After several years of fighting with my bandsaw blade jumping off every few inches of cut (it needs a new bearing on the top wheel), I decided to try something bass-ackwards. I put the blade on with the teeth facing the 'wrong' direction. Not only did that solve the problem of the blade jumping off, but it has made the cutting of pickguard material much smoother. Has anyone else experienced this kind of situation? Do you have any other…
I just rebuilt an old Delta 14". If you want to replace the bearings, it's relatively simple. Supplies: --Bearings, say from Noma Bearing --Rubber tires, say from Carter --Home made block to tap in bearin…
I have a martin DX 175TH that is in for a bridge lifting. I did some research and it has an HPL top and a rosewood bridge. I have some gluboost gel on hand but I was wondering if anyone has a better suggestion.
Here are a few tips for reglueing a bridge to HPL: 1. Clean off any old cyanoacrylate (CA) residue on the soundboard using "Super Solvent" or a similar product designed to remove cured cyanoacrylate. 2.…
Sure - we love talking about the 'clams'. In fact, when I discovered that "Ian Hated Guitars," I knew I had found a kindred spirit. BUT - every once in awhile, you hit a homer. Allow me to share mine and you can do likewise: You've just done a touch up and it takes you several seconds to find it. WooHoo!
A growing work flow in a small shop means I have in-process guitars stacked all over my work surfaces. I need to protect them and keep all the pieces together but also to have them readily accessible, and cases are less than ideal for that. Never mind the caseless guitars. I'd be grateful for advice on containers/stacking/shelves to protect and organize the growing mess. Thanks!
If you have the room to go 48 inches deep, this was our solution. Stores lots of projects and all the drawers slide out. Just like at the morgue.😉🙃 Of course you don't have to make it as tall as we d…
I working through a long top crack repair on a c.1964 Fender Newporter and need to do a little touch-up on the clear coat. The top coat is matte over a do-do brown stained mahogany top, I'm guessing around a 10-20% reflectivity. Questions: 1. What top coat product did Fender use on these? 2. What should I use that has great self-leveling qualities and will melt into the old finish? <>
I've decided to follow your wisdom, Ian, and it leave the finish cracks alone. It will be structurally sound again and look like it used to have a crack.
This guitar does not have a dovetail. It has five dowel. Three in line and two at the top on either side of the truss rod. Remove truss rod nut before sliding neck straight out.
Guitar fell straight down on the headstock when it was hanging up at the refinishers. Shit really does happen! Grain is pretty much shattered around the adjustment nut. Thinking I’ll replace the entire broken area with a completely new piece of mahogany. Scarf it in between the volute and 3rd fret. Probably even a 3 piece lamination to mimic the neck. This one was not the clients fault so the expectations for looking close to original a…
In the past I’ve accomplished this using a large japanese saw and an angled jig for the majority of the cut, and then smaller japanese saws and chisels for interior of the cut. Sandpaper pulls for ref…
I had a customer ask me to take a look at this electric guitar an "amp guy" did some work on. (if you couldn't tell by the size of cap he installed 😆) Seymour Duncan hsh pickup configuration. Is there any good or logical reason one would put the north start, finish and the south finish all on the same lug of a switch? The guitar plays but has more buzz on the hb settings than the single coil. I know how to rewire it to be more... traditi…
Best not to overthink the previous installer's intentions, judging by the excess foil left from the cable and the bare ground wire, just waiting for an opportunity to ground out and short the pickup.…
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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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…
Hello to the Council of Elders! My name is Joe Byron, and I am president of the Stringed Instrument Makers of Southern California (SIMSCal). We have been around for over 30 years and have a large number of members and followers. Our membership includes both professional and non-professional luthiers. SIMSCal meets 4-8 times per year (both live and virtually), and we share tips, processes, stories, and show off our work. We frequently inclu…
Who's going to Fretboard Summit this year? I'd love to meet you! I'll be wearing my trusty Looth Group hat for easy identification. I have DMV local looth stickers to hand out as well! Cheers, Kalimar
I'd like to add some cherry nitro to this spot but how do I avoid the dark line around the perimeter that typically forms from adding a touch-up? I.e., what is the best strategy for blending what i'm adding to what is there?
I don’t have CNC capabilities so I could not duplicate Dave Slimmer’s version ( https://loothgroup.com/loothprint/bridge-clamping-cauls/). Got a 12x18x1/2 inch HDPE cutting board on Amazon for under $10 (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001D3LQVA), drilled a row of 1/2 holes about 5/16” deep with a Forstner, cut the HDPE into 5 sided chunks so I could orient by touch, and free handed the brace grooves on the band saw. The clamp swivel pads are 1…
The tuner app I’ve used regularly on my smartphone for years has slowly become bloated with useless features, heavy, and totally impractical. I tried a few alternatives, but I didn't really like any of them. Since we are the kind of people who prefer to just build things ourselves when we need them, I decided to built my own tuner: completely free, ad-free, and actually effective. I even threw in some links to my social media. I think I'l…
I haven't uploaded it to the Play Store yet. If you want to test it and know how to install unknown apps on Android, I can share the APK file on GDrive
Hey everyone, I was showing this to James Roadman on the Loothalong, and I thought I’d share it here with anyone who might find it helpful. I was installing an Anthem in a GS Mini, and I couldn’t get the microphone to fit without hitting the ballends of the strings. I had thought about placing the mic on the other side of the pins, but then I decided to use a scalpel and a small file to cut some chamfers into the corners of the mic housi…
Hello Luthiers and Guitar Builders,We manufacture and supply high-quality natural bone Guitar Nuts and Saddles in custom sizes for acoustic, electric, classical, and bass guitars.What We Offer:• Custom-sized Bone Nuts & Saddles• OEM & Bulk Orders• Precision Cutting & Finishing• High-Density Natural Bone Material• Consistent Quality• Worldwide ShippingWhether you need a single custom specification or bulk production for your workshop or…
*Photo added* Ding repair on spruce top, 2015 Collings 0002HE #23701. What are y’all reaching for when repairing dents in nitro? GlueBoost fill & finish or drop filling with nitrocellulose? This is a well-used guitar; not pristine and the owner has reasonable expectations that the repair will not be “like it never happened” Bonus question: If there is bare wood, should I seal it with shellac to preserve the color before proceeding to fil…
The coating on that 000 is a mixture of a UV poly base and nitro top coats. It seems that many of the deeper spots could benefit from steam applications. I use a paper towel, folded into four layers a…
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