Yeah, my 1st order is on the way

[juwel1998]

@ line6man and Orpheo,

well, what about setting up the neck (no experience at all)?

But still thanks for trying to encourage me to just do it.......


Bye  JULIA

 

[Torment Leaves Scars]

Sure guys, why have someone put it together?  After all, we all want to spend $1000+ on a few guitar parts, then destroy a neck by dressing the frets improperly because we haven't the slightest what we're doing.  While we're at it, we'll just buy a whole bunch of electronic parts and start soldering things together in hopes they'll work.  :tard:

If setting up and building guitars was so easy, there wouldn't be luthiers, would there?

Anybody can can bolt a neck on, drill a few holes and screw in some strap pegs or some trim, and install a set of tuning keys, but what about everything else?  It isn't something we've all done before, and I certainly wouldn't want to learn on products I just spent $1000+ on.

I've never fully set up a guitar or done the electronics on one.  Which one of you is gonna send me your next build to learn on?

 

[bagman67]

Having chewed up some inexpensive guitar bodies lately, I'm all in favor of paying someone who's got a record of demonstrated mastery of the arcane arts of assembling and setting up a guitar to do it when I've invested a pile of dough in the components.  My technique and confidence are improving but I'm not ready to just go for it on $1000 worth of expensive kindling.  We all started somewhere.

 

[Torment Leaves Scars]

Having chewed up some inexpensive guitar bodies lately, I'm all in favor of paying someone who's got a record of demonstrated mastery of the arcane arts of assembling and setting up a guitar to do it when I've invested a pile of dough in the components.  My technique and confidence are improving but I'm not ready to just go for it on $1000 worth of expensive kindling.  We all started somewhere.

True.  I recently just disassembled my guitar to send the body back to Warmoth (I won't go into details...) and I didn't particularly enjoy the act of removing a lot of the trim.  I'm not too worried about it, only because the guitar was already assembled and the holes were already drilled, but there's no way I'd want to do it myself and risk messing something up.  I'm more than happy to leave it to the pros.

While I'd definitely like to learn how to assemble and set up a guitar in its entirety, it ain't gonna be on something I just shelled out a lot of money for.

 

[Cagey]

If setting up and building guitars was so easy, there wouldn't be luthiers, would there?

It doesn't take a "luthier" to do most of that stuff. That title is bandied about much too freely. Just owning a Phillips screwdriver and a soldering iron and knowing the names of the parts and where to get them doesn't make you a luthier.

I've done a ton of finishing, modification, assembly, setup, fretwork and electrical on guitars over the last 35 years or so, and am considered pretty good at it, but I would never in a million years consider myself a luthier. That would be like a building contractor calling himself an architect, or a computer tech calling himself an electrical engineer, or a web page creator calling themselves a programmer, or Death From Above 1979 calling themselves musicians <grin>

Still, that doesn't mean it's easy or that it doesn't take a certain amount of talent and experience. Not everyone can do it. If that were the case, there'd almost be no OEMs. Everybody would just do it themselves. Hell, there are people out there who can't even make a decent sandwich for themselves. How on Earth would they ever handle building a guitar?

 

[Strat Avenger]

I would never tell someone to "go learn" how to assemble and set up a guitar on their very first build. I learned everything I know from disassembling/reassembling and modifying existing (and less expensive) guitars. So by the time I got my Warmoth build, I was ready to do it, and knew what not to do. Yeah, it's pretty "easy" now, but I had to learn from trial and error.

 

[Torment Leaves Scars]

If setting up and building guitars was so easy, there wouldn't be luthiers, would there?

It doesn't take a "luthier" to do most of that stuff. That title is bandied about much too freely. Just owning a Phillips screwdriver and a soldering iron and knowing the names of the parts and where to get them doesn't make you a luthier.

I've done a ton of finishing, modification, assembly, setup, fretwork and electrical on guitars over the last 35 years or so, and am considered pretty good at it, but I would never in a million years consider myself a luthier. That would be like a building contractor calling himself an architect, or a computer tech calling himself an electrical engineer, or a web page creator calling themselves a programmer, or Death From Above 1979 calling themselves musicians <grin>

Still, that doesn't mean it's easy or that it doesn't take a certain amount of talent and experience. Not everyone can do it. If that were the case, there'd almost be no OEMs. Everybody would just do it themselves. Hell, there are people out there who can't even make a decent sandwich for themselves. How on Earth would they ever handle building a guitar?

You're right, it doesn't take a "luthier" to do this work, but it does take some know-how to build and set up a guitar.  While I'd like to learn, I'm just not interested in learning or doing "trial and error" on $1000 worth of wood.  I'm sure I'm not the only one!

 

[Orpheo]

thats why we are here: to save you money and to guide you through your first build. Rome wasn't build in a day too, you know.

 

[Torment Leaves Scars]

thats why we are here: to save you money and to guide you through your first build. Rome wasn't build in a day too, you know.

