The Hub

Hey all,

I’ve got a Prewar Martin on my workbench (1932/33 0-18) and this thing has unfortunately been through the guitar center wringer.

I’ve had to reset a fretboard that was glued down with Gorilla glue and as well, rejoint the neck and underside of the fretboard.

I had to repair a large deal of tear out that was sitting underneath their fret job and because of that I now have a brittle fret slot all up the board that will not hold a fret in place at all. My method so far has been pressing and gluing them in place with the StewMac Jaws II and it’s been working great. All leveled perfectly and none are popping up, my issue is the 5 frets in between the heel and the neck block. I cannot reach these with a fret press and hammering just will not get these in. I am very afraid to chuck this thing in the drill press and press that way since it’s so old and delicate, I worry that I’ll crack the back further than it’s already been cracked.

Any tips on fretting these final 5 slots would be much appreciated. Thank you!