This 2005 Gibson Les Paul Studio guitar came into the shop suffering from a broken, or cracked, headstock. Though it can happen to any guitar, this type of repair is most commonly associated with Gibson instruments. Fortunately, we were able to get it repaired for the client, including gluing the crack and performing cosmetic touchup.
Gibson Headstock Repair Read More »
With regular maintenance, frets are typically able to provide years of service. However, most instruments will likely require at least one refret over the course of their life. Here is some info on the reasons for and the process of refretting a guitar.
Refretting: Guitar Fret Replacement Read More »
Wood is the most common material for guitar construction. A few particular tree species such as Ebony, Maple, Rosewood Mahogany and Spruce have long been staples within the industry. The type chosen for a particular task is based on a combination of factors such as: availability, tonal qualities, aesthetic beauty, workability, tradition, strength, and durability.
As with anything made of wood, if they are to last, guitars require care and consideration to protect them from damage. Wood cracks can usually be attributed to one of two main causes: Impact (such as a drop or hit) or humidity issues. While the causes may be simple, the variation is nearly endless. The following is an overview of the common ways that wooden guitars can crack and corresponding methods of repair.
Crack Repairs – Repairing Wood Cracks in Guitars Read More »
A guitar strap allows the player to securely position the instrument in a comfortable spot without the need to physically hold it. They can be useful whether playing seated or standing.
Strap buttons are the connecting points that let the user easily secure and/or remove the strap as needed. Each guitar strap needs needs two points of contact. On an acoustic guitar, these points are typically the endpin and either the headstock or the heel.
Acoustic Strap Buttons Read More »
This beautiful Collings I30 guitar came to us with a non-functional neck pickup tone control. While this is likely a simple repair electronically, as with most wiring repairs on semi-hollow and fully hollow-bodied guitars, the more time consuming task will be accessing and reinstalling the electronics before and after service.
Electronic Repairs on Hollowbody Guitars Read More »
The Taylor Guitars Expression System is a series of proprietary onboard acoustic guitar electronics. Here we will discuss some commonly needed repairs.
Taylor Guitars Expression System Repairs Read More »
When performing a setup on a bolt-on necked electric guitar, shims are a way to quickly adjust the angle at which the neck joins the body, facilitating the desired action adjustment.
We commonly find improvised shims installed in the neck pocket. They range from purpose-built plastic shims to a hodgepodge of items like sandpaper, cardboard, and/or guitar picks. In our shop, we prefer to make make full length, angled, shims.
Electric Guitar Neck Shims Read More »
There is an easy upgrade option that can dramatically improve the intonation of 3 barrel saddle equipped Fender Telecaster guitars without significantly altering the look or originality of the instrument: Compensated 3 barrel saddles. Compensated Telecaster saddles overcome the limitations of shared saddles in one of two ways. While each string will still not be individually adjustable, the strings will sit at predetermined intervals, much like a compensated acoustic guitar saddle, that are much more conducive to accurate string-to-string intonation.
Telecaster 3 Barrel Saddle Upgrades Read More »
Electric guitars typically have openings in the body to accommodate the electronics. Manufacturers will typically remove only as much wood as is necessary to accommodate any factory variations of a given model. For example, the above guitar features 3 pickups in an HSS configuration, blade pickup selector switch, volume and tone controls. When modifying an instrument’s electronics to fit custom specifications, it is sometimes necessary to alter the existing cavities, or create new ones, to accommodate the new components
Routing Guitar Bodies For Electronics Installation Read More »
This Epiphone 335 model guitar came into shop with the output jack stuck inside of the body. The nut and washer that had once secured the jack to the top of the instrument had come loose allowing the jack to drop inside. In shop, we call this “sunken jack syndrome”; This happens fairly frequently on hollow body and semi-hollow guitars such as the venerable 335 model produced by both Gibson and Epiphone, as well as various other similarly styled models including many of those made by Gretsch Guitars.
Sunken Jack Syndrome – Gibson / Epiphone 335 Read More »