RTA48 Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 Hello to all, I just recently acquired a 1949 Southern Jumbo and it's in need of some repair work. It will be needing a neck reset, fret work, possibly a bridge plate replacement along with a few other smaller things. I am looking for Luthier recommendations, preferably someone who does a lot of Gibson work. I am located in Houston, Texas but I am willing to ship! Thanks for any leads, Randy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 How far do you want to ship? The folks who run St. Paul Guitar Repair have been working on my guitars since 1994 and I have never been disappointed. They all used to work in Charlie Hoffman's shop in Minneapolis, but hung out their own shingle last year. They have ages of experience, have worked on LOTS of guitars (including loads of Gibsons) and they're all great people, to boot: https://stpaulguitarrepair.com If Jeff Tweedy or Leo Kottke can entrust their guitars to them, you can, too.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 Buc McMaster will be the guy to ask here. Drop him a PM if he’s not about. But he usually raises his head every day or two He’s where you are .... 🤔 or is he Dallas ?? Sorry if I’m mistaken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 Buc McMaster will be the guy to ask here. Drop him a PM if he’s not about. But he usually raises his head every day or two He’s where you are .... 🤔 or is he Dallas ?? Sorry if I’m mistaken Buc is the guy to contact. I believe he is in Houston. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buc McMaster Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 Yes, yes.......I do reside in the home of the 2017 WORLD SERIES CHAMPION HOUSTON ASTROS! To be frank, there is not to my knowledge what I'd call an excellent luthier in this city. In my experience that's sad but true. I have dealt with several here and for one reason or another been less than completely satisfied with their work. Good enough, yes, but exceptional......no. I had a very bad experience with one in particular, whom I will not name here out of courtesy. Another does pretty good work but is a bit sloppy about it.......and that brings another to mind that is pretty much the same. There is one guy that did impress me with his work.......Ronnie Pace of Pace Guitar Repair. However, the work he did for me was on a Gretsch 6120 hollow body electric instrument, not an acoustic. I had decided I wanted the Bigsby removed and a Gibson-style stop tailpiece installed..........a hardtail 6120! An unusual request for sure, but Ronnie wasn't scared and actually had a novel approach to making it happen. The results were spectacular and I was more than pleased with his work, slow though it was. If his acumen with acoustic guitars is anywhere near what he was able to do with my 6120, he'd be the go-to guy. You might give him a ring and discuss things............ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 You feel ok buc ! You’re looking a bit peaky in your picture Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buc McMaster Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 Peaky?! WTF? Here's a photo of a photo of the hardtail 6120 from many years back...........playing somewhere outdoors here in the city. I think that little amp was a Carr Mercury......single 12, maybe 20 watts, with a Fulltone Tape Echo in front of it.........what a tone! And there's that 2-ton Calton case I had made for the guitar........I was so much younger then! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 Another idea would be to talk to the guys at Fuller's Guitar in Houston. They are a Gibson dealer with a long history. They might well know who to go to in Houston for repairs on your vintage SJ. They've done some very good custom runs with Gibson Acoustic, so they have more than a casual interest in Gibson guitars. I own one of their custom SJ's, and have talked to them several times about it. They've been very helpful, even though they had nothing to gain by it other than goodwill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 I can only tell you who I have used and totally trust - Keith George (George's Music) in Lawson, MO. He restored my 1942 J-50 and pre-War Regal jumbo 12. He works out of a shop (more of a shack) on his property so is about as cheap as you will find. But he is a wizard with a reputation for being able to bring guitars back from the dead. Not exactly the fastest repair guy on the face of the planet though. I waited a full year for my Banner to come home. And never leave a guitar with him during turkey hunting season. Funny thing but in some 50 years of playing Gibsons built in the 1930s through the 1950s I have never owned one that needed a neck reset. Wish I could say the same thing for my Harmonys and Kays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 Ah mr cool I meant in your Avatar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpbiii Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 My daughter lives in Houston -- teaches at U of H -- and has several vintage guitars. Most all serious work on our old guitars is done by Randy Wood in Savannah. We have a lot -- 100+ --- and three old SJs (43, 43, 54) he has worked on. But we are weird -- we don't ship guitars, but always hand carry them (sometimes using trusted mules) -- so take that for what it is worth. We have one of my daughter's in the shop now -- 45 0-17 Martin. It will return to Texas when we visit for the holidays. IME working on an old Gibson from the 40s is rather different from working on an old Martin -- the quote I love is their dovetails have more curves that a hoochie coochie dancer. They require a lot of careful hand shaping to get it right. Good luck, -Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 But we are weird -- we don't ship guitars, but always hand carry them (sometimes using trusted mules) -- so take that for what it is worth. Good luck, -Tom Do you ride them mules, or use them to pull a wagon? It's a pretty good ride from Atlanta to Savannah. My daddy had a couple of trusted mules, but he used them to pull a plow before we got our first tractor back around 1925. Mules can be ornery critters, but I suppose they're pretty good for toting git-tars. And pulling plows. I bet your mules are a bit more refined than ours were. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpbiii Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 I bet your mules are a bit more refined than ours were. Most of them are bluegrass flatpickers -- so not necessarily. Let's pick, -Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jalex Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 I had a great experience with my 63 Hummingbird at Maple Street Guitars in Atlanta. They have a nice repair shop with knowledgeable, experienced staff and a great reputation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livemusic Posted November 11, 2017 Share Posted November 11, 2017 Hello to all, I just recently acquired a 1949 Southern Jumbo and it's in need of some repair work. It will be needing a neck reset, fret work, possibly a bridge plate replacement along with a few other smaller things. I am looking for Luthier recommendations, preferably someone who does a lot of Gibson work. I am located in Houston, Texas but I am willing to ship! Thanks for any leads, Randy Whomever you get, I'd make sure there is experience with old Gibsons. Another consideration... if you can find an individual who is known for expertise, to me, that has more weight than a shop that is supervised by the expert with the big reputation. (I'd rather KNOW who is working on it, rather than overseeing work done by a subordinate.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorrisrownSal Posted November 11, 2017 Share Posted November 11, 2017 Brothers Music in WindGap PA. Ex martin factory guys. Folks ship them old Martins and Gibsons from around the country. I'd give them a call. Strunk... They made my J50 perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
62burst Posted November 11, 2017 Share Posted November 11, 2017 Hello and welcome to OP Randy- Many here would most likely love to check out photos of your old Southern Jumbo. Any chance that you’ve signed up at Imgur.com and could post some photos here? Of course, it would be even better if you could stick the phone inside the guitar for a snap of the bridge plate? I lay the phone on a polishing cloth, & slide it back to the bridge plate- makes for easier retrieval, & lessens the chance of hurting anything. Is the plate split, or just worn out? Always best to retain the original plate when possible. StewMac’s Dan Erlewine has a neat little method of saving bridge plates with plugs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSm4kMSlIYo, but some, such as Brothers Music Shop that Sal mentioned, like the idea of drilling out and building up a mixture of cyanoacrylate (Super Glue) and wood dust. Yields a hard plate for the ball ends to seat onto. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GDC Posted November 14, 2017 Share Posted November 14, 2017 Custom Fretted Instruments in Sparta TN does a lot of work on old Gibsons. What I've seen looks very good. Marty Lanham, owner of Nashville Guitar Company, has done restorative work for the Country Music Hall of Fame and many others. Again, very fine work done there. Walter Carter is a former historian for Gibson and now owns Carter Vintage Guitars in Nashville. He has an inside shop and takes in work. Ive not experienced any of their work, but I'd think they'd be up to the task. Were it my guitar, those would be the folks I'd check out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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