Have you ever bought a guitar just to take apart and mess with?

[JRB]

I have two Harmonys that I bought specifically to practice neck resets before I attempted them on customer guitars. I highly recommend www.frets.com and Dan Erlewine's guitar repair book to get started. Refretting can be challenging, a new nut and saddle are fun, neck resets are pretty difficult. But go for it - what do you have to lose?

[Ed422]

Originally Posted by murrmac123

Absolutely not.

Messing with guitars, doing mods, is one of the most satisfying things imaginable.

Even if the end result doesn't turn out as expected, the experience is worth it.

+1

When I decided to try my hand at building, I went to a local shop that had been around since 1926. I have been going there since 1964 or so with my dad. I asked and was allowed into the junk acoustic room and picked out a dozen boxes. I payed around $25 or $30 for the bunch. I removed necks, replaced bridges, replaced truss rods, swapped tuners, retopped one, etc. If nothing else, it gave me enough understanding to know there are some things that are best handled by people who do it everyday. (grin)

Ed

[pugsley-do-rite]

I have done several chepaer model guitars this way and some with very good results.

[Triumph1050]

I just built my first guitar so I guess that's "tinkering" in a way but yeah, I'm currently looking for a cheapo because I want to do a sunburst.

Just couldnt get myself to try it on my new build.

I think experimenting on cheapies is a good way to learn and try stuff.

[zabdart]

No.
The worst sacrilege I ever saw was at a Boston Guitar Show. Somebody had purchased an old Stromberg -- must have cost him $15k to $25k -- and sawn it in half in cross-section, just to see why it sounded like it did!
Incredible waste of money -- to say nothing of a great guitar!

[Bikewer]

Two. One was a way-cheap steel string that I converted into a resonator guitar, and the other was one of those "Squier" Strats I used for bits for an full-electric cigar-box guitar.

[TwoMartinMan]

Yep. I learned how to do set up work and modifications on cheap, used Yamaha acoustics and Squier electrics. Educational, fun, and saves me money doing set ups on my good guitars.

[coldbrew]

I've done it to turn fairly useless guitars into art projects.

[Turp]

A friend and very skilled builder told me taking instruments apart and putting them back together again was a great way to learn how to build instruments.

[mutantrock]

I have never done it. About 20 years ago , Bob Benedetto told me he did that when he was a young man. Took it apart and put it back together because he wanted learn to build guitars. I think I had asked him how he got started in the business.

[zabdart]

I've got nothing against buying a cheap guitar and taking it apart to learn how to build or repair a good guitar -- in fact, it's a good idea.
However, over the years, you see all kinds of guitar abuse by the ignorant. I have a cousin who once turned an old, vintage Washburn (the Lyon & Healy type) into a plant hanger because she didn't know its value. I tried to buy it from her, but she wouldn't part with it. What are you going to do?