I’ve just voted for more edited videos. ARCHTOP!

But that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy tuning in every week. I do! I just think once a week is still awesome, and also let’s you spend more time building an archtop legacy and archive which can be an asset to your students and income stream for the business.

My vote went to LIVESTREAMS.

There are already a multitude of YT channels out there for just about every possible topic.  TBH, I rarely watch them because they're fairly uninvolving (there's no interaction possible) and I never get round to watching them because there's always something else to do that's more pressing.

Your Livestreams are unique (AFAIK) and I really value the interaction with both you (via the Qs) and the other watchers (via the chat).  You'd lose that uniqueness if you went with edited videos.  I think the interaction from the livestreams also encourages people to encourage the interaction *after* the livestreams, ie via this very forum.

Also, because the livestreams are only LIVE at 1pm on Weds and 1pm on Sats, I make sure that I'm around at those time (my work diary is blocked out on Wednesdays!) and that I watch them.  If they were edited vids, I'd probably not have the discipline to watch them.

But, I *do* think that you need to find a better way of driving some benefit for yourselves from all the time and effort you put into the livestreams.  I don't know what that is or how you'd do it though!  

I've voted for more live streams, I've enjoy watching them, but have to admit that I've missed a couple of recent ones as I've been driving at the time. But I'm hooked now and started my first guitar.

I don't mean that I would like more than two per week, I mean more as in continuing them, although I appreciate that could be difficult when you get back to your actual normal day job.

It's difficult to give an either/or answer to that question but I have voted for the LiveStreams over the edited videos due to the interactive element mentioned by TV01010101010101010. It's great to have the live Q&A's and to have the spectator conversations going on in the comments. It feels a little like we are all sitting in a pub having a pint together, discussing our various opinions and passions and pratting around just little into the bargain. That this then feeds into the forum discussions is great and I would be really sorry to lose this benefit of the LiveStreams.

That said, I do understand that you do have some other work to do and so if twice a week is too much then drop it back to 1 Livestream and maybe try to add one edited video per month.

With regards to monetarising your content can't you allow adverts in the videos for those watching after the event? I have no idea how many hits you need to get to earn money from this but I have never found the odd 10 second ad at the beginning, or in the middle of a video, that I am otherwise watching entirely free to be too much of an imposition.

PS my picture posting seems to be up and running again. Yey!! Watch out Bill, I'm coming to get you!

Darren

I've been really torn with this one Mark. Being new to all this caused me to vote for the edited videos as I will need all the guidance I can get. On the other hand I really enjoy the live videos and don't think I'd like to see them stop. If you were able to continue with the live stuff, even if it meant cutting it down, it would be much appreciated. 

Cheers,

Russ ???

I think a balance - the edited video content is brilliant to guide when actually preparing to do a process and to follow step by step - the live-stream to do the interactive bit......

The live-streams covering techniques have been really enjoyable and informative - a mass of the sort of stuff that you can’t find anywhere else.

I’ve gone for the live streams as they are informative and good fun...the banter in the chat is great as well...

You have a lot of edited vids in the courses that people can access should they wish.

I think what you are doing is unique doing it live warts and all..I for one try and watch as they are aired.

@jamesbisset do I detect a faint desire for an archtop session? I have always been just that little bit psychic (it's from my great grandmother's side of the family you know!)

I think I may have found a Rhino guru willing to model a Benedetto archtop front and back for me from the cross sectional drawings in his book. After that, with a bit of luck, a set of moulds to laminate a 355 shouldn't be far behind. The issue has been that it is far preferable, from an ease of production perspective, to form this type of panel into a female mould ie the lamination is being sucked down into a hollow rather than over a positive form. A bit of experimentation will be required but the 3D model of just the front and back surfaces will be a huge step forwards for the archtop instructional video and/or training course.

Cheers

Darren

@darrenking We need to talk! I haven’t got to the Bagpress bit of the pre-planning yet, but I was assuming that I’d need to either

1. build a 3D model of front and back that I could put into a CNC machine
2. carve the blighters out of a horse chestnut that we just had cut down (or maybe a bit of MDF)

I’ve worked with 3D modelling in the distant past (proposed exhibition stand designs), but my budget now doesn't extend much past Blender, which is currently on my TODO list. 

Anyway, lots of tech to get my head around. What’s the expected file format for 3D CNC machines?

