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Private member DiscussionAcoustic Repair

Thoughts on Restauration Roger Archtop

Hey everybody, I should restore this Roger Rossmeissl Archtop. There is a lot of work to do. The owner is aware of the possibly-much-more-work-than-value situation. I am still thinking about how to aproach it, I want to start working on the guitar in August. It seems that there is not much warping in the top, few wood is lost. I do not know what happened to the guitar, but sometimes I hear a voice coming out the corner of my workshop mumb…

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Thanks Ian! There are no splines, I think it will be it s first real repair. Some breaks have old transparent tape that is already corroded into the finish. The customer said something like money is n…
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 DiscussionElectric Repair

Dunable Yeti with a backwards rod???

Hello! Im working on a repair for a cutsom build for a customer. Its a Dunable Yeti built in 2022. Anyway, all work was going fine till testing the rod... i discovered that the rod is working the opposite of how it should function on any other guitar. CCW is tightening (and no, no a dual action rod) Tightening this rod is adding relief. The guitar already had too much when disengaged. Trying to figure out how to approach this as this is a f…

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Ian Davlin
It could be that the rod is really high on the center mass of the neck. This will produce this effect in extreme examples. This should be considered a probable defect. Are you able to set it somewhat…
Private member DiscussionElectric Repair

which frets for LP Delixe 70s

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 :-)

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Well, Jescar makes a .108" wide by .051" tall but....that's pretty tall. I have a customer who has between 30-40 Les Paul's at any given time. I have refretted a few of his Norlan era guitars with the D…
Private member Discussion3D Printing

More free prints

Few more prints up for grabs to anyone in the US who responds first. Fret sander and two screw holders with the gridfinity lobbed off so they are just free-standing.

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I am tempted by this offer, but I have already taken advantage of a free offer on here before. Need to give others their chance.
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Repair

1930s Martin 00: Best practice

Long story short, customer want to add carbon fiber in the neck for strength. Without string tension, the neck is dead straight; with strings, it's about double the relief he'd like. Is it insane to add carbon to this guitar? Or is it fine?

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Hey Keith! That's a bit of a tough question to answer without having more details, but I'll take a swing at it. If, as you said, the neck is dead straight without strings and has double the relief he…
Private member DiscussionFinish Repair

PBass has been stripped of it finish… looking for expertise, friends!

Hi friends, I just stumbled upon a 1966 P-Bass, nearly completely original. The owner bought it in 1971 and it had already been stripped of its original finish. That was a thing back then. You can guess that 55 years of gigging had the wood absorb much of the owner’s DNA and sweat. Maybe a few beers as well. Surface was quite tacky as you can expect. I cleaned it with naphta and StewMac’c brand-new cleaner (quite a great product I'd say…

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Ian Davlin
Ill chime in. Go with shellac first. It may be all you need and if you decide to go with something else, youve already applied the universal seal coat. Also, it has the best chance of sticking to any…
Private member DiscussionNeck Reset Database

1918-1922 Gibson A3 " Ivory" Mandolin Dovetail Joint Measurements and Angles

Here are some pics of 1918-1922 Gibson A3 "Ivory" Mandolin Dovetail Joint Measurements and Angles.

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Ian Davlin
@member The sides being detached from the neck block is really interesting without overt evidence of the instrument getting wet. Are you going to release the sides completely…
Private member DiscussionGeneral

Tremolo issues. Not returning to "zero"

Hey guys. I guess this is an old topic, everyone talks about it but I haven't been able to find a definitive solution for this. Here's the deal: I'm working on a PRS Silversky that has this old problem that when you use the trem bar, one string (G in this case) goes sharp. I made a few adjustments to the nut as we all know that's the first thing to look at...no good. This guitar is new so I'm pretty much ruling out the bridge and posts si…

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Ian Davlin
There's the old tremsetter. I haven't seen anyone extolling their virtues any more, but here is the link to the device. https://www.stewmac.com/parts-and-hardware/all-hardware-and-parts-by-instrument/…
Private member DiscussionElectric Repair

