You love playing guitar and consider yourself as a guitarist. It could be a career for you or a hobby. You tend to play it in long hours, on the daily basis. Of course, you want it to maintain in good condition but once a part of it broke, the impulse is run to a guitar shop or guitar tech. Also, it broke when you are far from the city and there is no available repair shop around. You will spend a certain amount of money and wait for hours to get it fixed. So, why not consider to become your own guitar tech? Being a guitarist and guitar tech at the same time is an edge. Let me tell you basic skills to learn and some tools you need to be a guitar tech.
Be Resourceful
Initially, you will need materials for the repairs and need to spend some money but being resourceful is indeed a valuable skill. While starting use some improvised tools available at home. For instance, in using a guitar work mat with neck rest, alternatively, you can lay the instrument carefully on a towel with rolled up towel to cradle the neck. In neck relief measurement, instead of using feeler gauges, get an improvised card a little shorter than the credit card.
Learn The Craft
It seems to be easy since you are a guitarist and already familiar with the guitar parts. Study the basic repairs. There are manuals, videos, and articles available online to learn it. Some are how-to-guides like rewiring guitar jack, truss-rod adjustments, action and intonation set, and pickups replacement. It can also be obtained by enrolling in short courses, attend to training and other related practices about guitars. More readily, practice it by fixing friend’s broken guitars strings or purchase old broken guitars and relive it.
Turn Into An Electronics Guy
Learn to replace the dodgy controls and sockets plus train to change valves of the amplifiers. It can be dangerous when working under the bonnet amp. Be cautious enough and consider wearing protective gages. Moreover, try to work on own pedals, it is important to know it.
Acquire Experience
Go out and become a volunteer in a bar band to gain the experience. This is the best way to learn and turn into a guitar tech. Rather than this, visit some local music store or instrument repair shop and observe how the professionals are doing it. Try to approach a professional guitar tech and ask if you can perform guitar restringing.
Train To Be A Jack Of All Trades
Generally, the duties of guitar tech, aside from quick repairs, are tuning guitars, replace components, rewire drivers, adjust the misaligned neck, resolder loose wiring, adjust volume potentiometer and replace amplifier tube.
Final Thoughts …
To be own guitar tech is also getting the chance to know more about your favorite instrument, its dynamics and right tools to maintain it. Be patient enough to learn these tips, who knows soon enough once you ace these skills, it can become your source of income or a chosen career.
Your Turn to Sound Off!
How many of the five tips above already apply to you?
Let us know in the comment section below!
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