Hi @jamesbisset,

I use Vectric VCarve Pro to create the toolpaths for my CNC router and this can import 3D files in the following formats: STL, 3D DXF, OBJ, 3DS, VRML, 3DM, SKP

I believe that Blender can save or export several of these file types so if you can model the front/back of the guitar I can CNC machine the moulds(s). I would need it just as a single plane surface (without thickness) and I think it will work best if I produce a female mould to suck the veneers into rather forcing them over a male mould so the file should represent the outer surface of the guitar. If you can extend the outer edge of the surface to form a rectangle giving +30mm on the extremities of the guitar that would be great. A separate path indicating the perimeter of the guitar would also be useful.

Does this make sense?

If Blender doesn't work for you then you can download a complete working trial copy of Rhino which gives you 90 days of full functionality so if you fancy getting your head around this application it's zero cost, no credit cards involved, and when you get to the end of the 90 days it simply stops working. I used Rhino to model the necks of my Maccaferri guitars although these were simpler (for me) than the front of an archtop.

Regards

Darren

I voted for Live Streams but I see just as much merit in edited videos too. Maybe go down to one live stream per week and use the other time to edit videos, I still want to see a finishing course. I know you have other stuff to do as well such as getting orders ready to ship, busy times but that is good. Whatever you decide to do Mark, it’s always going to be good, there is never anything wasted so don’t get hung up on clunky live stream sessions, it’s part of the charm. We are all behind you, I’m about 150 miles behind you, I’ve still not made it up there to see you. 

I voted live streams, but you can download them and chop them up and do a best bits kinda deal. There is a place for both kinds of videos though. Quality of the live streams is great though

Live streams have their own advantages that it would give a certain confidence to whoever is watching that there is Mark who is doing it on the spot, down to earth with all the mistakes that we all do (although we do 100x or maybe more), in addition that it has this close type of relation with us all as friends so let us call it a friendly feel to it and that is all good. The strength of Mark that he is extremely talented and can easily do things (probably without tools!) and he repeats over and over again that anyone can do a guitar (very kind of him to say so). These are all great topics....(the but is coming now)

But Mark needs the views/viewers on YouTube, 5000 subscriber for the amazing Mark & Carol doesn't make me happy at all. 100,000 maybe I can partially smile then. And this won't be achieved except with focused (i.e. edited) videos. We don't know how long this situation would last as here in Italy, for example, we have just started the second wave of the Covid 19. It is crucial that we have topics as general (macro level) kind of body, neck, electronics ... then more micro with a certain levels of in between, clear title and subtitle (all numbered for reference) in order to get those views ASAP.

Another important point to consider is the review of tools, machinery ...etc. That could be on the side of things  but it would bring more subscribers and viewers to the channel, which router is better? Why?...etc. This could be done at your own pace, but it is vital. Now which stores to get this or that? Nothing is wrong by affiliating with them as there is business to run and bills to pay. There is a lot to discuss here and please don't ask me why I haven't been around in this forum (I just discovered it today!)

If Mark is doing 4 sessions biweekly, then I would suggest 3 sessions edited and 1 session live stream; this is how I see it and the vision is to get as many viewers as possible.

Cheers!

But Mark needs the views/viewers on YouTube, 5000 subscriber for the amazing Mark & Carol doesn't make me happy at all. 100,000 maybe I can partially smile then.

I think you have to keep in mind the number of guitar builders that there are out there in the world.  Are there 100,000?  I'd be surprised if it were that many.  Certainly not that many whose first language is English, or can understand English well enough to understand @markbailey 's odd English-ish accent.

😉

If the number is 10,000 - which feels more reasonable - then Mark's already got 5,000 of them signed up (which would make me happy!).

Mark's channel is fairly specialist / niche - it's not going to be the biggest channel on YT.

In another life, I half-ran the UK's largest guitar forum (that's another story).  We had probably >20k members, and >2m hits/mth.  Those were big numbers.  But within those big numbers, there were perhaps <20 people who actually made guitars.  Maybe another 20 or so who bolted bits together.

There are very few guitar makers!

Most of us makers already know about most of the sites who'd be interested in our custom (ie paying for referral links, etc), because it's such a small world.  That also makes the monetisation aspect more challenging - there's no easy option of referral links or ads.

I think Mark has got it right with his making-tools sideline - stuff that we can't get elsewhere (or could get elsewhere, but choose to support Mark instead) - he gets all the revenue without worrying about advertising costs, etc.  But again, he's not going to get rich (richer) from selling rasps.  How many rasps does each of us need!

So the monetisation aspect is still a challenge.  As soon as I've worked out the answer, I'll be letting him know!

