in for some top cracks and playability issues, neck is underset by almost 1/8" with significant hump at the joint...just got the strings off and got a better peek under the circus tent and... how the what the why? i just... really I... ummmm....can anyone guess what is going on here? Tempted to hand it back over any half-measure foolery. Third Japanese built one in this year but I've not seen this sort of hijinx...
This is precisely why Leo Fender developed the insideless guitar. A compromised neck block is super hard to come back from and when I see something like this, it leads me to believe that it's the tip…
Hey all, I've received a call from a woman who's husband ( and former student of Somogyi ) has recently passed, and she's looking to find anyone interested in purchasing his tonewood hoard. It appears he had intentions of building a fair amount more than he had time for here, and she's been calling around to folks hoping for some interest to no avail, so I told her I'd post here for her...She has had another local luthier compile a fair…
Gibson Roy Smeck Radio Grande 7 string! in for tuner replacements... Currently has faulty original grovers, wants waverly titanium that I'd have to modify the plate shape to fit---and drill a new lower hole mount to avoid new holes drilled in the headstock ( around the "e" in waverly logo; and new plate hole and old plate hole would intersect by a whisper ). I'd have to remove the cog to mill & install, but the mounting screw head has c…
I know you're looking for the best ways of utilizing the Waverly tuners, but perhaps using tuning machines that are a better fit (maybe without drilling new holes) would be a better solution.
Hi all,
I am a newer guitar tech and after dozens of repairs this particular Simon & Patrick Luthier Cedar top SP6 acoustic dreadnought from the 90-ies with a bolt-on maple neck has been an incredible challenge.
It came with a maxed out and stuck truss rod with a considerable up bow in the neck, extremely low saddle with barely any string break angle, so it needed a neck reset. Later on I figured out that it also has a pretty dras…
Gah! I need help wiring Lollar Monoliths to coil split each pup at their own 2 way mini switch...client brought it in wired to a card ( based on rough drawing ) said he "tested it"....I had to clean up his wiring and soldering some...both pots, 3-way and 2-way switches are functioning but I get a weak signal when plugged in....what am I missing here? I redrew it ( nicer drawing ) with the black hots going to the 3-way ( swapped with gre…
I'm not seeing an actual ground going to the black leads for the pickups (unless there is an internal connection at the pickup). Try putting a jumper from the ground to the black lead at the switch.
Hello again folks, how is everyone!
So I'm curious about what people here think about re-tops, who's done them, and what sorta ballpark rates you've charged for past completed jobs.
I've got a bit of a wild one here, so strap in if you've got a couple minutes for story time!
Back in 2012, I traded an HD28V of mine for a cool 1966 D-35 that needed some work. Basically, the body and neck of the guitar were fine apart from…
Oh yes, it is absolutely not down to financial matters here, or I'd have abandoned it completely hahaha, I've been thinking more about it, perhaps I will take the plunge, and have a bit of silly fun w…
Hey all, I have a customer that brought a mid 2000's Gold Jazzmaster to get a suggestion on what to do to the neck of it. On the Low E side of the neck it has about .08 relief, while the treble side is at .05 relief, and the truss rod is maxed out. He has had several other well known luthiers in the area work on it, one of them tried a fret dress and a setup that only fixed it for about a month, and the other one heated the neck to add…
Hello Everyone. Reaching out to see if I could get any thoughts/help/advice on this dent in a 2009 Gibson LP Gold Top (before I go down my usual rabbit hole). I'm thinking I'll to need to order the pigment colors (as I only have a few basic ones now). Wondering if anyone has matched the gold top color ? Any & all help is much appreciated ! Mike.
Originally Gold Tops are made gold with bronze powder. It is super tricky to get the right color and look. If you are going for better, you can definitely get there, but I would manage your customer's…
Hi gang, I am looking, without success so far, for a ferrule and string on this gold fender tuner (made by schaller). Neither company has the spare part and I couldn't source it anywhere. Tips? Do you have something like it in a spare parts bin? I don't have a lathe but I could bribe a friend to make one if I can't find it. And the screw! Thanks for any help you might be able to provide. Ciao, Max
Have you considered contacting Schaller and seeing if they can ship the part you need? I've been amazed at how accommodating manufacturers can be. I know you can purchase single tuning machines (saw S…
I'm currently using regular StewMac narrow/medium fretwire on this oddball stick dulcimer I'm making. https://www.instagram.com/p/CthLFjSOeSc/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== It's diatonically fretted and I'm curious about offering one that's chromatically fretted BUT with the non-diatonic frets clearly indicated. I've considered something on the fretboard, some kind of inlay (I'm thinking to emphasize the diatonic f…
I have a Carvin 12-String "acoustic" electric with what I think is a poly finish. Over time, the back side has gotten a bit cloudy where the body makes contact with the player. Doing my initial research, it seemed like buffing compound would have done the trick to bring back the shine. I've tried 3 different compounds (StewMac ColorTone Med, Mother's California Gold and No. 7) and nothing has done the trick. What am I missing? Do I need…
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