The Hub

Has anyone here sprayed a Martin-Style Ambertone top? Curious how you approach it color wise....seems to me the amber base coat is a very orange/red color, then a very light and warm feathered in brown

Being new here, thought I would post an introduction. My name is Paul McGill Mcgillguitars.com I have been making guitars since 1976. I have lived and worked in Nashville since 1985 when I relocated here to work in the repair/restoration shop at Gruhn guitars. 410 Broadway, now a novelty shop. I was there a short time before commiting full time to guitar making as I had done prior to moving here. My main influence as a guitar maker was Ro…

I had a customer that wanted a blower switch installed on his James Tyler HSS style Strat. Simple enough, except that he wanted the full humbucker to go through the volume pot as well. The HB was a 4 wire and incorporated a toggle switch to split coils. I scratched my head for a while, drew up a diagram and breadboarded it. It requires a 6PDT switch which was the hardest part of this job to find something that fits. When the switch…

Howdy folks, Y'all may know that over the years I've had my hands in all sorts of varying degrees of our beloved lutherie bizz; from my current modest restoration shop focus to work for 'The Man' in big production. Throughout this I've built up contacts of various sorts and recently, as I've started to get back into building (to some degree) I've had some of these contact ask me about moving some wood on their behalf. So, here I am wo…

We hear a lot in LoothLand these days about 3D printing. I think it's an awesome use of that technology for what we all do. With my long history with AutoCad and 3D rendering in my previous life, I should pull the trigger on a 3D printer, but I'm just not ready yet AND I have no available space for one in my little shop or in my office right now. Yes, 3D printing is great, but sometimes, good ole regular printing can be a surprise frien…

Folks, I’m trying to make some homemade oil based pore filler to go underneath a 50s style nitro finish. I know pumice is one ingredient but don’t recall the rest of this recipe. Does anyone here have experience with this? Thanks!

I'm interested in getting people's perspective on string height. I've seen recommendations for a standard string height based on the instrument type (such as https://www.stewmac.com/video-and-ideas/online-resources/neck-building-and-repair-and-setup/string-action-gauge-instructions/). But this doesn't take into account how the instrument is used, playing style, and personal taste. What would your recommendations be for the following sc…

Pretty standard dovetail joint with the pocket 1/8th inch further north. I angled the bit through the 13th fret slot (12 fret guitar) and managed to get the neck off without any complications. I don’t know how earlier or later Larson made instruments compare to this one.

This is pertaining to steel string builds, dreadnaught or OM style. Michael Bashkin mentioned in a recent zoom chat that his bridges weigh in at about 25 grams. I have also heard some builders shoot for an even lighter bridge. The pre-made bridges I have purchased in the past from LMI come in at about 39 grams. What are some other opinions on this? And how do I modify the LMI bridge to reduce weight? That seems like a lot of material to…

I need to make a router template for a rear access control cavity in the PRS style of 1 vol +1 tone +1 switch? Placement of pot and switch holes aren't important, just the contours of the cavity so I can print a routing template. Does anyone have a file? Thanks! Justin

Hey everyone, I could use some advice as far as the fretting process is concerned. I’ve been doing guitar repair since around 2008, I opened my business doing guitar repair in September of 2021, and I’ve always felt that fretwork has been the most challenging part of this job. I’m getting to the point now where I finally feel like I’m getting the hang of it, but I’m not where I want to be yet. I should mention that I use the Erlewine…

And the oddity of the year award goes to… I am looking for a tuner or tuners for this Sakova Japanese made EUB. I can’t seem to find anything online and i was wondering if anyone has any of these or knows where i could find the missing one or a whole set? Maybe one of you has one in your I just couldn’t throw that away box? There are two different styles on it already so it doesn’t really matter what it looks like. I’m posting several ph…

Hi, I made a video of how to make a Bird's Beak Joint, in the style of Martins till 1917. I used it for an electric build, but posted in acoustic. Because acoustics are the natural habitat of those Bird'sBeak Joints. If you are interested click here: if you have questions ask me ;-)