Conference napalm::guitar

    Hello,
    
    I am having some problems with my accoustic guitar and I believe
    it is a problem with the bridge and maybe one of the frets. My high
    E string touches the neck around the 12th fret and all the other
    strings are fine. The fret problem is related to my low E string
    buzzing at the first fret. I was wondering where would be a good
    place to get the problem looked at and repaired preferably in the
    Marlboro area. I normally go to Mr. C's in Marlboro and Union Music
    in Worcester. Has anyone had any work done at these places and can
    tell me any comments about them? I really like the guitar and would
    like to keep the set-up approximately the same.
    
    
                                       Thanks,
                                       Kevin

    
    See info in note 596.0.  Richard Stanley is a guitar repair monster!
    He really does fine work.
    
    wjb

          I forgot to add that I checked the neck with a straight edge
    and it seemed to be straight.
    
                                      Kevin

    I was very happy with what the folks at "The Music Emporium" near
    Porter Square did with my Martin.
    
    BTW, it sounds like all you need is to have a few frets filed (assuming
    the frets are in generally good shape).  This shouldn't cost you
    very much.  I'd say its about 15-30 minutes worth of work.
    
    If it needs refretting, that'll be more.  I paid $175 last time.
    Have no idea if that's low, high or just average.  All that mattered
    to me was that I could afford it, and that I took it to someone
    who knew what they were doing.
    
    	db

    Your neck could be on skewed, or, it may be a simple adjustment
    of the bridge. Take a look at how the bridge is adjusted (assuming
    that it is adjustable) before doing anything. If one string is low,
    you could get this sort of thing & it's not difficult for you to
    correct. If you suspect frets, or the neck not sitting correctly,
    I would refer that to someone who knows how to correct it.
    
    							Jens

    I have an IBANEZ Concorde 12 string about 13 years old. It has a
    severe crack around the head because it was dropped. My insurance
    company has agreed to pay for a replacement guitar (see next note).
    My question regards repair of my existing guitar as I would like
    to get a new 6 string but repair the 12 (Shhhh.. don't tell the insurance
    people!).
    
    The crack is not straight. It sort of zig zags from the head under
    the nut and about 2 inches down the neck to about the second fret.
    Some opinions have said its not really repairable because of the
    strain 12 strings will put on it. Others say 'no problem'. My insurance
    company accepted the formed viewpoint.
    
    Has anyone any views on this? Anyone had really serious damage of
    this nature EFFECTIVELY repaired? I cannot bear to part with my
    12 string so if the guitar is truly irrepairable then I'll get a
    new 12, otherwise I'll repair the 12 and get a new 6 string.
    
    Richard
    Basingstoke, UK

    Hi There,
       I owned a 1964 Gibson EB-3L when it had an accident and the headstock
    broke off. I loved that bass..... anyway, I had it repaired and
    it broke off again. I took it to a professional woodworker and he
    said that he could fix it, BUT that I should just hang it on the
    wall and don't use it because it would break again. Why bother have
    it! If I was smart {who IS smart when they're a teenager ;^) },
    I should have sent it to Gibson and had THEM fix the guitar. I
    kick myself every now and then, cause I loved that guitar. I suppose
    that it "could" be fixed, but if that happened to me now.... I'd
    either find someone who "really" knows what they're doing and get
    an honest opinion, or send it back to the manufacturer (which in
    your case would not be around the corner), or just keep a stiff
    upper lip and get a new one. You have to remember one thing, how
    much is this guitar worth? How much is it worth to you? What I'm
    saying is that if you own a guitar that is worth $300., but will
    cost $200. to repair it...... it might NOT be worth it. You'll have
    to decide that. I guess the bottom line is... Yes, it can be repaired,
    but at what cost. If you get it repaired, I hope you have better
    luck with it than I did with my old bass.
    
    Good Luck,
    Fred 
    

    Have to contribute another negative story:
    
    I had a 1969 Cherry Gibson SG.  It started to develop a crack and at
    head about like what you've described.  BEFORE it broke, I took
    it in to a luthier who said that he could "prolong" the life but
    not prevent the inevitable death.
    
    Well, the guitar DID last another 5 years or so, but then the head
    broke off, and no one around seems to think it can be fixed with
    any sense of confidence.
    
    It's now "on the wall".  Fortunately, my Carvin arrived (by sheer
    coincidence) about 3 days after the SG broke (about 5 weeks after
    I ordered it) and it has been my main guitar for the past 7 years
    or so.
    
    	db

    BTW, if the neck is not a "thru the body" type neck, you might have
    luck just replacing it (not easy and not cheap).
    
    If it's thru the body, well, I suppose that with some woodworking
    you might be able to replace the neck with something like a bolt-on
    neck, but it hardly seems worthwhile.
    
    By the way, you don't have to drop a guitar to cause damage like this.
    If you store the guitar by leaning it up against the wall (with the
    top of the headstock on the wall) you can get the same kind of problem.
    
    I'm told that's what probably happened with my SG (which was never
    dropped).  Nowadays, I keep it on a guitar stand.
    
    	db

    If the crack *isn't* straight, like yours, there is a better chance
    that it can be repaired.  I tend to believe that it *can* be repaired,
    but I don't think it will last as long.  I know of a Hamer prototype
    where the head broke off, and was repaired, and to this day I can't
    tell the difference.
    
    However, with a 12 string, there may be too much stress.  If it
    doesn't cost too much , try it.
    
    Ashley

    This is very difficult to explain with out diagrams, however, I'll
    try. There are 3 ways to repair this:
    
    1) Toss the neck & put on an other (Gibson does this on thier Les
       Pauls & SG's, as well as other glue on neck models) - This is
       often the best solution.
    
    2) Saw the headstock off, such that another complete headstock can
       put on (this usually requires removing the Fret board). There
       are angles required, sort of like this:
                           ________  
        New headstock ->  / /_____  <- Old neck
                         / /           
     
       The fret board contributes to the strength. Please note that
       angle shown is quite extreme (unless you are building a Lute),
       and is a limitation of the ASCII display character set. It's
       usually more along the lines of 10 to 15 degrees (angle).
    
    3) Router out channels in both the neck and the headstock & fit
       replacement wood to be glued in. (Impossible to diagram here).
       Maple is a better choice than Mahogany for the replacement wood.
    
    I've done both options 2 & 3 in the past, most frequently on mahogany
    neck guitars, most notably Les Pauls & SG's. On maple, bolt on neck
    guitars, it's often better to simply change them. Options 1 & 2
    are the best, but, option 3 is frequently done with success also.
    
    Many luthiers are hesitant to warrentee this sort of repair, however.
    
    								Jens
    

    
    How about posting the address here so all of us U.K guitarists can
    take our broken pride_and_joys for mending.
    
    
    Many thanx from Queens House, Reading.
    -Tony Dallison

    Is Dr. Bob the Dr. Robert who writes GET IT STAIGHT and alike
    		for GUITARIST magazine ?
    
    Graham ...

    Re .3 - About leaning guitar against wall. Can it be I have been
    falsely accusing my 6.5 and 2.5 year old daughters? They denied
    all knowledge but then they would wouldn't they? I DO keep the guitar
    leaning against a wall (in a corner). Could it be it just finally
    suffered from wood fatigue?
    
    Re .6(?) and Kingfisher. I went there after going to Hamers (Reading)
    and Amen Corner Music. Dr Bob examined the guitar and gave the most
    superbly presented estimate for replacement (Headed Notepaper, WPed
    etc). I was MOST impressed with the professionalism shown (especially
    as I am so obviously an amateur!). It was Dr Bob that reckoned the
    guitar would never be the same again whereas the other two said
    'no problem'. I am inclined to believe Dr Bob as he REALLY examined
    the guitar (I thought he was going top rip the head off at one point!).
    He even suggested I get my insurance company to ring him direct
    for verbal confirmation of his view. All this for my 150 quid guitar
    when their turnover must be collosal.
    
    Richard
	Basingstoke, UK.
    	
    

>    Re .3 - About leaning guitar against wall. Can it be I have been
>    falsely accusing my 6.5 and 2.5 year old daughters? They denied
>    all knowledge but then they would wouldn't they? I DO keep the guitar
>    leaning against a wall (in a corner). Could it be it just finally
>    suffered from wood fatigue?
    
    I'd be inclined to ask Dr. Bob.
    
    In my case, the crack developed gradually over the years.  It didn't
    suddenly develop the problem.  Unfortunately, it never occurred to me
    that leaning the guitar against the wall might aggravate it until
    too late.
    
    Guess this didn't help your daughters' defense much.  I once caught a
    three year old playing with my guitar after having been told that
    nothing would evoke my wrath more than just that.   Even though I
    caught him red handed, he attempted to deny it (only so much you can
    expect from a three year old mind).
    
    Fortunately, the chocolate stains wiped right off.
    
    Anyway, guitar stands can be had over here for as little as $10.
    At twice that price, I find that they're still well worth the money.
    I also would keep it well out of reach of the 2.5 year old, even
    if that means putting it back in the case everytime.
    
    	db

    Children are the very reason I would not buy an expensive guitar. I
    reckon if I had to put the instrument away (and therefore have to get
    it out) it would half the times I play it. Much of my 'guitar time' is
    that odd 15 minutes waiting for the tea or dinner etc or when I get a
    sudden piece of inspiration. If I had to go to the trouble of getting
    the instrument out of a case I probably wouldn't. This is the reason I
    set a limit of 100 pounds on a classical guitar last year. This gives a
    reasonable instrument but its not the end of the world if the kids use
    it as a trampoline. 
    
    What abou hanging? The guitar that is, not the kids! Does it harm
    a guitar to hang from a wall by its head? I hope not, as thats how
    most shops seem to store them. This seems a good solution to the
    'eveready instrument' that the kids can't reach. Any thoughts?
    
    Richard

    
    I've seen ads for fancy hardwood hangers for just this purpose,
    here in the U.S.

    Seems like a good idea to me.
    
    

Last winter a pipe froze in our hot water heated home during the coldest 
night of the year and much of the house (most importantly, where my Martin
D-28 was kept) was sub-freezing for quite a while...  

As you've probably guessed, my instrument now has weather checking all over
it's top.  It isn't horrible and if the temperature and humidity are just
right, the cracks close up and you can't even see them, but...
                                                                               
A friend told me that he had heard that a process existed that was less painful
than refinishing the entire top that could get rid of the checking.  Can anyone
verify this?  If it's true, where can I get it done? 

I know that weather checking isn't supposed to affect the tone of the guitar,
but that is only minor consolation.

Thanks for your help!

Dale 8-)

    So the guitar is weather checked. Does it mean that much? A theory
    I've heard is that checking allows the soundboard to vibrate more
    freely. It's not as stiff (the finish will add a certain amount
    of stiffness). This however *would* affect the tonal properties of the
    instrument. IMO, guitars that are weather checked *do* sound better.
    I've played some Gibson's that were 20+ years old that looked bad?
    due to checking, but sounded like an orchestra(sp?) by themselves.
     dep

    re -.1
    
    Sorry, I don't buy this at all. Reducing the stiffness argument
    to its ultimate level, guitars with no finish would sound even better.
    I've played many guitars "in the white", and they don't sound better
    than properly finished guitars.
    
    I have a number of 50's and 60's Gibsons that have no weather checking
    and some that have checking. They all sound different, and some
    sound better than others, but it has no correlation to the amount
    of checking.
    