While I don't doubt you would be able to "guide" with instruction, you can't, however, "guide" the hand behind the soldering iron or screwdriver.  ccasion14:

 

[jay4321]

I can testify there's definitely some potential for mistakes when your first DIY is an expensive custom Warmoth. Over the years I've learned some fascinating lessons, such as:

• How easy it is to slip with an electric drill when putting pickguard screws in; just use a screwdriver
• Not forgetting to use shorter screws on contoured heel Warmoth necks (didn't do it, but came pretty close)
• A nice soldering station does not make you good at soldering
• Wiring diagrams are not always accurate
• Nut and saddle filing is best not learned on a nice instrument
• Setting up a guitar properly requires the right tools, a number of them, and none are free - if you only own a guitar or two you're definitely spending more money in the short term
• I am not Dan Erlewine, no matter how much crap I buy from StewMac
• It's really important to drill the right size holes for string trees

But mostly, the biggest lessons are that my time has a real value and I that don't overly care for setup work. If I tried to go DIY for every potential job that I came across (not just with guitars but in general), I usually wouldn't come out ahead. For example the money I might save installing a fence myself--which I know I can do, from experience--would cost me even more in lost time & money elsewhere. Unless I liked doing it (I don't) there really isn't a good reason not to hire a pro.

With guitars, I'll change out pickups and do a few basic adjustments here and there but leave the finer work to someone better at it, it doesn't cost that much. Someone who's not experienced at all is going to make mistakes though, and that will come after they've already invested in things like a set of nut files, radius blocks, fret files, soldering kit and so forth.

 

[jay4321]

Anyway, Julia, welcome to the Warmoth Tele Deluxe club.

Though from what I can make out in the photo that's a tele headstock, isn't it? You don't like the 70's oversized headstock? [Can't say that I do either, but or some reason I always thought it worked on the Tele Deluxe.]

 

[Cagey]

While I don't doubt you would be able to "guide" with instruction, you can't, however, "guide" the hand behind the soldering iron or screwdriver.  ccasion14:

That's true, too.

For example, take something as simple as hammering in a nail. I can tell you how to to do it, then show you how to do it 45 times, but when I hand you a hammer and nail for the first time, what are the chances you'll get that bastard in? Pretty slim, in my experience. You'll hit the nail off center and knock it flat into the wood, making an ugly unrepairable indentation mark. Then, once you've straightened it out you'll hit it right once or twice by accident before hitting it off center and knocking it flat into the wood again. Once you've straightened it again you'll get one of those magical hits that bends the sumbitch in the middle for no apparent reason, so now you have to straighten it at least enough to pull it and start over, assuming the nail doesn't just break off from being work-hardened by so much bending. Only one out of 3 hits will actually contact the nail, so the wood looks like it's the victim of some psychopathic killer's rage. Finally, you get a nail in and swear to Christ and all that's holy that you'll never nail anything ever again, and your wife starts crying.

Some people just can't make sandwiches. It's ok. Nothing to be ashamed of. There are plenty of skills to go around, and everybody has at least one.

 

[juwel1998]

@ all of you,

thanks for your understanding.
Yep, I am able to use a screwdriver and can hammer in a nail, but like Torment Leaves Scars has said, I didn't buy wood worth thousands of bucks to go ruin it myself.... I'd be nuts if I did that.  :tard: :tard:

Maybe I need to get some cheap DIY kit and learn from there. That's what I have thought of already.
That would just some kind of waste as well, since I wouldn't play on that then, because I have soooo many other nice guitars to play on.

That was the reason for me to ask that guy, if I could watch him do it.
I am more a learning by watching and at the same time doing myself type of person.
He is the only guy in his shop and would be not able to work on the things he needs to, if I worked under his guidance. So everything's OK, with me.


Bye  JULIA

 

[Cagey]

It's not all about knowing how or having experience, either. It's also about recovery from the fates.

For instance, I've installed many sets of tuners without event, but just the other day I managed to snap off a drill bit while it was still in the hole. Pissed me off because at my age it's getting tougher to invent new cuss words. But, stuff like that happens and you need to know how to recover from it. If you only do such work occasionally, something like that can be a big setback. And often rather than step back a minute and perhaps ask for help, a newbie will make things worse trying ill-conceived ideas. Been there. Done that. I ain't afraid of anything, no matter how much it beats me <grin>

 

[Torment Leaves Scars]

I can testify there's definitely some potential for mistakes when your first DIY is an expensive custom Warmoth. Over the years I've learned some fascinating lessons, such as:

• How easy it is to slip with an electric drill when putting pickguard screws in; just use a screwdriver
• Not forgetting to use shorter screws on contoured heel Warmoth necks (didn't do it, but came pretty close)
• A nice soldering station does not make you good at soldering
• Wiring diagrams are not always accurate
• Nut and saddle filing is best not learned on a nice instrument
• Setting up a guitar properly requires the right tools, a number of them, and none are free - if you only own a guitar or two you're definitely spending more money in the short term
• I am not Dan Erlewine, no matter how much crap I buy from StewMac
• It's really important to drill the right size holes for string trees

But mostly, the biggest lessons are that my time has a real value and I that don't overly care for setup work. If I tried to go DIY for every potential job that I came across (not just with guitars but in general), I usually wouldn't come out ahead. For example the money I might save installing a fence myself--which I know I can do, from experience--would cost me even more in lost time & money elsewhere. Unless I liked doing it (I don't) there really isn't a good reason not to hire a pro.

With guitars, I'll change out pickups and do a few basic adjustments here and there but leave the finer work to someone better at it, it doesn't cost that much. Someone who's not experienced at all is going to make mistakes though, and that will come after they've already invested in things like a set of nut files, radius blocks, fret files, soldering kit and so forth.

Excellent post, and my thoughts exactly!  ccasion14: