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One the most critical skills anyone could have is JUDGEMENT. No matter
whether your are a surgeon or a luthier or a mechanic.

Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should do something.

Knowing the difference is the key to judgement. This what I try to hammer
home with the residents and fellows that I teach.

It is what separates mediocracy from excellence.

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Andy Z.
http://www.lazydogguitars.com

I think the repair of potentially important and valuable instruments IS
something best left to those that really know what they are doing. Like
me, a full time academic geologist![/QUOTE]



Hey Colin, that makes two of us!  Geologists, that is....the only guitars I'm reparing these days are my own.

[QUOTE=azimmer1]
One the most critical skills anyone could have is JUDGEMENT. No matter
whether your are a surgeon or a luthier or a mechanic.

Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should do something.

Knowing the difference is the key to judgement. This what I try to hammer
home with the residents and fellows that I teach.

It is what separates mediocracy from excellence.[/QUOTE]

That reminds me of a line in the movie Jurassic Park,

Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) "Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should. "

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My Facebook Guitar Page

"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

[QUOTE=azimmer1]
One the most critical skills anyone could have is JUDGEMENT.[/QUOTE]

True. Trouble is, oftentimes those who lack it don't know they lack it and don't know the value of it.

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now known around here as Pat Foster
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

re: Judgement
There's an old joke in climbing circles:
"How do you avoid accidents?"
"Through good judgement."
"And how do you develop good judgement?"
"Through experience"
"And how do you gain experience?"
"Through bad judgement"

It seems somewhat relevant here, though in climbing (rock&ice, not social climbing) the stakes are higher.


Cheers

John

I have 2 sets of judgements.

If I'm building something for myself, then I'll take insane risks and see what falls out.

If someone asks me to do a repair it's a whole different story.

A collegue brought me his sons $100 classical whos stacked heel had separated. I glued it without a care.

The Music teacher brought me two Yamaha acoustics with opened scarf joints on the neck. Again no problem.

A friend has a lowden with heavew pick damage on the top and asks about refinishing it.......

I gave him George Lowdens email address!!!

ToddStock's flying analagy works for me!!

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My soundclick xx luthier blog xx luthier soundclick

One of my students has the "not knowing" gene as well ...

Well to do a sunburst dont you just ....

A guy wants me to refinish this .. dont you just strip it then respray it ????

And so on it goes .. I pretty much stay clear of repairs these days, mostly because I can. I will do the odd thing for a clients other guitars, but thats about it. I have one who wants me to refinish a 77 deJonge .. I politely declined .. I really dont have the time to do it right (take the neck and bridge off, strip it, respray, buff, maybe reset the neck a hair, reassemble, setup - its a LOT of work), and possibly ruin something that IMO is fine the way it is - but he would prefer the dings to be gone.

My student learned while wet sanding and buffing his out how much work finishing is (and thats without taking the old finish off) .. he is catching on why I said dont do it on his repair case ....

Something I learned that takes a lot of effort to do - saying NO if its a stretch, even to friends/clients when its really the best thing to leave it to those who are the best around (and in my case, there are a couple guys I know who can repair circles around me.

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"