Luthiery General Questions

[Neil K Walk]

Originally Posted by charles Tauber

This list is largely irrelevant to someone doing basic set up and minor repairs.

For whatever it's worth, I've purchased the stew Mac neck support and don't care for and rarely use it. It tips side to side far too easily for my preference.

You're right. It'll get you in the more moderate range of repairing damage. To do set ups you'll need Allen wrenches, a straight rule, feeler gauges, basic tools like snips to measure action and adjust the truss rod. Small files to do nut slots. Stuff like that. You don't need fancy tools to do that kind of stuff but spending top dollar on it is probably best since he'll be using it a lot.

I just made that list because IME the real demand - at least mine - has been for a luthier who can fix boo boos like key cracks and do partial restorations like neck resets not do stuff that somebody halfway motivated should learn to do on their own like changing strings, sanding down/shimming saddles or tweaking truss rods.

For instance, in my town there's one guy capable of doing repairs with a 6 month waiting list that's probably back logged with mundane tasks like installing nuts and saddles. Then of course there are the horror stories of the disorganized luthier who takes on the work only to forget that he's had someone else 's guitar and puts it on Craig's List to make room or fund more tools.

FWIW I write this as somebody who's been playing - and breaking guitars for 40 years. I can change my own strings and could tweak my own truss rod, even installed a couple of preshaped saddles but for the hard stuff like refrets, neck resets, regluing lifting bridges, etc. I know enough to know I can't do it without losing patience - even though I've gone so far as to build a guitar from scratch, because it took a lot of help and motivation. Now I find myself in the unfortunate situation where I have a cracked guitar that can be easily repaired, but finding a reputable person in the immediate area has been difficult and the people that have been recommended are not anywhere near the immediate area.

IMO there's a real need out there for folks with knowledge and a sense of organization and priorities. Sadly there doesn't seem to be a lot of competition unless you really want to tempt fate and send your damaged stuff out of town via a courier company with a history of damaging things further. I also wish manufacturers were a bit more forthcoming with divulging their licensed repair shops.

[ljguitar]

Hi cl...

The most I've learned have been from:

• Dan Eriewine's book on basic guitar care & maintenance from Stewart McDonald
• Discussions here
• Talking with my luthier and watching carefully as he worked on my guitars (while I asked questions)

The Eriewine book still comes out of my library from time to time. Looks like it's in the process of being updated and will be available in the next month (Nov 2014). Worth waiting for and owning.

Dan's book - CliCk

Don't let the cover fool you, it's for both acoustic and electric. It comes with a DVD of tips too - it's a great addition to anybody's library.

I see he now has a set of full DVDs dealing with setup, intonation, repair etc just for acoustic guitars (and another set for electric).

I also bet YouTube has a ton of good stuff. It's just such a handy resource. In fact, I bet if you go to YouTube and punch in "Dan Eriewine" you'll find sections of his how-to videos there.

I love having the book and have shown it to friends and students, and shared tons of things from it with them too.

There is a lot we can do for ourselves in this realm...

[jaymarsch]

Drop an email to Kathy Wingert - she is a luthier in the SoCal region and would know if there is a course in any of the community colleges.

www.wingertguitars.com

Best,
Jayne

[Howard Klepper]

Originally Posted by charmedlife417

Howdy. I've worked on my own cars for more than four decades (including building air-cooled VW engines from scratch using the famous John Muir Idiot book), and have recently become interested in basic luthiery and doing my own repairs such as setups, truss-rod adjustments, minor jobs, etc. I have a huge tool chest, a good natural mechanical aptitude, and the patience to walk away from a frustrating job if it’s not going well until cooler heads prevail. I have a few questions I’d love answers on:

1) Are there any inexpensive luthiery courses available online or locally here in Los Angeles at, say, a community college? (I’m not gonna pay the ridiculous tuition at any of the guitar tech schools.)

2) Is any Los Angeles retailer interested in a low-wage intern for the Holidays and perhaps beyond? If so, please PM me. I have a full-time job as a tenured English professor but I’m off school ALL of December and January. I know several L.A. dealers are sponsors on this site. I’m reliable, prompt, responsible friendly and -- Geez, this is starting to sound like an EHarmony profile -- a good acoustic player as well.

