The Hub

Hello all! My name is Jake and I run a repair shop out of my NYC apartment. I am looking for someone who's experienced in CAD to help me with a project. I am working on a 5 string headless bass build for a customer. The neck & body are to be CNCed by a local mill here in Brooklyn, NY. I have a 2D design (PDF and CRD), but I need help making some modifications, as well as translating it to 3D. Pay is negotiable. I will basically pay whate…

Friend brought his "old guitar in the basement" over for me to have a look at. Long story short, it's a 1945 D-18, it's all original and it's a beauty. He had no idea. I explained to him that it was worth somewhere between 15 and 25 thousand bucks, that it needed some fairly routine repairs and that he should get - among other things - an insurance rider and take a little more care of the guitar than he has been. Picture attached for fu…

Howdy folks, I'm a 2026 graduate of the two year guitar program at Red Wing (Minnesota State College Southeast). Between my two years at Red Wing I worked at Collings Guitars in Austin, TX for two years in the acoustic neck department, shaping and finish sanding ~2000 necks, radiusing and gluing ~750 fingerboards, and pressing ~100 sets of frets. I also spent a couple months in the finishing department level sanding and pore filling ~300…

Since most of us fix or make guitars, we have probably heard something about the cease and desist letters Fender has sent out concerning the Stratocaster. I thought I would offer some thoughts. As always, caveat emptor. There are three basic ways to protect intellectual property under Federal law. Patent, trademark, and copyright. Each protects different things, and has different underlying legal theories. Lets begin with pate…

Straight Frets in Austin has an excellent full-time position opening up soon. The job pays by the job, and equates to $70-85K a year for a tech that does: *neck resets *structural repairs *bridge making/reglues *refrets *headstock breaks with splines/airbrush We work on about 1,350 guitars a year (about 28-30 a week) and have had work shipped in from 22 different states at this point. We also teach setup classes on…

I have a "fender", which I believe is a knock off, in my shop. I didn't immediately catch that it was a fake, but as I worked on it it's become fairly undeniable, in my opinion. For the neck — the fretboard is made from two pieces of rosewood, the headstock decal doesn't look right, the truss rod is metric, the tuners don't look like a MIA Fender, and there's no walnut plug on the truss access. The model name being wrong is suspicio…

We’re Hiring: Experienced Luthier Mike Lull’s Guitar Works is looking for an experienced Luthier to join our team. We’re seeking someone with strong hands-on experience in instrument repair and restoration who’s ready to work in a collaborative, high-quality shop environment. Our demand for our acoustic repair and restoration services as well as our own line of guitars/basses is growing year over year and we’re looking to add to the tea…

Call for Luthiers and Small Makers Daymaker Music – Bainbridge Island, WA Daymaker Music is opening this November in downtown Winslow in Bainbridge Island, and we’re inviting makers and luthiers who value craft, sustainability, and community to help us shape what customers see and hear when they walk in. We’re looking for small makers, independent luthiers, and custom builders who want their instruments on a dedicated wall of our new retai…

Back story: I work as a Repair Tech at a Guitar Center in Florida. A gentleman brought in a 50-year-old vintage banjo where the tuning peg on the neck had broken off. I don't have the equipment in-store to do this type of repair, and I told him I'd try to find him a shop that does. I'm looking to refer him to someone experienced in these repairs where he'd ship the instrument to you (i.e., you don't have to be in FL) for evaluation, quot…

Hi everyone, I was hoping to get some advice on training opportunities. My background and situation (briefly), I’m a self-taught guitar tech and electric luthier with 3 years experience (after 20yrs office work). I have a job in a high volume guitar shop doing setups and quality checks on outgoing/sold guitars. The store does repair work but I have not been included in this, despite many requests. I do not believe this is due to skill le…

I had lunch with a friend and client this week and we got on the topic of 'who did what and where' in the area, in terms of guitar repair. They brought up something that really felt like an object lesson in how rumors are propagated by people that don't understand the work that we do and I felt compelled to share. This was repeated person to person and originated from the shop it happened at: a certain someone at a certain music store…

Truss rod is broken and skunk strip is popped. If you are interested in this project DM for details.

Acoustic Vibes Music is looking for a lead tech that would primarily be working on Martin and Taylor warranty issues. We are a Martin and Taylor Warranty Service center. So everything from Setups, to making new nuts/Saddles, minor finish repair, refrets, binding repairs, cleating cracks in tops, Pickup installation, strap button installation, pickguard removal and installation, bridge removals and reglue, level crown/polish, and oc…