    I dislike serious checking myself on aesthetic grounds, and I wuld
    never consider it a benefit.
    
    As to the original question, it is possibleto overspray and heat
    checked lacquer, and sometimes mild checking can be buffed out,
    but both are iffy.I would not do anything to a vintage guitar of
    high value, but for your regular playing guitar, these approaches
    may work. You might want to contact Martin directly and ask their
    advice; I'm pretty sure they would suggest a top refinish.
    
    Danny W                                                   

    
    I'd like some suggestions for repairing a hairline crack in a guitar.
    Here are some particulars about the instrument:
    	It's a Guild Classical MK II
    	Serial # CB 431
    	Date - I don't know for sure when this guitar was made.  My
    		guess is 1965-1968.
    
    Problem:
    THe crack is about the width of my thumb nail.  It runs through
    the center of the sounding board from below the bridge right to
    the sound hole.  
    
    This is not my primary instrument.  I keep it uncased in my living
    room to use when I'm on the fly and have a few minutes to play.
     I know that keeping a guitar uncased is stupid, but I keep a humidifier
    in it at all times.  Anyway, the arrangement works well for me and
    allows me to play more frequently at this time in my life.  (Working
    mother) I had this guitar repaired last year.  The crack opened
    up again.
    
    Questions:
    What do I use to fill this crack?
    What tool(s) would I use?
              
    Any help would be welcomed.  
    Thanks, 
    Joan
    

    Don't try to fix it yourself! For a little bit of money, it'll be
    worth it to take it to a professional.
    I bought an Ovation with hairline finish cracks and on BIG crack
    in the soundboard (which went through to the other side). A real
    mess! I brought it down to Hampshire Music in Nashua, NH and the
    tech braced it from the inside and also filled it in from the front.
    It looks good and sounds GREAT! For $40. it was well worth it!
    
    Fred

    If it is a cheap guitar and you don't want to spend too much money
    on it, try to fill the crack up with "TITEBOND" (not sure about
    spelling it right).  You can find it in target stores.
    Apply little bit of it on the crack and let it dry out.  Keep 
    using your humidifier, many times the crack gets less invisible 
    because the wood expands little bit.
                                        HOSSEIN BEYZAVI
    

Joan,

    I've fixed several cracks like this in guitars before. (I do guitar repair
/set-up on the side). 

    Your description at the top of your note was "hairline", yet later you say 
"the width of my thumbnail". Like, 3/8" wide?  If so, I'll give you a
 remedy for both.

HAIRLINE, NO (great) SEPARATION:

    This type of crack can usually be repaired by working glue (white, Elmers, 
etc.) into the crack. This is accomplished by "rocking" the crack. If you can 
get your hand into the guitar far enough to reach the crack, push (gently) up 
on one side of the crack, while pushing down (from the outside) on the other.
This will work the glue you have applied into the crack. If you can't reach 
the crack from inside, you will have to make a "jack" to accomplish this. 
Picture this as an "L". You place the bottom (short end) of the "L" through
the soundhole, placing the "heel" on the bottom (back) of the guitar. The
"toe" should push up against the soundboard when you "rock" the jack "handle"
(the upright piece of the L), up and down. You will have to figure out the
dimensions to make this jack using your guitar. 

You work glue into as much of the length of the crack as possible. With this 
accomplished, you then glue "diamonds" of wood (preferably spruce (or cedar
if it's a cedar top)) CROSSGRAINED to the grain of the top. The grain of the 
top will be running from the neck down to the tailblock. (Where you attach 
your strap opposite from the neck end). The grain of the wood diamonds must 
run perpendicular to that. This will resist any further splitting. These 
diamonds should be about 3/4" long by 1/2" wide, with the grain running with 
the 3/4" dimension. Space the diamonds about 1.5 to 2 inches apart. This is 
where experience and judgment calls come in handy.


HAIRLINE, SOME (minimal) SEPARATION:
This is only for a crack which can be closed by squeezing the sides of the 
guitar with your hands. If it's any larger than that, use the third (SEPARATED 
CRACK) fix.

Do all of the above, and use a clamp big enough to fit across the guitar to 
give it a *GENTLE* squeeze to close the crack until the glue dries. Use 
wood blocks to disperse the clamp force over a large area of the side, and use 
padding so the blocks won't mar the sides. Do not remove the clamp until 
all glue/diamonds have dried in place. (I glue guitar work/repairs for 24 
hours minimum. Probably excessive, but cheap insurance).

SEPARATED CRACK OR MISSING A CHUNK OF WOOD:

This must be filled with a splint. The splint should be of the same type of 
wood, and matched for grain size as close as possible. I have a top (from my 
old Gibson Hummingbird) which is very close-grained. Tops = close-grained 
means better. If your top has a wide grain pattern, match it. The splint must 
be shaved to fit the crack precisely. You may have to cut some of the guitar 
top to get it right. Once you have a good dry fit, glue it in place using the 
above procedures, using diamonds on ALL joints. (Both sides of the splint).

I hope this gives you some assistance in your problem.		

dep.
    

    I forgot to tell you how to position the diamonds in the guitar.
    You take a low wattage light bulb (25 w) and insert this through
    the soundhole. Darken the room and you will be able to see the shadows
    produced by your hand/diamonds. This will ensure they are directly
    under the crack. 
    
    I had a friend who tried to install three diamonds on a cracked
    soundboard. I put the light in to see how he had done, and he missed
    the crack by about an inch.
    
    dep.

    Thanks to everyone for the suggestions.  I'll give it a try.  If
    all else fails, I'll go back to Stig(sp/) at Union Music.  He does
    good work (albeit slow on non-electrics).
    
    Joan 

	I just got my Ovation Baladeer back from MacDuff's in Shrewsbury, MA and
am thrilled to death with the great job he did.  It was only a setup/lower the 
action job, but it came out SO nicely and he charged LESS than his normal price!

	Dan

For those in NH:

Belisle Music, on Elm Street in Manchester, has a great guitar tech 
named Dan. (not me!) I brought in a couple of guitars, and he had them 
for me the same day. (Like the base note, it was only a lowering 
strings/action adjustment job.) Now they both play like a dream!

-Dan

    I recently bought a 1976 Les Paul Standard from Daddy's in Shrewsbury. 
    It needs some work: the volume and tone knobs need to be replaced and
    I want a pick guard for it.  
    
    This is my first electric guitar and I have no idea how much this will
    cost, if Daddy's is the right place for this kind of work, and so on.
    
    Can anyone out there help?  How much should I expect to pay, and is it
    possible to get a pick guard?  Also, I have been told that I should
    replace the plastic piece on the bridge with a metal piece for more
    resonance.  This is the piece on which the strings rest.
    Any ideas or comments on this?  
    
    Thanks for any help.
    
    Joan
    

    
    
    I can suggest someone is Shrewsbury thats a very good luthier.
    
    Macduffs, right next to spags, and I think Daddys is right
    down the street from Macduffs.  Rich is real godd..
    

    Agreed.  MacDuff is great.  Why mess with the "NUT" though (thats
    the piece on which the strings rest) ?
    
    Also, check out Warmouth for pick guards, knobs etc..etc..
    (BTW - You can defiantely add those goodies yourself.
    
    You got a nice axe !!  Congrats and welcome to the wonderful world
    of electrics !
    
    jc

	The strings rest at two places: the nut and the saddle. 

	The nut is at the headstock end of the neck. 
	The saddle is at the bridge end. 

	I doubt that the saddle is made of plastic, but nuts
	usually are. Putting in a metal nut does give more resonance,
	but changes the sound too. It will make it sharper and more
	metallic. Why don't you play the guitar with the nut the way
	it is for a while. You can always change that later.

    
    If I am not mistaken, some Gibson TOM (Tune-O-matic) bridges 
    do have plastic saddles, some have metal. I seem to recall I 
    replaced a set of plastic saddles on an ES330 I once owned. 
    At any rate, you could either replace the saddles, or get a 
    complete TOM bridge. Stewart Macdonald sells chrome TOM's
    for about $10-15. They also sell pickgaurds, knobs, pots,
    etc. As far as the nut is concerned, you can get nuts made
    of plastic, bone, brass, graphite, etc. I would refer this
    to someone like McDuff, since the spacing, and dressing is
    very critical.      
    
    Re. .0 Do the pots need to be changed or just the knobs ? If all
    you want is new knobs, they usually just pull off, and the
    new ones push on (pressed fit). Fender knurled knobs are held
    in with a set-screw, but white plastic Fender knobs usually 
    pull off as well. If you need new pots on a Les Paul, it is a 
    pretty easy job since it is rear routed, and has an access
    cavity on the back. They are much easier to repair than on
    a hollow body.
               
    Warmouth's address is in the Manufacterer's info note. I will
    find Stew-Mac's number and post it later.
    
    Mark
    

    Stewart McDonald's Guitar supply shop
    21N. Shafer St.
    Box 900
    Athens, Ohio 45701
    800-848-2273
    614-592-3201

    <<I have been told that I should replace the plastic piece on the bridge
    <<with a metal piece for more resonance.  This is the piece on which the
    <<strings rest.
    
    It sounds like the nut to me...  I'm not a Gibson-nut, (pardon the
    pun,,it was intended ) but I had a 75 Gold top and the bridge was
    chrome.  The nut was certainly plastic.  You can go to a brass nut, or
    a plastic/brass nut and it will alter the resonance characteristics,
    but it won't 'hurt' the sound at all.. You'll get used to it fast.
    
    The plastic nut is 'usually' o.k. but, depedning on how the guitar
    was cared for, and the gauge strings that were typically on the
    guitar, it could, at sometime, break.  I've seen a few go in my day.
    Even then, no major job ($$).. Inexpensive repair, and if you change it
    now to a metal or brass nut, it's cheap insurance that it wont break,
    ever..
    
    If you take it to Rich, he'll check it.  He'll fix you up just right.
    
    Tell him what you want for action, (high,, medium, low,, go for medium
    to low on a pual.. they play like butter when set up properly...)  if he 
    sees anything out of whack, he'll adjust it for you too.  plus, i've never 
    known him to do any work that wasn't need just to get a few more bucks 
    out of you.
    
    He's a fair, straight-shooting business man.  He'll also have it
    back to you in probably two days max.  Really, I can't say enough
    good things about the guy.
    
    Between myslef and Wayne (the other guitar player in the band I work
    in), we have 7 guitars, we do use all of them a lot.  Rich workes on
    everyone,, regular tune ups, and major customizations.  
    
    Really, he's excellent.
     
    /ray

    During the '70's, Gibson was shipping TOMs with plastic or metal
    saddles, so .0 could be correct. I'd replace the whole bridge, rather
    than play with the saddles.
    
    Danny W.

I have been informed that the number I posted in .5 for Stewart Mac
    is wrong, unless you are trying to get in touch with the Athens,
    Ohio District Attorney's office. The correct number and address 
    is: 
    
    Stewart McDonald's Guitar supply shop
    21N. Shafer St.
    Box 900
    Athens, Ohio 45701
    800-848-2273
    614-592-3021 	(not 3201)
             --
    
    Hope this hasn't caused anyone any inconvenience.

    re.7
    
    	Why replace the whole bridge ?  I just did a saddle replacement
    on my Les Paul custom & it was cheap ($5 approx) & dead easy to do.
    
    	Cheers
    		Pete.

