Stringed Instrument Repair
I repair both fretted and bowed instruments, but I am not a builder--a luthier. I specialize in repair. I have an instrument repair shop and can to do most any repair. I do this work part-time since my work in aerospace takes most of my day hours. Although I do not claim to be a luthier, I also am not an amateur. I have performed both maintenance and repairs to many instruments, including intonation adjustment, setup, hardware replacement, and crack, split, or structural damage repair. Some of the repairs and restorations can be seen by clicking on the links to the left of this page. Don't throw it away...don't be discouraged until you talk to me.
IF I HAVE REPAIRED AN INSTRUMENT FOR YOU, I WELCOME YOUR COMMENTS FOR PUBLIC DISPLAY. This feature is new. Although I've been doing this work for 4-5 years, I've never had a site for feedback. Because it is new, there are only a few comments there as of the end of August 2010 (launched 8/15/2010). Please do not use this for general comments--it is for those individuals that I have done repairs for. Thank you. If you simply are interested in commenting on any of the below, or are seeking an estimate or other dialogue with me, click on the "CONTACT ME" link at the left of your screen. I respond to all contacts.
YOU CAN WRITE OR READ REVIEWS BY CLICKING HERE >>>
REVIEWS
CLICK AT LEFT TO SEE SPECIFIC EXAMPLES OF MY WORK
1971 Harmony Stella Model H934 6-String Guitar - Heavy Structural Damage -- REPAIR/REBUILD
This Hamony Stella guitar was given to me by a friend, Howard. He found it in a closet of his son's room (his son is grown and moved away). No one remembers what happened to this guitar, but it is damaged severely. Most people might throw this away, but I am using it as an example of an extreme repair that is feasible to complete. I hoped to restore this guitar to near original condition. It was a major project that I anticipated beginning in mid-January 2009 after concluding work restoring my personal violin. It took 4 months to finish the Stella.
BEFORE PHOTO:
BELOW: AS YOU CAN SEE, THE DAMAGE WAS SEVERE. A LARGE PART OF THE LOWER BOUT OUTER EDGE WAS MISSING, AND PIECES AT THE EDGES WERE MISSING FROM THE TOP SOUNDBOARD AND THE BACK. IT WAS ALSO CRACKED AND SPLIT IN MULTIPLE AREAS, BUT MOST OF THE DAMAGE WAS CONFINED TO THE LOWER RIGHT BOUT.
OTHER REPAIRS I HAVE DONE:
I've done a few other jobs but do not have pictures.
LOTUS L-20 6-String Acoustic Folk Guitar
One was a Lotus L-20 acoustic 6-string. That guitar was missing a tuning key, and had high action. The neck didn't really need reset, it just needed some material shaved off the saddle and the nut. I replaced the tuning key and worm gear, and set the action low, and have donated the guitar to a youth guitar-learning program at my church.
EMPERADOR MODEL #AW-1, SIX-STRING DREADNOUGHT ACOUSTIC
I purchased an "Emperador" guitar that a friend and fellow luthier felt needs a neck reset. I bought it for $30 in Freeport Illinois, and had planned to reset the neck on it in the Spring of 2009. However, while scrounging around for some tuning machines, I got the case out of the closet in my instrument room, pulled out the guitar and looked it over. It appears the neck is fine. It's an overstressed truss rod that is part of the problem. Also there is bellying and at the upper bout there is a depression in the soundboard probably caused by overtightening the strings and by an overtightened truss rod. I began working these issues on 2/4/2009. See the submenu for
Emperador AW-1 under the
Lutherie page for the final result. Sold in late February 2009.
MY REPAIR PHILOSOPHY AND WORK ETHIC
There is a lot that goes into the consideration of a repair. In the case of a guitar that has been dropped and broken these can usually be repaired to be made playable, and sometimes even returned to a condition where the repair is not even noticable (that is always the goal). A sampling of instruments shown in the links at left were made playable. I seek to serve the musician who needs quality work done at a reasonable price.
As a musician (I use that term loosely) myself, I have a special appreciation for the special love any musician might have for a favorite instrument. And I know what a wonderful thing it is to a musician who may have experienced a devastating feeling of loss when that favorite instrument is damaged--seemingly beyond repair--then finds that it can actually be made playable again. And there is pride, gratification, and a sense of accomplishment to the one who does this kind of work, that is simply hard to describe. It is gratifying.
If you have an instrument with a crack or cracks in the wood, needing restoration, hard to play, hard to keep in tune, etc. please feel free to contact me for a free estimate. Most guitars can be restored to playability for much less than you might think. NOTE: Estimates require actually examining the instrument. Also, my expertise is in acoustic instruments.
STAY TUNED...MORE TO COME