would be closer to. Picasso paints an exact copy of the Mona Lisa complete with DiVinci's signature.

 

[DBDM]

My point would be closer to. Picasso paints an exact copy of the Mona Lisa complete with DiVinci's signature.

Agreed. SOMETIMES the masters copied the other Master's sig. Not so much Picasso doing that but others DID copy Picasso's sig since he typically "signed" it by painting on Roman numerals. Sometimes simply "Pablo" and other times "Picasso". I think typically they copy the date but not the name.

I must admit I waiver on Max and putting Gibson on the headstock. In some ways he has (in my mind) transcended the copyright infringement and risen to a status far beyond worrying about that. In another sense he is simply making high dollar, superior quality "Chibsons". I think I would respect him more if he signed all the backs of the headstocks or SOMETHING. The fact that his guitars are occasionally sold and believed by experts to be REAL 59's is unfortunate. Always puzzled me that Gibson never just hired him. Could have made a "Max lab". Different, but could have been like the Murphy lab models.

I know for an absolute fact (not hearsay) that some of the top experts history have been fooled into thinking his guitars were actual 59s.

 

[mdubya]

IMHO - these guys building replicas for years when Gibson would not/could not, created a market for Gibson. And they are still behind what a good replica maker can build.

Gibson owes them a debt of gratitude.

Instead they send cease and desist.