jefm Posted June 18, 2004 Report Share Posted June 18, 2004 This is inspirational...Admittedly my parents have been saying this for years...I have some ideas on how to acheive my goals...it's just a matter of getting there....*sigh* that's going to be a hell of a trip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hy_dro66 Posted June 18, 2004 Report Share Posted June 18, 2004 I also joined the military when I graduated high school, except I tried college for a couple semesters, only I was working fulltime and doing college. That didn't work out so well so I joined the AF. I was a hydrualics mechanic/chopper crew chief. I enjoyed most of it but I'm not the military type. When I got out I took a year off(thanks to a great wife) to spend with my daughter. I then went to Roberto-Venn. And dispite what you've heard there are some grants and financial aid that you can get for there. I actually got the GI bill to pay for half of the tuition. A lot of the guys got financial aid and/or student loans. I am not in the least bit trying to sway you into going there. But I loved it and learned a sh*#load of stuff. When I showed the guitars that I built at R-V to the repair shop owner I work for now, he hired me almost instantly. I never gave him a resume, filled out an application or signed anything. I started work the next week and I've been working like crazy ever since. I also am in the process of building my first five guitars under my business name and 2 will be sold the day they are finished. So however you can do it, live your dream. I disagree with the money statement made earlier as well. Granted, it'll get you stuff and some security. If that is what makes you happy then get a job that will make you lots of money. I don't have a lot and I'm happy and so are my wife and kid. We save what we can and don't buy what we don't need. It might be viewed by others as a simple life but I'm as happy as I'll ever be. On the flip side you can make a lot of money in the repair business. We charge $75.00/hour labor at our shop. I don't take all of that but I get a chunk. If you get fast you can easily make 30 dollars an hour in guitar repair. You've recieved a lot of sincere comments from these guys. Take the advice and do what you need to do. You'll be great at what ever you choose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
litchfield Posted June 18, 2004 Report Share Posted June 18, 2004 Yeah, I have decided to go to RV in the spring. Classes start Feb 7, 2005, and I am gonna go. I need the discipline and them skills. I think it will be a great investment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLS Posted June 18, 2004 Report Share Posted June 18, 2004 My last amp repair bill was 65 an hour, that pretty good huh? I was quoted 30-40$ to adjust the bias on my Marshall when I changed the tubes. It took me a whole 2 minutes to do it myself with a borrowed multi-meter! So yeah, I guess there is room for some competition! I'm afraid the younger crowd will move away from tubes though, and there's not much work to do on a digital amp besides flashing new firmware... only until they find out that the tube amps cut through the mix better live Tubes amps will never disapear. Same reason Acoustic guitars are still around, they simply sound different. Everyone knows tube amps are better anyways Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardtailed Posted June 18, 2004 Report Share Posted June 18, 2004 To stay more "in topic": don't forget that sometimes it IS important to have some kind of a fallback plan. The sad truth is that, there are much more people dreaming of a career in the music business (playing or building) than there are people actually making a living out of it. When I was in high school, I didn't have any interests besides music (well besides chicks and beer), but as you meet new people, get some summer jobs, go to college, you'll probably discover a lot of other things that will pick your curiosity. The problem is that, high school is the period where we have to make some of the most important decisions of our lives, but we're not necessarily ready for it. However, I'm happy I didn't decide to do music full time, because now I have a steady income which pays the mortgage and feeds the kid, yet I still play out once in a while, write some songs. It is true that my music suffer compared to when I was younger, because I don't have as much free time as before, but on the other hand I still have fun doing it because I don't have any stress, any pressure, cause it's only a hobby, I don't have to rely on it. The money I make out of it is pure candy for me. Sure I don't like my job as much as I like music, and I never though I'd end up in this field, but I like my job because it allows me to keep playing and because, well, it's not that bad. As for being a luthier, you have to added advantage that those skills can serve for other purposes, like cabinet making, or working in the construction industry. If you develop those skills, you can make interesting money working in related fields, and then maybe someday start a guitar store where you can offer your service to repair, modify or build guitars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devon Headen Posted June 18, 2004 Report Share Posted June 18, 2004 I think I'm going to be a business major. It can help you get a job in TONS of fields, I find it interesting (kind of ), and there is potential for a lot of money. If I decide to make guitars as a living, or open a music store, then I'll have training for that too. Heck, if my music ever takes me anywhere, it'll still be useful to have a business degree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Jabsco Posted June 18, 2004 Report Share Posted June 18, 2004 Yeah, and women dig Business majors... its true, my friend Eric (now 26) said that in collage the only reason he got dates was cause he was a business major. