Here’s a selection of the many thank you emails that arrive weekly.
Hi Graham,
All I think I need to say is that my Gibson J50 has been in the hands of a true master craftsman.
Many many thanks for a truly great job I am unbelievably pleased with all you have done and the guitar feels and plays beautifully.
Fondest regards,
Terry Windle
Hi Graham
Just like to say thanks for the lovely job you made of my Larrivee. Been playing it this weekend and it feels and sounds great.
Many thanks Ray
Hi Graham, Ive been playing the guitar alot since I picked it up from you, and it is sounding and playing beautifully. Thank you.
Bob (Ovation Viper)
Hi Graham,
A quick note to thank you very much for the excellent work you did on my Tokai. It plays beautifully!
Thanks again,
Derek
Hi Graham,
Just a quick note to thank you for the work you did on my 335 recently, the neck is now simply seamless all the way along and this means smoother solos and less strain which equals a great deal more playing pleasure and better music. Thanks again.
Fabian
Hi Graham,
Just wanted to say thank you for the great setup on my les Paul. It feels easier to play, and sounds fantastic – chords in particular sound much cleaner now.
Thanks @gparkerluthier for making my Gibson play like the hot shit. Can’t put it down.
Gibson J 160E
Hi Graham,
A quick note to thank you for your excellent work on the Squier: it has transformed it from a decent but rather ordinary guitar to one that feels, plays and sounds very good indeed.
Thanks, too, for making us so welcome.
Best wishes,
Derek S
Hi Graham,
Just a note to thank you for the transformation you have made to my guitar. It’s improved in pretty much every way and plays like a dream and I’m sure will keep opening up even more as I’m playing it even more now; in fact it’s hard to put down!
Kind regards
Luke F
Hi Graham,
A quick one to thank you for the work you did on my No.2 strat the other week. First class job as always.
Les has asked me to convey his gratitude for his bass set up – he’s very pleased and will be bringing you some other axes. (left hand ones of course)
Thank you once again for your high standard of work, hope all is well with you and yours,
kind regards,
On the workbench is a beautiful guitar. An Olson acoustic, from the renowned luthier James Olson. He makes guitars for James Taylor, David Crosby and many other top recording artists – more here…
This Olson is owned by Chris Difford. It’s in the workshop for a new pickup system and it’s needed fairly urgently for an up and coming tour.
The old pickup is a passive system and an active pickup is needed to boost and enhance the beautiful acoustic quality of this guitar. The guitar was made in 2007 and in its short life span the technology of acoustic pickups has come on leaps and bounds.
The L.R.Baggs iMix is the preferred choice for this Olson. It will combine the warm, positive sounds on the undersaddle pickup with the natural and sumptuous tones of the soundboard mounted iBeam pickup.
The old pickup system is removed. It’s the early type of pickup that is combined and manufactured into the saddle. Once removed a new saddle substitute will need to be made.
Before removal, measurements are taken of the string and the saddle height. This is to ensure that the playing action is matched once the new saddle is made and installed.
The iBeam
The iBeam mounting fixture is assembled and fitted
The iBeam is mounted into position on the fixture. This device ensures that the iMix correctly lines up with the saddle
The mounting fixture is fed through the soundhole and the vertical posts are brought up through the outer bridge pin holes. This ensures the iBeam is sitting directly under the saddle.
The iBeam is positioned and the mounting fixture removed
The Element
The undersaddle element is fitted into place….
…and the stereo jack socket fitted
The Preamp
The iMix preamp, remote control soundhole controller and battery housing are installed
New Saddle Demands
A new saddle is made up from a bone blank to match the intonated contours of the old saddle…
…the bottom of the saddle is cut with a slight angle. The saddle is made so that it fits loosely into the saddle slot, this is to maximise the transferral of string vibration to the pickup element. Consequently there is a slight forward tilt to the saddle once strung-up. The angle cut to the bottom of the bone saddle will ensure that there is maximum contact between saddle and element.
Click image to enlarge
All internal wiring is tidied and secured to the guitars internal walls.
The guitar is strung-up and tested. The new pickup system sounds great and will enhance and complement the acoustic value of this beautiful guitar in any live performance or studio situation.
Cased up and ready for collection.
Chris is very happy with the new pickup. In a later message from him he remarks “Brilliant, thank you it sounds great”
On the workbench is a 1969 Fender Precision Bass with a problematic playing action. The action is high and the bass is very uncomfortable to play.
It was bought through a popular online auction and was brought into the workshop for an assessment after the new owner had tried various adjustments but failed to make the bass more playable.
