Jan 02 2019
We repair quite a few broken truss rods here at Strange Guitarworks, and oftentimes it’s not a simple endeavor. Every repair is unique, which is one of the reasons we love our jobs: it’s never boring. Fixing this broken Gibson truss rod in this vintage Grabber was a doozy: the headstock was broken off, the …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.strangeguitarworks.com/fixing-a-broken-gibson-truss-rod/
Dec 04 2018
As an authorized Taylor Guitars repair center we often get calls from Taylor owners about damaged guitars and other warranty issues, and we’re almost always able to help. Even if the repair isn’t covered by the manufacturer’s warranty we’re still able to purchase replacement parts for most current Taylor models. That option may be the …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.strangeguitarworks.com/repairing-a-broken-taylor-neck/
Nov 12 2018
We get a lot of requests for swapping pickups on guitars and basses. It is, for the most part, a quick and easy way to change the sound of your instrument without too much hassle. Usually all you have to do is remove the stock pickups, pop the new ones into place, solder them into …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.strangeguitarworks.com/routing-pickup-cavities-on-a-fender-jazz-bass/
Oct 25 2018
A request for a Gibson neck reset is something we hear all the time, and we’re very well practiced with this particular job. Acoustic guitars need a neck reset every several decades, as the guitar is constantly collapsing on itself and occasionally needs to be realigned to correct the instrument’s geometry. But this particular request …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.strangeguitarworks.com/gibson-neck-reset-with-a-twist/
Oct 02 2018
We always enjoy Katrina rescues. Returning to life something the owner thought was long gone is a great feeling, and each one of these instruments we restore presents it’s own unique set of challenges. Plus they look really, really cool. We’re pretty firm believers in keeping these flood-soaked guitars as original as possible; to let …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.strangeguitarworks.com/katrina-rescue-1971-fender-telecaster-bass/
May 21 2018
This week I embarked upon a job of replacing binding on a vintage Gretsch. A lot of what we know about what works in guitar making we’ve learned from what hasn’t worked out over time. Plastic is one of those things we’ve learned a lot about over the years – now that we use it …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.strangeguitarworks.com/replacing-binding-on-a-vintage-gretsch/
Apr 25 2018
We were recently contacted by the mercurial musician Anton Newcomb of The Brian Jonestown Massacre to restore his Harmony Sovereign acoustic guitar. To say this guitar was beat up is a vast understatement: the neck was pulling almost completely off and was horribly bowed, the frets were a disaster, the back was cracked, and almost …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.strangeguitarworks.com/restoring-a-harmony-sovereign-for-the-brian-jonestown-massacre/
Mar 18 2018
Most people think of the truss rod as the smoking gun regarding an instrument’s playability. Action too high? Tighten the truss rod. Action too low? Loosen the truss rod. This kind of advice runs rampant on forums all over the internet, and it’s dead wrong. Guitar necks have an optimal relief of between .1mm (.004″) …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.strangeguitarworks.com/replacing-a-broken-truss-rod/
Feb 17 2018
One of the most common structural repairs we deal with in the shop is the case of the broken headstock. While guitars are generally pretty well designed to withstand the abuse we musicians tend to put them through, the headstock is their Achilles’ Heel. A couple of factors play into this: first, most Gibson guitars …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.strangeguitarworks.com/repairing-broken-headstock-using-reinforcement-splines/
Jan 09 2018
Unlike most industries, the biggest selling electric guitars on the market have remained virtually unchanged since the 1950s, for the most part. We, the guitar players and collectors of the world are pretty well steeped in tradition and perhaps even a bit of nostalgia when it comes to this stuff. We covet our atom age …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.strangeguitarworks.com/installing-a-schaller-hannes-bridge-system/
