I should introduce myself

[ross.pearson]

Hi all, I'm Ross from Perth, Western Australia. Middle aged IT professional with grandiose plans of making mediocre instruments that I'll pass down to my kids one day so they can have the moral dilemma of whether or not to bin them.

It feels like just yesterday, but I started playing guitar 26 years ago. It also sounds like I just started yesterday.

I'm broke, saving for a house, and in-between sheds at the moment, so doing the best I can with what space and tools I have access to.

I signed up and posted straight to the "build diary" section before I realised there was a welcome section, because if there's one thing you need as a wannabe luthier it's an eye for detail.

I get wordy, so my apologies in advance for that. Probably should have said that at the start to be honest.

Cheers!

[Bakersdozen]

Welcome aboard Ross! We love hearing everything about you and all of your lutherian dreams. Get wordy, son!

[Andy40]

Hi Ross, welcome to the forum.

Your story sounds a lot like mine, except my kids will have to pry my guitars from my coffin.

[FrankenWashie]

Welcome Ross!

As a fair to muddling player of long standing I can tell you you are not alone here!

[ross.pearson]

Welcome aboard Ross! We love hearing everything about you and all of your lutherian dreams. Get wordy, son!

Thanks! Okay, words... I've been tinkering with and modifying guitars pretty much since I started playing. Started off on a "Legend" brand stratocaster when I was 15 or so, then saved up and bought a Samick Warlock in 199..6(?) thanks to all the Sepultura posters on my walls. It had a Floyd Rose on it, and I had literally no idea what that was but I wanged the everyloving shit out of that guitar. Every time it needed even the slightest retune I'd take it in to a local shop until the old guy working there got fed up and told me to "f**k off and learn to do this yourself". After that I got reaaal good at doing setups on a floyd.

Eventually the locking blocks on the bridge literally disintegrated on account of the material they used being probably cardboard or something. Terrible hardware. That guitar is in parts in its original case, waiting for the day I fix it up and put it back together. Since then I've purchased much better guitars, my favourite being a 2004 Caparison Mattias Eklundh Orange Apple Horn.

Funnily enough, the one guitar I have that has appreciated in value the most is my all original Hot Pink "Hello Kitty" Fender Squire strat.

I started dreaming about building my own guitar a decade or so ago, bought some books and started researching. I'm an avid woodworking and luthiery enthusiast, meaning I've read enough info and watched enough videos to have a good amount of technical knowledge with very little physical experience. Basically, I don't really know what I'm doing but I'm sure going to have strong opinions about it.

I haven't even completed my first build, which is a scratch tele body coupled with a pitbull neck, and I'm already planning builds 2, 3, and 4 in my head.

My fulltime job is in IT management, but I have small business doing after hours general IT support, and also run a small web design studio. I'm in the process of developing a guitar lesson/competition website with a very talented and experienced guitar teacher from Colorado, which we'll be co-owners and operators of.

Hi Ross, welcome to the forum.

Your story sounds a lot like mine, except my kids will have to pry my guitars from my coffin.

Hi, cheers! I'm guessing there are a lot of us here with kids that hear "go get dad from the shed" more often than they should.

My first guitar I'm likely giving away to my buddy for his bucks gift (I'm best man). That gives me until December to get it completed. I've promised the older kid a pink guitar, so that might be next. No way is she getting my Hot Pink Hello Kitty strat, that thing is getting buried with me.

[ross.pearson]

Welcome Ross!

As a fair to muddling player of long standing I can tell you you are not alone here!

Cheers! I feel like I've found my people.

[Simon Barden]

Hi,Ross, and welcome.

[ross.pearson]

Hi,Ross, and welcome.

Hi! Thanks!

[DarkMark]

Hi Ross. As you probably already know there are a few Perth builders here at the moment. Look forward to see (and hear) what you produce.

[dozymuppet]

thanks to all the Sepultura posters on my walls

This triggered a need to listen to some Chaos A.D. today \m/