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Private member DiscussionGeneral

Is an online course for guitar repair a good way to go?

Hi all. I've just joined the group....I'm pretty certain what I'm asking here has already been covered somewhere but not really sure at the moment how to search chat topics. If so, and it's easier to just point me to an older chat...please do so! I'm in my 50s, been playing guitar for as long as I can remember. I'm a trained wood-worker (amongst other things) and am looking to start a new journey into guitar repairs. At my age I can't a…

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Private member
I am not a repair guy but you can also just take a guitar making class. It's not the same thing but the inform each other. I would say like 75% of Canadian luthiers have passed through Sergei Dejong…
Private member DiscussionGeneral

Newbie luthier wannabe

Thought I would introduce myself, I am a retired computer nerd ex farm boy that loves to fix things… used to repair/rebuild pianos but now that I live in FL, space is at a premium in small home so I now am venturing into repairing guitars…. I have numerous practice candidates I have picked up on the cheap as not to destroy anything of value or collectability, and have tooled up with enough stuff to be dangerous. I have done several aco…

3 replies
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Private member
Glad to have you on board, Tom! Welcome!
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Repair

Mossman Guitar trussrod tool

I know some of you pros that have been doing repairs for years must have a tool.....Anyone have any suggestions for a trussrod tool to adjust a mossman? or photos of something i can make on the fly? I have tried shaving down a socket but no luck the brace inside leaves little to no clearance.

4 replies
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Private member
Ya! That'll work.....I might weld the rod in. That's the beauty of the 12 point. Don't have to turn much to re-engage.
Private member DiscussionTouring Tech

What touring tech topics would interest you looths?

Hello all, new member here. I've been working as a touring tech for 20 years and just noticed this section of the forum was empty, so I figured I'd give it a kick. Are there any topics\questions\ideas\etc that people would be interested in hearing about or discussing from a touring perspective? If so, drop a comment here and I'll see if I can address it or post any relevant photos\content. I'm leaving Wednesday for a month in Europe fol…

5 replies
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Private member
Hi Peter, I got into touring by meeting musicians through repair work. I started out in a cool little used and vintage shop in Portland called Old Town Music. I started doing a lot of repairs for Mode…
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Repair

Please share your processes for cracks that need splints

Hello good people, My shop’s in Quebec City, so I get to repair an ungodly amount of cracks thanks to our brutal winter and customers being largely unaware of the requirements of maintaining proper RH. Now for the first time (call me lucky) I have two very good guitars in the shop whose cracks won't close up after having been rehumidified for a few weeks. I have tried over-humidifying and it does it, but once returned to proper RH (50%)…

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Private member
Thanks Dave, I'll dive back into Pat's book to see if he covers his technique in there.
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Repair

Bridge plate fix

This Lys (made in Canada) is one of my personal guitars. I noticed the string ends are dissappearing into the bridge plate. I thought about buying the SM Bridge Saver when they were having a discount sale, but it's been out of stock. The tool set costs more than I paid for the guitar, but I figure I could use it in the future for other repairs. I'm wondering if anyone here has experience with this tool and if it's a better repair than p…

13 replies
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Ian Davlin
Most of the time I dam off the bridge plate on the inside of the guitar and then fill the bridge pin holes with 105 West Systems. Kind of a twofer because you can true up the bridge pin holes too.
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Repair

buckling top on a 70s Stella

I've got a 1970s Harmony Stella parlor guitar and the top seems to be buckling. There is (at least one) loose brace. I assume that there's something going on with the neck block, and that just re-gluing the brace isn't going to fix this. I have no experience removing necks or doing neck resets. This is my own guitar, and I bought it as a learning tool, so I am comfortable using it as such. So... Is my assessment about the neck block likel…

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Private member
I decided to reglue the brace before doing anything else, so maybe 10 days ago I cleaned the gap as best I could, glued with hide glue (the Titebond, shelf-stable kind), clamped it, left it overnight.…
Private member DiscussionGeneral

Fretwork Processes...

Hey everyone, I could use some advice as far as the fretting process is concerned. I’ve been doing guitar repair since around 2008, I opened my business doing guitar repair in September of 2021, and I’ve always felt that fretwork has been the most challenging part of this job. I’m getting to the point now where I finally feel like I’m getting the hang of it, but I’m not where I want to be yet. I should mention that I use the Erlewine…

6 replies
6 replies
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Private member
Hi David, I'll throw my two cents in here. Rather than go through my thoughts on the entire fret level and crowning process, I'll toss some of my observations in. Firstly, if you haven't watched it, I…