Does anyone else feel drained after long periods of DIY?

marT · Post by **marT** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 8:05 pm

Hi all,

This might sound amusing.

I am wondering if anyone else feels drained after long periods of amp building or general DIY work? I have been spending most days lately pedal building and just started working on my amp and after I'm finished I feel drained. I figure its the intense concentration for hours on end. I do take breaks but maybe I should take more.

Anyone else feel this?

fillmore nyc · Post by **fillmore nyc** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 8:49 pm

Yeah, marT, I get the same thing. I do a lot more work building guitars and amp cabinets than I do on amps themselves, but you get to a certain point (about 8 hours in) where you're better off stopping and walking away from the project. I had a double cutaway, hollow, neck thru body guitar about 3/4 completed, and due to "brain lock", wound up knocking it off the bench while I was cleaning up the shop. It happened so suddenly, and the destruction to the guitar was so complete (and un-repairable) that I had to leave my house. I would have smashed the TV, or my dog (just kidding about the dog) if I didnt get the hell out of there immediately. Moral of the story: its like getting tattoo'd--dont sit there TOO long, or shit WILL go wrong. Know your limits.

the_haunted · Post by **the_haunted** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 9:23 pm

I usually work 8 hours on consumer electronic repair, then come home and do 6hrs work on what ever tube amp I'm currently building... Draining? no way!

Flames1950 · Post by **Flames1950** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 10:00 pm

Mostly because all my amp work gets done between 10PM and 1AM, so I only get about four hours of sleep when I'm going at the amps hard. Hence I've been on a little building hiatus for about three weeks, so I could actually sleep a bit. Now I'm getting back into the swing with some repairs here and a couple of my builds that need attention.