The Hub

Hi, I am still a little confused by the new look of the forum, hope this is the right place to ask. Which fretwire would you recommend for a refret of this 70s LP? The current frets are 2.75mm wide, but dressed down to 0,35mm height. I have heard storys about frets that are this low but never seen in real life before :-) (0.108" wide and 0.014" height). Thank you in advance :-)

I am repairing a damaged Stella parlor guitar. The original top was birch, plain sawn at 0.100 inches thick, ladder braced with multiple beefy braces and irreparably split, warped and generally separated from the sides. I want to keep the instrument ladder braced with a movable bridge and upgraded tailpiece, all firsts for me. I would be grateful for input on 2 issues. 1. The new top is Adirondack spruce that I’ve reduced to about 0.110…

Have an electric archtop that has a .012" backbow strung with 12-48s with truss rod completely loosened. 3 piece maple neck with a Ziricote fingerboard... Any tips or recommendations to straighten this neck would be appreciated... Currently trying humidity (in the case). Thank you! David O'

All - looking for recommendations on overall approach for repairing this nasty side crack right at the edge of the tail block. My initial thought is that either the top or the back needs to come off in order to properly glue and clamp the main split. Thanks in advance. Images

Good morning to all - I have another skill building question - picked up another cheapo electric guitar to practice repairs on. I didn't see the big dent, but figured its an opportunity to practice another type of repair. big chunks of polyurethane finish are gone and the bit that's left has a hairline crack around the bottom. I'm thinking to use wood filler to fill in the missing chunks, and want to know if its best to remove the piec…

Hi all, new to nut slot work world, please can you help me with this mystery? fret levelling, neck relief and string action adjustment all completed to Fender 9.5" radius spec. very happy with that. the next step: 0.011” High E string’s nut slot was a bit low. I used Dave Johnson’s (MI Guitar Craft Academy) “q-tip slot raising method”: the pulled cotton strand, plus extra thin CA glue, to fill the slot, then trim it off once dry,…

A friend of mine inherited his great-grandfather's National tenor resonator guitar/banjo (I'm not sure which it is). He would like to have it in playing condition. He asked me for a recommendation as to where he could get that done. Fellow Looths, please give me recommendations. It appears to be in pretty good shape. He will ship it where ever it needs to go. There are photos below. Chris Jenkins Images

Hi, Any recommendations for scratch safe and nitro safe bench coverings? Also the porous sanding mats compatible with vacuum tables with same nitro safe properties? My material science education is low in regards to stuff that will and won't react to nitro. Thank you.

Can anyone recommend a good substitute for Johnson's Paste Wax? We're down to about 1/3 of a can, and it appears that it's no longer being manufactured, and I'm not too keen on paying some of the prices I've seen around online.

I am restoring an old Supertone with a thickened and heavily alligatored finish. The finish softens quickly with acetone, and it looks like it has had an overspray. I would like to keep the staining on the oak back and sides, and to preserve the decal on the headstock. The top I would like to strip and sand. The questions are: 1. What more do I need to know about the finish? 2. How should I remove the finish or at least thin/smooth…

Hello, Apologies if this has been answered before, I couldn’t find any posts covering it. I’m looking to get started with an airbrush for small finish repairs. AI is telling me to get a Fengda 186 with 3L tank and a Harder & Steenbeck brush (not cheap!). But would appreciate recommendations for a budget setup from actual human people also. Thanks!

Hey all - I've got a couple Gibson headstock repair investments that I'd like to practice inserting splines for reinforcement (or I may go the backstrap method..tbd). Do you have any jig recommendations or preferences? I've only seen the G&W option (which looks awesome), several ebay knock-offs and lots of DIY jigs. I welcome your feedback. Thanks and all the best, Chris

Almost a year ago I complete a certificate program and became a journeyman luthier/ guitar tech. Looking to continue my education and I was wondering if there were any weekend workshops or anything similar in the north east/ tri state area that anyone would recommend? Thanks in advance! -Vinny

I'm fixing a cedar top guitar with a big bulge and a bad bridge plate. Ideally I'd like a replacement plate with optimal stiffness in both directions and a thickness between 0.090 - 0.100". After I flatten the top as much as possible, should I: 1. use plain sawn maple 2. use quarter sawn maple (if so, any recommendations for sourcing?) 3. make up a cross grain maple laminate with two 0.050 thick pieces Thanks for any advice, searched the sit…

Before I hack into the Yamaha, I would like to get the opinion of the experts on a method of steaming the upper end of the guitar and ‘pressing’ the neck down to adjust the angle back to factory. There are several you-tubers that have tried and recommend it. My novice intuition is that even though it may work, wont the steaming of other areas of the body such as upper braces, etc, end up weakening the construction (glue stability) to…

Hi Everyone, I was given this guitar to harvest parts from and then throw into a fire due to a partial break in the neck. When I pull the neck to close the break the action is perfect so I'd like to fix it and then donate it. Can anyone show me what clamps to use to keep it closed after I glue it? Also, would you recommend strait wood glue or would you water it down somewhat to allow it to seep in further? Thanks in advance!