It had spent most of its life in its case inside a closet. This is confirmed by its amazing condition. The finish is bright and clean with very little markings or lacquer cracks. The hardware is all original and unusually the bridge and pickup covers are still present. I suspect that it was put away and forgotten about because it is such an effort to play. This would account for its immaculate condition.
Click image to enlarge
Fender Truss-Rod
On all early Fender guitars the truss-rod adjuster is at the body end of the neck. Upon inspection it is apparent that the truss-rod is not working as well as it should. Any adjustment has little effect on the neck.
Upon testing the truss-rod, it appears that the adjusting screw reaches its limit before any changes to the neck are effective.
The prognosis is that the truss-rod is either broken internally or that the adjusting nut is ineffectual in some way.
The remedy is to replace the truss-rod.
This is a problematic job as this would require the rod to be removed without removing the fingerboard. It is not possible to remove a Fender style fingerboard without changing the nature of the neck beyond all recognition. This would detract for its originality and drastically devalue the guitar.
A Fender truss-rod is made from a piece of round section steel with a “T” soldered onto one end (the truss-rod fixed point )and a thread tapped onto the other end to except the adjusting nut. Once fitted into place, and when the nut is tightened, the adjusting nut pushes against a fixed internal washer which is part of the inner channelling that the truss-rod sits into.
It is decided to create an opening in the fingerboard directly above the truss-rod fixed point and expose the “T”. Once exposed, the “T” can be severed and the rod extracted via the body end on the neck.
A magnet stack is used to locate the end of the truss-rod
A section of fingerboard is scribed through and removed thus revealing the “T” fixed point
The “T” is drilled through and severed
The rod is extracted through the body end of the neck
Testing the truss-rod once it has been removed, it is apparent that the adjuster is ineffectual. As the adjuster is tightened it has the effect of ejecting the screwdriver (very frustrating).
Click image to enlarge
A new rod is made up using a piece of silver steel and a different style of adjuster. This is inserted into the headstock end of the neck and fixed. Silver steel is a tougher material and more likely to allow for extra torque that may be needed on final adjustment.
The fingerboard piece is replaced
The area smoothed over and cleaned up
Frets 1 & 2 are replaced and a new bone nut made and fitted.
The Conclusion
I am pleased to report that the truss-rod works well and has made a vast improvement to the basses playability. The initial cost of a repair such as this is easily justified due to the overall value now put on this fully functional ’69 Fender Precision bass – all original and in excellent condition – in short a splendid bass.
The bass is now permanently out of the closet and enjoying its new lease of life by its new owner.
This Martin D 15S got into trouble on its way back from a festival.
It was loaded into a truck with the rest of the band’s gear with only a soft case for protection, the result was a crushed rib
Good News Bad News
With an extreme break such as this the good news is it can be repaired. The bad news is that the repair will always be visible unless the complete rib is refinished. This can be very costly and, because of its “natural “finish, there is still no guarantee that the repair will not be seen. In this instant the owner is just happy to get the instrument up and working again and is not too bothered about the appearance.
Firstly the break is gently opened up on the inside of the guitar. This separates the cracked parts and disentangles the loose sections enabling glue to reach into the extremities of the cracks.
Once glue is eased into the cracks the inside of the rib is reinforced with sections of 1.5mm thickness plywood. The lamination within the 3-ply makes this a very tough but flexible choice capable of taking on the inner curve of the rib.
To ease the ply into place whilst the glue is drying a clamp is made up using a guitar string and an old machine head
The ply is patched over the inside of the break and the guitar string is threaded up through a convenient crack. The string is then threaded onto the machine head and tightened. Once tightened the plywood patch takes on the inside curve of the rib and is held firmly against the break whilst the glue dries.
Spool clamps are used to close up the cracks
Due to the length of this particular break, it is decided to repair this rib in two parts.
Once the glue has dried thoroughly the cracks are gently sanded and leveled. This inevitably removes some of the lacquer down to the bare wood.
The area is given an initial coat of stain to match in with the existing colour
Here’s a rare guitar on the workbench, it’s an old Martin 00-17 made in 1949. Bob Dylan used this model back in the early so called “Coffeehouse Days” more info on Dylans guitar’s Here…
This little gem has some all too familiar problems; it has severe soundboard bellying, the neck is loose giving a high playing action. All of which has probably causing the bridge to lift.
Other issues
There is a small hole in the rib
Initials have been scratched in the lacquer on the back
It has been fitted with inappropriate machine heads
Click image to enlarge
With all bridge-lifting or bellying issues the first thing to look at is the internal structure of the soundboard.
Using lights and mirrors to scrutinise the internal bracing it is discovered that the bridge plate is a little loose and not glued at its edges.
