Wow! $40 an hour for lessons! I wish I lived near you! Here it’s $40-$60 for a HALF-HOUR lesson, depending who it is. 
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I prefer to pass knowledge along at a rate most people and parents can afford so the student keeps on taking them. If the cost is too high they either quit or they end up wanting to cut back to fewer lessons which only hurts their progress.
I usually pick up some tech work along the way as well doing setups and string changes. Some are very hesitant to change bass strings although I don’t know why.
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Way to go, man. You’re doing right by your students and their families. Kudos to you. 
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Agreed! In-person lessons would actually be affordable for me at that rate.
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It’s $70 at my local non GC shop but I’ve since learned to do them myself but I’ll take it to them if there’s any work needed I’m not comfortable doing myself
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I do all the setup myself. I found that it’s not only necessary but more economical as well, having as many basses as I have. Even at a family discount on top of a bulk discount it’s still half way paying off a Purple Heart YinYang. 
That said if I have @booker_t personal tech, the Trevor Lindsey, I’d be happy to have him do the setup too, 
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Every January and June; but, waiting for a bass that was due in July, and they will all be headed to him. I also have him change the strings every January and June, but that’s going to change now that the T.I. flats and rounds will be going on this next visit.
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And that’s why I do it that way. 
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Hmm… The Fort is only an hour’s drive.
LOL…#1 could be repeated several times as 1a, 1b, 1c, etc.
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THIS!
There has been no better investment on time and gear for me than learning how to setup my own bass. It gives you a level of understanding with your own instrument that cannot be beat.
I can change strings on the spot, fix any buzzing, and intonate as needed etc.
I HIGHLY recommend youtubing how to setup your bass (most major brands have a least one video showing how), and just try it.
It’s scary at first but just go slow, protect parts with cloths, or whatever you have around if you’re scared and don’t force anything, like tightening a screw etc.
I personally have Music Nomad stuff for my setups but you can find plenty of other gear as well.
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I’m fortunate to live in an area with a few music store options, but that being said, none are very good in terms of getting work done.
GC is fine if you’re just wanting to pop in and look, buy cables, etc. But having any kind of work done…? No thanks. Then, there was a guy who worked slowly, just a few hours a week, with steep hourly rates (and some unorthodox ideas and methods) who worked for an independent store that recently shut down. Then, there’s this one place…
The guy who does all of their work (setup, repair, installation, etc.) is a real piece of work himself. Frankly, he’s just a rude, arrogant, blathering know-it-all who is widely regarded by many (I would say most) area musicians as unbearable to work with. Why they keep him, I don’t know, but he’s been there forever and shows no signs of leaving. The one time I had him do a setup on my Squier Stratocaster, he caused as much harm as good, creating all kinds of fret buzz that he blamed on “crappy overseas factories.” It had some dented frets (from the previous owner) but played well otherwise; after he got ahold of it, I ended selling it. It was that bad! And it was a really nice Lake Placid Classic Vibe! I hated to part with it, but I couldn’t play it without feeling resentful. Anyway, I reluctantly went in a couple of days ago to check the price for swapping pickups in my Squier bass, and here we went again… “Why not just buy one of these new Fenders? Those Squier’s aren’t worth upgrading.” Etc., etc. And, that’s really just a brief snapshot of one of the many things he said that made me wonder why I had even bothered to come in.
Here’s the kicker: When I said that I happen to like my Squier (Classic Vibe Jaguar) bass because it’s got a 32” medium scale length, he said, “Well, 32” is short scale…” which is an argument we’ve had before. I said, “We’ve been through this. 32” is medium; 30” is short” and walked away determined to not set foot in there again for as long as I can possibly help it.
So, in brief, I’ll be learning how to solder and doing my own guitar/bass work from now on. (Sorry for the rant, but I needed to get that off my chest!)
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I know that guy … he works in Germany too 
Have a look at EMG solderless PUs. They are very easy to install and sound great!
@Al1885 is the expert and can advise you which one to get!
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It doesn’t cost me anything to do a setup on my basses or guitars. I taught myself how to do the electronic work. Also I tell myself how to do complete setups. I am slowly teaching myself to become a Luthier. I’ve got a long way to go before I can actually claim the title of luthier. I would definitely like to learn a lot more by being in a classroom situation and from somebody that actually has 20 30 or 100 years of being a Luthier. But I hate classroom situations. Nor do I have enough discipline to take online classes. So I’ll just keep working on my own basses and guitars. Plus, watch a bunch of YouTube videos on it.
I have a Rogue LX205B that has been taken apart and put together. Way too many times that the screws won’t hold anything together. She is being sacrificed to the fire gods.
Steel wool I definitely will not use at all I don’t get a flying crap how fine it is. I don’t even like using sandpaper that’s really fine. I’ve only been we wiring basses and guitars since December of 21.
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Sorry you have to put up with such poor craftsmen in your area and I use the term craftsmen in the loosest possible sense. Having any prejudice at all against import brands in the 21st century is ludicrous. Squier CVs are quality built instruments.
Isn’t there an old saying about only a very poor builder blames his tools?
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Maybe you could find a luthier in the area who’d be willing to take you on as an apprentice? Probably the best way to learn.
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About 2 years ago we took my son’s first bass (squier affinity pj) to a GC type place, this was before I started my bass journey. I remember it had a lot of fret buzz and just wasn’t a good playing instrument. Took awhile to get back, and was really not any better than we took it in. So, when I started playing I figured I could do at least as well as those guys. I ended up buying some music nomad kits and have really enjoyed learning about how these instruments work. It takes time but there are some great videos. Recently, I had used the body of my son’s old bass for an old MIJ neck that I found on reverb. But then I inadvertently bought the body that was original to that neck. So I reunited the MIJ bass, and put the original neck back on my son’s bass. Got it set up, but lots of fret buzz, did some fret leveling, and now it plays great. I think I enjoy working on basses almost as much as I enjoy playing. A byproduct of that is having some great playing basses that are set up the way I want.
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Great story about all of the progress you made by doing it yourself. I’ve modified about a half dozen Squier CVs myself and built a few Teles from Squier and GFS bodies for some friends. It’s enjoyable work isn’t it especially when you can look at the finished product and say to yourself “I did that”.
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