The Hub

Here it is. I thought it turned out ok. Hopefully it's a help to someone. ☺️

So today, while restringing a guitar, one of my techs dropped a .012 e string that slid down the wall and landed on a plug that was just slightly loose from the outlet. It landed just right and made a huge spark. No lesson to be learned here but a crazy thing to happen! We are changing our name to Sparky’s Guitar Service. 😬

I didn’t recognize the pickups. Any idea who made them? Trying to nail down the color codes Images

We install a lot of LR Baggs pickups, but nobody has ever gotten more excited about their new pickup than Andy Wood. If you don't know Andy, watch this fun video.

This is my first Ian Davlin backstrap repair. I’m really excited about how this turned out. Ian…you’re the man! 😊

Anyone Else looking at the Makera Z1? https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/makera-inc/makera-z1-entry-level-cnc-pro-level-power? Earlybird price is $799. Looks like it might be good for a newbie like me?

Does anyone offer repair of guitar cases? I've done a few and it's kinda fun (traditional wooden cases only). With the prices of guitar cases going up, I'm wondering if there might be a market. They are less of a throw-away item at $200 per case. I've had three people ask in the past few weeks: Broken latch, missing handle, loose lining. We replaced the handle with one of the buckle-on handles. If so, Any training available that you…

I’ve got this early Gibson A mandolin that has been separated for a long time. Even without string tension I can’t line the back up for repair. Any ideas? TIA

Including yourself and your employees/contractors, what is your labor cost percentage? For me it's 54%, but I'm thinking that's high? Curious what others see in your business.

Just noticed this category was here. Since nobody has jumped in, I'll be the first. We've had our Plek machine since last summer and did just over 300 Plek jobs in the first year. It has become a tremendous asset in our business. I'm happy to be a part of any discussion here. :)

I'd like to start a discussion about guitar polishes. We have always been careful to use only non-silicone products on nitro finishes. We previously used Stewmac Preservation polish for years, but they don't offer that product anymore. We recently had maybe what was a bad batch of Stewmac "Clean and Shine" that was softening nitro finishes so we trashed it and haven't purchased anymore. The first bottle we got worked great, but the s…

This is a super sucky repair, I know. A customer brought this Goldtop LP in. He decided he wanted stainless steel posts. So he pulled out the post, then somehow broke a drill bit off inside the hole. The broken bit is still in there. Then he put the new stud in and broke it off too. He asked me to remove both the broken stud and the broken drill bit. 🤷‍♂️. This may impossible but any advice is appreciated.

What is your preference for black nut blanks? Black Tusq XL is and option, but expensive...and i learned today that sanding Water Buffalo horn has the most putrid smell imaginable. lol Curious what your preference is.

So, for the last several years we have hosted a gathering of luthiers six to eight times a year. We meet as the East Tennessee Luthiers Guild and are both a learning group and a community. We got back together today for the first time since falling away during Covid. It was a great time! These are mostly hobby but a few professionals too. James Condino brought a bunch of nice wood to sell this time

What do you do with instruments never picked up? Non-responsive ghost customers.

Any thoughts on disguising this sand-through? It’s got a black veneer under the wood veneer that is showing through a little. Part of it will be covered by the tuner bushing. Clear finish.

What holders/jigs/vise devices have you built to hold an acoustic guitar body upright? I saw Michael Bashkin using something like this in his neck reset video. I’d like a way to clamp the guitar to the side of the bench while I work on the neck.

$300 plus shipping. Used twice. Comes with foredom, foot control, Stewmac router base, And stand. Comes with 1/8” collet. 3/32” available but can’t find it currently. Will sell without router base for $250.