Do you have any guitar-building regrets?

[mgaut051]

1. Making it a 7/8ths
2. Not sticking to the original Cocobolo plan
3. P-Rails instead of a 3rd P90 with a chopped T bridge or a vintage tele bridge.
4. Unfilled gloss finish
5. Tearout
6. Wiring it backwards the first time
7. Not yet having made another one

I toyed with the idea of filling, re-leveling and refinishing in matte, but you know - it sounds great, and it's my first success. I'll leave it as is out of "respect" for what it represents. It'll always be my first. And it just means I get a second chance!

http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=13125.0

 

[kboman]

Not being able to afford to build any!

+1 :sad1:

I've spent a lot on getting a proper rig together though, so I guess I have a good excuse.

 

[JimBeed]

Going for a five string i think is my only regret, as i love the bass, but as i felt like a five string at the time, now i find i rarely have use for it.
Likely end up playing it as a four string and the b string mysteriously disappeared into legend  :laughing7:

 

[mayfly]

The fenderbird bass I built on a whim.  Was not a good idea.

Ended up using the neck on a jazz bass and selling the body / pickups.  The neck has a happy home and the person who bought the t-bird body is happy, so everything is good.

 

[SixString]

The only people who don't make any mistakes or have any regrets are those who aren't doing anything. Where's the fun in that?

Nicely said  :icon_thumright:

 

[Jusatele]

The only people who don't make any mistakes or have any regrets are those who aren't doing anything. Where's the fun in that?

Nicely said  :icon_thumright:

As my father would say, "If you are not making mistakes, you are not trying hard enough."
I think life is all about learning from your mistakes, what you learn makes you who you are. Hopefully a better person.

 

[mgaut051]

The only people who don't make any mistakes or have any regrets are those who aren't doing anything. Where's the fun in that?

Nicely said  :icon_thumright:

Agreed. I'm all about mistake anticipation though - a little prep and research can minimize the extent of collateral damages. On the other hand, I don't equate mistakes with regrets. I regret bad choices, mistakes I try to anticipate and avoid, but don't regret so much (I just kick myself).

 

[SkuttleFunk]

my building regrets?

- thinking I could go cheap and skimp on quality tools while expecting to get high quality results (I now know better)

- getting too far ahead of myself early on, and not having a deeply rooted understanding of why something worked (or didn't) before moving onto the next steps

- trying to use the wrong tools for a job


but the biggest regret of all?

- not listening and grasping the wisdom in advice that was shared with me from those who have real experience in doing. I instead chose to be encouraged on by the minions of those who (as I've come to learn) always wanted to do that something, but had never attempted it (or, as I have come to learn in a couple cases, had never even done so much as to adjust a trussrod or cut a piece of wood on a bandsaw)

I'd like to think I'm a lot smarter now. I definitely have trimmed the circle of who I seek for advice to a group of those who have actually been building from rough materials for a significantly long time and have a significant number of completed builds to their resume

today I'm at a similar place with respect to learning how to properly design CAD/CAM data and operate the new CNC system correctly and then efficiently. thankfully I have several manufacturing professionals I can rely on who do this work for a living. their advice to date has been incredibly spot on


I'm not jaded by those who shared advice that they were merely parroting from internet reading they'd done. it would have been enormously helpful if they'd have been more upfront and honest in the foundation of the advice they were offering .... but that's how we all learn, isn't it

all the best,

R

 

[AutoBat]

The only people who don't make any mistakes or have any regrets are those who aren't doing anything. Where's the fun in that?

Nicely said  :icon_thumright:

I've gotten really lucky thus far. Not a single item I have purchased did I try out in advance.  I'm fairly sure that's like getting yahtzee five times in a row... really awesome, and doubtful to be repeated again.

 

[Kostas]

...6. A ziricoat fretboard on a really high-grade 5A flame maple. That one went down the road at a huge loss to me.

What's wrong with ziricote?

 

[bagman67]

...6. A ziricoat fretboard on a really high-grade 5A flame maple. That one went down the road at a huge loss to me.

What's wrong with ziricote?

I dunno what Tonar's beef with it was, but to me a 5A maple shaft plus a figured ziricote board might add up to visually-induced vertigo - too busy!

 

[MikeW]

1. Any neck that I bought that didn't have SS frets.
2. My refinishing attempts that went arwy. Like Super Turbo said, I quickly learnt what I wasn't good at.
3. Not having enough money to build everything that I imagine would be cool. A Tele, Soloist, Rhodes V, etc etc etc.

 

[partialdoctor]

1. Every neck that I ever bought that did not get a bone nut. I have had to change everyone to a bone nut.

Pardon the noobness - why the bone nut?

 

[ptirman]

Going with the wizard profile on my first Warmoth. I don't like it at all. I thought, the thinner the better. Didn't work out that way and I get hand cramps. I love the good ole standard thin 24.75 radius of my 7/8th strat. Absolutely perfect for me.

 

[Tonar8352]

One other I forgot. Gold hardware on a blue dyed Tele.  :tard: :tard: :tard: :tard: :tard: :tard: :tard:

 

[llmtelecaster]

Not taking the time properly shield and wire everything up before putting it all together. I'm taking apart all of my guitars one-by-one and doing things the way I should have done them before I bolted everything up.

 

[AutoBat]

One other I forgot. Gold hardware on a blue dyed Tele.  :tard: :tard: :tard: :tard: :tard: :tard: :tard:

You had me at "Gold Hardware."

 

[Doughboy]

I now severely regret getting wizard contours on all of my past Warmoths. I just recently got a Carvin with a fat neck & the tone is amazing & I kinda like a bit more wood under my fingers as well. I will definitely move up to a Slim contour on my next build.

After a fat neck, playing a wizard contour sounds & feels really wierd.  :sad1:

 

[Jusatele]

1. Every neck that I ever bought that did not get a bone nut. I have had to change everyone to a bone nut.

Pardon the noobness - why the bone nut?

they do not stick, and they have superior tone

 

[AGWAN]

They're made of the finest Tone Bone.