Guitar Tech/maintenance courses

mark_jwedge

I am really keen to learn how to set up and maintain my guitars better. I can do a basic intonation set but have never adjusted the truss rod, re cut the nut, soldered in new pickups, dressed frets etc.

eventually I want to have a go at building a guitar but for now have been looking around at coursss centred around guitar maintenance.

The crimson guitars course looks great, anyone got any experience of it? Any other recommendations? 

Kalimna

I have no experience of the Crimson Course to offer, and whilst I know of the course run by Montys Guitars, Im afraid I havent been on that one either, so cant comment except to say it's there!
Good luck,
Adam

JerkMoans

I too am interested in this: any of the v talented fettlers on the forum run anything like this?

guitarfishbay

Jon Shuker runs one. I’ve never been on it but I’ve been happy with the work he’s done on my instruments.

http://shukerguitars.co.uk/courses/

Haych

I've been on the Crimson course.  It's pretty good but be warned it's a bit rough round the edges and not at all what you'd expect. Seriously, it's chaos, goodness knows how they churn out such high end stuff. It certainly blows the glamour of guitar building away - it's brings home with a bump that building guitars on any scale is an industrial and shitty business.

You'll get to meet some good people though but most there will probably be on much longer guitar build courses.  I felt a bit like the rookie because I was only there two days with a cheap guitar to unfuckup.

I learned a lot, though and would generally recommend it.  Feel free to PM me if you have any questions you'd like to ask.  There's a nice guest house about a mile down the road if you're staying over too. 

Funkfingers

Haych said:
I've been on the Crimson course. ... It certainly blows the glamour of guitar building away - it brings home with a bump that building guitars on any scale is an industrial and shitty business.

That may be the intention.

Haych

Funkfingers said:

Haych said:
I've been on the Crimson course. ... It certainly blows the glamour of guitar building away - it brings home with a bump that building guitars on any scale is an industrial and shitty business.

That may be the intention.

Possibly but I’d bet it has more to do with cost that presenting any kind of image, good or bad. 

Funkfingers

True.

Some aspects of the task only come with repetition. It would be necessary to build a succession of instruments to arrive at something properly fit to sell to the general public.

sgosden

I did a 1 day course in south Oxfordshire, at the svlya wood school ( think its called) with a local tech/builder. Came out with my strat playing better than it has in 10 years, and the confidence to do the basics.

covered- truss rod/neck relief, string height, intonation, fret board care, how to cut a nut, a bit about pickup height, minor soldering,

touched on fret dressing, raised frets - but only because one of the guitars needed it

Lestratcaster

I also want to get on one of these courses. Have read about the one at Monty's Guitars but it currently clashes with working commitments (Saturday mornings only apparently). 

Another way would be to go out on the road with an already experienced tech but it'd mean alot of unpaid hours on the road probably.

Corvus

Dr Bob, Robbie Gladwell, does them. He's in Suffolk I think.