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Short Looth Lite

Sharpening Fret Cutters

Dan Erlewine The Looth Group

May 16, 2025 · 1 min read

Tools and Jigs Tools, Spaces, Robots, and Widgets fret cutters fret nippers sharpening

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Dan Erlewine

Dan Erlewine is one of the most influential guitar repairmen of the last half-century. Born around 1945 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, he started tearing guitars apart at 15 and was working at Herb David Guitar Studio by 1963. In the 1960s he played lead guitar in The Prime Movers, a Michigan rock band, before turning fully to lutherie. He built custom electrics for Albert King — including a left-handed Flying V carved from 125-year-old black walnut — and the famous "Stratishcaster" for Jerry Garcia. In 1983 he started filming himself at the bench, and his work was picked up by Stewart-MacDonald (StewMac), where he's been producing repair videos and content ever since — first VHS, then DVD, and for years now on YouTube. His five books — Guitar Player's Repair Guide, How to Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great, Guitar Finishing Step by Step, Fret Work Step by Step, and Trade Secrets — remain the definitive references for working luthiers. Vintage Guitar calls him a "world-class repair expert," and Acoustic Guitar has gone further: "might be the most famous guitar repairperson on earth." Sources: Dan Erlewine – Wikipedia Dan Erlewine: The Master Luthier Who Changed Everything – StewMac After 50 Years at the Forefront of the Guitar Repair Industry – Acoustic Guitar Dan's History – Dan Erlewine Guitars

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