    
    
    
    	Yahooo... I just sent away for a Tele body and harware from
    Stew-Mac, and I'm going to spray it with Gloss Polyurethane cos' I
    think that that's the way to get a deep high gloss finish with very
    little effort....   Now you guys tell me what I should really do, OK??
    <grin>.   Seriously, I'd like to get a nice aged yellowish look, but I
    don't don't have the artistic ability that God gave a stone (not the
    rolling kind, either)... help...
    
    
    Steve

    One thing to keep in mind is that when sanding the body, when you
    think it is smooth enough, sand it somemore.  I have painted a few
    cars and it really is the prep work that makes the paint job.  I
    wouldn't paint it with a gloss Polyurethane myself, I would lacquer,
    it less durable but, you can fine sand it between coats and build
    depth and a really smooth finish as opposed to the slightly "orange
    peel" finish that an enamel finish or a urethane finish will give
    you.  Lacquer will be destroyed by acin rain so don't leave it 
    outside... ;-)
    
    Don

    	I've used Watco oil stain,and the Formsby tung oil to get a really
    nice finish,but the key is in the prep work and fine sanding if you
    want to bring out the grain.
    	For vintage look I used Shellac once and it had that yellowish
    tint to it. But I'm sure you can get Polyurethane tinted or something
    just try a decent hardware/paint store.
    
    							Rick
    

    
    
    
    	Thanks, Don....
    
    	Rick, formby's tung oil, huh... interesting, I've used it before
    and found it easy to use, but I've only seen satin finishes...was
    your's gloss???
    
    
    Steve

    	Steve.. I don't really remember,but I believe it was satin,I'll
    check...... It was not a high gloss finish,but it did look nice...
    

    
    Many thanks for the replies to note 1506.  I took the guitar to
    Rich at Mac Duff's.  He repaired the pots, put on a pick guard,
    and adjusted the action.  The guitar plays great. The price was
    right too.
    
    BTW, did anyone see Duke Robillard at Gilrein's last night?  We could
    only stay for one set, but loved it.  For those of you who don't know,
    Gilrein's features Blues musicians almost every night of the week. Lots
    of really good guitar playing there.  It's on Main St. in Worcester,
    not much to look at, but a great place.
    
    Regards, 
    Joan
    
     
    
    
    

    
    
    
    
    
    	I'm checkin' in with the results on my Tele... I opted for the
    Formby's Tung Oil finish, and I've got to say that I'm really thrilled
    (Oh.. how truly sweet, Steve).... I'd recommend this finish to anyone
    who would like to have that 50's looking natural wood finish for their
    guitar project.. took a little over a week to get 9 coats on, the grain
    is completely filled and looks great..    BTW, I'm using an old Mustang
    (yep, my last Mustang part, guys) pickup at the neck, and I'm splitting
    a Seymour Duncan Jeff Beck model at the bridge... makes really cool
    noises!!!!
    
    
    
    Regards,
    Steve

    I also had ny guitar adjusted/aligned by Rich at MacDuffs. He also
    fixed up some laquer damage on the neck and did an amazing job -- it is
    hard to spot the repair. I was very pleased with the work and the price 
    was reasonable ($47 -- new strings, adjust the action, clean-up the
    frets, fix intonation and repair gouges in the laquer in 4 spots).
    
    I bought the guitar (a PRS custom) recently at Mr. C's in Marlboro and 
    was not impressed by them. The bass E string was buzzing and they tried 
    to fix it by adjusting the truss rod when in fact the problem was that 
    the bridge unit was out of adjustment.
    
    Regards,
    
    John

    
    
    Does anyone know how this guy is on complete paint jobs?  Also are
    any of you bass players out there familiar (do you have or have
    played) with the Kahler bass tremelo? If so, how accurate is it
     at keeping in tune?  I want to have one installed but find it
    difficult to believe it will stay in tune without having a locking
    nut assembly.  Thanks in advance.
    
    Mr. Ed 
    

    Maybe locking machine heads ?

    The trick is not in locking nuts....the idea is A) how acurate does the
    bridge return to its original position, and B) how well do the string
    move through the nut.  People made do with std strat bridges for years
    before the Floyds (and even after) and kept them in tune.  Look at the
    new strats, that have those roller nuts.  I think the Kahler bass trem
    would work fine if the springs in the unit were kept good, and the nut
    on your bass allowed for your strings to move well through the slots,
    while still maintaining good intonation. 

Hello all,

	I've got an old Les Paul Custom badly in need of re-fretting, I think
somone decided to stone the board down & went over the top.

	I want the job done well (obviously) & I'm not too bothered about cost
as quality is the #1 objective.  So the question is....have you any experience 
of this job being done on an old Les Paul, what are complications with matching
the new frets to the existing fingerboard edge binding?

	I have had a couple of quotes from repairers & both seem to know about 
the edge binding problem & both state the frets will have to be individually 
made to length & chamfered before fitting & then lightly stoned to even things
up.  Are there any questions I could ask ( with answers please :-)) to get my 
confidence level up.

	----------------------------------------------------------------

	The following is really for any U.K. noters 

	----------------------------------------------------------------

	I had a quote from Bob at kingfisher in Fleet (who has done work for 
me before & it has been good) & a quote from Phil at Chandlers in Kew.

	Chandlers offered me a slightly better price than KF (but the extra 
distance would swallow difference) & a slightly faster turn around.

	The question is of course are there any recomendations for either
of these two outfits as regards quality.

Ta_in_advance_to_both_sides_of_the_puddle.

		Pete.

	As far as binding on the neck goes....

	I've seen some sloppy re-fret jobs where the bind was not removed,
	and when the luthier took thier fret saws, they tore up the binding,
	the re-fretted the guitar. I don't know about you, but, I consider
	binding with cuts in it to be totally unacceptable. Binding can be
	removed before the re-fretting, and then re-applied.

	Also, you need to make sure that the right kind of fret-wire is
	used. The fret wire on Gibsons tend to be wide & low, It's also
	softer than what you might find on a Strat (which has narrow
	fret wire).

	Also, people tend to glue new frets in place using superglue,
	which is good & bad, depending on how it's applied (you may never
	be able to re-fret the guitar again). Fret wire has a TANG (it's
	the part that fits into the groove made by the fret saw), You should
	avoid putting superglue into the grove or on the TANG.

							Jens

    Years ago I used to work at Eddie Bell's, on 49th St. (NYC), and did
    quite a few fret jobs.  One thing I was taught NEVER to do was to glue
    in frets (or, for that matter, use crazy glue ANMYWHERE on a guitar). 
    Problem is, the next time you need to refret, removing the frets will
    very likely rip pieces out of the fingerboard.  I also never removed
    binding, as many guitars had finish over the neck binding, and removing
    & replacing it would leave a line.  Basically, I'd remove the old
    frets using two chisels, facing each other on each side of the fret,
    and GENTLY prying them up.  After truing up the neck, as necessary, I'd
    cut the new frets to length and bend them to a radius slightly tighter
    than that of the fingerboard,  Next, using a pair of angle-cutters, I'd
    clip the bottom of the fret (the part that goes in the groove),
    every 1/4" or so, and alternately bend each section one way or the
    other slightly, forming a kind of serration.  Then, starting at the
    edges, I'd tap the new fret into the old groove using a plastic mallet. 
    The serrations served to grip the old fret groove & hold the fret in
    wihout recutting the groove or resorting to glue of any sort.  As you
    worked your way toward the middle, the edges would (if the fret was cut
    JUST right), push right out to the binding.  Finally, I'd mask the
    binding, bevel the ends & crown the new frets.
                            

    
    	.2 worries me slightly as the guy I spoke to at one place 
    said Gibson use an animal hyde based glue (maybe he said formaldahide)
    to glue the frets in at the factory.
    
    Again refering to .2 how can I tell who is going to do this job best
    for me?  Have you ever done or seen a refret on a LP?  If so what
    problems are there & is there anything I should ask the repair guy to
    do specifically.
    
    Cheers
    		Pete.

Doesn't Gibson have a factory repair facility?  I sent my Martin back to the
factory for refreting and some other work and the results were outstanding.

    re: .3
    
    I don't know about all their guitars, but Gibson certainly did glue in
    the frets on some of them.  I refretted an SG recently that had the
    frets glued in with what appeared to be a standard white glue.  I'm
    quite sure they were the original frets, the owner is a good friend and
    has had the guitar since it was new.  
    
    Greg

    
    re.4
    
    	I'm in Reading UK....the States is a loooong way to to ship my baby 
    for a refret job :-)
    
    Thanks for the advice though...
    
    re.5
    
    	Did the SG have Edge binding like the Les Paul.
    
    Cheers
    		Pete.

    It is virtually impossible to refret a Gibson without losing the little
    nubs on the binding. While some repairpersons try to save them by
    removing the binding, in most cases the binding has shrunk, so that
    when replaced, the nubs are in the wrong place, and there are gaps at
    the ends. In general, this is a bad idea.
    
    Either have frets with notched tangs installed, or have someone do new
    binding. Personally, I'd leave the Gibson binding.
    
    Make sure whomever does it knows how to repair the chips that will
    invariably occur in the ebony when the frets are removed.
    
    Danny W.
    

    
    	re.7
    Thanks Danny (et al)
    
    I rang up both places (again) I had in mind to do the repairs. 
    
    One place said the binding is not a problem & they could get the frets
    to fit mmmmmmmm?  I must admit I'm dubious here for the reasons you
    stated.
    
    	The other place I rang said that they have tried this technique & 
    it was not satisfactory so they went to sanding the nubs down to the
    rest of the binding & notching the tang so the end of the fret
    pertrudes over the binding but the binding does NOT have to be cut to
    accomodate the fret tang.  They then chamfer the end down to half the 
    binding width thus the end of the fret takes the place (& shape of) 
    the nub.  This sounds good....the guy made no pretenses about saving
    the nubs he said they'd have to go if they did the repair but he
    gauranteed me that the feel of the edge would be as smooth as when it
    came in.  I asked about the ebony chipping, he said he has a couple of
    special chisles as wide as the board & the same profile he ground down 
    himself to do Les Pauls, this minimises the risk of chipping but if it 
    does chip (he hasn't done in about the last 40-50 he's done) he can fix
    it properly (didn't ask him how but by this point I trusted him).
    
    This was also the cheapest of the two quotes.
    
    	The one place was a bit off hand with me pestering them again but
    the second guy understood my concern & was pleased to discuss all the
    aspects of the repair & insisted I call again if I had any more
    concerns.
    
    	So........I'm taking it to Chandlers in Kew on Saturday & I'll let 
    you all know how it turns out.
    
    Many thanks for all the advice
    
    Cheers
    		Pete.
    

    re: .6
    
    The SG I did was a cheapie model and didn't have a bound neck.  If I
    remember right, some of the SG models were bound.
    
    Personally, while I haven't refretted a Les Paul myself yet (I have an
    Ibanez LP copy at home waiting for this to be done though), I think
    that the best plan is to shave the nubs off and notch the tangs so that
    the frets extend over the original binding.  
    
    If it were mine, I'd probably take it to the shop where the people were
    helpful and nice to me even if the other shop came off as a little more
    expert at the work.  If you have problems with it afterward, the shop
    that didn't want to explain the procedure to you is more likely to give
    you a hard time about making further adjustments or corrections.  You
    need someone that's going to work with you, not someone with an
    attitude problem.  The guitar obviously means a lot to you and they
    should understand that.
    
