We’ve had a few Taylor customers who wanted a different pickup from the stock ES. I’ve now wired various systems into the existing power supply output unit. The Taylor units with 9V compartments are especially convenient to wire up with most other systems. •
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#guitar #guitarshop #custom #customsound #luthier #acoustic #acousticguitar #electricguitar #customshop #repair #bassguitar #guitarrepair #repairshop #restoration #fixit #whatsonyourbench #acoustic #soondsgood
Can you over-humidify an acoustic guitar?
Check out my recent article. Link in bio.
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excerpt
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Northern Arizona is known for being a high desert. The dryness is a valid concern to musicians with acoustic instruments. Obviously, dryness can cause all sorts of problems for instruments made of wood, cracks, playability issues and other things. It’s a common topic I bring up with customers…
But today I want to talk about something that seems new, or at least rare. This recent level of consistent moisture and sustained humidity is unprecedented.
When it gets dry again be careful! Your guitar is going to experience a shock. I’ll tell you how to help prevent it later. But this is why it matters.
— full article at customsoundinstruments.com —
Just finished a custom intonation job on beautifully huge baritone acoustic. Per customer request, we fabricated new nut and saddle pieces with fossilized walrus ivory. Yes, that’s an option, and it is noticeably harder than bone. This was a complete spec intonation mod, calculating nut compensation vs 1st fret location, vis a vis Buzz Feiten offsets, and altered slightly at the saddle per my own compensation factors. Tempered tuning for guitar!
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#luthier #tuningproblems #guitar #acousticguitar #baritoneguitar #baritoneacoustic #guitarrepair #customacoustic
Here’s the #wacky #clamping on the Martin with the tricky compression cracking. (See previous post.)
I injected glue with my needle from the inside, between the block and the top, and got the crack set at the same time.
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#guitar #guitarrestoration #guitarluthier #guitarshop #custom #customsound #luthier #customshop #repair #guitarrepair #repairshop #guitars #fixit #whatsonyourbench #restoration #soondsgood #vintageguitar #vintageguitarrepair #acoustic #acousticguitar
Replaced the #bridge on this 70’s D-28-S. I always re-rout saddle slots after gluing a new bridge so I can spec out the #intonation #perfectly on the individual instrument first. •
#guitarrepair #guitarrepairs #repairshop #vintagerestoration #vintage #luthier #restoration #guitar #acousticguitar #martinguitar
The #two #tenors …
Strange things compound and waves of occurrence do often occur. These two instruments came in on the same day, from two different clients. Both tenors are bout 100 years old. One #banjo one #tenorguitar #occurrence #serendpity
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#vintage #luthier #restoration #arizonaluthier #customsound #tenor #fourstrings
Any harmonica players out there? I’m clearing out some old inventory.
1 nice Blues Harp in A
1 Old Standby harp in E
Both for $40. (that’s $10 off the Blues Harp and a free Old Standby.)
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#harmonica #blues #bluesharp #harp
Sometimes I can reach the #hardest to #reach loose braces for #gluing.
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#guitar #guitarrestoration #guitarluthier #guitarshop #custom #customsound #luthier #customshop #repair #guitarrepair #repairshop #guitars #fixit #whatsonyourbench #restoration #soondsgood #bassguitar #electricguitar #acoustic #acousticguitar
#vintage #pickguard #cracking... a common problem in old Martin #guitars.
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#guitar #guitarrestoration #guitarluthier #guitarshop #custom #customsound #luthier #customshop #repair #guitarrepair #repairshop #guitars #fixit #whatsonyourbench #restoration #soondsgood #bassguitar #electricguitar #acoustic #acousticguitar
Customer was adamant about staining the fingerboard black during the #refret. Evo Gold super jumbo frets on an original custom shop ESP @espguitars ... this guitar shipped all the way from Hong Kong. On its way back now.
This was an unconventional bridge reglue. It required a little extra help on the #wings. But the broken plywood underneath was such a good fitting puzzle piece that it was able to go just fine without doing much prep work, which was the idea since this guitar wasn’t worth a compete and tedious job. If you know what you’re doing, sometimes you can do a professional hack job, keep a customer happy within budget, and bring a guitar back to life for more pickin.