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted June 18, 2004 Report Share Posted June 18, 2004 Yeah, and women dig Business majors... its true, my friend Eric (now 26) said that in collage the only reason he got dates was cause he was a business major. Hmmm... nothing gets more chicks than telling them you make electric guitars for rock stars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Jabsco Posted June 18, 2004 Report Share Posted June 18, 2004 Untill they find out your broke, and sell the guitars to kids who want to be the next randy rhodes:( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hy_dro66 Posted June 18, 2004 Report Share Posted June 18, 2004 will i employ someone? Yes, im am gearing up for it now, but it will be menial tasks like sanding, and nothing else. If they cant do that for a long time without complaint (1 year +), they arent keen. That's the best way to learn really. Plus the guys that hang in through the hours of sanding and cleaning will really appreciate carving a neck when they get to do it. They will also understand how much your time is worth. I love the "Grand Master Pubar Luthier" title. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Jabsco Posted June 18, 2004 Report Share Posted June 18, 2004 OOh sorry, thats not a hit on you.. I didnt even notice your name till a second ago Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daddy ray Posted June 21, 2004 Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 interesting thread kinda got off the original question topic of how & where to recieve your education as a luthier i started playing about 4 yrs ago when i retired from a 30 yr technical career playing guitar was something i had long wanted to do being mechanically inclined & a hard core shop rat i knew up front i'd want to do my own repairs/mods to my guitar so i started with yard sale specials my first one was an old black cort strat knockoff that a friend of my son bought at a yard sale for $5.00 cause it had a duncan invader in it my son ended up with it (minus the duncan pickup) & gave it to me to start with for play/repair practice couldn't tell the difference between it & a nice guitar at that point as a player plus i didn't want to practice tech work on an instrument of value for obvious reasons i bought erlewine's book "guitar player repair guide" & his video "how to assemble a solid body guitar" these two items covered virtually every aspect of construction & repair to various degrees i now own virtually every book/video title he has published plus others as well kinda pricy but cheaper than tuition/travel/lodging for a school plus all of the info with visuals (nothing like visuals to make a concept clear) & text explination are always here for review started with setups, fitting/cutting a new nut, basic electronics & on to fretwork, etc. started as a hoby but i kept getting better & better then players in my network started calling wanting me to do this or that to their ax & it is becoming an exponential thing long story short...in the last week i've taken in over $600 in work to be done ( 2 fret jobs & an assembly from parts) not enough yet to support myself but heading in that direction i'm now into acoustic neck resets (more books/videos) etc as well as the solid body stuff the key to being a technical artisan if your going to work for yourself is that you MUST exercise self discipline to study/work in this arena their isn't a boss to crack the whip if you can't motivate yourself to work you'r doomed before you begin another thing...focus on absolute quality in your work & the $'s will be there as a byproduct of competance hope this gives you practical input for thought dr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted June 21, 2004 Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 OOh sorry, thats not a hit on you.. I didnt even notice your name till a second ago haha, no worries, i do actually sell guitars for randy rhoads wannabe's... see here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassman Posted June 21, 2004 Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 Meegs n Dylan, You never know where you may end up, but you sure can do a lot to influence it. I graduated from high school in '98, I did not even want to go to college- I was not allowed to take technical classes-auto repair/body- in high school because my mother thought it would be harder for me to get into college if i did. anyways my mother actually filled out my college application for me- only because I had absolutely no desire to go and would have never filled one out willingly. So five years later, during my last semester, I built my first bass with access I had to a school workshop. Shortly after I graduated with honors and a degree in philosophy. All the while I was in college i played bass for a reggae band that played with the likes of The WAilers, EEk A Mouse, The MIghty Diamonds, THe Abyssinians,Frankie Paul, Gregory Issacs, and I was even invited to play with the drummer of the wailers side project. I never made enough money to quite my day job. So after graduating I from college last year I have progressively stepped up my income four times- with the hopes of being able to fund my own shop- Order of jobs- custom furniture and cabinet maker to cable contractor to one of two luthiers for Dammann basses (sold a couple to members of Dave Mathews band) and now I am selling and installing custom blinds,shades and window treatments to rich folks. I never saw myself ending up here- and the reason is for the money- the money that is allowing me to stock up my own shop with the tools needed to build my own custom basses. Upon showing the first, not the twentieth, bass that I made/designed I has had some potential clients. BTW I have also gotten married bought a house and have my first baby on the way. Things move faster than you could ever imagine once you finish up school. I am only 24 and fresh out of school but I have managed to nearly complete my tool collection for my own shop- but only because I was willing to leave my "dream job" as a luthier and install blinds/shades/curtains for people with to much money. If you think you may never end up financing your future guitar building by installing "window treatments" think again. Peace and good luck, Ryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted June 21, 2004 Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 If you think you may never end up financing your future guitar building by installing "window treatments" think again. Peace and good luck, Ryan aint that the truth. My guitar building has been financed by years in a job i absolutely hated, but it gave us financial security whilst my missus developped a career to a stage where it would support us both if i "didnt make it" making guitars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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