The Hub

Hi! This is a new build but suddenly it's also a finish repair. I tested Ken Parker's Epoxy + Tru-Oil approach on the fretboard of this ukulele before committing to the rest of the instrument. It's a single (very thin) coat of West System epoxy (using the clear hardener), then 3 coats (so far) of Tru Oil. It's well-cured, about three months. The bad thing happened yesterday: attempting to dress a fret end, I was using thick double-side…

Pretty standard dovetail. End of the pocket is right under 15th fret as expected. This one was already loose when I received it. A little wiggling and it came right apart.

Hey guys, Sorry, this may be a dumb question. I'm cutting some new frets for this D-28 with a bound fretboard. Does anyone know of a good way to prevent the fret ends from twisting when cutting the tangs? They're stainless steel frets, not sure if that would matter. I'm using a fret tang nipper from StewMac. It seems like no matter how little material I try to bite off at a time, the tang nipper twists the fret, which leads to the ends s…

Hi everyone! I'm looking for advice about heat treatments for a warped neck, I know they are a thing but I've never actually done one. I have an Epiphone Les Paul in the shop that originally I was only going to do a level/crown/polish and a setup on, but when I tried to adjust the truss rod and checked the fingerboard with a straight edge I noticed there was about .030" of relief in most of the middle section, which was pretty consisten…

I'm the proud new owner of a "new to me" Fireball Meteor CNC machine. It feels really odd to have a computer in the shop but I guess I need to get used to that. Fortunately for me, I am well versed in CAD, unfortunately not so much on the CAM side of things. My 3 kids are all experts and are steepening the learning curve dramatically, this would be overwhelming if they weren't helping. So far I'm using the Fusion 360 personal use versio…

Today's atrocity is this 1975 '72 Telecaster Custom with a formerly "repaired" gash in the neck at the 11th fret. The customer says she bought it that way in the early '80s and does not know the former service history. I doubt that she is responsible for all that play wear. She wanted to be the next Chrissie Hinde, but ended up as an accountant. I can't tell if these frets are original. Maybe someone tried to pull the 11th fret, and sinc…

This is a Suzuki violin company 'Three S' OM-style guitar, circa 1970s. This particular instrument was sold in the Japanese domestic market (my customer purchased it in Japan) but I've seen others in circulation here in Australia so presumably some were exported too. Sides and back are laminated rosewood, the top is solid spruce. Although this ended up being a relatively standard reset, I feel like this is worth documenting as prior to…