Members mistersully Posted October 23, 2012 Members Share Posted October 23, 2012 can't stand it... if i'm spending time with a guitar, i just want to play it... if i have to work on one, i'm impatient and it frustrates me... i want it to hurry up and be over with so i can play it freakin HATE it i need a live in guitar tech... maybe a hot bikini wearing lady guitar tech... i'm sure the wife would understand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Surrealistic Posted October 23, 2012 Members Share Posted October 23, 2012 I definitely avoid it if possible, not because I hate it but more because I know I'm likely to mess something up and ruin a nice instrument Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members billybilly Posted October 23, 2012 Members Share Posted October 23, 2012 Sometimes, I wish I did hate it. However, I love tweaking my guitars. The past couple of years, I've spent more time building/finishing and tweaking than playing. It gets really addictive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dmc69 Posted October 23, 2012 Members Share Posted October 23, 2012 Originally Posted by billybilly Sometimes, I wish I did hate it. However, I love tweaking my guitars. The past couple of years, I've spent more time building/finishing and tweaking than playing. It gets really addictive. ditto. I'm pretty sure I'm better at modifying/assembling/setting up etc... than actually playing. I don't mind that one bit. Gives me something to do with all the parts lying around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members w00dsy Posted October 23, 2012 Members Share Posted October 23, 2012 i come close to equal time on both, maybe playing just ahead. But i have realised i just like guitars in general, not just the playing but the look, the way it works etc. Sometimes i'll just sit on the couch with one on my lap and not play it. I probably spend more time watching/listening to others play them than i do myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members honeyiscool Posted October 23, 2012 Members Share Posted October 23, 2012 I enjoy it because I feel that only through working on guitars, I know what I truly want in mine. As visionaries as people like Leo Fender are, it's amazing that so many people have been forced into getting certain sounds because some engineer 60+ years ago that didn't even really play guitar thought a certain way would be a good way to assemble an instrument. There are a lot of musicians that sound the way they do because of pure practice, and then there are those that sound the way they do through figuring out the relationship between the instrument and the sound they wanted to make. That's the reason why NOBODY sounds like Brian May. Sure, you need to practice and work on being good at the instrument, but working on electric guitars is not honestly that hard and a good way to help achieve the things you want in your sound. Also, I have some friends who perhaps don't have too much money and also have very rudimentary setup skills, and things like the action going off on their favorite guitar can sideline them in a way that is rather frustrating. Being able to wire my own guitars and at least perform a decent enough setup means that I'm never sidelined by a minor issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Canadian Jeff Posted October 23, 2012 Members Share Posted October 23, 2012 I kinda dislike working on guitars. On the one hand, you save a ton and it isn't hard to do a better job than your typical "guitar tech/luthier" type. On the other hand, there's a bit of a learning curve and a bit of an expense if you ever wanna do more than simply adjust your truss rod. I think that learning to work on your own guitars is a good thing to do. It's actually dead simple to setup a guitar and once you know how you'll be able to keep all of your guitars playing exactly how you want them. If you've got more than a couple of guitars it's also worth thinking about the money you'd save when a good setup is $60-100/pop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members budalash Posted October 23, 2012 Members Share Posted October 23, 2012 I take all my guitars to professionals, I have never been good at it and I can't even do basic setups properly. I guess I never had any interest in it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JoeBoy Posted October 23, 2012 Members Share Posted October 23, 2012 I used to have to do all my own work. Now its about 50/50. I don't hate it. It is a matter of time and my limitations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wagdog Posted October 23, 2012 Members Share Posted October 23, 2012 I like it. I like working on amps more though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluesnapper Posted October 23, 2012 Members Share Posted October 23, 2012 Basic setups, sodlering etc I'll do myself. I don't have the tools for anything else so if I need a new nut or fretwork then I've got a tried and trusted tech. One thing my tech does have that I don't is a never-ending supply of parts, pickups etc. He works for a guitar store and salvages lots of 'broken' guitars and either fixes them up or strips them down. Plus he can get a tasty discount so it's often cheaper getting him to fit something than to order the parts and do it myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BeanoBoy Posted October 23, 2012 Members Share Posted October 23, 2012 There are those that live/love to tinker and those that don't. I don't. Pickups are basically all that I'll tackle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarman3001 Posted October 23, 2012 Members Share Posted October 23, 2012 I can't stand it. I don't even like changing strings. I usually wait till they either break or are rusted before changing them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lonnie99 Posted October 23, 2012 Members Share Posted October 23, 2012 I'm the opposite. I can work on them all day, once I start playing I get bored after about 10 minutes and move on to something else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Stratmaster Posted October 23, 2012 Members Share Posted October 23, 2012 I like teching a guitar up. I can do setups, cut nuts, set intonation and other basic adjustments & repairs. Snapped necks, truss rod resets and woodworking is still outside my ability but I am going to school to learn those in a month! