Before repair After repair Martin 000-28, 1945. This photo shows a very common type of damage: the edge of the soundhole has been worn down by picking. If you're on a tight budget, there is a way of repairing this damage by filling in the gouge with resin or some other filler. But in the...
Before repair After repair Restoration of the guitar bridge, pickguard, and soundboard. Description of main repair work: - Removing the pickguard - Removing the bridge and making a new one - Refinishing the top This guitar was a mystery. It's a Washburn, for sure, but the big mystery was the bridge and pickguard. Both were...
The owner wanted to make a double-neck guitar using a midi bass and a Stratocaster model by Peavey. The control unit from the Strat was relocated near the waist of the bass body, and the midi display panel from the bass was relocated on the upper horn of the Stratocaster. I only had to do...
This is an example of one of the most common requests for modification. "I want to install a pick-up, but I don't want to drill any holes in the guitar. And I would like to return it to its original condition when I want to." You can secure an output jack with tape or some...
Restoration of a Hofner's violin bass guitar, which was made very famous by Paul McCartney, the bassist of the greatest rock band in history, The Beatles. Description of main repair work: - Restoration of the worn-off area - Repairing the cracks - Replacing the head plate - Refretting - Refinishing The owner tried to refinish...
This Gibson Les Paul was brought in for refretting. The binding on both sides of the fretboard had to be replaced, as the owner asked for a Gibson style refretting. The whole guitar was finished with clear lacquer. The guitar was in relatively good shape, except for worn frets and a few scratches caused by...
Touching up a damaged candy apple finish is one of the most difficult repairs to do. An inexperienced craftsman could turn a small scratch into a nightmare. In this case, I filled the gap first and then applied an undercoat. After the undercoat settled, I sprayed gold dust and then applied clear lacquer to cover...
Installing new top, binding, and inlay on Martin D-45. Popular musicians worldwide must perform under various conditions, and so do their instruments. Their guitars may be exposed to salt air one day, then stored in the cargo hold of a jet at 9,000 meters high in the sky, and then right after that played at...
Repairing cracks on top of vintage Martin D-45, 1939. The highest-value vintage guitar or most expensive guitar on the market is not always a masterpiece. Unfortunately, there were a few cracks on the top because it was not carefully book-matched. If the wood grain is not straight at the center seam, then the great force...