    Greg

    
    
    	The method you described Greg is exactly what the "nice guys"
    (Chandlers of Kew, Surrey, UK BTW) proposed doing.
    
    	I think that it's probably the fact they seemed to care that pushed
    me in their direction also.  Although the guy I spoke to was young he
    seemed enthusiastic & positive, he'd obviously done LP refrets before
    & knew all the problems outline in here & a few more.
    
    	The fact he's cheaper & faster than the other place is a plus,
    I would not put these as my primary concern.
    
    Cheers
    		Pete.

    Yeah, a little courtesy goes a long way with me too!
    
    Greg

Pete,

	You never said, how much is this going to cost you?

Larry

    
    I actually put the axe in on Saturday & having met the guy I'm even
    more convinced I made the right decision.  He explained exactly what
    was wrong & how he was going to fix it.  He reckoned the guitar was
    virtually unplayable in it's present condition, which is why I put the
    thing in but it was nice that he faulted the guitar & not me.  He
    said a butcher had had a go at it before & ruined it, but it was not a
    problem to rectify it.
    
    Cost will be 100 UK pounds (approx US $1.507= 1 UK pound.
    
    For that he does a complete service & "re-shoots" the fretboard i.e.
    a very gentle planing to get the irregularities out.
    
    Considering the fret wear is so bad that getting them out will be a
    real hassell, I think I'm getting a pretty good deal.

re: Cost

If it makes you feel any better I recently had the same work quoted on my strat
by a high quality luthier here at $175 or 112 pounds, so your repairman is
within the price window.

dbii

The Martin factory charged me $40 to replace 4 worn frets.  No special work
was needed on the neck or fretboard.

	Rather than opening a new note, this one seems quite appropriate.

	I've got a '71 Les Paul Custom that I've made a lot of modifications
	to including new pickups, new wiring, fine-tune tailpiece, etc. I
	love the sound, but unfortunately, this guitar has "fretless wonder"
	frets. I've considered refretting, but the cost has really turned me
	off. Last time I checked, Richard Stanley (Concord, MA) was charging
	$245 for refretting bound necks (he removes the binding). From what
	I've read in this note, removing the binding is not a good idea and
	it also adds expense.

	Are there any recommendations for luthiers in the Eastern Mass. or
	Southern New Hampshire area that (in order):

		1) Do top quality work
		2) Re-fret without removing the neck binding
		3) Are reasonably priced ($150-$175)

	
Thanks,

	Larry

re:base note
    
Hi all,
	I thought I'd let you know what happened to "chalkie" my Les Paul.
Basically it's turned out beyond my wildest dreams.  The finish is absolutely
fantastic.  Each fret has been beautifully rounded on the ends to over lap 
the edge binding to half way & chamfered down so it like "grows" out of the
edgebinding.  Each fret is perfectly rounded laterally & they have a glass 
smooth finish.  He shot through the finger board to get rid of a small 
plateauing problem...this neck is now a dream.

	Due to a dent in the lacquer I had the neck refinished previously but
the people I used last time didn't do a proper job.  When refret guy was 
tidying up he buffed the neck & white/grey patches started to appear.  What 
previous mob had done was to put a thin coat of black lacquer on the primer & 
that was it.  The refret guy felt I had been cheated so he said he'd put it 
right for cost price.  He kept the guitar for an extra week, took the neck 
down to the primer & removed about 50% of that, built up with black & finished
up over the edgebinding with clear taking care to yellow stain the edgebinding 
so it matched the natural yellow tarnish on the body binding.

	The total bill for this outstanding piece of workmanship & excellent
service........

		133 Pounds U.K. (about $85 U.S.)

            which I feel is better than reasonable.

So if you're in the U.K. & your axe is sick take it to Chandlers in Kew they
seem to love your guitar as much as you do.

	Cheers all & much thanks for all the quality advice.
    
	Pete_who_would_be_lost_without_his_CVG::GUITAR_friends.

    
    
    	Ok guitar and bass heads, it's advice time again.. :-)
    
    
    	I want to take my rick 4001 into the shop for a complete 
    setup, etc. Since the rick is a neck thru body, I'm kinda 
    cautious about where I take it. It's my baby and I don't want
    just anyone working on it. Soooo....
    
    
    	Anyone have a recommendation for good, trustworthy repairman
    in the So. NH, or Mass area. I'd go as far as central mass, if 
    needed. I'd prefer a shop where I can actually *talk* to the 
    person who will be doing the work. This way I can tell them 
    exactly how I'd like it set up. 
    
    Thanks,
    
    -Tom 
    

	In Manchester, NH. One of the fellers there is a big 400x bass
	fan & they deal Rickenbacker. He's had work done on his 4001
	(ahhhh life after rotosound) and he may be able to point the
	way.

	BTW - I just sent a money order to RIC this morning to get a
	stock tailpiece and a replacement handrest for mine and I'll
	be off to get some fretwork shortly... 

>             <<< Note 1845.1 by SMURF::BENNETT "`-_-' Ving Pip" >>>
>                            -< Call Belisle Music >-


>	In Manchester, NH. One of the fellers there is a big 400x bass
>	fan & they deal Rickenbacker. He's had work done on his 4001
>	(ahhhh life after rotosound) and he may be able to point the
>	way.

        That'll be Dan - he's a nice guy and very helpful.  If he's not
        around, ask for Shirley.
        
        Andy
        

    Another possibility is Hamel Music in Chelmsford. They are an
    authorized Ric dealer.
    
    Mark
    

    I take my Peavey Unity (neck-thru) to Union Music in Worcester. The
    repairman's name is Mark and I would trust him with any of my bass
    guitars.  He helped me solve a "booming E-string" problem with a
    quality neck adjustment and in a couple of weeks he'll be swapping out
    my stock Peavey pickups for a set of Bartollini's.  
    
    His number is 508-753-3702 (after 1:00PM Tues - Thurs)
    
    Dan

    Perhaps Richard Stanley in Concord?  Many people in this file rave
    about his excellent repair and set-up work.
    
    	joe.

Well, I'll have to say it again,

Macudffs in Shrewsbury, (Rich Macduff, owner..)  Rte 9, next to Spags.

Rich is the best I've seen in 20+ years I'v been involved..


Take that for what it's worth, but this man is great.

    See Jack at Fiddler's Choice Music in Jaffrey, NH.  He's a well known
    luthier and will be happy to answer any of your questions.  Telephone
    number 603-532-8440.
    

    
    
    Thanks for all the replies so far. I'm currently leaning toward 
    R. Stanley, both on reputation and convenience. 
    
    Any other Richard Stanley Fans? 
    
    -Tom
    

    
    	Here's a Richard Stanley fan.  The neck on my bass was starting to
    	warp. Richard fixed the neck and adjusted the intonation. He
    	noticed that the bridge was about 1/4 ince too far back, so he
    	moved it forward. Oh, he also replaced my pots.
    
    	My bass is much, much better than new. I had planned on selling it,
    	but I love it now.
    
    	Guy
    

    
    
    	Ok, Ok Ok... I'll take it to Richard Stanley.. :-)
    
    	Actually, I already did. He was very professional as
    well as knowledgeable about guitars. I learned quite a few
    things about Rickenbacker instruments as well as about my 
    4001. He did the neck adjustment, resurfaced the frets, 
    adjusted the nut and set the bridge/intonation all for 
    a very reasonable fee. My bass plays better than ever. 
    
    	I wouldn't hesitate to go back to him,or give 
    a recommendation. 
    
    	BTW, He also does pre-sale inspections of used 
    instuments. I don't know what the fee is, but I'm sure it's
    worth it. We all wouldn't hesitate to take a used car to 
    a mechanic to check it out before you buy. Seems resonable 
    to have a professional check out an instrument.
    
    -Tom
    

    
    
    	
    	I want to put a set of standard schaller strap locks on 
    my Rick 4001 bass. The problem is that the Rick has these
    funny strap buttons in which the button is the head of a
    bolt that screws into the body. Like:
    
    	--
    	||-------|
        ||-------|      
        --
    
    	This "bolt" has a ~1/8" shaft, which is much wider than the
    wood screws you get when you buy strap locks. So, the question is
    this: Can I use something to "fill" in the existing holes and then
    install the standard strap locks. 
    
    	I want to add that there really isn't any room at the top horn
    of the bass to tap a additional hole. I really do need to fill 
    this one. 
    
    -T
    

    Why not just buy a piece of wooden dowel. Glue a plug in the hole,
    and re-drill it for the new screw.
    
    A piece of dowel ought to set ya back about $.50
    
    Mark

    
    
    
    	Yep, I agree with Mark.  I use super glue and sometimes use hard
    wood toothpicks to fill in holes...

    HELP!!!!!!!
    I dropped my lead players Fender Stratocaster on the stage 
    from about 1'1/2 up.
    The damage that resulted was a crack where your arm would
    rest to plat it.It looks like a paint chip ready to peel off.
    It's a polyurethane finish I think.
    
    Any suggestions from anyone on how to repair this!!!!!
    
                                         DESPERATE

	Is that a crack in the wood, or just damaged finish??

	I'd suspect that you may have to re-finish the whole
	guitar if it's wood damage (unless you can sepereate the
	break enough to force an even coating of elmers wood working
	glue into the crack and clamp it. If it's a damaged finish,
	you may be able to get someone to fill in the area with the
	same type of paint (see a good luthier for this), and buff it
	out.

	A total re-finish may not be cheap, and the guitar may be out
	of commission for a month or more while the work is being done.

							Jens

    Thank you for your interest.
    It is just a crack on the finish there is no wood damage.
    Most likely that chip that is ready to flake off will
    have to come of in order to fill in.
    I just needed some advice on how to do this.
                                                     Rick

    I thought Fender used lacquer finishes (you mentioned polyurethane)?
    
    If it's lacquer, you may be able to touch it up with clear fingernail
    polish.  Unfortunately if it's out on the surface of the guitar it'll
    probably be difficult to fix without it showing.  
    
    If it's any consolation (yeah BIG consolation...), a Strat is typically
    one of the easier guitars to refinish because all the hardware and neck
    come off.
    
    Greg

I believe Fender, like most big guitar companies, uses a poly-resin finish
of some sort on its mass-production models. The custom shop, I believe,
still uses nitrocellulose lacquer for its finishes. I'm not sure about
the vintage reissue models.

Nitrocellulose (just plain) lacquer is wicked easy to work. It touches-up
and rubs-out easily. Color matching is the challenge. If its black or
clear, no sweat. Even so, this is not a job for the faint of heart. But
an experienced refinisher can do it. Hey, I refinished my '65 strat in black
and it came out GREAT! Lots of rubbing, though, to make up for lack of decent
spray equipment. (Actually *ANY* equipment. I used aerosol cans.) And I
had never used lacquer before.

Epoxy-type finishes, on the other hand, I'm told are a b!tch. I can't offer
any advice on repairing these finishes.

Dear Desperate !,


>  1.  The damage that resulted was a crack where your arm would
>      rest to plat it.
   
   2. It looks like a paint chip ready to peel off.

>  3. It's a polyurethane finish I think.

Hmmmm, I'll start this off with some observations and thoughts.....

   1. this sounds like the portion between the bridge and bottom strap
      button. The crack (if it is ONLY in the paint..this is most likely)
      needs to be stopped from spreading. As a temporary repair, use some
      nail varnish into the crack to stabilise the problem. What colour is
      the guitar ? Fenders are pretty tough beasts so I am sure that a drop
      from 18 inches will not have split the wood. However, I would advise
      having the neck/body joint inspected to ensure this has not been  
      weakened in any way.