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members PrawnHeed Posted October 23, 2012 Members Share Posted October 23, 2012 I wouldn't say I hate it. I certainly don't hate it as much as paying someone else to do a bad job. However, time is short and these days I much prefer playing and fiddling with amps and recording equipment than I do guitars. I have a few decent guitars, have set them up the way I like and they're done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Presc Posted October 23, 2012 Members Share Posted October 23, 2012 Unlike many on this forum, I am NOT mechanically inclined. I basically can't fix, build, or modifying anything. I don't mind changing my strings or making a quick bridge or truss rod tweak, but beyond that I leave my guitars as is. Because of this, I try to buy guitars I am happy with from day one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Snappy Hat Posted October 23, 2012 Members Share Posted October 23, 2012 Its a totally relaxing thing for me esp doing fret work. I wish my hands werent in such bad shape I would still be working at the guitar shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Yer Blues Posted October 23, 2012 Members Share Posted October 23, 2012 I need to find a guy I can take them to who enjoys tinkering more than playing. I enjoy playing far more than tinkering. I've never been a tinkerer though when it comes to anything. If it takes me more than 20-30 minutes I look at it as wasted time. I started to create fretboard diagrams in Excel and am going to diagram modes, arpeggios, etc... I'm sure a lot of people would find this boring, but I think it will open up my playing and I can work on it at work when I get a few spare minutes. I've actually got a guitar now where the input jack is broke. It is a LTD Viper I got to tinker with, i.e. learn how to solder... but it came with a pair of Duncan's and I really like the sound. I had to raise the action a bit (no big deal) when I first got it, but I really liked the Duncan's so I didn't even look into a pickup swap. Yesterday it started shortening out, so I took off the jack cover and I think one of the wires came unsoldered. I'm trying to find a picture online of what it should look like, but having trouble. Single volume, single tone, two passive humbuckers. I'm guessing I will end up taking it to a tech unless someone on here convinces me it is an easy fix. What do you guys think? I do have some time off of work, so I could attempt to work on it this weekend. I'm actually shocked at what a nice playing/sounding guitar it is and don't think I can break anything in this regard even if I fail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jkater Posted October 23, 2012 Members Share Posted October 23, 2012 I hate it because I can't (except set-up stuff). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OldGuitarPlayer Posted October 23, 2012 Members Share Posted October 23, 2012 anyone else here hate working on guitars? I don't really hate it but it's not something I want to do. I buy a guitar because I like the way it sounds and plays off the rack. New or used. I don't buy one because I want to work on it or swap parts. I have done things like replace tuners or pickguards and simple setups on my telecasters but I don't mess with the electronics. If I need something fixed (failed pot/pickup) I bring it to a tech. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BG76 Posted October 23, 2012 Members Share Posted October 23, 2012 I actually have been building a lot fewer guitars lately. Mainly because I have run out of things I want to build. I go through phases where I build a lot of guitars then I won't. I just finished another Clapton Cut Explorer out of Korina with a Brazilian rosewood fretboard for a friend of mine and now don't have much on the horizon, but I'll wake up with an idea and build it. I have been building furniture instead. I would rather play then work on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bildo Posted October 23, 2012 Members Share Posted October 23, 2012 I love it. Make my living at it. Allows me to play a lot. Carry on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Meowy Posted October 23, 2012 Members Share Posted October 23, 2012 Ive had a couple people tell me i should start a side business doing repairs and builds. I love working on my guitars so much that I've promised myself I would never make it a business or a job. The last thing I want to do is wake up in the morning cursing that I have to go work on a guitar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bad Robot Posted October 23, 2012 Members Share Posted October 23, 2012 I don't really hate it but it's not something I want to do. I buy a guitar because I like the way it sounds and plays off the rack. New or used. I don't buy one because I want to work on it or swap parts. I have done things like replace tuners or pickguards and simple setups on my telecasters but I don't mess with the electronics. If I need something fixed (failed pot/pickup) I bring it to a tech. Describes me quite well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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