Would you sell a second?

[BradW]

I agree with the majority here. Don't sell something you're not comfortable with. Go with Stanberry's recommendation and use it as a loaner.

You know my thoughts on the traditional issue. STAY OLD SCHOOL!!!!

Brad

[duckdog]

pete,keep the second as a demo rod. for one, most likley customers will think it's great that they can try your equiptment before placing an order. with demo rods they can give you the feedback that you need to build them a truly custom rod with regaurds to action and so forth.
secondly with regaurds to the second , your name is EVERYTHING. yes you could remove your name from the second but it really has more value as a demo.
i build surfboards for a living, we build for shops but our bread and butter is custom equiptment.custom means just that,custom . not just custom in color but also tailored to suit how that particular person surfs,wants to surf, where he or she will be surfing. surfing and flyfishing are similar in that no 2 people will feel the exact same thing when they use a particular surfboard or flyrod. it's hard to quantify a FEEL.
don't compromise on the design , but the key to custom is verstility. developing a reputation as someone who can build a customer ANYTHING as well as anyone , but specializes in the traditional. i guess it really comes down to how large a customer base you want to draw from.
just my 2 cents.
mike
p.s - our demo fleet stokes alot of people that think that it's great to be able to try out a particular design before buying one. seconds are a bummer but they can turn into a blessing if used wisely.

[flybob]

Pete, everyone has offered up great suggestions and opinions, I think it is really cool that you threw it out there for debate, as these principles extend beyond fly fishing products.

I have my dos centavos to add.

As far as the loaner goes, one option would be to label it "Prototype" your name is still out there, and you don't have to worry about the blems! A "Second" should never be used as it has negative connotations. Chances are they are probably not that noticeable and do not affect the performance, craftsman always seek perfection and can be their own worst critics! I have a few boo rods that are on indefinite loan, I am told by their builders that they have flaws, for me, they are not apparent and the rods perform magnificently!

Now as far as the gaudy colors go, well that is your choice, but one way you may want to avoid them in the future is to offer ONLY the colors that are in line with your style. NO VARIATIONS! The buyer gets to choose from a pre-determined list. In most cases this will probably suffice. It is your business and your product, with your name on it, work or not, it should be something you get pleasure out of and proud to put your name on it.

JMHO
Bob

[theophilus]

Pete-

A couple of years ago one of my sons got married in the Colorado Rockies, near Estes Park. Of course I took along about a dozen rods I had built, and I had opportunities to use most of them. On our last day, for my final chance to fish, I grabbed a semi-finished 7'er- it had an unpolished varnish coat and wraps that were not smoothly filled. The bluing on the hardware was unsealed, so it was blotchy and dull, in short, an unfinished project. However, I wanted to fish this taper, see how it handled some wind, so off I went.
The Big Thompson River in the national park is a glorious place to cast a fly, open for backcasts, abundant in scenery, with solitude available for the cost of a short walk. I has paused on a trail beside the river, taking in the scenery, when a couple walked by. The lady noticed my rod and said "Oh, you fish bamboo?" I turned to them, and recognized Kathy Jenkins and Mike Clark of South Fork Ltd., world famous for their very fine, very expensive cane rods. It is no overstatement to say that they are the pinnacle of bamboo craftsmanship. "Who made your rod?" Kathy asked. I mumbled something to the effect that I made it, I'm just an amateur, it's not done, on and on, feeling more embarrassed the more I talked. Kathy was the personification of graciousness, Mike acted detached, I was crushed. I felt like I had just shown my Etch-a Sketch to Rembrandt.

When you were a teen did your mother ever nag you about wearing clean underwear? "What if you were in a car accident and they had to take your clothes off you, wouldn't you be embarrassed by those filthy underwear?"!!

It is true, Pete. Don't let a crappy rod out the door. Just break the rod over your knee and try to do better the next time. you will have no regrets after you get over the disappointment.

By the way, I did finish out that rod, it is fine, without any issues, but I don't think I have fished it since that day. Bad Karma or something.


Doug

[anacrime]

I'll take the second! I won't tell no one, promise!

[8NoFish]

hi pete,

wow, those are a couple of tough questions.

1. "second" rod - everyone is probably right in saying that the rod would be best as a demo/loaner rod.

2. your second question is alot harder. you got alot of NO's for that one. i'm not sure i would agree. it really depends upon your personal philosophy and what you want to sacrifice for your "art." it might be better to try to accept as many jobs as you can, at least until you get established and can afford to turn away work. besides, it would be quite an accomplishment if you can "make a silk purse out of a sow's ear." if you can build a beautiful rod despite the client, well, that could be proof of your skill as a rod builder. you can also put a sort of disclaimer on the rod where you put your logo - you could include a line of type that reads, "rod design by (client's name)" or "(client's name) special" - besides taking you off the hook, it would probably appeal to your client's ego.

as a graphic designer, i've often had to make the best out a bad situation. i can't tell you just how many times a boss has said, "i know you're probably right, but do it my way anyway."

[briansII]

A man with moral/ethical/quality standards, and a conscience. Good on ya Pete.

briansII

[theophilus]

And Theo (Doug), if this isn't what you meant by "detached" I apologize to you and all the Mike Clark fans out there for sharing this little bit of humor about him.

... Mike Clark of South Fork Ltd., ...Mike acted detached, I was crushed. I felt like I had just shown my Etch-a Sketch to Rembrandt.Doug

A friend of mine had the same experience (more or less). He introduced himself to Mr Clark several years back - somewhere in Colorado I think. And in the process of searching for the right words, he fumbled all over himself. I would have done the same thing, for sure. Mr Clark apparently sighed dramatically, shook his head and just walked on without ever muttering any words back. Maybe this is what happens when you try putting a size 7 hat on a size 700 head. Doesn't really help matters that his pal Geirach talks him and all of his other friends up in every godamm book he writes. And Theo (Doug), if this isn't what you meant by "detached" I apologize to you and all the Mike Clark fans out there for sharing this little bit of humor about him.

Well, I was trying to find a polite way of not calling him an a**hole, "detached" was the best I could do.I think that he has found his niche by accomodating that segment of the fly fishing community that takes themselves much more seriously than good sense warrants. They're just fishing rods for pity's sake!
I've known others who, when and if you can work around their lousy personality, have shown good character, let's assume that he falls into that class .Anyway, Kathy was as nice as could be, not at all rude, very personable.Much more kind with her comments regarding the unfinished rod than she needed to be.

Doug (no fan of Mike clark, nor anyone as far as that goes)