   2. OK, so you seem to have a split and a paint flake. GENTLY peel off the
      flake and super glue it back on or, if you prefer, store away
      until you decide on a repair strategy.

   3. I think it is likely you MAY find the finish to be cellulose, in which
      case (dependant upon the colour) I would advise a respray. 

      If this is the case, I would first shop around for recommended guitar
      respray outlets.  

	WARNING.  A total respray will be expensive, and (no matter how well
                  done) may de-value the guitar. I have re-sprayed my strat
                  with several cans of car colours, and it looks OK.

       What follows is a minimum guideline (you will need more information)
       if you intend to part or full respray yourself.........

       You will need to exercise judgement on the overall extent of the paint
       damage. Assuming the colour not to be a sunburst ( two or three 
       overlaid colours.... I do not know how much you know about guitars!)
       and that the crack/split/flake is one to two inches across. In this 
       case(and assuming the paint to be cellulose), carefully use a sharp
       instrument such as a small screwdriver, and pick away all loose or 
       partly loose material. Next use cellulose filler applied in one mm
       layers until they are above the rest of the guitar surface. Some 
       shops use Areldite to partially/fully fill and fix splits of this
       type. You may wish to consider doing this first.
       Using a sanding block with wet and dry glasspaper, finishing with 
       1000 grade, sand down. Use these wet with a small amount of washing
       up liquid. Mask off the rest of the body giving yourself an area of
       about four square inches to spray,Apply two or three coats of primer, 
       again sand down with fine grade. Finally spray on about ten coats of
       top colour rubbing down between every other coat. Leave for several 
       days to harden then use "T-cut" and give final polish. 

       I have never resprayed using polyurethane, but I am sure a similar
       route would work for just reparing the crack. The spray process is
       harder and higher pressure. Just a thought....If you can "glue" the
       split/flake back into place, and it looks OK, why not then use a 
       polyurethane clear varnish ( even brushed on), leave for several days
       to harden, use a similar wet/dry approach ( but with very fine grade 
       only), followed with T-cut and polish. It may look OK if done with
       care and is probably the cheapest option to get a reasonable result.

       Looking on the positive side. Any guitarist will tell you that a 
       cellulose finsh looks better and ages better. You could sell this
       unfortunate event to your guitarist as an opportunity to get a 
       professional spray job, done in the NEW colour of his choice, and
       improve the looks, sound, and resale value !!  Food for thought ?

       Hope this helps...by the way, I have an excellent book on building
       (and preparing/spraying) your own guitar by Melvin Hiscock. He gives
       a far more detailed explanation for a respray.

       Good luck,

       Dave

      OK...  call me crazy, BUT chips, dents and finish cracks all add
    to guitar character! Anyone has ever seen my '69 Strat will tell
    you...  my baby has ALOT of character. Not abuse, just character.
    
    Kinda like people get wrinkles with age, so do guitars...  it's just
    part of life. If you use the guitar alot it'll just happen, if you're
    looking towards keeping the guitar as a "show" piece, then that's a
    totally different story. Then do it the right way and have someone
    who knows what he/she is doing to give you some pointers.
    
    Look at SRV's Strat he used to use! Looked like heck, but sounded so
    good!
    
    		Fred (confessed non-abused Stratocaster player)   ;)

    
    	Yeah but...  I prefer any "character" additions to my axe to
    	be made by myself!  It would make me very cranky to have others
    	add character to my guitar - although shit happens!

    I hear ya .. the only "cosmetic addition" my strat has came from a
    drummer knocking it off the stand, to which he said "did I do that ?".
    
    Personally, I wouldn't mind mt strat looking 20 years old ...
    
    
    
    .... 20 years from now !    8^)
    
    Scary

    Thank you for your info.BTW,The guitar is a deep cranberry red
    color and the crack is right on the top edge about 8"away
    from the strap lock.It does have a wood body and some whitish 
    material between the finish and wood.
                                                 Rick

    
    
    	It's getting to be time for my Telecaster to have
    it's frets resurfaced. Can anyone give me a recommendation
    for a repairperson who can do the job fairly inexpensively?
    
    	I can't remember who it was, but a while back a noter
    mentioned someone (Rich @ MacDuffs?) who does this kind of
    work for ~$20 or so. 
    
    -Tom

    Re Tom,
    
    I recently brought a Mosrite to MacDuff's for what I thought would be a
    complete refret job, but they dressed the frets and put on a new set of
    strings for 20 tokens.  A great job; I recommend them.  BTW, a new set
    of frets would've cost about 120 tokens.

    re: 95
    
    How much would you (or anyone for that matter) bet it would cost to
    have a refret job done to a neck that has the white binding along the
    neck?  Would it look ratty after taking it off and replacing it? 
    
    I'm thinking about renewing my 1968 Guild Starfire. I want to refinish
    it. The original finish is in god condition, but over the years the
    sunburst has faded to where the color is a funky yellow merging onto a
    funky sorta maroon (I guess - I'm color deficient). Besides a refret
    and refinish, I think I'd put on DiMarzio PAF's. 
    
    "sakman"

    Re sakman,
    
    I'd say take the Guild to MacDuff's and have them take a look at it:
    you may not need a refret job.  The Mosrite I mentioned belongs to the
    other guitar player in the band and spends most of his time on the
    first five frets, so they were really chewed up.  I was sure that new
    frets would be required, but some skilled work with fret files brought
    the unit back to great condition.

    Man, I don't see how a repairman can afford to only charge $20 for a
    complete fret leveling, that's a lot of work!  Usual prices are around
    $35-$40.
    
    re: Sakman
    
    The fretboard binding is usually not removed to refret a guitar so
    equipped, they just notch the tang on the fretwire so that it fits
    inside of the existing binding (if they do it right).  Works real well,
    but the extra work will cost you more, a refret on a guitar with a
    bound neck will usually run ya about $200-$250.
    
    Greg

    Greg,
    
    	Are these "Out West" Prices for a refret? One of the local people
    out here does a refret for $140 to $160..... Maybe Richard Stanely
    would charge $200.... but you are payin for his name.... :^(
    
    							Rick
    

    Rick,
    
    $140-$160 sounds normal for an unbound fretboard.  Richard Stanley
    would probably charge more then what I listed for a bound fretboard.
    
    I know the prices from several sources, some in New England (friends
    have told me), some from around Colorado, and some from some of the
    luthiers publications I read.
    
    I mean, I'd probably do one for that, but I don't have an established
    business doing it either...
    
    Greg

    Yeah, 20 balloons seemed incredibly cheap to me as well... to the
    extent I was nervous about quality, but the proof's in the playing.
    And there was fresh set of strings on the thing, so the actual profit
    for MacDuff's musta been 17 or 18 bucks.  Nice to find a bargain now
    and then.

    re: .101

    I believe you, just hard to figure how they make much money on it, it
    takes at least a couple of hours...

    Maybe the store subsidizes Rich's work to get more business in there or
    something?

    Greg

re: Refrets


Last I checked R. Stanley was getting:

Fret Levelling:   $70
Unbound Refret: $175
Bound Refret: ~$275 (ouch!)

The moral of this story is avoid bound fingerboards if 
possible (or learn to do that re-fret yerself..)

    	oops I was quoted $140 for unbound,$160 bound.... and $75 for a
    fretleveling,polish and cleaning.... but $275? ouch... especially
    since I've never cared for unbound fingerboards.....
    
    
    							Rick
    
    
    					

>The moral of this story is avoid bound fingerboards if 
>possible (or learn to do that re-fret yerself..)

    Unfortunately, that's also one of the more difficult refrets to do...

    Maybe a better moral to that story would be to find someone else that 
    still does good work but charges less.  Problem is finding out about
    them without trial and error work that could trash your instrument (and
    your bank account).  Even with personal references you're not
    completely safe, for instance, what if the luthier's work is very
    inconsistent?  One guitar he does will play wonderfully, and the next
    will be absolute crap.  There's no way to know that from hearing one
    person's good recommendation.  Now, if they've had a lot of work done,
    or if you hear it from a lot of different people, that adds to the
    credibility.

    As with any service, you generally get better service when person doing
    it can command a higher fee.  Sometimes you can find the same service
    for less, but it's taking a chance, or maybe you'll get a different
    service.  A lot of times what you get for the price of a "refret" is
    simply that, they pull out the frets, pound some new fretwire in, do a
    quick level on them and it's yours.  Doesn't include leveling the
    fretboard, which is *essential* for getting the best action on the
    guitar.  Some people don't even recrown the frets after they level
    them, they just polish them up flat (which can whack the intonation of
    the instrument).

    I imagine that someone like Roger Sadowsky (sp?) can charge anything he
    wants and still get customers (for those that don't know the name, he's
    a New York luthier reputed to be a guru of low action on electrics.  He
    does work for a lot of top players), but the word is that his work is
    impeccable and if someone has the money and doesn't want to take a
    chance, then they'll use him.

    FWIW, the prices I've heard about have typically been about $50 higher
    for a bound fretboard.  Price goes up if the binding is replaced (such
    as for someone that doesn't want the ends of the fretwire extending
    over the binding and the existing binding is worn).

    Greg

    Has anyone had work done by Fiddler's Choice in Jaffrey, NH?  I was
    told that the guy up there - last name O'Brien, but I can't remember
    his first - set up Tony Rice's Santa Cruz. I was up there and talked to
    him the other day about installing a bone nut and saddle and fixing
    some frets.  Any input, good or bad? 

    I see that .90 talks about a guy named Jack up there - is that the same
    guy?
    
    Thanks,
    Charlie

    
    	Yah...Jack's the one to see...he's a luther and specilize in making
    	mandolins....he's made custom mando's for some of the best....
    	including Rice's mando player (Gaudreau)...when I was looking for a
    	mando I went to see him, see what he could do for me......his entry 
    	A-Style mando would sell for about $1300....and I would have had
    	to wait about 9 months for it...all his mando's are made to order
    	to your specifications....he said he'll make about 12-15 a year...
    
    	Ray.

    
    they are pretty reasonable when your bow needs new hair. 
    

    re: .106
    I've only heard good things about Fiddler's Choice.
    
    I hope all these replies help.
    
    
    Fred

    <I hope all these replies help.>
    
    Yes, they help a lot.  I'd heard about his mandolins, too; actually
    $1300 isn't bad for a custom A-style, assuming he's using the same
    quality as in his more expensive numbers.
    
    Charlie

I have a hand made classical guitar -- a Kohno, 1976 vintage. An excellent 
instrument, but it needs some new tuning pegs, which I haven't been able to 
locate. Also, the soundboard has a few scratches which look rather shatty. 
Any recommendations for good work on acoustics?? Particularly classicals?

tanx
leo

    THE PROBLEM WITH YOUR GUITAR IS IRREVERSABLE, ALTHOUTH YOU CAN TRY
    THE SAME THING I HAVE DONE TO A 1973 YAMY.
    I WENT TO A CARPENTER STORE AND BOUGHT SOME LIQUID WOOD FILLER.
    I HAD SOME SERIOUS DAMAGE DONE TO MY GUITAR AND THIS DONE THE TRICK.
    SIMPLY SHAKE THE BOTTLE AND VOILA, BANG ... THE CRACKS WERE FILLED 
    AND THE GUITAR NOW HAS A NICER TONE.
    DONT EXPECT ME TO TELL YOU WHY, BUT THE BABY JUST SOUNDS GREAT.
    
