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Private member DiscussionShare Your Repair Content

Introducing the NutBuster

Hello All I have been using Ted Bergstrand's online nut calculator on Benchmuse.com which is excellent. It allows you to have a consistent gap between each strings vs the progressive gap that the Stewmac rule gives you. Or you can do consistent centers to the strings. I have definitely found measuring the nut with calipers to work a lot better than the stewmac rule and don't use the rule anymore. I wanted some additional functionality…

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PS All Hail Ted Bergstrand who introduced me to many very useful things. Kind of nuts how many things I use now that Ted turned me on to.
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Repair

Discoloration inside acoustic guitar...

Hey Looths, I have a 1980 Guild 12 string in the shop and while doing a preliminary examination I noticed this odd discoloration inside of the guitar. My immediate thought was water damage, although it hasn't bled through to the outside of the guitar and lifted the finish. I also thought of glue smear but I can't quite tell. Any thoughts here?

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Ian Davlin
Could be one of those exploding gel humidifiers.
Private member DiscussionNeck Reset Database

neck reset acoustic guitar with two necks (harp guitar)

I've owned this Jersey City made 12-string/drone 'harp' guitar for a few years and want to get on the repair. I've taken the necks off many dozens of Schmidt-made guitars but never one with two necks. I've searched the web looking for harp guitar neck removal and didn't find anything of use. Asking for any tips/aids/experience from the loothers. My plan is to make a custom neck removal jig that fits the necks, and then drill the typical…

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Beautiful guitar. Will your neck jig(s) bind the two necks together top and bottom, as well as push up equally on the heels while you release the joints? Seems like any loss of rigid coupling between…
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Repair

Intonation: Ive never seen this

I'm restoring an old parlor guitar. I have just discovered that it plays 20 cents sharp. Thats not in and of itself a mystery, usually. This guitar however has exactly the same distance from the nut to the 12th fret, and from the 12th fret to the "saddle" which is now a small shim under the two E strings both are 12 3/32"...with room in front of the bridge pins to finesse the location of the saddle slot, which I have not routed yet) I s…

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thank you. yes the saddlematic info was valuable!
Private member DiscussionElectric Repair

Schecter Banshee Mach 6 Intonation at the second fret

I have a customer with a guitar that has an intonation issue. It plays flat at the first and second fret on the D and G string. The factory spec says its a 25.5 scale but I measure from the nut to the 12th fret 12 5/8. I plugged the number for a 25.25 scale into the Stew Mac fret board calculator and the measurement is off from the nut to the first fret. Unfortunately I now longer have the guitar in my possession so I cant tell you exac…

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Ian Davlin
Any way for you to get the instrument back for those measurements? One thing about the compensated nut, is it suggests some factory tinkering with intonation more broadly. It's not uncommon for intona…
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Repair

Low frets on Gibson J45

Just wondering how normal the following is on Gibsons. When I run a straight edge from the 7th to the 15th fret on this modern J45 the 12 fret (and neighboring frets) are 3-4 thousands low. The result is fret buzz on the 9th to the 14th fret on the wound strings. Picture attached. Guitar is around 5 years old and otherwise in very good condition.

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If you have enough fret height, just level and crown the frets. Unless the frets are very short, there’s really no need to pull them.
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Repair

Newbie question on 12 string action

I recently picked up a Sterling Atlas 12 string that is in excellent shape except for some bellying, which once I get into setting action, may determine if I need to add a ‘bridge doctor’ to remediate some of it. However, I noticed that the saddle (adjustable but set to lowest point) has no curvature and there is not much down pressure on the center sets of strings which is causing some buzzing. My question is this (my first 12 string p…

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Thanks again to those that lended their wisdom. Bridge doctor just came in plus some bone saddle blanks so will get ready to tackle that project in near future.
Private member DiscussionElectric Repair

Just one string buzz from 1-12 even with really hi action.

I work in guitar repair for over 20 years and this strange buzz happen only 3 times and i really going crazy. Five years ago a all parts strat neck in G string, change string, leveling frets twice thinking i made a mistake, in some point i made a rudimentar neck jig to tried to repair that neck. Work in that guitar for 3 weeks and string heigth like 3.5mm and yeat, buzzing with not so hard picking just the G, even in other tuning like F…

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Thanks Ian! It’s a brand new guitar, client contact the dealership and it’s in process to return and get other one. I really want to open and understand why this happened, not know why it’s a big bumm…
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Repair

Maton CW80 (1970) neck reset?

Hi all, A customer brought in a 1970 Maton CW80 12 string...it needs a neck reset. Has anyone done this successfully (or alternatively have a sad story about how it's impossible)? I found one article detailing a workaround and showing a very odd neck architecture (https://harmensmusicblog.blogspot.com/2019/05/maton-cw-806-1977-dreadnaught.html) - doesn't sound/look promising....Any feedback welcome :) cheers, Steve.

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You should jump on the Loothalong during the week after 7pm Central sometime. I'm usually here with Josh Rippingale from Australia. He's reset hundreds of Maton's almost on a weekly basis. I see him w…