Where'd ya get yer skillz ?

[Prometheus]

I’m curious as to where the forum members acquired the skills they apply to their awesome builds. Here’s my story.

I grew up on a farm. I was operating small tractors in the orchards and gardens by about 10. I got introduced to some pretty antiquated manual tools. By the time I was around 13 I was running all the heavy machinery, and by then I’d also graduated to pneumatic tools, arc welders and the oxy-acetylene torch. There wasn’t much of a shop budget, so I learned how to fix about anything with pliers, a ball-peen hammer, baling wire, and whatever nuts and bolts could be found in the rack of old coffee tins in the shop.

I was about 12 when Dad one day said “c’mon”, and we went out to the shop where there were sitting a couple of Briggs&Stratton single-cylinder motors from grain augers. I watched quietly and attentively while he broke one down, cleaned it up in the varsol washer, reamed out the cylinder lands and installed new rings and bearings, reassembled it and tuned up the carb. Then he said “OK, you do the other one” – and left. Tough school.

After that it was motorcycle maintenance, overhauling engines and trannies which could themselves be the size of small cars. Concrete, framing, building wiring, roofing, excavation, we did it all. So I learned that “I’ve never done it before” and “I don’t know how” were unacceptable barriers. Learn. Figure it out. Make it work. Do it ‘till you get it.

Using that philosophy, I later accumulated computer and electronics experience, and other things. And along the way I’ve acquired a healthy respect for having the right tools for the job.

I’ve always envied the guys who had actual formal training in such things. While at the same time being proud of my DIY seat-of-the-pants education.

I’d love to hear of your learning, training, apprenticing, and the lessons and attitudes you’ve accumulated.

 

[Cagey]

I didn't grow up on a farm - quite the opposite - it was deepinahearta Detroit. But, there are some parallels. We were dirt-poor Catholics, so if you wanted something done, you pretty much had to do it yourself or go without. Plus, a lot of the neighborhood was populated by European immigrants and WWII widows, so there was plenty of opportunity to learn how to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

Not sure how the kids fare there these days. Between the unions, incredibly bad government, loss of infrastructure and manufacturing, etc. it's pretty much a war zone. You'd be safer and more prosperous living in Baghdad.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

Pops used to whittle small baseball bats for keychains when I was a kid, before long, my brother and I followed. 
When I got into highschool, I wanted to build my own guitar as my woodshop project.  Through some talks, was able to get 2 periods of woodshop for my sophemore year of highschool (1981/82).  Came up with a design akin to the love child of a '59 Danelectro and a Brian May Red Special.  I used the Dano neck, made a bolt on body with a single Gibson Velvet Brick humbucker and a STP/Tuno getup.  I spent months compiling articles from Guitar Player magazine, and went to local music stores to just "sit over yonder" watching setups, intonations, re-wires, & some fret jobs.  From there, I read everything I could get my hands on, and when ever some lil $100 guitar showed up in a music store that had some potential, I'd snag it to try my skills on, and I learned by messing up several squier necks, setting up Ibanez's, Kramers, Charvels.  Eventually, local folks started asking me to "throw in some EMG's" or "set my guitar up with low action".  The only one I hated working on was a 3 humbucker LP that someone wanted to swap out the originals with some Dimarzio's, and I didn't have a wire diagram.  That took about 4 hours.  Learned a big lesson from that one.  I've also been fortunate to have some good friends in the biz, including Neal Moser, whom I could call upon any time for counsel, and it has been a treasure.

All of this came about really because I always had an idea of my ultimate guitar (My TFS6, & soon to be TFS7) so I went about learning as much as I could about the journey from the tree to the speaker, literally.  From there, the manufacturing process has always been something that I've been intrigued with, and I've always looked for ways to make it more efficient, even in the absence of CNC.

 

[Cagey]

I read everything I could get my hands on, and when ever some lil $100 guitar showed up in a music store that had some potential, I'd snag it to try my skills on, and I learned by messing up several squier necks, setting up Ibanez's, Kramers, Charvels.

The only people who never make mistakes are the ones who never do anything. You have to dare to suck.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

I read everything I could get my hands on, and when ever some lil $100 guitar showed up in a music store that had some potential, I'd snag it to try my skills on, and I learned by messing up several squier necks, setting up Ibanez's, Kramers, Charvels.

The only people who never make mistakes are the ones who never do anything. You have to dare to suck.

Sho'nuff!

 

[bagman67]

I got my skillz, such as they are, from the voluminous shared wisdom of this community, plus my genetic and well-nurtured disposition to be curious and assume that if it can be done, there's no reason why I can't also do it given time and effort.  Result:  Some neat guitars, some epic screw-ups, and some self-respect.  There's a lot of stuff I am reasonbly sure i could pull off that I won't try because I know the cost of a screwup is too high - or because the cost of good tools for a single use is not worth the investment.


True story:  I diagnosed and repaired a washing machine on the basis of a couple youtube videos.  Prob'ly saved a couple Benjamins on that one.  Any reasonably intelligent person with some discernment about what bullshit vs. actual information sounds like really can learn how to do any reasonably straightforward home or automotive repair from the internetz.  Dumb people, however, try that stuff at their peril.


In short:  Thanks, Unofficial Warmoth, for the tutorials and encouragement!

 

[mayfly]

I grew up in a small town.  There was never any money for stuff, and my dad was NOT handy at all.  Everything was falling apart around the house so I started fixing things.  Then I building things that I wanted (like slot cars out of brass tubing and surplus motors, or a remote control car, or a clock radio from a crystal radio set and an amp and a discarded radioshack display), and the cycle just went on and on.  When I met my wife, we were at my place and my cassette machine stopped working (this was a while ago).  I took it apart on the spot, fixed it fast, then we had a nice evening listening to music.  I had never opened one up before that.  I think I impressed her 

I've built so much stuff that now the question is no longer 'can I make that' but rather 'should I make that'  :headbang:

 

[greywolf]

I started out in drafting and then wood shop back in 1968 , both were required classes .
I helped my dad with remodeling projects , and then statrd building speaker cabinets , and eventually repairing guitars , then building them .
I've been building for 15 yrs now

 

[TBurst Std]

I got my skillz from my dad. He had me helping with working on cars at age 5 (replacing the forward to aft belt on a Corvair). Had me helping with framing, plumbing, hanging drywall, etc for a home addition at age 10. Rebuilt my first car engine at 12. Basically he taught me the basics and how to figure out things from there.

 

[Sp4zRX]

I get my "skills" from all the helpful people here. Although, all my life I have always had an interest in taking things apart and figuring out how exactly they work and putting them back together. I also enjoy creating things whether it be building something, making music, cooking, etc. I don't like things just handed to me. I would much prefer to understand things and do it myself. So those tendencies, plus my love for guitar have naturally led me to building my own guitars. But I have no formal training. A little applied logic, reasoning, and problem solving combined with the helpful knowledgable people here has been my training.

 

[MikeW]

Two places really. I have a pretty innate mechanical sense. When I was four I took apart an alarm clock and put it back together. I had extra pieces, but it worked fine for years. I would occasionally take it apart and 'fix' it again.

Every summer while I was growing up we would head out to the family farm in Eastern Montana. By the time I was 15 I was welding, doing carpentry, driving tractors, etc. Pretty much any tool, any job that needed to get done I would try to help with.

So I've been fixing and building stuff my entire life. When I got into playing guitar, I started fixing my friend's instruments. Saw an ad for Warmoth in Guitar for the Practicing Musician (c. '82 or so) and was hooked after that. I built my first complete Warmoth Strat in '84 and, with a couple detours, have been building them since then.