What is your single biggest pickup related purchase?

[FunkyKikuchiyo]

Hate to invoke a cliche, but it really isn't a good economy for guitar sellers/builders. Everyone I know who has survived has done so by expanding their business to cover a larger footprint of consumers. Some guys from Taylor were telling me the other day that all across the country guitar sales over $1k are hard and rare.

My hope was that it would mean MORE repair work since people are holding onto old instruments or buying cheaper and investing parts/labor into them, but it doesn't quite seem like that is the case, either.

/whining

[David Schwab]

I'm jealous. I'd love to be building, but I don't have the space or finances. That is why I decided to get into pickups...

I'm actually in the same boat as far as not having any space. 16 years ago I had a full workshop and a partner. After we stopped working together I moved the workshop to a small room in the house where I grew up.

But now i'm in an apartment. I have a small space that was intended for storage in the basement that I have a couple of machines setup, but no space to build guitars! I share a workspace with my former partner in his garage, but we can only work during warm weather months.

So pickups, electronics and repairs are things i can do from my apartment. Plus I wanted to make my own pickups for my basses for a while.

[jmaf]

I'm jealous. I'd love to be building, but I don't have the space or finances.

If you add a "YET" to the end of that sentence then it changes everything.

[FunkyKikuchiyo]

I'm jealous. I'd love to be building, but I don't have the space or finances. That is why I decided to get into pickups...

It is painful to see a nice chunk of wood and think what you could do to it, and realize that you don't have the tools... maybe if I sit outside a woodworking store and look sad some stranger will buy me a planer.

[copperheadroads]

A Delta bandsaw with a riser block was my first machine purchase when I started building. Then I got a Jett long bed jointer and a Delta planer.

It's a clone of the 14" Delta with the riser block

[David Schwab]

I bought a Pickup truck load of curly/birdseye maple lumber .Then i had to buy a $1000 bandsaw to cut it up

A Delta bandsaw with a riser block was my first machine purchase when I started building. Then I got a Jett long bed jointer and a Delta planer.

[copperheadroads]

I bought a Pickup truck load of curly/birdseye maple lumber .Then i had to buy a $1000 bandsaw to cut it up

[David King]

My pickup lines are so cheesy I had to buy a Groucho disguise before women could take me seriously. It cost me $4.95.

[Jim Shine]

The SO knows nothing about business purchases.

[copperheadroads]

I used that excuse to buy tools too "We need these tools to renovate our home "

[big_teee]

I bought a Monarch lathe and tooling last year myself, and it was a deal I simply could not refuse. I ended up selling some guitars to pay for it.

However, that's not what I'm talking about right now.

I've been going to estate sales, auctions, etc. for a long time, looking for any tools I can use for making pickups, and guitars too.

Wife just finished telling me Friday night she wants to remodel the house. She wants a new bathroom and a new kitchen, among lots of other things. Come to think of it, I would like a nice new garage with heat and 460 or 240v power myself... (dreaming...)

Anyways, Saturday AM I hit the motherlode - a 'living estate sale'. An eightysomething who was woodworking since WWII was finally moving into assisted living and wanted to sell out. I went to the sale, took one look, and went home for the van. Wife found me in the van pulling out of the driveway and went ballistic. I ended up taking her along.

The garage and basement was full of power tools and some very nice wood too.
I ended up telling her that the stuff we bought would be used for the remodel so we wouldn't have to pay contractors, but I still ended up on the couch again.

ken

I knew there had to be more to the Story!
T

[ken]

I bought a Monarch lathe and tooling last year myself, and it was a deal I simply could not refuse. I ended up selling some guitars to pay for it.

However, that's not what I'm talking about right now.

I've been going to estate sales, auctions, etc. for a long time, looking for any tools I can use for making pickups, and guitars too.

Wife just finished telling me Friday night she wants to remodel the house. She wants a new bathroom and a new kitchen, among lots of other things. Come to think of it, I would like a nice new garage with heat and 460 or 240v power myself... (dreaming...)

Anyways, Saturday AM I hit the motherlode - a 'living estate sale'. An eightysomething who was woodworking since WWII was finally moving into assisted living and wanted to sell out. I went to the sale, took one look, and went home for the van. Wife found me in the van pulling out of the driveway and went ballistic. I ended up taking her along.

The garage and basement was full of power tools and some very nice wood too.
I ended up telling her that the stuff we bought would be used for the remodel so we wouldn't have to pay contractors, but I still ended up on the couch again.

ken

[John_H]

It would be as a whole, my four demo guitars. A Mexican strat, partscaster tele, Epi Les Paul, and an Epi Dot. none of which are very valuable, but are great for test, and demonstration purposes. I'll sometimes leave one or two them at stores with a couple sets for sale on consignment. My LCR meter was a couple hundred bucks, and I have about a hundred into my elepro Gauss meter. Everything else is pretty insignificant in cost. I'd love to have a nice mag/de-mag, but I can't justify the price.

[big_teee]

I bought a Gibson Customshop Joe Bonamassa Goldtop Les Paul for Pickuptesting.
;-)

I don't blame you, He's one of my Favorites!
Good Luck with that,
B_T

[PAF-Boy]

I bought a Gibson Customshop Joe Bonamassa Goldtop Les Paul for Pickuptesting.
;-)