To DIY or not to DIY, that is the question

Rocker

or when is it better to let a professional do the job. Guitar setup for example. Some tasks like setting intonation, pickup height, replacing machine heads etc are fairly easy for DIY work. Other work like nut replacement, fret levelling, acoustic guitar intonation, and so on are best left to luthiers as these tasks often require specialist tools and detailed knowledge of the task.  The €65 I spent on a pro setup of my Epi Les Paul was one of the best spends I ever made. Discuss. Is it really necessary to do everything luthery yourself?

kizzer

Its always good to have an understanding of setup, Neck angle, String height intonation and pickup height. Apart from intonation, all these things can be bespoke for each guitarist, so I think that its best to learn to do yourself.

I taught myself fret levelling last year, a few tools are needed for this task such as a fret levelling beam and fret file. The tools came to about £100-£150, so for the person with one guitar this may be a false economy, but for the person with 5+ it again is a great skill to have and once learned is a 30 minute job.

Corvus

If you don't know how to do it and don't want to learn & toll up, farm it out. Simple. Same as DIY, car maintenance, whatever. It's choice not necessity.
For me the cost is a driver, last year I did at least a fret level a month plus how ever many setups. I've spent very little on tools for levelling over the years and done countless jobs. Saved a ton of money & time, the cost is very quickly recovered with a couple of guitars or more. Nut files are a lot pricier than they used to be but the benefits in making new or setting up something give pretty quick payback in cost let alone playability.
And DIY means no schlepping around finding someone, being guitar-less, collecting etc.

Roland

As a guitarist you benefit from understanding your instrument and the way it's set up. I would say DIY, because thats how you learn. The biggest risk with a re-wire, nut replacement or normal refret is that you get it wrong and either do it again, or ask a tech to sort it out. The exception is a bound fingerboard which is less easy to retrieve.

The car analogy is interesting. I'm happy to deal with oil, water, wiper blades and battery. Once upon a time I could have done the brakes, but didn't have the time. Many modern cars require equipment which isn't available. There's also a health and safety/commercial issue where an insurance company might not want to accept my repair work in the event of a claim.

WezV

Just don't practice on your number one if you have a gig in a few days....

I think taking a cheaper guitar apart, rebuilding and replacing a few parts is a good place to start if it's something you are interested in.


nuts are easy if you have the right tools, but even so, you will probably ruin a couple as you learn.  accept that you might fuck up, learn how to fix it when you do, and learn how to prevent it next time.  

olafgarten

Just get a £10 strat off ebay and practice with that. If you make it playable then you know you've learnt something. 

Rocker

I don't see any real benefit in working on my guitars other than the routine jobs I mentioned in my original post.  What prompted this discussion was another thread about an acoustic guitar that did not play in tune (the intonation was way off). This IMHO is a situation when professional help is needed. A luthier will know what to do and have the parts and tools to do the work. And the knowledge to know what to look for.

english_bob

Corvus said:

And DIY means no schlepping around finding someone, being guitar-less, collecting etc.

...or finding out that the guy you took your guitar to is an idiot who has ruined your beloved instrument etc.

Of course, if you do it yourself you can ruin it yourself

Corvus

True x2

Sarge

@kizzer if a fret levelling /dress is only taking 30 mins you're not doing it right  

kizzer

@Sarge or I'm very good at it

Sarge

kizzer said:

@Sarge or I'm very good at it

true, but unlikely