Well this has opened up a whole can of lentils!

I think the last couple of posts from tv ten ten and Ihab hit the nail on the head.  One sees the Bailey brand as a niche local enterprise for guitar builders whereas the other is all for appealing to the more Global market of anyone who has an interest in the mysteries of how geets are made.

I suspect this is where Mark's question came from...... if you take 100 people interested in guitar making you're gonna get half that want to know the ins and outs of every detail and make as much as possible from scratch, half that want to knock one out as soon as possible from a kit, another half that want to make one near perfect guitar even if it takes them the first ten years of their retirement and still another half that want to learn all the shit there is in double quick time to start making a living out of making and selling guitars. And that's not including the other half!

And of those many halves ? half will want to get the info for free and the other half will be willing to pay for quality.

Now..... half of me thinks ???? 

Seriously, I LOVE your online courses. They enabled me to build playable electric and acoustic guitars with no prior woodworking experience. I can only imagine the amount of time and effort it took to make them. To me, the live streams are a fantastic addition to them and even when I can't watch them live like today, I'll watch em with a beer after a gruelling 12 hour shift to unwind. But I'm a GM fanboy ...... I wonder how many non Bailey students are regulars to the live streams?

Personally I voted for more edited stuff because I'd be willing to pay for a finishing course and someone's got to support @jamesbisset for an archtop masterclasscourselessonvideotutorial  😉             But I do see the value in team bonding from the live stuff. 

Have you looked into approaching local colleges or Unis to see if there are marketing/ IT students looking for projects or internships to help with their CVs that might be able to do the donkey work so that you can do what you do best?

Excuse my waffle .... one beer led to two.... but I don't know if there is a one size fits all answer to your poll except to know that you're working your arse off living the dream that so many others can only dream of. But at the same time, helping us all to dare to dream ?

So to answer your original question.......... not a clue mate!

Well this has opened up a whole can of lentils!

I think you half-opened quite a few different cans

😉

I think the last couple of posts from tv ten ten and Ihab hit the nail on the head.  One sees the Bailey brand as a niche local enterprise for guitar builders whereas the other is all for appealing to the more Global market of anyone who has an interest in the mysteries of how geets are made.

Maybe there's something in that.

The live sessions have been about small aspects of guitar building, specific tools and/or skills, rather than the complete process.  Those smaller aspects have a direct bearing on the final outcome, and they're often not the sort of thing that you'd learn from guitar-building books, or understand the significance of.  But those smaller aspects and details are an intrinsic part of what makes Mark's approach, his courses, and the guitars that he builds so good.

They're a taster for the full-on courses.

But also they could be a way to broaden the appeal and tempt people in to the more practical aspects of guitar building ...

• How do pickups work (I really still don't understand the physics of it!).
• Let's look inside a pot and understand how that works (understand the theory and you'll never need a wiring diagram again).
• All the aspects of guitar set-uppery that turns a brilliantly built and beautifully looking guitar into one that actually plays properly too.

Mark has a wealth of practical knowledge of loads of aspects that are peripheral to the core making of a guitar that (a) would probably widen the potential audience base, and (b) serve as an entry point for the more curious, into the world of guitar making.

Perhaps even ...

• Let's put a kit together

... and lets see all the problems that you get out of the box with a typical kit, and how they can be resolved.

It all depends on what Mark's objectives are.  What does he want to achieve - 5k subscribers is a nice flag to reach, but ultimately, "so what".  What's the outcome that he wants from those 5k subscribers?

someone's got to support @jamesbisset for an archtop masterclasscourselessonvideotutorial

@james-chacewatergmail-com-2 At last - someone who understands!

There are lots of edited videos on utube about all types of instrument making and they are great to watch. However none of them offer the opportunity to for live chat and have question/answer sessions in real time. This is unique in my experience and it would be a shame to lose it. Mark already has edited videos on utube and the paid courses so I think it would be a mistake to turn the Wed/Sat sessions into a duplication of what is already available.

I do have one observation though. I've noticed a tendency for people to start side conversations in the comments section which are off topic to what Mark is demonstrating, which can be a bit distracting and lead to questions being missed.

I think the live streams would be more productive if there wasn't so much general chatter and then people who who under time pressure due to work etc could get more from them.

I voted for live streams and let a comment some where, not sure where it is.

Ive been very impressed with the bits on tool making, maybe there are other custom tools that you could make and add to the web site. There seem to be lots of very skilled people following who could be third party suppliers.