By removing the bridge and bridge-plate the soundboard can be returned to its original flat shape.
With very little effort the bridge is removed.
The bridge-plate is soaked overnight. The next day, with a little heat, the bridge-plate becomes detached very easily.
With this area of the soundboard in a “damp” state, the soundboard is clamped into a negative bow and left to dry out for a week or so. This will help the soundboard regain its correct shape.
Once completely dry a new bridge-plate is made up from Indian Rosewood and glued into place. Hide glue is used because it is reversible, this will make the plate easier to remove in later years if necessary.
With the soundboard still in its negative bow the new bridge-plate is fitted, clamped up and left to dry overnight.
The bridge footprint on the soundboard and the underside of the bridge are cleaned up and with the soundboard still in its negative bow the bridge is glued into place.
Hide glue can be diluted to such a viscosity so as to be used in a syringe. Using this method the issue of the loose neck is easily solved by injecting Hide glue into the join and clamping overnight.
The hole and initials are patched up and cleaned up so as not to look too “over worked”. This is quite often a good way of resolving damage to a finish that is already distressed from years of use.
Suitable replacement machine heads are not available at the time of stringing up this old Martin. This will be done when appropriate tuners become available.
Glenn of Glenn’s Guitars plays the changes and checks over the finished results.
Here’s a ’60s Harmony Sovereign H1260 on the workbench.
Vintage Harmony guitars have become a popular choice for collectors and often fetch high prices on auction sites. The H1260 was produced between 1958 – 1971.
The Harmony Guitar Company became the largest producer in the U.S. They sold 250,000 pieces in 1923 and 500,000 in 1930, including various models of guitars, banjos, and mandolins. The company peaked between 1964 – 1965 selling 350,000 instruments, but low end foreign competition led to the company’s demise 10 years later. In the years from 1945 – 1975 the Chicago firm had mass produced about ten million guitars. More info on The Harmony Guitar Company here…
The Harmony Guitar Company ceased trading in 1975 and sold the Harmony name. The name is now used by an unrelated company based in Illinois that imports guitars from Asia. More info on vintage Harmony guitars at Harmony Database
* From Wikipedia
As previously stated these old 1260s are becoming collectors items and owners are forever looking for ways to bring out the best in them. This 1260 belongs to a regular customer and a frequent visitor to the workshop.
It originally came into the workshop to have a pin through bridge fitted. Whilst it’s on the workbench I had an opportunity to give it a thorough workbench assessment and I did’t like what I saw.
It had a high playing action and on closer inspection I could see that the neck had been refitted. This had been badly done and left me with the impression that this old Sovereign had been the victim of abuse in the hands of an inexperience repairer.
There was a strange veneer line that ran the length of the neck under the fingerboard. It appeared to (have been) be a piece of Maple veneer, but why was it there? This didn’t look like Harmony spec. but it suggested that the fingerboard had been removed at some point in its life.
Click image to enlarge
After talking over the potential problems with its owner we came up with a plan to save this old jumbo.
A Renovation Plan
To remove the fingerboard from the neck and body
To remove the Maple veneer from the top of the neck.
To remove the neck from the body and reset at the appropriate angle for a good playing action.
The fingerboard was (to be) assessed after it has been removed to ascertain if it could be reused or replaced.
All binding around the fingerboard was to be renewed including the edge dots.
A small heat blanket was used to heat the fingerboard. For ease this was done in several stages.
With the fingerboard removed it was a simple job to steam and remove the neck.
More info about removing and resetting a guitar neck here…
The body, neck and fingerboard were set aside for a few days to dry out and settle.
The Fingerboard
Fortunately the fingerboard was removed cleanly and without damage. The frets were removed and the fingerboard cleaned up.
I took this opportunity to refret the fingerboard as this makes for a very easy job with the fingerboard removed from the neck.
The fingerboard was fretted and new bindings attached.
The Neck Reset
It’s clearly visible in the photo (below) that the dovetail is badly broken. This is quite common when a neck is removed. Generally speaking all the broken parts a gathered and pieced back together. However, in this instance there are no broken parts to be collected. This means that these parts were omitted on the last neck reset!
The dovetail end was cleaned up as best as is practical and the neck reset.
The edge bindings were trimmed to size and the fingerboard reattached to the neck.
Why bother changing the bridge?
As previously mentioned owners are forever trying new ways to bring out the best tone in their Harmony guitars. A pin through bridge is an efficient way of enhancing the bass and mid range tones. This is partly due to the increased break angle of the strings from the saddle to the pin hole and partly due to the 90° angle of the string through the bridge and soundboard. Another beneficial factor is the direct contact of the string’s ball end with the internal bridge plate beneath the soundboard.
