The Hub

Hi guys, it's my first post here. First of all, english is not my first language, so I'm sorry for any mistake or its a bit rough. Recently I have a Sterling Maj200xsm from a costumer that has tunning issues with the tremolo. Any of you has experience with this model? I made a full set up and I checked the nut, saddles, springs, and dont found the trouble. Sometimes there are no issues at all, then the 2º and 3º string goes higher, then…

Hi All, I wanted to check in with folks in the industry and ask for some advice. I have been on a building Hiatus for a number of years now (Hand Injury, Medical Issues). Things have gotten much better, and I am fully able and capable of building once again. The 2nd biggest hurdle I have had was a lack of opportunity for shop spaces to build. I now have a viable workspace and full use of my hands once again to build. The problem is that, o…

@member hipped me to the fact that Steve Gilchirst has some really nice work detailed in his restoration archives. I think you should check it out. BTW he is super busy, so don't wear him out with emails.

Hello, I hope everyone is having a great 4th of July weekend so far. I was recently asked by a friend to work on a cheap S101 bass someone had given to him. It had no electronics and it was severally back bowed. After finishing up the electronics, I did the set up. He wanted the guitar tuned low, to Drop C. So, I went out and bought some Ernie Ball Power Slinkies 55-110. Once I got to the nut depth check, it was clear there were large, g…

Let me start with this; I'm trying to find the root cause of difficult fret wire installation of two different SM fret wires. I've spent a lot of time gathering dimensions and experimenting with techniques wich could cause the problem. I enlisted the help of a colleague who arrived at a similar poor performance. His solution was to glue the fret ends/ beat the frets in. My "rather" is to find the root cause so I don't have to go thr…

Well, I am pulling my hair out here... just did a compression fret job on a 2017 D18 Authentic 1939. Neck had severe excess relief, so I pulled the frets, planed the board flat, and got to work....done this a handfull of times, so I wasnt expecting anything out of the ordinary...... I got a handful of frets in, checked my relief by stringing up the guitar, and decided I need to keep pushing, so I got a full set of frets in and som…

Hey All! I hope everyone has been loothing and living as well as possible. I'm checking in to ask for an opinion. I have been asked to fix or improve some top sinking/splitting of a Mahogany top 1930ish L-0 that sits between the bridge and the junction of the X-brace. It's showing signs of wanting to crack further but neither seems to be all the way through the top. I have removed the bridge plate cleanly and have tried wetting the…

Hey everyone, I'm a technician at a music production school in London. As the most 'guitariest' technician on staff, I've become the de facto guitar maintenance person. A big part of my work is taking a look at each guitar once a week. Usually my "routine" is to check action and intonation, making adjustments if needed, then cleaning/polishing. The thing I struggle with the most is getting strings feeling good. We use D'Addario…

Hey all. I apologize if this type of post isn't allowed here but wanted to share anyway. I've been building a tool called Looth specifically for luthiers and repair techs, and I'm looking for a small group of interested looths to help shape it a bit more before it goes public. I got tired of managing spreadsheets and decided that it could be simpler and more automated. The core idea is simple: one place to track every build…

Hi everyone, Every once in a while, I come across a bass that simply refuses to stop buzzing. Right now, I’m working on a bass (I won't name the brand, but it’s in the €2,500 range) that has a slight fretboard hump near the neck pocket. I figured that was the culprit, so I performed a fret level under string tension. The frets are now perfectly level... yet, it continues to buzz across the entire fretboard, even with fairly high a…

I’m a pretty recent guitar maker. When I retired in 2019, I had to keep very busy and making guitars was my answer. As time rolled on I became more and more involved (ie; anal). As I age , I realize I keep making little errors. I forget a step or don’t use the right procedure. My son, an MD, told me to do what pilots do. That is a check list in chronological order. It’s worked wonders. I think I’ve cut my error rate in half!

Hello all, got a problem in a telecaster I rewired that has me in a twist. The basics: friend has a 2001 US Standard telecaster (left handed not that it matters). He bought it used and says it was quiet initially. A few years back he grabbed the pickups out of it and moved them to a new tele body with a torrefied maple neck he preferred. Recently he upgraded the new build with a Lollar CC tele set, and asked me to reinstall the original…

I've got a PRS SE A50E acoustic in with complaints of high action. Checked the relief and it was sky high. Tried to flatten it, and it wouldn't go, so I started experimenting. When there's no string tension and the (single action) truss rod is slack, there's loads of relief. Tightening the truss rod works fine and the nut turns easily until the neck is flat, then resistance goes up but the neck won't go past dead flat. It behaves as…

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWAuW40jAR_/?igsh=MW1jNDdoYzllMGFmMA== I’ve spent a few overly caffeinated days bouncing between modelling environments, different combinations of operations, tools.. subtle differences in how the coffee is brewed. In short… • Building Iso Curves in Sketch. Defining the surface structure and flow • NURBS Surfacing from curves, smooth intentional surface topology. • BRep Face to T-Spline in Form Environment. Org…

Hey guys, Check out Blue Bell Straps, they make all my stuff. Some of you met the owner Pepe at NAMM meet ups etc https://www.bluebellstraps.com/en-us

Hey everyone, recently I've been getting more requests for neck resets from customers, and up until this point I haven't been offering them since I don't have the practical experience. I'm keen to change this, and I've borrowed my fathers Harmony H167 that has seen better days. I've done an initial cleaning and assessment, the truss rod works although I may need to force it into a backbow to have a fully adjustable neck. This shouldn't…