Liang Liang and Ban Ya flew to Beijing on the morning of the 30th and then transferred to Lianwan. They landed at Lianwan Airport at around 10 a.m. the next day.
After getting off the plane, Liang Liang gave Ban Ya 1,000 yuan, which was his extra reward for following Liang Liang on his trips for the past two weeks; it could be considered a bonus.
Liang Liang also provided Ban Ya with a pager so that it would be convenient to contact him if anything happened.
Then Liang Liang gave Ban Ya a break and told him to contact him again when he left.
Liang Liang returned to the Haiyun Dance Hall. Naturally, he wanted to come back and see how the dance hall had been operating over the past two weeks.
Bi Sheng, shirtless, was tuning a Phoenix guitar for a fifteen or sixteen-year-old youth at Haiyun Music Store.
This is a plywood practice piano that costs around 150 or 160 yuan. This kind of piano is only for students to practice with. The tone is very poor, and no matter how you adjust it, the tone is not bright.
However, Bi Sheng remained very patient while tuning the instrument, only handing it over to the boy when he was satisfied.
The boy, clutching his guitar, walked away happily with his father.
Bi Sheng only noticed Liang Liang standing at the door when he saw the boy off with his eyes.
"Oh! Xiao Liang is back?"
"Brother Bi Sheng! You've worked hard!"
Bi Sheng wiped his face with a handkerchief: "What's so tiring about it! It's just hot. It's only early June and the temperature is already this high. It looks like this summer is going to be really hot. Hey! Why did you come back by yourself? Where are Xiao Liu, Xiao Wang, and Xiao Xiao?"
“They went to perform in Jinan. I came back to take care of some business. My godfather’s nightclub is opening on the 4th, so I had to come back and visit.”
Liang Liang didn't mention the roof beam raising ceremony for his house. If he did, the people at the nightclub would have to give him favors, which would be an extra expense for them.
"Brother Bi! How's business at the music store these past two weeks?"
The music store has only been open for a little over twenty days. Even if it becomes incredibly successful in the future, it is probably unknown now and doesn't make much money every day.
"It's alright! I can sell three or four thousand yuan a day, but I make more money selling guitars."
This is normal. A significant proportion of the teenagers who first learned music in the 1990s learned guitar, so it's normal that guitars sold a lot.
On average, Liang Liang could sell three to four thousand yuan a day, which made her very satisfied. With sales of three to four thousand yuan, it wasn't difficult to earn four to five hundred yuan a day.
"It's a pity that most of them are practice pianos that cost between 100 and 200 yuan. It's not worth making 30 or 20 yuan a piano. The expensive ones sell very little."
"Our living standards still need to be improved. People who are just learning the piano can't afford a good one, so they can only buy a broken one to practice with. When their skill level improves, they will naturally have higher demands and will naturally buy a better one. There's no rush!"
Lay a solid foundation, and you won't have to worry about business in the future.
"Xiao Liang! I took apart a guitar and studied it for a long time. I think making a guitar doesn't seem too difficult. I have an idea in mind. What do you think about me making a guitar myself?"
Bi Sheng is quite a funny guy; he came up with this idea without saying a word.
"Great idea! I think it's feasible! But making a guitar is not easy at all."
Bi Sheng came up with a plan that Liang Liang had to support.
Bi Sheng was thrilled to receive Liang Liang's support.
"But don't be fooled by the fact that guitars are all made of wood; the manufacturing process is quite complex. Since you have this idea in mind, I'll tell you some things about guitars. If you're just acting on impulse, you might change your mind after I tell you."
Upon hearing this, Bi Sheng quickly found a tape recorder, inserted a blank cassette tape, and sat properly in front of Liang Liang.
"Guitars can be divided into three types according to their materials and manufacturing process: plywood guitars, solid-top guitars, and all-solid-wood guitars. I am referring to acoustic guitars; electric guitars are not within the scope of this discussion."
Next, Liang Liang spent about half an hour explaining the science behind Bi Sheng, going through each step one by one.
Let's start with the selection of materials, such as acrylic, cardboard, panels, back panels, side panels, etc.
Now that we've covered material selection, let's move on to the manufacturing process, starting with neck production, then moving on to the top, sides, and back, and finally, assembly, from the tuning pegs to the guitar's paint film, cardboard, and fretboard...
Talking about this will make your mouth dry, and you'll surely be listening with your soul completely captivated.
He hadn't expected that building an airport would require so many steps; it seemed quite troublesome.
Liang Liang knew the detailed process of making a guitar because he had also considered making one after he turned 30 in his previous life.
At that time, he felt that playing in a band didn't seem to offer any future, so he decided to make a living by making guitars. He put in a lot of effort and actually made a few acoustic guitars, but they were only at the mid-range level, and he couldn't make any higher-end ones.
"So, Brother Bi, do you still have plans to make guitars?"
Bi Sheng considered it seriously for several minutes, then nodded firmly: "I still want to give it a try, starting with the cheapest plywood guitars."
"Since you're really going to make guitars, you first need to figure out some tools. Making guitars involves wood, so you'll need a plane, a flat planer, a bending machine, a fret cutting machine, a bench drill, a polishing machine, an engraving machine, and a painting machine... These are all essential. Are you sure you know how to handle all these things?"
"When I was young, I worked as a fitter in the industry. How much would it cost to equip myself with all this equipment?"
Liang Liang thought for a moment: "The equipment for making a guitar doesn't need to be very big. If you can buy it, it won't cost much. Ten or twenty thousand yuan should be enough. The key is that you may not be able to gather all the necessary equipment. If you can't, some processes will have to be done entirely by hand, which will reduce your work efficiency. You might not be able to make a guitar even after several days."
In the early to mid-1990s, China was not yet a major manufacturing country, unlike 20 years later when you could buy any equipment you wanted domestically. If you couldn't buy the top-of-the-line equipment, you could find second- or third-tier alternatives.
But that's no longer the case; some equipment simply can't be produced domestically.
"It's okay to go slowly. If you can make two guitars in a month at the beginning, that's fine. You'll naturally get the hang of it over time! These devices costing tens of thousands of yuan are not a small amount."
That's a good idea.
"Equipment is not a problem. Let me go to the south and see if I can assemble a set of equipment for you in Hong Kong and Taiwan. If you don't have enough money, consider it a loan to you first, how about that?"
"That's great!"
"Once you can produce guitars, I'll give you a reasonable factory price so you can sell them in our music store. If you make a name for yourself, you can wholesale them. I've even thought of a name for you: Bi Sheng Guitars!"
When he had free time, he would teach Bi Sheng how to make a few low-end guitars. He couldn't make high-end ones, but he hadn't forgotten how to make low-end guitars.
He can teach Bi Sheng how to make a mid-to-low-end acoustic guitar, but whether he can make a high-end guitar in the future depends on Bi Sheng himself.
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