Making the Bridge
A purpose designed and made metal block was heated to approximately 400°F. The heat transference was enough to soften the glue holding the bridge.
The new bridge design was based approximately on the same shape and dimensions as the old bridge. The new bridge has an extended front to allow for correct saddle position and therefore accurate intonation.
The footprint of the old bridge was cleaned up and a soundboard patch installed. This ensures that the new bridge will stay stuck.
The new pin through bridge was fitted and glued into place.
The guitar was strung up and tested.
Some strings were choking around the 12th fret area. This was a bad sign and suggested that there was a slight hump in the fingerboard around this area. The only course of action was to defret the guitar and reshoot the fingerboard. This is unfortunate as this had already been refretted at the start of the restoration. However, my optimistic thinking was that it could work out fine and there was very little lost in doing the earlier refret when the fingerboard was loose.
Fingerboard Reshoot
The frets were removed and the guitar was prepared for the reshoot. This entailed using a jack plane and cabinet scrapers to smooth out the hump in the fingerboard.
Some of the inlays were lost.
With the slight hump removed new M.O.P dots were inlayed the fingerboard was refretted.
A new nut was made and fitted along with a new scratchplate.
The back of the neck was refinished to disguise a multitude of chips and breakouts around the binding area.
This short video clip shows the transition of this instrument through restoration.
Restoration has transformed this instrument
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This old Gibson J 160E has seen a bit of action throughout its life. It has a serial number that indicates that it was made between 1966 and 1969.
This was the model that John Lennon owned. It was also used by George Harrison and features on several famous Beatles recordings including Please Please Me, With The Beatles and A Hard Day’s Night and many more throughout the 60s. More J160E and Messrs J Lennon info Here…
The Problem
It has been brought into the workshop because it will not play in tune. It plays in tune on the first few frets but as the player gets above the 5th fret it begins to sound out of tune, and the higher you go the worse it becomes.
On inspection it is revealed that the bridge is not the original but has been added at a later date. The original 60s bridge had an Adjustable Saddle System, this bridge has a fixed saddle. It is easily evident from the repairs to the soundboard around the bridge area that something had occurred in this area . It begs the questions as to what and why?
It’s possible that the original bridge could have lifted and have been torn off by the tension of the strings with the resulting damage. This could be due to several factors the most obvious being an unstable Ladder-Brace System that supports the soundboard.
It is quite probable that the soundboard had bellied up in the past and had been the cause of the bridge lift.
An Intonation Issue
The bridge saddle’s position is measured and a discrepancy of several millimetres (mm) discovered. The bridge saddle has been mis-placed by a few mm towards the pins. This will cause the guitar to play flat (♭) as the player approaches the upper part of the fingerboard. More intonation info Here…
The Solution
Fill the slot
Calculate correct saddle position
Rout a new saddle slot
Click to enlarge some images
A new saddle is made and fitted, the action is adjusted and a new bone nut made and fitted. The end result is a guitar that plays in tune.
Meet Saul Ashby the owner of the J160E, he’s very happy with the results.
This old darling has had a bit of a hard life. It’s seen a few changes to its bridge and finish and needs a lot of work to bring it back to optimum playability.
The Issues
Its bridge has a nasty crack along its length
It has a very high playing action
It has multiple splits and cracks
It has a part broken Rosette
The Bridge
Repairing the split in the bridge can only be carried out with it removed from the soundboard.
The finish is scribed around the edges of the bridge and the soundboard protected. A block is heated and rested on the bridge, the heat transference is enough to soften the glue holding the bridge.
The bridge is held in a purpose made jig and a channel routed into the underneath. A Rosewood piece is inlayed into the channel and smoothed down. The bridge-pin holes are re-drilled and the surface sanded. The repair to the bridge is now complete.
The soundboard under the bridge is cleaned up
A section of new Spruce is laid over the bridge footprint and levelled off. This gives the new bridge a flat and stable gluing area.
The bridge is then glued into place.
The Neck Reset
The playing action on this old L1 can only be restore with a neck reset.
The 15th fret is heated and removed. A 3mm hole is drilled through into the dovetail cavity, the finish is scribed around the heel. The fingerboard extension is heated to soften the glue. Steam is then pumped into the dovetail cavity and the neck removed.
The Rosette
With the neck removed the Rosette can be repaired.
A section of the rosette that is hidden under the fingerboard can be used to repair the visible break.
The neck angle is adjusted at the heel and the neck reset.