Video coming soon...
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#prohackjob #arizona #loothing #arizonaguitar #arizonaluthier #luthier #guitar #guitarluthier #guitarrepair #guitarrestoration #acoustic #acousticguitar #restoration #guitars #custom #sound #customsound #fixit
The new shop is almost up and running! Now taking appointments for repairs... currently booked through June 5th.
#guitarworkshop #guitarbuilder #customguitar #luthier #woodshop #woodworking #guitar #newshop #handrafting
It’s alive!
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#dust
Check out this #old label. These frets are basically flat with the fingerboard. They’re tearing out pretty bad, but we’re #gettingthere ... it will clean up just fine.
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#arizona #arizonaguitar #arizonaluthier #luthier #guitar #guitarluthier #guitarrepair #guitarrestoration #acoustic #acousticguitar #restoration #guitars #custom #sound #customsound #fixit #whatsonyourbench #customshop #vintagemandolin #vintage
Luthier's Statement
Dear Repair Clients,
Your guitar can reach a new level of playability and tone. Mass produced instruments need individual attention. Even handmade instruments need work sometimes. An experienced and knowledgeable luthier can do things to make your instrument sound better and give you improved performance. Guitars and other string instruments are primarily made of wood and some glue. The organic material will expand and contract with seasonal humidity and temperature changes. Musical instruments are by nature delicate and sensitive to these changes, and most guitars will benefit significantly from regular adjustments. If you're tired of fighting your instrument and you want perfect playing action, give us a call.
My personal love and focus is on finely crafted steel-string and nylon-string acoustic guitars. I also have an affinity for electronic modifications, and I'm highly experienced with electric guitars & basses. Fret work is a specialty and we do a lot of it-- standard fret-leveling and minor dressing, plus full re-fretting on guitars and basses, mandolins and banjos.
Some issues can arise that are beyond our control, especially with instruments that haven't been well-cared for. I encourage clients to by picky, but practical. I will go to great extremes to assure that every customer is completely satisfied with our services.
~ Ryan R. Elewaut, founder & owner
Shop Declaration
"Cheap fixes" sacrifice the integrity of our work. Poorly made instruments (and poorly maintained ones) are more difficult and time consuming to fix. This is because they usually have more inherent problems. Whether a cherished family heirloom or a campfire beater, this means a "quick fix" easily turns into a time consuming pain-in-the-neck! Charging for the extra time becomes a problem because the customer wanted it done cheaply in the first place.
Please understand why we must refrain from taking on quick-fixes or cheap jobs. We will not reduce estimates to compensate for an instrument not worth a reasonable amount of work. We understand the sentimental value instruments can have. So, please don't take anything personal if we decline a repair for these reasons.
Turnaround Time & Estimates:
General repairs take 10-14 days to complete depending on our demand and the complexity of the repair. Sometimes longer if we're busy. This is common. General Setups and quick things like pickup installation can be returned within a week. Actual estimates have to be made on a per guitar basis, however, the shop rate is published at $75 per hour. Twelve-string guitars and certain electric models take much longer to work with, and we charge for that required time. The bench fee is $40 for extensive troubleshooting without a repair order. Our minimum charge is $50.
While many guitars need to have multiple repairs performed, some "fixes" are included in the price of others. It's fruitless to attempt a complete list of repair pricing, but a general price-list is shown below. Make an appointment now!
REPAIR PRICING
Service Warranty & Guarantee:
Your satisfaction is our primary goal. We warranty our work for 30 days. Additional fine tuning is included in this period. If something isn't right or your expectations haven't been met for any reason, please let us know. Adverse reactions due to environmental issues and negligent care are not covered under this warranty. We keep our shop within proper humidity & temperature ranges. It is best to keep string instruments between 40%-45% humidity and around 60-80(F) degrees. We have no control over the the environmental conditions your instrument will experience once it leaves our shop. The stability of the environment, along with the sensitivity of the instrument and that of the player will determine how often adjustments need to be made. If you need additional tweaking please contact us.
