I'm kind of new to playing guitar (about 6 months-ish) i was wondering how could you guys are at doing your own repairs etc. i mean you can mod a strat so much and it changes so much (like if you put a heavier string guage)So how up to speed should i be with tweaking my guitar?

I would recommend every musician know how to set up their guitar.
And of course know how to change strings!

After paying to have it done (once), I now do all my own setups and mods to my Strat.

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Bill

Hi Y Tu and welcome to the forums.
Being able to do your own work is very much part of the fun. There a re a number of books on "How To' as well as many Youtubes that show you different procedures. If you are a little bit handy, you can set up and maintain your guitar

Bill

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Hey, Boy Blue is back!

Hi Y_Tu: I do all my own repairs.

However, the world is full of fine players who can barely change their own strings let alone anything else. There's no rules: do as much or as little as your inclination dictates. Some folks here pay a tech to do a full set-up on their guitar every six months, and that is a perfectly respectable way to go.

As the mood grabs you. For now, concentrate on playing the guitar. Worry about the other stuff later.

Cheers - C

Every guitarist should be able to do their own basic work like set the intonation,change strings,set bridge height and action and do truss rod adjustments.There are plenty of websites and books that explain in basic step by step terms how to properly do these adjustments.Cruz Tools makes the Groovetech kit for guitar and bass players,it has everything that you need in the way of tools to make your own adjustments and has a handy booklet. The kits are available at music stores for around $50 or you can contact Cruz Tools at: www.cruztools.com or 888-909-8665. I hope this was helpful.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

Ha wow, you guys are really sharp on replying, thanks for the advice, im pretty cool with changing strings and the other day i had a fiddle around adjusting the action so its all good. i think my next move is decking the trem .

Performing your own maintenance allows you to understand and gain valuable insight as to how and why strat's are what they are.

As other's posted, get a book on maintenance such as,
" The Fender Stratocaster Handbook" by Paul Balmer, you should not attempt to adjust your strat without understanding what you are about to do and the consequences if done incorrectly.

But that is what is so pleasing about Fender's, they were (strat's and Tele's) designed by an engineer who understood the need for musicians to be able to adjust their instrument easily as well as be able to replace any part thereof...

I'm handy enough to change my strings, polish the frets, give a basic setup and cleaning, but I'm too scared to do any wiring or routing and stuff like that. Kinda like cars, I can do the little stuff, but don't expect me to be rebuilding automatic transmissions anytime soon ^^

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I traded my car in for a microphone.

Best to practice on a donor guitar if you afraid of damaging something. Considering you can pickup really cheap Squier guitars it is an excellent place to start.

The following tools come in handy for basic setup.
6" rule in 32/64s (string and pickup height)
Feeler gauges (string height)
Either an accurate or strobe tuner (intonation)
An assortment of truss rod wrenches and screw drivers

When ever I do a setup I also use
Low tack masking tape (to mask off the frets when polishing)
Metal polish (for frets)
Guitar polish (for the body if required)
Lemon oil (to clean/degunk rosewood fretboards)
Fender fretboard conditioner (condition rosewood fretboards)
Soft cloths and paper towels
Strings

I recommend buying a book on guitar setup. You can accelerate your knowledge and then if you have any questions on things your unclear of ask away. Funnily enough the gear that you need to do a setup will cost about the same as the setup itself.

I've been setting up my own guitars since I was 14. I'm a geezer now so ... a long time.

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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.

if youve been playing only 6 months ........
at least learn how to change your own strings.
know how to clean your guitar too.
other than that, worry about learning how to play it first.

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63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

if you want to learn how to do all the stuff you need to know about guitars i suggest you pick up a copy of guitar player repair guide by dan erlewine. most good book stores will have a copy if not try amazon. this book is worth much more than you iwll pay for it . one trip to the guitar repair shop will cost you more.

Doing the work on a guitar that needs something really depends on how good you are.....some people with a screwdriver and pair of pliers can really screw up things,not to mention if they pick up a soldering iron.
You have plenty of time to learn repair,but you have to understand what it is that you want,and HOW to go about it.

I called my local guitar shop to ask about set-ups and they said $50, plus strings. GC is $44 plus strings.

SOOO...

I went to my local library, and checked out "The Player's Guide to Guitar Maintenance" by Dave Burrluck. Went and bought me some new .009-.042's and went through the book. Saved me $50 and my guitar plays better than ever.

Moral of the story: Books! They can help just as much as the internet!

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'07 Squier Affinity Sunburst Strat SE
Fender Frontman 25R
Boss DS-1 Distortion
Danelectro D-2 Fab Overdrive
Delta Lab Multi Effects