All splits and cracks can be easily sealed and cleated.
Finally
After the neck reset the fingerboard has taken on a slight hump at the neck-body join, this is quite common after a neck reset.
To solve this it is necessary to remove all frets and re-shoot the fingerboard thus ensuring that there will be no string choking around the upper area of the fingerboard.
Below are a series of photos taken by the owner in his back garden and another old beauty back in the land of the living.
Generally, the guitar is in very good condition considering its age. The body work is quite good, all the pickups and electrics are in working order. However, the guitar is losing its logos and it’s in dire need of a re-fret.
Firstly the old logos are removed.
They are of a very fragile commodity made from a foil material. The logos have been laid directly onto the surface of the headstock varnish; this makes them very vulnerable to scrapes and knocks. As you can see from this photo, it appears they have fallen off at some point and have been reattached for many years with Sellotape.
Click to enlarge
First Attempt: The logos are removed and the headstock veneer cleaned up and re-sprayed.
Click to enlarge
Optimistically the logos are cleaned up, reattached and sprayed over. This does not work out too well as the old logos bulge-up in places and will not lay flat upon the surface; this idea is abandoned.
Click to enlarge
The Next Attempt: New logs are made up using the decalcomania method.
The old designs are photographed and sent off to The Decal Shop who reproduce the designs as decals. These match the existing logos exactly.
The headstock is cleaned up, the decals are attached and sprayed over.
The end result is very successful as the logos are now beneath the surface of the lacquer and eliminates any future damage possibilities.
The fingerboard is re-fretted.
The Fret Jet has a bolt-on neck this makes the re-fret an easier affair.
It sets up beautifully and plays like a dream.
This is Duncan he’s owned this guitar for over 30 years and is very happy about its restoration.
A few days after this blog was published I had an email from Duncan
Hi Graham,
Thanks, this is a really nice blog – I’ll send the link to Dr Hoyer at the Framus Museum if that’s ok – he was keen to see the finished article. I’ve nothing to add except with the cleaned up electrics the guitar sounds better than ever – not one dry joint or scratchy pot. Sonically it’s a cross between a Casino and a Gretsch but with some deep rhythm tones I haven’t heard anywhere else – wonderful.
All the best. Duncan.
A few days later I received a further email and attachment
Hi Graham,
A very nice note back from Christian Hoyer at the Framus Museum – you’re clearly in his good books!
Regards, Duncan.
————————————-
Dear Duncan,
I am so glad to hear back from you. More so, as the restoration went so perfectly well, and you are finally reunited with your Framus Fret Jet of 1965.
I am really happy about the restoration job and read the interesting account on it by your luthier. Congratulations to him!
There are many people out there who don´t care that much for vintage guitars and over-restore or mis-restore old beauties as we say in German, I don´t know the proper word in English, sorry!
Thanks to him also the electronics were saved! It´s really great that the pickups have been cleaned – many people just replace them. This isn´t the proper way as you also were able to find out by just cleaning them!!
Thank you so much for this update! I wish you a lot of pleasure with your Fret Jet in the years to come!
… and I hope to meet you at some point over here in the Framus Museum!
This old Fender Jazzmaster is in the workshop for a setup.
It was made in 1964 and is in extremely good condition considering its age. I think it may have had a new paint job sometime in its life, nonetheless, it’s great to see this vintage gem in the workshop.
Interesting Jazzmaster Stats
Debuting at the top of the line circa late 1957, the Jazzmaster was another well thought out Fender, an impressively cohesive design that marked a significant turn from the Stratocaster. Though its historical significance and long-term commercial success was eclipsed by the Telecaster and Strat, it enjoyed a substantial popularity through the surf music era of the early 1960s.
Like all previous Fender designs the Jazzmaster was an all-new guitar and the first model with an offset waist. This diagonal perspective was extended to the pickguard and body, and overall the Jazzmaster design was a bold shift away from the symmetry of prevailing guitar aesthetics toward the modern art/liquid sculpture styling that remains a Fender hallmark.
Another Jazzmaster innovation was the Trem-Lock button located at the tailpiece. It locked the vibrato assembly and was intended to avoid a detuning should a string break. The bridge was mounted on twin posts, each with an adjustable Allen screw that permitted height adjustments and allowing the bridge to rock when the tremolo arm was depressed.
The Jazzmaster’s pickups had single fat coils of wire, this gives them a warmer tone without losing their single coil clarity. The circuitry was also new, incorporating two independent systems: a selector switch, volume roller knob, and tone roller knob were mounted inconspicuously on the bass side.
From American Guitars An Illustrated History by Tom Wheeler. More history Here…
