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Old 05-03-2007, 02:09 PM   #3
J Kennedy
Human being with feelings
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: ocean mists
Posts: 860
Default too off topic?

Guitar mod is maybe too off topic to be on this part of the forum, so moderators feel free to shift it if you want. There’s such a wide database here of good useful knowledge that I want to document some of this stuff, wherever it belongs so anyone can take advantage, now or in the future.

There is a practical application to livelihood. Music is a hobby now and the success of others is about my remaining motivation. Don’t have to worry about the hair, the competition or any money from the music side.

When a Rickenbacker and a recording gig were my only separation from the food line, I discovered that guitar modification was becoming a main source of stable income and repeat customers. The studio had a fleet of modified guitars that the clients could use. The result..”I got a strat, but it sure as hell don’t sound like your strat. Can you make my strat sound like that??” I didn’t have a whole lot of bands coming back for more than 3 or 4 recording sessions, but a growing number of guitarists were hooked with the upgrades, and my place was their first stop after the music store with a new axe and Yankee green.

There’s a sobering thread on here getting to the root problem of surviving as an engineer in a more complex and competitive industry, and the waste of prep time before you even start the paying clock. We’ve all gone thru it. Union wage in Pittsburg studios was more per hour than a psychiatrist was making, but prep time, setup and travel equalized out the pay to not much more than minimum wage. Bummer.

I had a good, workable system on the modification end to cut out wasted time where I looked at the guitar and gave the person a list of parts to bring back with an agreed flat rate for the conversion. Customer did all the footwork so I had about 15 minutes invested in getting a parts list and setting a price before actually hitting paid time. Gentlemen, there is stable money to be made in this that can supplement the struggle to get a studio up and self supporting. Anyway, more tips to come on whatever forum this thread ends up on.

John K
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