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Private member DiscussionElectric Repair

Possible ground loop in Tele

Hello all, got a problem in a telecaster I rewired that has me in a twist. The basics: friend has a 2001 US Standard telecaster (left handed not that it matters). He bought it used and says it was quiet initially. A few years back he grabbed the pickups out of it and moved them to a new tele body with a torrefied maple neck he preferred. Recently he upgraded the new build with a Lollar CC tele set, and asked me to reinstall the original…

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Private member
Well, another update: I rewound the neck pickup, and flipped the polarity, so now the set is RWRP. Everything wired back up, and when the pickups are in series (position 4), it's dead quiet. The buzzi…
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Builds

New Acoustic Build - Having trouble

Hi all. Brand new member. I’ve been building a classical guitar via kit from LMI for a couple of years now. I keep putting it off but recently became motivated to get back to it. Unfortunately LMI is out of business so I now have no one to go to to ask questions. I’m at the stage where I’m putting the sides together in the form. I followed the dimensions for the form based on the plans as I measured them, but the sides overlap pretty ba…

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Private member
Structurally you are fine. When you glue this up (this is important), make sure your sides are clamped in the form VERY snug so there are no gaps between the sides and the forms. This will leave the…
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Builds

Semi-hemi fret question

For those of you who regularly do semi-hemispherical frets -- how long do you make your frets? Specifically for a bound fretboard (although I suppose this would apply to either bound or unbound) do your frets come up a little short of the outside edge of the binding? And if so, how much gap do you leave? I did my first semi-hemis on a new build and made them end flush with the outside edge of the bindings, but it doesn't feel right.…

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Private member
Thanks for adding the visual. So if there weren't a chamfer there, you'd be about 0.02" inches short of the edge, right? That "feels" right to me....
Private member DiscussionShop Organisation

Lessons Learned from building out a workspace

Hi all. I'm in the process of working with a landlord to customize a space for my growing repair and building business. The space is approximately 800 square feet and broken into a major space (around 400 square feet), and 2nd large space (around 300 square feet) that I'm thinking of as a machine/sawdust room, and 2 smaller areas that I'm considering as a spray booth and a wood/guitar storage closet. I'd love to hear about lessons learn…

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Private member
Here's some more tips. I recently remodeled my shop so this is all very fresh. I've been in this shop for almost 15 years and I have rented benches to other luthiers and apprentices in the shop so it…
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Builds

Cracks in acoustic top

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…

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Private member
Thanks for talking me down. That’s the right decision. Even though it’s my ‘learning’ build for my own use I need to build it like I would for one of my electric customers. The cheap in me almost won.…
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Builds

Steam Box Idea... What's wrong with this idea?

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…

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Ian Davlin
I tried it once for trying to bend mandolin sides. This was in 2006, back when the internet wasn't nearly as useful as it is today, so the attempt was pretty incomplete I think. If I remember correctl…