    HOPE THIS HELPS, BUT ON ANOTHER NOTE.. A FRIEND OF MINE HAS A 1960
    SOMETHING
    GIBSON LES PAUL THAT WAS STOLEN FROM A STORE IN MY AREA, BUT WHILE THE
    PERSON WAS STEALING IT THEY DROPPED IT AND SNAPPED THE HEAD 
    STOCK OFF THE SUCKER. KRAZY GLUE WORKED LIKE A CHARM..
    AND THE DAMN THING PLAYS BY ITS SELF.... YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.
    
    LATER DAVE VAUGHAN "OTTAWA ONTARIO"
    

    re -1 
    OK Ok...don't shout we can hear you 8^).
    P.K.

    re Greg H and others...
    
    	Have any of you used super glue to reglue binding on a guitar body?
    Do you have any recomendations or will I need to just use a
    white/yellow glue and masking tape?
    	Price's on fingerboard/fret replacement?
    

    I know a lot of luthiers are using super-glue for a variety of tasks. I
    imagine that if you use a good quality glue, it will hold up just as
    well as a traditional wood glue. I'd be a little leary of using masking
    tape to hold things in place - it could leave gum on the body that'd be
    hard to remove. If you went with super glue, things would probably set
    up quickly enough that you could just hold things in place. Just be
    careful not to glue your fingers to the guitar :-)
    
    - Ram

    Rick,
        
>    	Have any of you used super glue to reglue binding on a guitar body?
    
    I haven't personally done it myself, but I know luthier Dan Erlewine
    advocates this.  I have an old repair video of his where he
    demonstrates doing it.  The repair was very nice.  I think if I had
    occasion to do that particular repair I'd try the super glue.
    
>    Do you have any recomendations or will I need to just use a
>    white/yellow glue and masking tape?
    
    The binding cement that's often used is more like a model airplane type
    plastic cement.  It actually softens the binding material allowing it
    to conform to the guitar wood grain.  I'm not sure whether white glue
    would work well for that or not, it might not be durable enough.  Like
    I say, I'd probably go with the super glue.
    
    BTW, Erlewine also uses masking tape with the super glue to hold the
    binding on.  Because of the types of materials used, the drying time is
    protracted over what you're used to (seconds).  I've used masking tape
    for many types of things and have never had a problem with residue.  Be
    careful which way you pull the tape off though, because it can pull
    chips out of the finish if you pull against an edge (like a fretboard
    edge...always pull toward the center of the fretboard, not down the
    side).
    
>    	Price's on fingerboard/fret replacement?
    
    Fret replacements usually go for $150-$200 for an unbound neck and
    $175-$250 for a bound neck, depending on who you take it to. 
    Fingerboard replacement would probably be fairly expensive, as it's not
    a trivial procedure.  I've never seen anyone's price on that particular
    surgery.  I'd guess it would cost ya around $250-$300 but I don't
    really know. 
    
    Greg

I had a jerk (luthier??) use super glue to hold down some frets in my strat.

He ruined it. Once superglued frets won't come out and/or the slots won't
clean out. and of course the reason he used superglue was because the MANDOLIN
frets he was installing didn't have enough tang to hold in the fingerboard.
After they fell out (despite the superglue) I had another person re-fret it
again....it is now playable but looks pretty ugly as a result of all the 
mechanical and chemical aids used to try to remove the excessive amounts of
superglue this twit put on my guitar.

Dave doesn't allow superglue on his guitars, and makes that abundantly clean
to anyone who is about to work on them.

dbii

    Actually, if done right, superglue can work fine for holding down frets
    that want to pop up.  However, it sounds like the person who did yours
    didn't know what he was doing.  It won't handle large gaps though.
    (mandolin fretwire????).
    
    And, yes, the frets ARE removable after they've been super glued.  You
    just have to break the glue, it's very hard and rigid and breaks
    easily.  The standard way is to heat the frets, which expands them,
    breaking the glue's hold.  You can then use a Dremel router with a
    dentists burr to clean the leftover out of the fret slot for
    refretting.
    
    It's also good for filling in chips in lacquer finishes because of it's
    consistancy.  
    
    Naturally I woudldn't do any of these things on a vintage instrument...
    
    Don't discount a potentially useful luthiery tool just because someone
    did a bad job for you with it.  It's like saying screwdrivers are bad
    because someone scratched up your guitar with one trying to take off
    the pickguard.
    
    Greg

re  Greg...
    
>    The binding cement that's often used is more like a model airplane type
>    plastic cement.  It actually softens the binding material allowing it
>    to conform to the guitar wood grain. 

The binding is actually is on the body of the instrument on a curve,so it's
pretty hard to get to unless I use a luthier's syringe. Stew/macd sells a 
Sig-ment glue? for plastic bindings,or even the Super T Glue? Comments? 
    I've seen masking tape take off finish on instruments,but choices are 
    limited,and since it's a blonde finish it should not be as noticeable. 

I guess my biggest concern is melting the binding,or making a mess....

It's not a real vintage instrument,but I would be devastated if any of the
work I'm having done on it changes the instrument tonal character or make's
a bigger cosmetic mess. :^)


						thanks

							Rick

>The binding is actually is on the body of the instrument on a curve,so it's
>pretty hard to get to unless I use a luthier's syringe. 
    
    That in itself will limit your options.  I think very careful use of
    super glue will work best for you here, because it's so thin it gets
    into little cracks like that easily.  It won't melt plastic bindings.
    
    Now if you want to peel the binding back to the seam, then you could
    use pretty much any glue you want to.  If it's a long section that's
    coming up, I think that'd probably be the best approach anyway.
    
>    Stew/macd sells a  Sig-ment glue? for plastic bindings,or even the
>    Super T Glue? Comments? 
    
    The Sig-ment glue is the stuff that's like plastic model cement.  It
    melts the binding a little.  But it's pretty thick and I can't imagine
    trying to get it under a binding that's still in place.
    
    Super T is just a flavor of super glue which has a thicker consistancy. 
    I think what you want is a thinner consistancy to get into the small
    crack.
    
    If you want expert advice from someone who uses super glues a lot, you
    can call Dan Erlewine at Stewart-MacDonalds.  He's only available for
    phone advice certain hours of the day, and you have to call the toll
    number (not the 800 order number) but if you can catch him, I'm sure
    you'd get top notch advice.  They apparently have several other
    luthiers working in the shop there who will consult with you.  I had a
    nice discussion on the use of super glue to hold down fret ends that
    have popped up a couple of years ago.  Very nice and helpful (and I
    even called up on the 800 line).
    
    Greg

    re. -2 Use of masking tape...
    
    I learned a little bit about masking tape from working with a painter.
    
    Apparently, there is more than one type of masking tape. 
    
    The kind you use for wrapping boxes you want mailed: this type has a
    very strong adhesive and is not recommended for painting (or in this
    case bindings).
    
    The second kind is used for painting, in order to "mask" off areas not
    to be painted.
    
    The way to tell the difference is to take a piece of tape a couple of
    inches long and fold it on itself, sticky side together, leaving a half
    inche of each end unstuck.  Kinda like a "Y" when viewed from the side.
    If, after folding the tape, you can easily pull the tape apart without
    tearing the tape or the adhesive, you've got real "masking" tape. 
    Otherwise, you've got packaging tape.
    
    I'm not 100% sure that the masking tape will hold the binding in place
    and not pull off the finish.  I'm pretty sure the packaging tape will
    peel off the finish.
    
    This probably doesn't help, but "Now It Can Be Told".

    I find myself with an urgent need to restore my bass to it's former
    playabilty.
    
    So about how much can I expect to pay for a "tune up", including 
    whatever's necessary to drop the action a bit?
    
    It'll go to McDuffs.
    
    Edd

    "Whatever's necessary" could mean plenty, Edd.  If it's just a simple
    setup, probably about $20.  If there's some fretwork involved (short of
    replacing them), probably in the $40-$60 range.
    
    Greg

    Yeah, I realize it's open-ended, but was wondering what ballpark 
    we're playing in...
    
    Edd (Who's amp isn't big enough to play in a ballpark)

    Hey Edd,

    Put the strings on yourself and MacDuff's will probably charge you
    $10.00 if it's just string and neck adjustments.

    Droid

    > Put the strings on yourself...
    
    Are there really folks who DON'T???
    
    I need the intonation done also, but from the feedback I've got, this
    ain't gonna be a hock-the-house bill...
    
    Edd

    And when you put the strings on, make sure you line up the keys the way
    you like 'em; most places charge extra to align them.
    
    Dave

    To answer my own question ("Does anybody really have the shop change
    their strings?"): Yeah, I do!!
    
    I brought it in today and the guy said "Need new strings?". As long
    as I was getting the neck and intonation done I might as well spring
    for a set of new ones.
    
    But damn!! NO RUBBER STRINGS!!! These young whipper-snappers look at me
    like I got two heads when I ask for black tape wounds.
    
    Go figure. 20 years I own this axe and I'm now paying someone to swap
    strings for me. What next? Depends undergarments?
    
    Edd

    Well, hot damn!
    
    ...just picked my bass up, and they did a great job. $45 including
    strings.
    
    The action is down where it should be, but now that the stings are so
    low, what will I park my car under?
    
    Guy says "...you, um, like the sound of that axe?"
    
    			"Me? Yeah, I love that bass. Why?"
    	     
             "Well, it's just so, so FAT!"
    
    			"You should hear it thru my all tube Ampeg, with
    			 2 15"s..."
    
    	      "You don't play it indoors, do ya?"
    
    			" I have to. Playing it outdoors requires tuning
    			  it to a different scale."
    
    	      "Whussat?"
    
    			"Richter."
    
    Anyhow, McDuffs did a great job...
    
    Edd

    
    	It sure ain't a slappin' and poppin' funk bass, that's
    	for sure, Edd...
    

    Hey Edd, we should walk in there together sometime with both our EB4's
    and "try out" some bass amps.  It'll be hog heaven!
    
    Quick Macduff's repair story; I had Rich do some neck neck repair work
    for me that included some real structural stuff (filling a split seam
    with epoxy) and also touching up some gouges and finish wear.  The
    original estimate was $50, quite reasonable I thought.  When I got it
    back there was a note from Rich saying that he wasn't happy with how the
    finish touch-ups came out (all the real repairs were done and were fine)
    so NO CHARGE!  When was the last time that happened to you!?  I gave him
    $20 anyway, just for his trouble.
    
    In years of dealing with Macduff, I'm consistently impressed with how
    they do business.  They're good people.
    
    /rick

    re: Richter
    
    BWAHAHAHA!!!
    
    re: fat
    
    Can I come too?
    
    Dave

    Sure come along; we'll achieve critical mass!

    
    	ticka ticka time bomb...
    

    Two EB4-L's in the same room????
    
    I'll bet that never happened before, even at the factory!
    
    Edd (I gotta get me one of them Aphex Big Bottoms...)
    
    

    Bring your own bedpan, you'll be needing it.

    Just want to reply that I brought a guitar to Fiddler's choice and Jack
    O'Brien worked on it.  He builds mandolin's and has done work for
    some well known people, but he's very good with guitars too.  He
    refretted my guitar, mounted a thin-line pickup and made some
    adjustments to the action.  I'm very pleased with his work and enjoyed
    doing business with him.  After the initial contact through Fiddler's I 
    dealt directly with Jack at his shop in Jaffrey.  The number of his
    shop is 603-532-4398.

