Repair and Luthier Work Books

[santucci218]

I work at a music store doing the guitar and bass stuff. I'm working with these instruments a lot. When there is any problem besides intonation, restrings, or setups, i generally send it to the other store.

Im learning how to solder, so thats not much of a worry. But say, replacing pickups and tuners and bridges. Making new nuts. Shimming necks. You know, repair work...are there any good books out there that teach this stuff?

[eleonn]

Id look for Dan Erlewine books.

[202dy]

Guitar Player Repair Guide by Dan Erlewine

This book is an easy read. It is more or less the bible for repair.

If you are really serious, there is a DVD series that lets you see it hands on.

Electronics, wiring, and pickup replacement is easy with the Standard Book of Wiring Diagrams.
The diagrams are drawings of components rather than schematics. Anyone can read it.

Trade Secrets will save you a lot of time once you've gotten started.

The most important thing to do is to practice on scrap or beater guitars from the flea market. They'll be starting up again next month in your neck of the woods. Buy a few and practice.

BTW, Luthiers Corner is cool. But Setup and Repair is where most of the repair info is. Builders are only sometimes repair techs. No offense to the fine builders who post here.

[SDB Guitars]

I don't claim to be a *fine* builder, but I'll come out and say that I do little-to-no repair work. I build in the evenings, and sometimes on weekends, whenever my day job allows.

The only repair work I do is to my personal stash of guitars... upgrading, tweaking, etc.

[santucci218]

i totally forgot about the setup and repair forum, sorry!

I just figured if you can make them you know how to fix them.

Thanks for the suggestion though, im going to order that book.

[Phil Mailloux]

Definitely get The Guitar Player Repair Guide. It is THE book on guitar repair out there. Nothing else comes close to it.

Also, don't waste your money on Dan's "Make your guitar play great".

[santucci218]

Originally Posted by Phil Mailloux

Definitely get The Guitar Player Repair Guide. It is THE book on guitar repair out there. Nothing else comes close to it.

Also, don't waste your money on Dan's "Make your guitar play great".

I almost just bought that off Amazon, lol.

Anyways, i picked up a used copy of The Guitar Player Repair Guide for under 20 dollars shipped to my house, so thank you guys.

I also bought the Frank Zappa Biography book too

[202dy]

Originally Posted by santucci218

i totally forgot about the setup and repair forum, sorry!

I just figured if you can make them you know how to fix them.

Thanks for the suggestion though, im going to order that book.

The guy on the line in Detroit knows how to build cars. Do you want him doing a tune-up on yours?

This is a logical fallacy that unfortunately many (the majority?) of the public believes. The reality is that if someone is concentrating their efforts on building it leaves little time for supporting a repair practice. Unless they come from a repair background a builder approaches the instrument from a very different angle. Like any other craft, repair work has tricks to the trade that are not obvious. It is not unlike the difference between a home builder and a remodeler. They are very different disciplines. One focuses on blueprints, the other focuses on fixing the blueprints.

If you poll some of the top luthiers who focus on repair and/or restoration you will find that the overwhelming majority do little or no building. The same is true on the other side of things.

None of this is to imply that builders cannot do repair work. It is just that most do not and therefore are not as efficient as a repairman.

[santucci218]

Originally Posted by 202dy

The guy on the line in Detroit knows how to build cars. Do you want him doing a tune-up on yours?

This is a logical fallacy that unfortunately many (the majority?) of the public believes. The reality is that if someone is concentrating their efforts on building it leaves little time for supporting a repair practice. Unless they come from a repair background a builder approaches the instrument from a very different angle. Like any other craft, repair work has tricks to the trade that are not obvious. It is not unlike the difference between a home builder and a remodeler. They are very different disciplines. One focuses on blueprints, the other focuses on fixing the blueprints.

If you poll some of the top luthiers who focus on repair and/or restoration you will find that the overwhelming majority do little or no building. The same is true on the other side of things.

None of this is to imply that builders cannot do repair work. It is just that most do not and therefore are not as efficient as a repairman.

Agreed, i just was not thinking when i posted is all.