Your next guitar?

[Dean Aka Nekro]

Eric mate no problems

Ian, That is exactly what I mean also/should of elaborated on further. What are these shops going to be able to do for a customer whom requires more than just something out of the box? How are they going to deal with simple restrings to repairs? They are not; They will be sending it off. Its one big shit sandwich. Like yourself it does not affect me but for alot of people including the folk whom have been doing in-house basic checks to full on overhauling amplifiers and the like...Well all I can see is a really half-baked service, Only one step more blind than buying off the internet (That step being having a chance to try out whatever it is first - Yep the most crucial part but still a proper quality buying experience/package is alot more than just that). It will backfire/setting themselves up for failure to earn abit more profit/cut overheads?, Over here the likes of Hugh Manson's and Charlie Chandler's will be held in such high regard for offering that full package if you will: Customer service (Well as I am used to it/Like it) plus alot of the custom builders/modification places getting alot more business (and being able to charge far more for it as there will simply not be any alternatives for many). Madness mate, Madness!

All the best to you both gents

Dean

[Hink]

I recall someone once trying to explain to me why growing up with crappy gear did not help develop at all...then I read your post (Dean) and Ian's and I wish I could go back and thank him one more time for not going out and buying me an expensive guitar. My first guitar (an Alamo El Dorado) had two very serious issues, first it wasn't all that great of a guitar...the other was a teenage owner who had enough skills to be dangerous and the balls to jump in way over his head.

However as a result I have mixed emotions when it comes to luthiers. In one store I was that guy, in another we had two different ones come and go...one was a friend of mine I suggested for the job and the last store had a central repair facility that was horrid. (months and months of waiting) Back in the day I liked to get along well with guitar techs because it was tough finding parts, I had to go into Boston just to get a small sample of AllParts (typically I had to do orders which had a minimum).

I never minded doing the work myself but parts were tough to find, once I went into a music store and asked if they had the barrel type guitar jack (1992-93) and they said no but for 35 dollars they would install one. They refused to let me just buy the jack because they had to order it. After a day of music store cruising I did find one but the guy at the store just sold me one he had in a drawer (not packaged).

Today there are no minimums, everything is right online and the prices are often close to 1980s prices on parts. I feel bad for the small guy who made a living from repairing guitars and in fact I don even know where to find a tech around here. But thanx to the sacrifices made by my first guitar hopefully I'll never need to hunt down a tech...REMEMBER THE ALAMO!!!!

[robogone]

Unfortunately I think the luthiers that survive are the ones that work for the big chain stores, and they know that their audience is undescerning for the most part. Based on what I have heard that's true around here at least.

However I have heard of luthiers with a good reputation who are independent, but they generally get their money from being very broad, including a lot of other instruments. There's one guy around here who literally claims that if it has strings on it he has experience of working on it, and I know he does OK.

[Hink]

how come firefox doesn't know how to spell luthier?

[SuitcaseOfLizards]

We have some kick-ass techs here in Austin, the few I know of work for small botique shops.. but then, Austin is a guitar town! Everyone AND their chicken plays guitar around here, it's like there's a law that you have to or something...

My first guitar was a Hondo Tele copy, I chopped and modded the crap out of it! Played like crap, horrible neck, but after some work on the bridge and electronics it.. sucked less.

The soldering iron w/ built-in light arrives today, the multimeter arrives tomorrow. I'm still iffy on how I want to wire the Ibanez, although I have made final decisions on the pickups (3 humbuckers). Too many options!

I almost bought a Danelectro Wild Thing baritone guitar today for the sole reason that it looked freaking insane and that you could slaughter Orcs with it. But I have to sell my bass first, I'm just not playing it and have ended up doing bass with VSTi..

As to Firefox, heck, *I* don't know how to spell loothear.. lootyer.. loofier.. erm.. guitar tech.

[Hink]

We have some kick-ass techs here in Austin, the few I know of work for small botique shops.. but then, Austin is a guitar town! Everyone AND their chicken plays guitar around here, it's like there's a law that you have to or something...

My first guitar was a Hondo Tele copy, I chopped and modded the crap out of it! Played like crap, horrible neck, but after some work on the bridge and electronics it.. sucked less.

The soldering iron w/ built-in light arrives today, the multimeter arrives tomorrow. I'm still iffy on how I want to wire the Ibanez, although I have made final decisions on the pickups (3 humbuckers). Too many options!

I almost bought a Danelectro Wild Thing baritone guitar today for the sole reason that it looked freaking insane and that you could slaughter Orcs with it. But I have to sell my bass first, I'm just not playing it and have ended up doing bass with VSTi..

As to Firefox, heck, *I* don't know how to spell loothear.. lootyer.. loofier.. erm.. guitar tech.

it has long since been stolen but I bought a 72 Fender Tel Custom (black with the maple neck of course) from Ray Hennings Heart of Texas Music...but either in Waco or Temple. I loved Austin when I was there because in the late 70s and early 80s it was also a great guitar town...and very few GI's

I know quite a few people in Austin TBH, my son was born on FT Hood and I want to one day make a trip down there so he can see what he missed out on...now I know so may people it might be worth it

[SuitcaseOfLizards]

We have some kick-ass techs here in Austin, the few I know of work for small botique shops.. but then, Austin is a guitar town! Everyone AND their chicken plays guitar around here, it's like there's a law that you have to or something...

My first guitar was a Hondo Tele copy, I chopped and modded the crap out of it! Played like crap, horrible neck, but after some work on the bridge and electronics it.. sucked less.