    
    	Here's a guy in the Western Mass area that I highly
    	recommend.  In addition to repairs and restorations,
    	he also brokers for those folks looking to find a
    	certain instrument.  I've bought a few guitars from
    	him and he's quite reasonable.  He just recently bought
    	back my ES-335 that I bought from him a dozen years ago.  
    
    	Frank Lucchesi
    	(413) 532-8819
    	518 Pleasant St.
    	Holyoke, Ma. 01040

        I thought it'd be useful to have a note dedicated to repair and
        setup costs to  get  an  idea  for  what  it  takes  - covering
        guitars, amplifiers, whatever -  all  in  one  place.  Positive
        recomendations for luthiers/shops would also  be useful with an
        indication of their (typical) charges.
        
        Andy
        
        PS.  Esteemed Mods - I  looked  for  a  suitable  note  without
        success, but if this might be more  approriate  somewhere else,
        let's talk! :*)

        Whats the typical cost of a tube amp bias  setup,  say  in  the
        NH/Mass  area?    I'm  looking  to  retube my Vibroverb reissue
        sometime and  am  wondering about the feasibility of building a
        tone generator and  dummy load and doing it myself.  (estimated
        cost of components about $30.00)
        
        Any inputs welcomed!
        
        Andy

	I just had three guitars repaired by a friend of mine. He has
    been doing guitar and tube-amp repairs for the last couple of years
    and does very good work. If anyone would like a reference, send EMAIL.
    He is in the Mass-rt128 area. 

	1966 Gibson LG1 acoustic - LG1's came stock with *plastic* bridges 
	that were attached to the top with 3 screws (eeooo!). I had the 
	plastic bridge replaced with a custom-made rosewood bridge. The 
	original bridge is a reverse-belly type. There is no ready-made 
	replacement for this footprint, so he had to make one up from 
	scratch. He also noticed a loose brace and glued that up for me 
	as well. The results are a 100% improvement in tone. The new bridge 
	looks great as well! It matches the fingerboard perfectly.
    
	1900 N.B. Curtiss OO-sized acoustic - The original bridge on this
	guitar self-destructed during the dry weather this summer. The
	guitar also suffered from high action and I thought it needed a
	neck-reset to correct this. I had a new bridge made up and he
	lowered the action as much as possible. It made a 100% improvement 
	and I no longer feel it needs a neck set. I primarily use this
	guitar for bottleneck slide and the action right now couldn't be 
	better for this purpose. I can still fret notes all the way up
	to the 12th fret, but the action is high enough to use a slide
	without banging against the frets.

	1960 Harmony Stratatone - The bridge base on this guitar shattered
	into 4 pieces. It was too thin to begin with, with the bridge hiked
	up so high there was a 3/8" gap between the base and the bridge. 
	He made me up a new base out of Ebony which is much thicker than the
	original. He also beveled all of the top edges so they would not be
	sharp. The new bridge is still adjustable but it's much more stable 
	and the guitar plays great now. 

	The overall quality of the repairs is excellant. I was not in a 
    big rush to get these back and left them with him for about a month.
    You can tell he put in a lot of time and extra effort because he knows
    I'm very fussy about cosmetics. I plan to send some more work his way
    later on.

	This brings the guitar arsenal back up to "full warp power".  8^)
    
    	Mark
    

    	Hello all,
    
    I've purchased a starter guitar as a Christmas present for my son; I 
    found a used Washburn which was very nice for the price, good tone, 
    and very playable neck (most important), rather than a new guitar which 
    would have been less playable.
    
      Now, before Christmas, I would like to spruce up the finish to make
    it look as nice as possible, but I don't have a clue where to start.
    It's a D-20, made in Japan, I would estimate 10-12 years old, and it
    has the usual compliment of small finish dings, as well as a
    eraser-sized ("1/4") impact crater on one side. I've read through these
    notes, and found some info in .28-.25 which might help, but some
    specific questions:
    
    What should I use to buff the finish to make it shine?
    
    Can the small finish dings be buffed out?
    
    For the small impact crater (the wood is pushed inwards slightly in an
    area of ~1/4"), should I just work in some glue? I suspect the sides
    are mahogany plywood. What sort of a finish should I apply if I do this
    to match the rest of the finish?
    
    	And finally, If the advice is "don't be doing this yourself!", can
    anyone reccomend a decent luthier/refinisher in the Seacoast NH area?
    
     	Oh yes, one other thing; I'm just finishing up building a Dulcimer;
    can anyone reccomend a finish oil I can used which will give it a
    "satin", not shiny, finish, but will bring out the grain in the
    Aromatic Cedar top (kind of beautiful purply grain... :^)?
    
    		Many thanks,
    
    -Chuck O.
                                                              

    I can offer the following advice. 
    
    	As far as the used guitar for your son, I would get some McGuire's
    Mirrorglaze polish #4 and McGuire's Mirrglaze polish #7. Start with
    #4 and rub out as many finish flaws as possible. Then switch to #7 and
    apply a high-gloss shine. I would forget about trying to repair the
    finish dings. It's possible to do a burn-in but any repair you do will
    show and will not make matters any better. If you have access to an
    automotive-type polisher this will make the polishing much easier. I
    use a Sears Craftsmen 9" polisher and it works great. 
    
    	As for the dulcimer, if you want an oil finish you can apply 
    Watco Danish Oil for a natural satin finish that will bring out the
    grain rather nicely. However, any type of oil finish will provide
    minimal protection for the wood. Since oil tends to dry out it would
    have to be reapplied every few years. A better solution would be to
    finish the instrument with Behlen's "Qual-a-lacq" low-luster lacquer.
    Lacquer permanently seals the wood and offers protection for the life
    of the instrument. Most of the new instruments you see with satin
    finishes these days are finished in this manner. 
    
    	All of the products I listed are available from Stewart McDonald
    Guitar shop supply. There is a phone number for them in here someplace. 
    You may be able to find comparable products locally. McGuire's Mirror-
    glaze is available from automotive parts stores. Watco Danish oil can 
    be purchased at most any hardware store (including Spags). Behlen's 
    lacquer may be a little more difficult to find since it is an instrument 
    grade product.  
    
	Have fun!

    	Many thanks for the good advice (the 2 cents is in the mail :^).
    One other question; Apparently, WATCO was bought by Minwax, who
    promptly killed the product line, and I can't find any local stores who
    still have WATCO in stock. Does anyone have any experience with an
    equivalent product from another manufacturer? There's a lot of
    tung/danish oils out there, and I'd feel better using one that is
    reccomended...
    
    		thanks,
    
    -chuck

Although WATCO was bought by Minwax and killed off many of the products, I
believe I read in Fine Woodworking (one of many wood working magazines I get)
the danish oil product was going to be brought back.

You might want to check out the NOTED::WOODWORKING_AND_TOOLS.NOTE conference
or give Minwax a call.

- Mark

This is probably old news to some of you, but I found out that MacDuff's
was defunct this weekend.  Is Rich working anywhere local?  I'm thinking
about getting a 2-Tek bridge for my fretless.

Peter

This is a bummer, even though it's been coming for a 
lonnnnng time. I'm amazed the store lasted as long as
it did.

The end of an era. I own several instruments that came
from this store, and Rich has repaired dozens of guitars
for me over the years. Rich has not actually worked the
store for years. My understanding is that he is self-
employed making boats in bottles. That's right folks, 
with all of his talents he is making boats in bottles to 
sell to tourists through trendy gift shops on the cape. 

So does anyone have the scoop on what will happen with the
building? I heard McDonalds wanted the space so they can 
convert the mini-restaurant near Spags into a drive-thru.

Mark

    
    Rich has been working for the store doing repairs etc.  I know because
    I spoke with him directly about some work he did on my G&L S-500 last
    summer.  I managed to reach him at the store at around 6:15am. He was
    working strange hours due to his family situation.
    
     I think the quality of his work went downhill immensely over the last
    few years.  I brought my guitar down the first time with explicit 
    typewritten directions for what I wanted (he's usually unreachable in
    person or by phone), and the guitar came back playing worse than when 
    I brought it in. With persistence, I managed to reach him on the phone
    and describe in detail the issues I had.  He said something about hav-
    ing some kind of family emergency so he wasn't able to devote the time
    to working on the guitar as much as he would have liked.  Says he'll 
    take care of it, so I bring it back. 3 days later, pick it up and it's
    unchanged.  Like he didn't touch it.  The store clerk said something
    like Rich said he didn't have an allen wrench to fit the truss rod, 
    which is a std. 5/8" nut.  The end of the story was that I ended up 
    setting the guitar up myself and doing a heck of a lot better job than
    Rich did.  
    
     Lv

    
    	He scratched the hell outta my maple top Ibanez and a specific
    	fret that was buzzing went untouched.  He'll never see one of
    	my guitars again.  Btw, imho, when you scratch an instrument
    	and make the person leave and come back a few days later,
    	you do not charge full price.
    
    	Just my own experience - Tom
    

    I think Rich had the guys working in the store do a lot of the 
    repair work the last few years. Bob Jordan (the guy who went
    on tour with Eugene Chadbourne and the guy who was interviewed
    in the Telegram a few weeks ago about MacDuff's closing) said 
    that MacDuff did a lot of repair and maintainance work for guys
    who were gigging in Boston regularly. This happened totally 
    separate from the store. So maybe he down-loaded all the repiar
    work for us 'regular' guys to his employees.

After all of the references in here, I'm glad I didn't take my guitar to
MacDuff.  Try Jim Mourdian over Cambridge Music in Porter Square.

Jim

    
    Yeah, it's like the string started out with what a bummer that the shop
    was closing and the end of an era and all of that.... then all the horror
    stories about damaged guitars start coming out of the woodwork...
    
    Maybe there's an underlying reason the shop closed their doors...
    
    /Steve
    

    
    
    Somewhere in this string is a note by me saying that for real cheap
    bucks Rich did a *wonderful* job on my guitar.  It was a couple of years
    ago, though, so I can't speak to recent events.
    
    Kevin
    

    Rich did some very good and reasonably priced work on my guitars over
    the years.  I always did wonder how he stayed in business.  The last
    few times he's worked on my guitars the result was a below what I had
    come to expect.  He replaced a pickup selector switch and wired it
    upside down on one guitar, and on another I had asked him to set it up
    with high action and change from .010s to .011s for slide.  The result
    was a very uneven setup with some buzzing when it didn't buzz before. 
    I couldn't understand that... raise the strings and make 'em heavier
    and it ends up buzzing worse.  Oh well, I _still_ can't play slide!
    Sorry to hear that he's been having problems, though.
    
    But very glad he never scratched my guitars.
    
    							Marc

    
    	I know it was Rich who worked on (over?) my guitar.  When I 
    	picked it up and opened the case, needless to say - I was
    	livid!  I insisted the kid in the store get Rich on the phone
    	so I spoke with him about it.  He most definitely was the one
    	who did it because he told me how much he loved the top.  Anyone
    	who knows me or remembers what my '61 335 looked like knows
    	what condition my guitars are kept in so just imagine my
    	reaction to 3 good gouges on the top cutaway was...  
    
    	I must admit that he calmly told me he'd fix it and it looks
    	ok now.  But I've wondered how long it'll last.
    
