The Hub

The latest builds, repairs, and conversations from across Looth. Activity
Filters AND Search bridges× Reset all
Private member DiscussionDesign and Testing

Guitar frequency testing in the white.

In Michael Baskin's on-line video, he uses a frequency test of a guitar in the white to determine whether to thin the lower bout before finishing. The guitar in the video has a bridge attached. I'm wondering if this is the final bridge or something temporary. If the latter, how do the results compare to the final frequency analysis? I've used a bolt-on bridge to do the same, but don't have enough data points to draw a firm conclusion…

2 replies
2 replies
LikeShare
Private member
I would probably blue tape/super glue the bridge in place vs bolts which would change the weight somewhat radically.
Private member DiscussionCAD/CAM

What would you like to see in a luthiery Fusion360 plugin?

As one does, I got distracted designing a fretboard for my newest acoustic build and thought 'Wouldn't it be great if there was a plugin to do this automatically?' Several days and 1000 lines of Python later, it's definitely possible. But then I thought "What else might be interesting as part of a plugin like this?" So I'd love to hear what you think, including: - Is this something you think is valuable (irrespective of price) - If it is va…

10 replies
10 replies
LikeShare
Private member
Not sure what a script would do differently than Austin's parametric fretboard? There have been updated versions of the parametric fretboard which are available for free on Austin's discord, made by…
Private member DiscussionGeneral

Newbie luthier wannabe

Thought I would introduce myself, I am a retired computer nerd ex farm boy that loves to fix things… used to repair/rebuild pianos but now that I live in FL, space is at a premium in small home so I now am venturing into repairing guitars…. I have numerous practice candidates I have picked up on the cheap as not to destroy anything of value or collectability, and have tooled up with enough stuff to be dangerous. I have done several aco…

3 replies
3 replies
LikeShare
Private member
Glad to have you on board, Tom! Welcome!
Private member DiscussionFinish Repair

Finish repair from mystery solvents

A customer brought this Gibson songwriter deluxe in, it’s approximately 20 years old to his recollection. It needs a few things done including fret work and a bridge re glue. At some point the guitar was lent out to a friend who dropped it then tried to fix the finish themselves. It looks like they used some kind of cleaner or something that didn’t get along with the lacquer at all. I’ll attach pictures but it’s kinda hard to get a pic…

5 replies
5 replies
LikeShare
Ian Davlin
I agree with this. Just Novus probably wasn't going to be enough. It kind of looks like someone accidentally used alcohol instead of naptha. It's a very subtle boo boo. Use some 2000 grit sanding pape…
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Repair

Anyone use vacuum clamping for bridge re-glues?

I bought the O'brien vacuum clamp and a pump to clamp bridges on new builds, but also to use for repair work. I got tired of making custom top and bottom cauls for every odd-shaped bridge that comes in my shop. The vacuum clamp works great on a flat surface with no pick guard. I put it on a J45 with a pick guard, and it won't seal. The gasket is too hard to form over the pick guard. I've seen YouTube videos of other folks using vacu…

2 replies
2 replies
LikeShare
Private member
Scott, Here is a pic of me using the clamp over a Taylor guitar that has a pickguard. I am able to get it to create a seal. The bigger issue for me is making sure to mask off the bridge pin holes and…
Private member DiscussionAmps, Pickups, and Pedals

High Resistance for Gibson Mini-humbucker

I have a customer with a 2018 Gibson SG special with mini-humbuckers who is complaining about the pickups being too hot (distorting their amp too easily). I took resistance readings and, to my surprise, the readings are very high. The neck humbucker (see photo) reads over 16kohm and the bridge reads 23kohm. From the specs I've seen, mini-hums more typically come in around 6-7kohms. Has anyone seen this with Gibson mini-hbs that appear t…

3 replies
3 replies
LikeShare
Private member
I might also try, before complete rewire, adding a 500k trim pot from pickup hot to ground to try to tame the high output. The trim pot would give you tunability for the output level. I currently don'…
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Repair

Cracked x-braces on Guild F20

Looking for some advice on a repair for a 1966 Guild F20. The guitar top is significantly depressed (bowl shaped) around the sound hole. This is due to both upper x-braces being cracked as they tuck under the purfling. Also, the bridge is starting to pull off. Any suggestions on sequence of actions? Specifically, should I try to flatten the top area above the bridge and around the sound hole prior to fixing the x-braces? Would it be…

9 replies
9 replies
LikeShare
Private member
Tony thanks for sharing this example. Your work really paid off! My top deflection is about the same (1/4" at the sound hole). It's interesting to me that you took the bridge plate off. When I reach in…
Private member DiscussionElectric Repair

Just one string buzz from 1-12 even with really hi action.

I work in guitar repair for over 20 years and this strange buzz happen only 3 times and i really going crazy. Five years ago a all parts strat neck in G string, change string, leveling frets twice thinking i made a mistake, in some point i made a rudimentar neck jig to tried to repair that neck. Work in that guitar for 3 weeks and string heigth like 3.5mm and yeat, buzzing with not so hard picking just the G, even in other tuning like F…

5 replies
5 replies
LikeShare
Private member
Thanks Ian! It’s a brand new guitar, client contact the dealership and it’s in process to return and get other one. I really want to open and understand why this happened, not know why it’s a big bumm…
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Repair

Sj200 Replacement Bridge

HEy Folks, Just wondered if anyone had a source for a 4-inlay SJ200 bridge? I have a 52/53' in for restoration, and...well... I like replacements better than making them if I can help it, especially this mustashio'd monster!

1 reply
1 reply
LikeShare
Private member
Dang, I was hoping I wasn't up Shits Creek with just a spoon lol
Private member DiscussionElectric Builds

Venturing into the unknown...

Hello friends - I am a bass guitar builder who is considering building a neck-through Flying V-style guitar with a 25.5" scale length and a Floyd Rose tremolo bridge. I have not built any neck-through instruments and would appreciate any guidance on where to begin with respect to laying out the design, in particular, getting the neck angle right and the headstock angled properly. Any resources are welcomed and if someone has any interes…

LikeShare