I’ve played guitar for 50 years, and always done my own maintenance. There weren’t any guitar techs when I started. A couple of years ago I was challenged to build a Telecaster from a kit. After that I started to build my own guitars, about one a year, changing the design each time to get closer to an ideal gigging guitar. That’s more about function than looks. Binding, for example, reduces the damage when you knock your guitar against something hard. Pickup switching options increase the range of sounds, meaning fewer guitars to carry.
Two years ago I started make headless guitars. Thei