Bass Neck Stiffness, Can't Get Enough Relief

Hello, I hope everyone is having a great 4th of July weekend so far. I was recently asked by a friend to work on a cheap S101 bass someone had given to him. It had no electronics and it was severally back bowed. After finishing up the electronics, I did the set up. He wanted the guitar tuned low, to Drop C. So, I went out and bought some Ernie Ball Power Slinkies 55-110. Once I got to the nut depth check, it was clear there were large, g…

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9m✎🗑 A standard heat treatment, with the neck clamped in an upbow, should help. I have been using an Aria neck heat bar for 50 years with more successes than failures. You can find the Aria on eBay for…
Private member DiscussionNeck Reset Database

Spanish Heel failure

Hi all, I got a Do Santos DSMSCC RC in shop, the Spanish heel has failed , or rather collapsed into the soundboard, splitting it on both sides along the grain, a broken brace just under the fingerboard extension , cracks on both sides on the top/side bindings, I measured wood humidity on the fingerboard 9% and inside the (very inaccessible) body 11% The normal procedure would be to re-humidify before jacking or clamping back into place ,…

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@member More Picture of the Decapitation ...
Private member DiscussionTools and Jigs

LOOTHTOOL VL’s Precision Feeler Gauge Set !

LOOTHTOOL I've made some purchases on LOOTHTOOL, but it will not let me review. SO, the VL’s Precision Feeler Gauge Set is a rock solid 10 of 10 or five Amazon stars. Nice blades, EXCELLENT tool box, well marked, I'm thrilled!

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Absolutely worth a mention! Paid for itself in time saved the first week I put it on my bench. Thanks Buck for doing all the big thinking behind it...
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Repair

Splines: When are they necessary?

Question about splines: At what point are they necessary? My question is primarily regarding the crack to the left between the bridge and the sound hole as well as the crack at the upper bout that runs along the fingerboard extension. I have already glued them both and used the TJ cleats that run the full length of the cracks. I have already splined the lower bout crack that runs from the bridge to the binding as it was super gappy and d…

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Private member DiscussionGeneral

Sadowsky bass help needed please 🙏

Sadowsky use unique control plate screws which are much smaller than common plate screws. I believe the ones they use are: #3 × 3/8" Phillips Pan(domed) Head Black Oxide csk self tapping Sheet Metal Screw Type AB thread. Being in the UK, these are really hard to find, pretty much don’t exist here, so can anyone please help me or point me in the direction of a supplier? I’ve contacted Sadowsky direct with no response and also many of my main…

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Hi Nigel. #3's are impossible to find. Can you step up to a #4 like these? There slightly larger. https://accu-components.com/us/shop/precision-components/drilling-tapping/self-tapping-screws/counters…
Private member DiscussionGeneral

Crazy electrical issue

So today, while restringing a guitar, one of my techs dropped a .012 e string that slid down the wall and landed on a plug that was just slightly loose from the outlet. It landed just right and made a huge spark. No lesson to be learned here but a crazy thing to happen! We are changing our name to Sparky’s Guitar Service. 😬

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Ian Davlin
I had that happen a couple times as a young looth. Garbage can next to the outlet got me.
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Repair

Local Thrift Shop Find: Gibson Ivory Top A3 Mandolin

A customer brought in a Gibson ivory top A3 mandolin. It's in good shape and has all the parts. He found it at the local thrift store here in Bishop. He wants it mechanically sound. Here are the problems: 1) Everything that comes into the shop has a shrinkage component and the effects of course very from instrument to instrument. This instrument is no exception and the results of that shrinkage, in this case, are severe. The top, ba…

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Ian Davlin
@member Man, sorry for the late reply. I would just keep on taking this mandolin apart until you meet serious resistance. I'd build a mold and just trim it until it fits and…