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Post subject: Who does their own guitar work?
Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 5:22 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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Joined: Sun Mar 30, 2008 8:54 pm
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On my guitars I do the usual things like stringing and stuff but I love to tinker with my set up. I spent some time this summer playing around with my Epi LP and I've been working on my Strat lately too. It came with a decent enough set up but with a pretty high action for me. I recently switched to .10's and had to tweak it a bit to get it where I had it for my .09 strings. I'd love to buy a cheap garage sale or pawn shop guitar and rip it apart and rebuild it just for fun. Tinkering with my guitars is almost as much for for me as playing them. There's people on here who can take a burnt piece of timber and make it a guitar :wink: and some who send their guitar in to change the strings. Where do you fall in?


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Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 5:38 pm
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I do full set-ups, nut work, wiring, pickup swaps... some complicated stuff like fixing the trem on my buddies G&L, plugged & drilled tuner holes, built a Warmoth guitar for a co worker, nothing too serious.

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Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 5:48 pm
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Joined: Wed Dec 12, 2007 1:31 pm
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Location: Southern California Mountains
First 15 years of my guitar playing life I didn't do anything but change strings. over the 5 or so years I've taken an interest in the Guitar itself, as opposed to the music it makes.

I've learned from books and internet discussion how to do set ups on just about any kind of guitar, Shape an acoustic bridge, and I can repair the electronics on a Strat. Pretty sure I could do it on any guitar given the schematics, I simply haven't had to do one them yet.

Still need to learn (or I should say hash out) nut work, dressing frets, and refinishing. Next goal is to be able to wire an entire guitar from parts.

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Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 5:50 pm
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Location: Vacaville, CA USA
I do everything except fret jobs. And I'll be learning that too!

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Post subject:
Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 6:02 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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Joined: Fri Jul 13, 2007 7:45 am
Posts: 308
Location: Virginia, USA
Everything electronic. I have never glued a broken neck or anything that serious. PUP changes, pots changes, jacks, PUP selectors...etc is fun for me. I used to work in a music store doing guitar repair and sale. Best job ever but can't support a family on those wages.

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Live guitars: 2009 LTD Truckster, 1989 Strat Plus, 2001 Am Standard Strat, 1996 MIJ Jaguar, 2007 Gibson Explorer 76 reissue, 1999 Ibanez RG7621, LTD MH-301, LTD FM400, 1999 Jackson Kelly, Mystery Les Paul, Hamer Chaparel, Fender FM 62SCE A/E Mandolin


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Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 6:06 pm
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Joined: Wed May 20, 2009 2:58 pm
Posts: 2293
Location: Adirondacks
I do all my own work. I am working to get my Fender certification to be an official repairman so I can help folks take care of their gear. Stew Mac is a great resource for tools and has a great selection of books to teach the basics.


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Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 6:06 pm
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Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 5:31 pm
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Location: Brisbane, Australia
Just strings here. I only recently decided I'd like to learn how to properly do set ups so I read the info here (which made me want to join the forum):

http://www.fender.com/support/stratocaster_setup_guide.php

It's not hard to find feeler gauges although I'm not sure where to get a ruler that goes down to half millimetre measurements yet - but finding is half the fun... :)


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Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 6:18 pm
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Joined: Wed Jul 29, 2009 10:03 am
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Location: NL Canada
Before I developed Arthritis in my hands and back problems I used to do a lot of my own work such as wiring,neck sets&shimming(on bolt ons) intonation,changing action,truss rod adjustments,but now I send them to my trusty tech to do it.

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Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 6:27 pm
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Location: In a galaxy far far away
I do everything except paint. I've tried a few times and just can't suss it out.

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Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 8:08 pm
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CAFeathers wrote:
I do everything except fret jobs. And I'll be learning that too!

+1

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.


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Post subject:
Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 8:10 pm
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Joined: Sun Jul 26, 2009 4:01 pm
Posts: 633
Location: Virginia USA
I have not been playng this time around but about 7 months but I have learned to do truss rod, intonatation and string height adjustments. I learned alot from this site. http://www.fretnotguitarrepair.com/

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Post subject:
Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 8:13 pm
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Joined: Wed Jul 18, 2007 9:53 am
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Location: Magnolia, Texas (just north of Houston)
I do everything except truss rod adjustments. See below. It started out as a SSS Highway 1 stock.

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Post subject:
Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 8:40 pm
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Location: Great White North, EH!
I do everything, including paint. But I haven't done a sweet compensated nut like Niki has.

I had a guitar near ruined by a tech when i was starting out.Since the I don't trust anyone. then playing remote gigs in Canada you have no choice but to learn, sometimes you are literally hundreds and hundreds of miles from the nearest place you could take it in.

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Post subject:
Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 8:53 pm
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I have to say that even at my stage in playing I'm not a fan of techs or at least the ones I've seen in the shops around town dealing with my guitars. I took guitars in 3 times for set ups and paid $50 each for 2 of them and other than changing the strings my guitars were not done as I wanted them. Here I am sitting and telling the guy what I want and I get the feeling that they are just going to re string it and do what they want anyways. There's one guy in town who's supposed to be really good but he knows it and he charges about $100 and it takes 3-4 weeks to get it back. If you want it sooner it's $150. I'd rather do my own and learn about my instrument than throw my money at someone and pray that I like what they did. That's the whole reason I've started doing my own stuff.


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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 1:45 am
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Joined: Tue Apr 08, 2008 12:58 pm
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Location: Planet Earth
I do my own guitars and others.

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