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Private member DiscussionDiscussions

Finish Chip Repair help.... Black fill n' finish?

It's not a big chip so Iwas thinking of trying the black glueboost fill n' finish. Is that the best option? Any tips/suggestions appreciated. Thx! David

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Ian Davlin
I think that's a good move. One thing I might do to kick things of is to hit the area with some ultra thin master glue so it wicks under the area and prevents more chipping from potentially delaminate…
Private member DiscussionDiscussions

Finishing over Signatures

I was approached by a local music venue about finishing over the signatures on this Dean guitar. I have finished over signatures before, but never an entire guitar. The main challenges, as I see it, with this endeavor is prepping the existing finish. Cleaning the existing finish without disturbing the signatures will be time consuming enough, but abraiding/sanding the finish will be cost prohibitive. I have already experimented on a test…

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Why do you think they faded? Sunlight, chemical issue, abrasion?
Private member DiscussionNeck Reset Database

1960s Silvertone archtop neck pull

Dovetail was 9/16” deep, and 1 9/16” wide at the back. 15th fret was 1 mm tail side of the end of the dovetail socket but a slight angulation towards the headstock landed in the right place. Hide glue, released easily. Nice everyday player, finish and binding beautiful, good spruce top, warped poplar neck.

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Private member DiscussionFinish Repair

Martin binding repair

The archived video and recent Council of Elders were very helpful in upping my binding reattachment game. Now I need to correct how much I've been charging! Someone mentioned that Martin pays $90/individual separation, I believe regardless of the length of the separation. Does this include finish repair, if needed? Any other guidelines on pricing for binding reattachment will be appreciated. Thanks! Neil

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They pay $90 for binding repair “with touchup” and $80 without. Basically they always send the authorization for “with touchup” and never ask if it actually needs touchup. I tell customers “you dont w…
Private member DiscussionFinish Repair

'60's Fender Newporter matte finish repair

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? <>

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Private member
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.
Private member DiscussionElectric Repair

Wiring weirdness

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…

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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.…
R M EXPORTS DiscussionSELL! SELL! SELL!

Guitar Custom Camel Bone Nuts and Saddle

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…

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GlueBoost vs Nitro drop fill

*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…

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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…
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Repair

Discoloration inside acoustic guitar...

Hey Looths, I have a 1980 Guild 12 string in the shop and while doing a preliminary examination I noticed this odd discoloration inside of the guitar. My immediate thought was water damage, although it hasn't bled through to the outside of the guitar and lifted the finish. I also thought of glue smear but I can't quite tell. Any thoughts here?

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Ian Davlin
Could be one of those exploding gel humidifiers.
Private member DiscussionGeneral

70's Tele Neck w/ truss rod issues and a bulge behind first fret

I've got a client with a '72 Tele. It needs a re-fret, but the truss rod isn't functioning. In fact it's backed out of the channel significantly, and there's a bulge in the neck underneath the first fret which suggests to me there's something going on with the truss rod anchor. The puzzling thing is the wood in the neck has bulged, but the skunk stripe and the finish don't appear to be disturbed at all. I'm thinking I'll probably hav…

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The only other potential thought I have outside of maestro's James and Ian is, while it's hard to know via photos; has the neck been refinished? I'm seeing some sheen in the worn areas which I wouldn…
Private member DiscussionElectric Builds

To fret or not to fret when finishing a neck

Hello, I just received an unfinished, slotted but not fretted maple neck from Warmoth. I believe standard practice is to fret then finish but I’m curious if it might be better finish before fretting? I understand one would want to prevent finish from entering the slots. I’m and going to use tru oil and do a light finish, maybe three or four light coats. Thoughts for this beginner? Dave

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My recent favorite neck finish is Boiled Linseed Oil. It gives a nice smooth, but not shiny finish when applied sparingly. As for fretting order, I would do the frets first so any potential damage to…
Private member DiscussionFinish Repair

My guitar got smashed.

It was attacked by a Martin Dreadaught on a small mountain stage resulting in a faceplant. The top is Redwood. I was able to get it to glue up fairly well and have done some splice and drop fill on the vertical cracks. I'm curious about suggestions for the deep cross grain areas. I am hoping to not re-shoot any lacquer and just rub out the finish with some Kovax dry sanding. It was never high gloss buff to begin with and it's a personal…

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@member Thanks Ian, I also have some ultra thin fill&finish on the way. I will do some experimenting with it and see if it can help me out any.