Gibson ES335 – Setup

What a beautiful instrument,  Gibson seem to be doing a bit better with their quality these days, just needs a tweek here and there to make the most of it. It looks like Gibson are finally getting their act together, the frets are nice and even at least. It’s even got a nice Bone nut.   […]

Squire Stratocaster – Service and setup

There comes a point when even the best of guitars need a service and setup.  Most people will have their car serviced regularly, why not your guitar? While the strings are off I always give the fretboard a good clean. The heads were a little stiff so a little light oil. and a bit of […]

Kramer – Fret Dress and setup

How’s that for a guitar finish!  Wow,  I’m not sure if it’s quite my cup of tea but I just love it.  Sadly it’s just not playing very well, there’s quite a bit of fret buzz high up the neck. The problem lies in the frets, some of them are just a little uneven.  To uneven […]

Water Buffalo Horn Nut

If you need a new bone nut, but want a black one, how about Water Buffalo Horn?  It’s not quite as tough as bone but it’s the best natural substance I’ve come across. This Bass needs a new one just because it’s broken. I’ve not got any pre-shaped ones so I’m going to have to […]

Fender Stratocaster – Build

Putting a guitar together may seem easy but the devil is in the detail! Despite what it says I suspect this neck isn’t genuine Fender, if it is, it’s a Friday afternoon special, the frets are all over the place.  If It’s to play nicely they’ll need levelling first. The masking tape is to protect […]

Gibson Les Paul – Fret Dress and setup

Wow, what a great guitar.  And a fantastic example of a great guitar at that!  It’s seen some action though, and needs a little TLC to bring it back to life. The frets are a little worn up at the paying end so that’ll need sorting out for a start. In preparation for a fret dress, off with […]

Gretsch – Bone nut

I love these, some great guitars coming out Gretsch these days.  Great value an very well made.  This one just has a slight problem, staying in tune. It’s probably the nut.  I’m not much a fan of these new fanged materials, I don’t think you can beat good old fashioned bone. Unfortunately I can’t find […]

Vintage SG – New nut, setup and service

Some of these “Vintage” guitars can be quite good.  For some reason the nut slots on this one have been cut rather deep and the open strings are buzzing a little.  There are quick fixes but the proper thing to do is to replace the nut. Gently out with the old one. The new bone […]

1956/58 Stratocaster Re-Build

Here’s another interesting project.  Another mixture of old and new.  A good friend of mine, Russell, has been colleting some fine old parts and has decided it’s time to put it all together…. Some of these parts are older than I am, a 1958 neck and 1956/58 pickups, tremolo, neck and back plates etc. all in fantastic condition. The […]

Stratocaster – New neck

Here’s a bit of an oddball.  This guy’s just got hold of a great guitar, the only trouble is it’s got no neck!  Yeh, it’s a complicated story, but I’ve sorted out a new one which should do nicely… The profile is really nice and it’s got a great finish too.  The only trouble is it’s got […]