You made this mess, shortscale. Help me clean it up?

[mixtape]

Not sure whether this thread belongs here or in the pub. Mods can move it if they prefer.

I have been quietly obsessed with guitars, on and off, ever since I was 10 years old. Since I joined shortscale, I've gotten a lot less quiet about it, and the modding bug has bitten. Also since then, I've completed my Ph.D. in English. This equips me very well to be an English professor, but I've discovered that I emphatically do not want to teach, which leaves me with the problem of what to do instead. In the short term, copy editing looks like my best option, given my skills and inclinations. Between knowing people and knowing people who know people, I may have a few freelance jobs on the horizon, so I'm optimistic about having an income again soon.

But in the long term, I've realized that a very big part of me kind of really wants to work on guitars. This dream may very well be impractical, misguided, and hopelessly naive, and I'll be the first to tell you I still have a ton to learn before I have a prayer of being employable in that capacity. Someone please either talk me out of this or tell me how to get started.

I'm a fast learner, and I'd describe myself as a detail-oriented problem-solver and an unrepentant perfectionist with a high threshold of tedium. I find the idea of dressing up and going to an office every day repellent. I don't mind working for someone else but don't want to be anybody's boss. So far, I've taught myself to do my own setups and wire up a bass, which I'll be refinishing once I get a few other fires put out. I'm working my way through this book, but there's a ton in there that I don't have the opportunity or the courage to try on my own gear.

The obvious solution, I know, is just to go to school for lutherie. And that sounds like great fun. If there's one thing I'm good at, it's going to school. The problem is that I'm 28 years old and I have never not been a full-time student (i.e. I have never had a real job), so the idea of dropping a few grand on still more school and delaying gainful employment still longer is disconcerting, to say the least. Do I have other options, or do I just put this idea on hold, pay the bills for a few years, and come back to it later? Or is it a stupid idea to begin with?

[Thomas]

Just make sure if you get someone to teach you that they really know their stuff. For example, most peoples experiences with "luthiers" in guitar shops is really bad. Most of them are pretty clueless.

I learned by reading as much as possible about it, I bought a couple of very good books and picked up tips from people who'd been doing it longer. I'll look up the titles of the 2 best books I found when I get home. I do all the work on my own guitars by myself. When you find out how easy most of the work is you'll kick yourself if you ever paid a shop to do any work for you. I'd say buy some junker guitars and practice with them.

If I had the space/equipment I'd be building from scratch. I built my own guitar like that when I was at art school because I had unlimited access to the workshops. It was a blast. Some trial and error is the norm but it is a good way to learn.

[George]

i would still keep a regular 9-5 job and start maybe taking local orders on the side as an evening thing

start getting your name out there, advertising on craiglist and anywhere else really

while doing that look out for mutts like squier affinitys or whatever to start experimenting and honing your skills at fret levelling, refretting, routing, refinishing and all that complex stuff to build up

all the while keep a blog or build up a portfolio showing your progression. that way you'll be really well prepared to start working for companies or for studying lutherie

it must be VERY low paying to start with without any contacts or regular customers, especially if you're paying tuition which is why it might be best to get a foot in the door first and maintain a regular well paying job

[Thomas]

You could probably get some skills at doing re-frets/fret dressing and come in at a solid 20 less than shops charge and clean up.

Make your own electric guitar by Melvyn Hiscock is a great book.

[benecol]

Arr, tough love moment: you need to get good at it before you can start trying to do it for a living. And I think it would be a very difficult thing to do for a living. I don't think it's something you can half do. You either study luthiery, and do setups etc on the side, or you get a regular joe job and try and hone your skills (and try and make a few quid on the side) by buying nails and doing them up.

[cur]

The Hiscock book is good. Well worth it to get the grasp of planning out a guitar.

Take a wood working course at your college or at a local community college. You need to know how to use tools; both hand tools and power tools. Maybe you do know how to use them IDK.

Are there any shops that do repairs near you? A couple places that I like to go to have sort of an open air repair/luthier shops. These people usually like bs about guitars and working on them. Get friendly with them. Heck, tell them that you want learn how and would volunteer to come in and help just to learn.

Get on Stewmac's email list. They send out cool how to videos avery couple weeks. Get a couple of luthier catalogues and drool over all the cool stuff. Buy a couple of kit guitars and try to do professional quality builds and finishes with them.

Buy beat up cheap guitars and fix them up, learn by doing. And when you need a specific tool to do the job correctly, get it. If you can sell them on craigslist or ebay for what you have into them for buying tools and equipment you just got a free lesson. Every problem guitar has a problem to fix.

youtube is your friend

Kidnap cooterfinger and keep him in your shed. Only give him food and water when he teaches you some new guitar building/fixing trick. Classical and operant conditioning type stuff.

[SKC Willie]

I'm just going to jump in and say what has already been (basically) said. If you don't have the courage to do some of the work on your own gear, you definitely shouldn't have the courage to take someone else's gear for money and try it and I think you understand that. Most jobs you have working on gear isn't going to pay off that Ph.D. or realistically pay the bills long term. You obviously like English, so my recommendation is go work some job editing from 9-5 while learning the skills and getting the tools, then when you realize how much you actually miss the school environment, go teach and earn a decent income and THEN go to luthier school. That's what I would do in your situation but in reality, it's about happiness and finding out what that means for you.

[robert(original)]

I highly suggest my teacher micheal bogeyman in St. Louis. Dude was a carpenter for like fifteen years and then moved into the world of violins, then started building guitars, currently runs shop/school and makes his own line of arch top guitars. His prices are pretty decent. Class sizes are about eight people max. Very hands on. You learn to build everything from scratch. And it's as in depth or hands on as you want. Only problem is. Once you are a luthier, yea, you are node and, but its hard to get your name out there unless folks already know you are a musician and you are connected In The. "Scene"
-I byno means want to deter. You from learning the arts, but I do want to warn your bit. It's not easy, you have to deal with dumbass mother fuckers all day asking retarded ass fucking. Questions, the most common is "so, like, how much to build me a strat? One just likea fender"
-about a thousand more.
-"What?!?! Why so much? That's a ripoff."
Fender has. Machines and can make one in a couple hours, it would take me a month if I had nothing else to do since. I'm using my hands and only my hands.
And then people like just like to talk bullshit for hours on end about shit you already know or don't want to talk with them about.

[mixtape]

Thanks for all the advice, guys. What I'm hearing is that this isn't a viable plan for the immediate future, but it could be a second or third act for me if I pay the bills, do my homework, and am utterly serious about it. I'll definitely pick up the Hiscock book and any others you recommend.

At some point I'll probably start buying "for parts or not working" guitars on eBay, fixing them up, and reselling them. My only fear is that I wouldn't get to that last step and I'd end up being the guitar equivalent of the crazy cat lady.

I actually called my tech about this last week and asked his advice. He did not sound thrilled by the idea. My charitable interpretation is that he (understandably) has a vested interest in my not learning how to do the things I used to pay him to do, or that he's just not much of a people person. The advice he gave me on how to learn the ropes was either to go back to school, get a job with a guitar company basically doing factory setups, or find a tech willing to let me shadow him. Option 1 is best, but expensive. Option 2 would require me to relocate, which I'm reluctant to do at the moment. Option 3 looks to be the most within reach. Since my guy conspicuously didn't volunteer himself, though, I didn't ask. There are other shops in the area that do repairs that I could try, but how do I start that conversation without making it weird?