The soldering iron w/ built-in light arrives today, the multimeter arrives tomorrow. I'm still iffy on how I want to wire the Ibanez, although I have made final decisions on the pickups (3 humbuckers). Too many options!

I almost bought a Danelectro Wild Thing baritone guitar today for the sole reason that it looked freaking insane and that you could slaughter Orcs with it. But I have to sell my bass first, I'm just not playing it and have ended up doing bass with VSTi..

As to Firefox, heck, *I* don't know how to spell loothear.. lootyer.. loofier.. erm.. guitar tech.

it has long since been stolen but I bought a 72 Fender Tel Custom (black with the maple neck of course) from Ray Hennings Heart of Texas Music...but either in Waco or Temple. I loved Austin when I was there because in the late 70s and early 80s it was also a great guitar town...and very few GI's

I know quite a few people in Austin TBH, my son was born on FT Hood and I want to one day make a trip down there so he can see what he missed out on...now I know so may people it might be worth it

Well, drop on down! I know a great place down 6th St. that makes the nest burgers in town - Casino El Camino - and cold beer as well as a kick-ass jukebox. It's a blast and not packed with wannabe hipsters. And of COURSE you have to stay here through Sunday to go to Ginnys Little Longhorn Saloon for Chicken S**t Bingo and live country music!

[SuitcaseOfLizards]

Tech question: typically, is it bad for a guitar to leave the strings off for a long time? And by "long" I mean about 2 weeks. I'm wondering how long I can leave the strings off the Ibanez while I molest the pickups and switch with a solodering iron..

I suppose I could just loosen the crap out of the strings, slide the pickguard out, and re-tune it.. but if it's fine to let it sit for a couple of weeks I'll just remove the strings and install new ones when I re-mount the new electronics.

I know, icky-picky but I don't want to mess this one up..

[Dean Aka Nekro]

I would say personally that it is fine wooly, Its not like you will have had anything like freak freezing days up to baking hot days in two weeks right? Also not left the Ibby rested up on a radiator? ...and so on. I have left stuff months sans problems. Its steady here, grey sky, drizzle or pelting it down and not warm without having heating on. It gets abit too hot for a few months in summer and abit too cold for most other times so the summer is the only issue and I burn like a witch at the hands of Vincent f!ckin Price!

Regarding shit stuff to start off of, Well mine was a classical style with action that was sky high, if it had frets then only the very branches of anti-gravity could get string to anywhere near 'board then after slogging with that for a few years a used Dean bass and no name combo no even intended for bass came for my birthday/christmas when I was 14. Built up a decent setup for both guitar and bass then ex-pyscho wife made me sell up (still wounded over that stuff, Always will be). 6 or 7 months after not being with her all I had was an ESP LTD M-50, Solid-State marshall half-stack (pre DSP example, I liked it actually), An NS-2 and SD-2. I left a few things I left at home just incase and thank f**k I did.

Now I have a choice/freedom I have rebuilt the collection slowly and continue to do so. Forever wounded but unscared

[Hink]

compliments via FB of our own Duncan Parsons

[vurt]

wtf?
cream and brown?

[hibidy]

that's REALLY weird!

[Hink]

a hammered dulcimer guitar...it's not weird, it's brilliant

[SuitcaseOfLizards]

@Nekro - cool! I won't sweat it much, it probably won't be as long as 2 weeks but I want to be prepared for mistakes..

@Hink: uhh I say WTF! And, erm, I vote for "weird"..

[Ian B]

Eric mate no problems

Ian, That is exactly what I mean also/should of elaborated on further. What are these shops going to be able to do for a customer whom requires more than just something out of the box? How are they going to deal with simple restrings to repairs? They are not; They will be sending it off. Its one big shit sandwich. Like yourself it does not affect me but for alot of people including the folk whom have been doing in-house basic checks to full on overhauling amplifiers and the like...Well all I can see is a really half-baked service, Only one step more blind than buying off the internet (That step being having a chance to try out whatever it is first - Yep the most crucial part but still a proper quality buying experience/package is alot more than just that). It will backfire/setting themselves up for failure to earn abit more profit/cut overheads?, Over here the likes of Hugh Manson's and Charlie Chandler's will be held in such high regard for offering that full package if you will: Customer service (Well as I am used to it/Like it) plus alot of the custom builders/modification places getting alot more business (and being able to charge far more for it as there will simply not be any alternatives for many). Madness mate, Madness!

All the best to you both gents

Dean

At one point Dean, I'm pretty sure every guitar on show/sold thro' this chain of shops had been thro' his hands to get the best general setup, while still leaving room for additional tweaking, ie lower action, should the buyer require it.

With factory setups being so poor generally, it was a win-win situation for everyone, a potential customer could try a perfectly playable guitar rather than one with a action you could drive a bus under, so why this company has become so short sighted as to think this isn't necessary any more is total stupidity on their part and will surely cost them in lost sales. Even keeping him on but not setting all the guitars up makes sense as they'd have a good in house tech to recommend.

Unfortunately I think the luthiers that survive are the ones that work for the big chain stores, and they know that their audience is undescerning for the most part. Based on what I have heard that's true around here at least.

The tech I'm talking about worked for one of, if not the biggest, chain of music stores in the North of England. It's almost certain he offered two levels of service, a basic setup for guitars in the stores and a fuller setup for his private clients. If that was the case it'll be down to the time allowed for each guitar by the stores, and more importantly, the amount of cash they allowed per guitar.