Guitar Repairs
Classical, Steel String and Electric
Above, a steel string guitar being set up on my workbench, while below there is a slideshow of some acoustic guitars, both steel string and classical, which I have repaired or known, and a few I have made. My friend and musical partner of 25 years, Paul Darby sings Jackson C. Frank's Blues Run the Game and plays his much repaired old Levin, which is pictured in the slideshow and below under repair.
| Typical Work Done on Guitars | |
|---|---|
| Setting up | Re-glueing bridge |
| Dressing frets | Touchups on varnish |
| Refretting | Electric guitar wiring |
| Adjusting action | Electric guitar setups |
| Cracks and splits closed | Electric guitar customizing |
| Loose bars | Clipping Fender bridges |
| Re-glueing head to neck | Insurance estimates |
Click on any photo for a larger view
New instruments, such as this Martin D-28 and this Gibson J-45, can often benefit from adjustments to the nut, truss rod and bridge. The procedure is known as setting up a guitar. Many guitars need setting up when heavier or lighter strings are used.
Three electric guitars on the workbench. A rather nice Hohner Les Paul copy had a broken neck, needed new tuning machines and some wiring problems diagnosed, and set up; a blue Fender Strat in for a refret, some rewiring and a general tidy (a beautiful guitar with plenty of charachter); and a Japanese Squire in for attention to a Floyd Rose bridge and saddle.
Old Yamaha steel string guitars have a reputation for easy playing and good tone. This one suffered repeated breakages where the neck meets the head. The head was also damaged on more than one occasion. Careful work with a similar mahogony allowed a replacement head to be fitted, with new tuning machines. The repaired neck is on the right.
On the left, a very common break. The neck is weakest where it joins the head as it is narrow and hollowed out to allow for the truss rod (which can be seen in the photo). The repair can be almost invisible if carried out very soon after the damage has occurred.
On the right, damage to a Gibson Epiphone caused by standing up while having one foot firmly planted on the guitar lead. The jack socket was pulled out of the guitar and one of the knobs was damaged. Structural repair is straightforward, but cracks in the finish cannot be hidden.
Some Fender guitar players who play with a pick find the bridge sides make it difficult to play close to the rear pickup; on the treble side the bridge gets in the way. Removing a portion of the side is known by Fender afficianados as "clipping the bridge".
My musical partner's old Levin steel string with a few loose bars inside the guitar. Glue can be applied by hand through the soundhole and the offending bar propped up, then the whole is clamped from the outside.
An Eko 12 string soundboard pierced by a stiletto heel. The owner wanted the soundboard replaced. Old Eko 12 string guitars play well in spite of their very heavy construction and plywood soundboard. Choosing a replacement wood for the top was not easy and I obtained advice from half a dozen instrument makers via the internet. Fine grained western red cedar was the choice and the guitar plays very well.
At the wedding reception, no one admitted to falling on the guitar. As it was in a soft case, none of the broken wood was lost. Some bars were loose inside and access to them was easy with 1/4 of the soundboard off. The guitar plays as well as it did before the accident.
A lovely early Suziki guitar with a neck broken by a kick in a marital fight. Although the decoration is very well done, the soundboard is plywood and the guitar is not worth a lot of money. No one will pay for the necessary repairs which far exceed the value of the guitar.