    	Tom
    
    

Let's face it, 10-15 years ago, Rich was "into it". He ran the store himself,
and was always there every time I stopped in. He had nice displays that showed
that he had pride in what he was doing. He even had a few of his own creations
on display to show people what he was capable of. The store went down-hill when
Rich stopped working there full-time. This was right around the time they
rearranged the store and blocked all of the windows. This made the store very
dark and depressing to shop in. The store was poorly heated in winter, and
was a steam bath in summer, neither of which is particularly good for guitars.

I enjoyed shopping at McDuff's in much the same way I like flea-markets. Nothing
was well organized and it was like a rummage sale, but occasionally I would find
an instrument worth "rescuing". I would never even consider consigning any of
my own instruments with them because they did not treat instruments gently. Customers
were free to come in and man-handle anything they wanted with no consideration for
keeping the instrument mint. I knew what their strong points were and what their
weak points were and worked around them. A couple of years ago, right after I
refinished my SG, I brought it to McDuffs to have a new nut installed and the
neck adjusted. I was very specific to tell them that this guitar was my baby,
and I did not want it scratched, or even handled by anyone but Rich McDuff.
When I got it back, Rich had done a very good job of replacing the nut, and
setting it up. He managed to avoid scratching it, but it was definately filthy
when I got it back. This is not that uncommon.


In my opinion, you need to find someone that is into things on the same level
as you, with the same basic perspective as you. Some people think that guitars
are a utility item like a tool, and they do not care about what the instrument
looks like. This is not the type of people I want to trust my instruments with.
Good help is getting harder to find, and I have been doing ALL of my own guitar
repairs for the last few years, except for some involved work I had a friend of 
mine do last summer. 

Mark

    Re -1 & Richard Stanley...Richard just did a new fret job on my 1968
    ES175 and it's never sounded better and the action has never been this
    good. The reason the action improved is because the old nut did not
    have the string slots equally distanced from each other. They were ever
    so slightly off so sometimes while fingerpicking I'd deaden a string I
    shouldn't have.
    
    Also, Richard told me beforehand that he could try altering the
    original frets but didn't think it would make much of a difference if
    any. These frets were really worn.
    
    My only beefs are that he had my guitar for 2 months (not all his fault
    as he told me he was 3 weeks backed up and I didn't want to drive over
    again in 3 weeks) and that he can find fault in any guitar!  I've got
    an almost brand new Les Paul & of course Richard will make it better
    for a hundred bucks...50 bucks to make my Ovation better.
    
    Bottom line though is that I've owned this ES for 22 years and it's
    never sounded better. This is all recently too. Just got it back last
    week in fact.
    
    Don

    That last reply should have been RE -2, sorry.
    
    Don

    
    Wow.  This thread really bums me out.  When I lived in Mass years ago
    I shopped at McDuffs regularly and alway had good experiences there.
    I'm bummed that the place is closed, and bummed that the work slipped
    downhill.  :-(
    
    

    >> <<< Note 76.151 by E::EVANS >>>
    >>
    >> Try Jim Mourdian over Cambridge Music in Porter Square.
    
    Jim Mourdian has a very good reputation for guitar repair.  Most
    guitar-wiz people I know recommend him for any guitar work.

    Do people generally feel that Richard Stanley does a very good 
    job? I know he's expensive, but I'm (IMO) incredibly picky 
    about how my guitar plays. It would be worth it to me if he
    can get that last .001% improvement by mucking with the nut
    slots, etc.
    
    - Dave

    
    Yes, Richard is highly recommended.  Perhaps it was just a fluke with
    the Gibson ES.  He is expensive, but for just having your guitar setup,
    he'd probably do a great job.  Just make sure you're clear on what
    leveling the frets means if he says it needs it.  As someone mentioned,
    he can find something wrong with _any_ guitar new or old. He really
    gets precise and does most setups using feeler gauges and measurements.
    
     Larry

    I can speak for Don Green and myself when I say "Richard Roolz"!

    One thing you need to know about Richard Stanley.  Well, two things.
    First, he is expensive.  Probably the most expensive guitar mechanic
    in the area.  Second, if it takes him longer than planned to finish
    your job, he bills you for the extra time at his hourly rate (and you
    can imagine it ain't cheap).  This rubs some people the wrong way;
    it did me.  Just a little quirk you need to get used to when dealing
    with the guy.
    
    He does do excellent work though.
    
    /rick
    

    
    He might let you hang with him while he does the
    work.  That's what I did on an evaluation he did
    for me, and I found it educational.  But he will
    talk and charge you for that time as well!   
    
    I probably will eventually take an old jazz bass
    I've got to him, but I know it'll be expensive, because
    some dummy at a music store screwed the electronics up.  
    
      I sure don't know anyone else to go to. 
    
    Dave

    
    	What's expensive?  Let's say a tune up type job - adjust the
    	action, check the frets, etc...
    
    	Does that take a week?  Who wants to be without their guitar
    	for a week for that?
    
    	Tom
    

    
    Rich will often do a simple setup while you wait if there's not a 
    lot of extra work involved.  He charges a flat rate, and I may be 
    wrong, but I seem to remember it being around $35 per hour. 
    
     He has different prices for different types of work.  In the grand
    scheme of things, the actual expense is not that great, but compared
    to what you pay to go elsewhere, he's more expensive.
    
     Larry

    Just for comparison purposes, EU Wurlitzer normally charges $20 for
    their guitar setup service (free on guitars purchased from them and
    setup within 60 days. And it's a 2 turnaround......maybe shorter if
    you go directly to their repair center in Cambridge.
    
    Since I live in Acton, if these setups hadn't been a "freebie", I would 
    have brought the guitars to Richard and paid $35 vs $20 for the
    workmanship, convenience and faster turnaround.
    
    This raises an issue I was curious about. It seems that EUW sells their 
    guitars right out of the shipping box with no initial setup, and then
    offer to do a free setup within the first 60 days. 
    
    Is this normal practice.........is there a "break-in" period that you
    want to go through before doing a setup.
    
    BTW, they seemed to do a good job of taking care of an intonation 
    problem we noted; but I didn't notice an apreciable difference in the
    action, which I had asked to be lowered. 
    
    JBS

    Last time I went to see Richard Stanley, his hourly rate (and the
    minimum charge for any visit to the shop) had gone up to $50.
    
    On the other hand, I've always gotten excellent turnaround time
    from him.  He'll often do work while-you-wait if you want (e.g.,
    he cut and installed a new nut while I waited) and he turned
    around a complete re-fret job for me in 3 days.
    

   Regarding Richard Stanley:  I've been taking my guitars to him for years.
Sure, it's an hour to drive down there from southern NH, but he always does
outstanding work.  Eccentric.  Expensive.  But real good.

   As previous replies have stated, he can find flaws with any instrument, and
mine aren't an exception (Strat, Les Paul, PRS).  A while back I learned to tell
him exactly what I wanted done; when he began to point out various problems,
I'd tell him I didn't want spend that much.

   For instance, for a standard set of neck adjustments and setup, it's about an
hour and $35 "while you wait".  While he's doing this he'll point out loose or
uneven frets, incorrectly cut nut, etc.  I simply reply that I don't want to
spend more than $35.  He does the job, hands me the guitar to check it out,
makes any final adjustments and I hand him $35.

   Occassionally, he's been able to convince to upgrade the amount of work I
wanted done.  And then I spend more.  But not too often.

    Contrary to what Rick said a few back, Richard often will try and 
    play you for extra cash, but if you KNOW this, you can play it right
    back against him!!
    
    As a customer of 10+ years, I set my work, PRICE, and turn-around time
    expectations right up front with Richard.  If he "drops the ball" and
    tries to hit me with extra unseen charges, he bites the bullet, due to
    our previous agreement.
                                         
    He does do great work, however.

    I agree, you have to be clear and INSISTENT in your dealings with Mr
    Stanley.
    
    Btw, several replies have mentioned the $35 hourly rate; are you really
    still seeing that?  On my last visit he had raised it to $50.  This was
    a year ago.
    
    /rick
    

    My last visit to Richard was 3 months ago and it was still $35/hr.
    
    What did you do to piss him off?  ;)

    Probably talking about him in guitar notes :-)
    

    
    	Rick, maybe all the noters here get a $15/hour discount every time
    	they bring him a printed note with your negative comments in it.
    
    	8^)
    

    I haven't been able to find an address and phone number for Richard
    Stanley in this topic, other than that he's in Concord, that is.
    If anyone has it handy, it'd be great if you could post it here.
    I've never been able to get rid of the Dreaded Fret Buzz, and maybe
    he can wave his magic wand and cure it.
    
    Thanks,
    Chris

    Richard Stanley  508-369-4647
    

    The rates last week were 50 an hour for my fret job.
    
    The last dozen or so notes have really hit the nail on the head
    regarding Richard, especially the noter who said "eccentric"!
                                                                        
    Buck's right once again. Richard roolz.
    
    Don
    

    re: .178
    
    Thanks for the phone number.  If I go there, I'll make sure to
    tell him you sent me, maybe that'll help get you back in his
    good graces. :-)
    
    Chris

    
    .... or get you the extra high rate as well ;^}

    
    	I've had work done on my old Strat by Mike Gabrielson at
    	"The Bandroom" on Lake Street in Nashua, NH. His work was great
    	and his prices are VERY resonable. His store is only open on
    	Saturday and Sunday's but will open by appointment during the week. 
    	His phone number is (603)-883-2949. Check him out, he's a great guy 
    	and takes alot of pride in his work. Tell him Fred sent you!
    
            Rock on,
                    Fred

    This note's been dormant for quite a while, but I'm hoping some of the
    Colorado acoustic pickers are still looking in.
    
    I need some work done on my acoustic, and I'm looking for someone who
    does really high-quality work.  Basically what I need now is some fret
    work and (I think) a compensated saddle.  My b-string has started going
    out of tune when I put on a capo.  The guitar literally can't be
    replaced, so price is (almost) no object if I can find someone who can
    do the work.  Any recommendations will be gratefully appreciated.  If
    you know of someone I *shouldn't* got to, please send e-mail.
    
    Thanks.

    	When I lived in the Springs, I had my Yamaha's neck redone (shaved
    down) by John at the "Folklore Center" (don't remember the exact name?), 
    downtown, next door to Poor Richard's & the bicycle shop there on Tejon. I 
    was very happy with his craftsmanship.... The Yamaha had awesome tone, but 
    a neck like a baseball bat; now the neck is very playable. My teacher at 
    the time, Phil Volan, who plays around town quite a bit, had reccomended 
    John's work to me.
    
    	Good luck,
    
    -Chuck

This may be off topic a bit but Im hoping for some help.
Can you get a hard case without a handle repaired (new handle)?
Where?

Thanks, Judy

    You can buy the replacement handle from any of several sources and
    replace it yourself. Stewart MacDonald sells case hardware, as does
    most mail-order suppliers. 
    
    If all that is broken is the plastic handle (metal hardware is still
    intact) I have a trick that works great. Buy a replacement handle, 
    drill out the pins so all you have is the plastic handle part. Do the
    same on the case. Attach the new handle to the case with brass screws 
    and barrel-head nuts. I did this on an old tweed case and the new handle
    held up fine for several years. The barrel head nut looks good and
    covers the end of the screw threads so there is no sharp edge. The
    entire repair takes about 10 minutes and does not harm the case.
    
    	Mark
    
    

    By the way, I have found replacement handles at Spags and other
    hardware stores, so you don't always have to go to a music supplier
    to get a replacement.
    
    Mark