The Hub

Hi all, I'm new here. I've been playing guitars for ~15 years and recently started as a technician at a music production school in London, where part of my job is maintaining the guitars. I picked up this 50s parlor nylon the other day and it's in bad shape but I don't know how to go about repairing it. The main issue is the bridge. The guitar was kept high strung and the bridge has twisted and lifted off slightly at the base. T…

I have repaired numerous top crack on this instrument built by a customer at a guitar building camp. The bridge was off and warped. That has been addressed. After gluing with hide glue and splining the crack these top two did not closed as much as I would have liked. The bigger is about 1/32 at the widest and the other about 1/64. The crack is tight at the bottom. If I can help it I would like to fill it rather than spline it as I have…

Need some guidance for binding repairs. I'm using the "Martin method" using CA glue and tape for re-attaching the binding. From there: Scrape glue 400 grit to level Brushing on Lacquer 400 grit to level Meguiars #1 Meguiars #3 Meguiars #7 All by hand. But I recently purchased a Proxxon hand polisher. I'm still getting big marks. Its usually "ok", but I'm noticing huge swirls. Not pro. I do not have the money/space for…

Hey lads I'm in a bit of an indecisive spot with a 70's yamaha acoustic refret. Pulled the original frets and the tang is .018" with no barbs just divots pressed into the lower edge. The slot is measuring .018". Struggled to find any suitable sized fretwire in stock in the UK that match what the customer wants that'll fit in the slot. Sintoms looked ideal but couldn't find any, so went with something with 0.20 tang and they're not pressi…

I’ve had success placing Titebond under top braces using an artificial insemination catheter (not the AI you thought!) The catheter is PVC, 11 inches long, has a standard Luer hub for syringes and is thermoplastic so it’s shapeable. Purchased on Amazon Weewooday 50 Pcs Disposable Artificial Insemination Rods Disposable Breeding Rod Tube Flexible Breeding Catheter Tube for Dog Goat Sheep(10.8 Inches,White) URL = https: //a.co/d/03SDiw…

Hello, One of my commissions is coming down the pike and it's going to be my first time using bar frets. I could use a once over for any helpful tips if you have any. About the guitar: Aged HD-28 but mahogany back and sides. I think Martin called this a HD-28 M? Skipping the truss-rod and using two carbon fiber strips. My process for Frets: 1: I CNC my fingerboards to a 16" radius and for T-frets I use a .023" to cut slots with a mat…

I had a bridge replacement in which the top surface (laminate) had been badly damaged during a prior repair. The first picture shows the extent of the tear out, including one large area and many smaller defects in the top layer. The surface was cleaned of all the old glue and primed with dilute hide glue. A piece of poplar veneer was glued in the largest defect and a hot slurry of hide glue and fine poplar dust was spread across the res…

Hey, I've just had a go at repairing a cracked Epiphone Hummingbird and it all went well except burning through the colour of the finish when sanding it up to a gloss. Any ideas for patching this up?

I just pulled the neck off a Vega Arthur Godfrey Solo Lute baritone ukulele. It was pretty easy. First I heated and loosened the short fretboard extension. I already knew the neck was attached with a glued butt joint and small straight tenon. The picture show where I drilled three holes for foam cutter heaters. I only used the two on either side of the tenon, at the 16th fret (Note: neck joins body at 16th) and didn't need the hole at…

Hey everyone, I wanted to do a bit of a follow up on a repair I'm doing. A customer brought in a Seagull acoustic guitar that had been dropped, causing the heel block to separate. I managed to get that glued back together with pleasing results, however I did need to take the neck off by removing the two bolts which thread into the heel block, and unglued the fretboard extension. All went well here, although I'm left with a situation whe…

I’m curious to hear from everyone in the trenches, how they manage repairs they really don’t want to do. At this point I am offering customer work again to a small group of people who know me and have worked with me over the years. I’ve had a few people email that I don’t know, being a little pushy wanting to know price and turnaround time because “I need this by the xxth of the month”. I’ve simply offered them a referral to another sh…

Hi, I have a 1950's Gibson LG-3 that's had some poor work done to the spruce under the area of the bridge where the spruce has pulled away and or been sanded excessively. It's missing about .020-0.30 thou of spruce and I'm wondering/looking for advice about how to go about splicing in a thin piece of spruce before I re-glue the bridge. Please see pictures attached. My main questions are: glues for the patch, should the patch be mitered…

Just wondering, anyone doing Ken Parker finishing on an acoustic with the bridge glued on? I've been using the finish for a while but I'd like to start glueing the bridge on before I finish so I can acoustic test everything in its final state. I can't see a reason why I couldn't wipe the epoxy and oil up into the bridge joint and then remove it by rubbing but I was wondering if anyone has done it already. It would mean finishing the…

We at F Bass Inc have been crafting boutique basses out of Hamilton, ON since 1978 and we’re looking for a Master Builder to join our small but mighty team. Applicants must have a sharp eye, strong organizational skills and the ability to problem solve in creative ways. Someone who genuinely loves crafting custom instruments and appreciates the little details even more so. If you pride yourself on precision and creativity and get a kick…

I’ve been building electric for a few years but decided to make an acoustic this time. I have some German spruce panels I was going to use for the top. While running it through my drum sander to dimension it, I noticed that both panels have matching 6-8” cracks so the original blank must’ve had a split pre resawing. Would I still have good results if I glue the panels and move on or should I buy a new top set? (I can’t return what I have…

This jazz bass has come in with a cracked and separated fingerboard near the nut. I believe this is an early Bi-Flex but am not entirely sure or familiar with them. The truss rod is functional and tightens up when turned. Top of the walnut plug is missing and the washer appears to be crooked or dislodged. Not sure what purpose that washer serves. This is probably the thinnest bass neck I’ve ever seen and it’s no wonder that this fingerb…

Speaking of Trevor Gore... I've started using falcate bracing on my ukuleles and in making the braces, 3 strips of .0625" spruce are bent and then put in a bent lamination glue up rig using epoxy. Bending spruce is no fun on a hot pipe. It's slow, fussy, the fibers want to delaminate. I have been thinking about building a small dedicated steam box. Pulling all 3 of the strips out at once and bending them over a form with a metal back…

So this 310 came into the shop and had a pretty gnarly crack that splinters some toward the lower left bout. Going to do a crack repair with the TJ Thompson crack corrector and some hide glue. The issue I'm inquiring about is the finish is delaminating around the area. I'm curious as to what type of finish it is. Seems a bit flexible and spongy to be a nitro alone. There's shards of finish missing, and dirt has found its way underneath…