DIY adjustments on your guitar

[TokyoNeko]

I'm not sure if there's ever been a poll on this, but I've certainly come across quite a few threads on the do-it-yourself fixes on the acoustics. So I'm just curious as to how many of us are comfortable tweaking certain parts of the instruments.

I'm mainly looking for things you're COMFORTABLE making changes on. (I'm not necessarily looking to count the ones where somebody tried it, failed, and is no longer inclined to do so again.) So please vote on the options above, and share your thoughts.

As for me, I'm pretty comfortable with handling truss rods and saddles, and I do change my own strings.

Lastly, this poll is not NECESSARILY meant for luthiers (who can obviously do all those things), but I won't stop them from voting. :P

[Goat Mick]

I'll do most anything that doesn't involve working on the internal structure of the guitar. I'm clueless about that stuff and my fat hands don't fit in there anyway.

[Silly Moustache]

I swap over saddles (I have a stock of Collings precuts), change strings (obviously) and adjust truss rod as and when, but nothing more.

I wish I could cut a nut and a saddle - wish I could stone frets, but I can't so I pay.

[ChrisE]

I can do the easy stuff (strings, saddles, truss rods). The rest I leave alone but I have changed tuners a few times and probably could install a pickup.

[Long Jon]

Yes just the simple stuff , but I forgot to tick the Pick up box,

I can fit a K&K and don't fear the reamer.

[TBman]

Strings, nuts, saddle, pick guard removal, tuner swap outs, truss rod tweaking and TR cover swaps. On my less expensive guitars I've shaved a brace or two and installed 3 sound ports. I've also swapped out bridge pins.

[posternutbag]

I change my strings. Beyond that, I have a tech for anything else.

[golfreggie]

I stick with strings and truss rod, of course tightening tuner hardware as needed. I check them each string change. I had thought about saddles for my Taylor and I stumbled on a tech sheet from them regarding the ES-2 system. It seems like the little screws need to be manipulated in a certain manner prior to lifting the saddle from the bridge. So, any work other than strings and truss rod I am leaving to the pros! I sure would hate to be the cause of unintentionally damaging the guitar.

[muscmp]

i'll do the minor stuff i listed but my eyes and hands aren't as good as they used to be so i'm limited.

play music!

[TokyoNeko]

The only thing that is a bit surprising thus far is that about half the respondents say they tweak the nut. I've been following Bob Colosi's suggestion that the nut should really be handled by the experts...

[Moocheng]

I'm happy about setting up a guitar, neck relief, saddle height, nut etc,
anything else involving frets or the structure of the guitar I leave in the capable hands of my luthier

[Big*Al]

I'm a mechanical engineer with a fair amount of hands-on machine shop and woodworking experience. I'm also kind of a tightwad when it comes to hiring out stuff I'm capable of doing myself. (I even cut my own hair.) Plus, buying the tools to do a job is often cheaper than hiring it out. There were only a couple of boxes I didn't check, but only because I haven't needed to do them . . . yet.

I do basically everything to maintain my guitars, including setups, nut work, fret replacement, making saddles and finish repairs. Over the years I've also found a few worthy decrepit vintage yard-sale specials and brought them back to life. I enjoy that kind of thing. I haven't tried a neck reset yet . . . but it's on my bucket list.

[ronadair]

I'm good so long as it doesn't involve cutting. I had James install the K&K Mini in my Goodall. A hole was involved.

[Toby Walker]

I write, perform, teach the songs and let the luthier work on the guitars. We both know our limits.

[vindibona1]

You forgot bridge pins.

I don't do anything that can't be easily reversed. When you mess with something permanent three things can happen, and two of them are bad.