Guns and Guitars

Two years ago, I scored a 2006 Fender Telecaster that needed new paint and new frets. Paying an experienced luthier to do the work would've cost twice as much as the guitar, so I decided to do it myself with the assistance of Daniel Thompson's Guns and Guitars channel on YouTube.

Thompson's pitch is that relatively handy people can modify their own guitars (and guns) using inexpensive, simple, and sometimes homemade tools. The focus on thrift and utility over prestige and features makes Guns and Guitars the perfect resource for neophytes who don't want to spend just as much (or more) on equipment as they would on an expert's help.

If Thompson can't show you how to make a functional tool out of scrap, he'll advocate the cheapest one that will produce the best results—the perfect ethos for uncertain times.