3) Luthiery tool question: Every luthier who’s ever worked on my guitars has this little wooden cradle they lay the neck into when they put the guitar on their bench. I don’t even know what it’s called, but I want to buy one. Could someone tell me what this is called and where I could buy one at a reasonable price (Ebay? Amazon?) I went on Stew-Mac and didn’t see anything like it.

THANKS!

P.S. I also have a Masters Degree in writing from USC and edit a mean page of copy. Not trying to brag, just sayin'. Before my current job, I made a living as a copywriter and editor.

1) Not that I've ever heard of, and probably not at all. But there is a lot of material in print or on the net, complete with photos or videos. Have you looked? You have experience working from books, and probably read pretty well by this point. That skill can be applied to guitars as well as to Volkswagens.

2) How is it that you expect doing grunt work for a retailer is going to teach you lutherie?

3) This is a good project on which to use your mechanical aptitude and tools. Lutherie is inevitably about figuring things out and making them work. Wanting each piece of the puzzle to be given (or sold) to you pre-cut is not a good way to approach it.

[Kent Chasson]

http://www.frets.com/ is another great source of information.

[mercy]

http://www.simscal.com/classes.html good price
The Fret House in Covina has a class on building a kit

[Gardman]

When my guitar count reached 6, I decided it was time for me to learn to do my own setups... new/adjust saddles and nuts, truss adjustments, etc.

I bought a set of nut files, shaping files, a vise, and a few other tools from StewMac... read up on making/adjusting nuts and saddles on-line (frets.com, Brian Kinsey's site, and others) and just dove in. Nut and saddle blanks are pretty cheap... and it's not rocket science.

I am currently waiting delivery on a fret file... a new addition to my stable has one high fret that needs a little adjustment.

I have been using rolled up towels as a neck support up til now... I have heard of others using "shooting bags" made for sighting in rifles. Or, a good heavy bean bag would likely work fine for basic work.

[DanPanther]

Originally Posted by Tom West

Charmed:
If you are going to build guitars, build as many of your tools as possible. Don't buy molds, forms, radius discs, neck rests, even cam clamps etc. Take the money saved and invest in good tools that most people can't make, like planes, chisels, files etc. It takes a bit of money to obtain good tools so make your money go further and build what you can.
Tom

I agree, also Read, Read, Read, about what you want to do, BEFORE you attempt it.

Dan

[jseth]

Not exactly L.A. proper, but the Guitar Shoppe in Laguna Beach has two very accomplished luthiers in Kurt Sand and Mark Angus, with Kurt being the more widely-known builder (for his classical hybrid acoustics, made for Earl Klugh, Jose Feliciano and many others)...

Both Mark and Kurt do repair work, as well, probably well over half of their work is repair work. Kurt is part-owner (he may own the whole store by now).

Mark Angus is the man who built my #35 F-40 for me in 1979; that guitar is still in service and has always been a phenomenal instrument. I also own his one and only 12 string build, #58 (1983).

Having the chance to learn from either of those two men would be a chance of a lifetime!

[Charmed Life Picks]

Originally Posted by mercy

http://www.simscal.com/classes.html good price
The Fret House in Covina has a class on building a kit

Thanks so much for posting. The one in Fountain Valley would be perfect for my schedule except that I teach Wednesday nights about two hours away. However, I'm very familiar with the Fret House, which is only about a 30-minute drive from my house. I will definitely contact them.

Thanks so much!

[Charmed Life Picks]

I'm the OP here. Thanks SO MUCH for all this information. As usual, you guys (and gals) have come through in great fashion. It's always a pleasure to hear from you. Thanks again for all your terrific responses.

I'm slammed the next few days, but will reply individually to your threads when I have more time.

Thanks Again. Truly appreciate it.

Charmed Life

[printer2]

I am new to doing work on guitars but like yourself have a lot of experience in other areas. I have spent a lot of spare time looking on the internet on how to do things. More interested in building guitars but I have done some setups, neck reset, top repairs. I check out the want ads and thrift stores for guitars that need work done to them. I have paid up to $30 for them and there is no stress about screwing up someone's instrument learning how to fix them. You could sell them after, I just give them away.