Extensive Gibson J-50 Repair

[Dash_Starkiller]

Those videos scare me.

My luthier always sends me pictures when working on my guitars.

Here's a couple from the banner J45 when he reset the neck and made a new bridge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Those are great pictures and show work that is careful and well done. There’s a luthier in England that had a blog site that posted similar work that was top notch.

[BluesKing777]

Not a clue. First, I have to take it to him.

 

In the past, major jobs have been in his hands for three months or more, which is not unusual for a guy in high demand. You have to take a somewhat zen-like approach to the schedules of these guys. They all seem to be like that: over-committed, but dedicated to what they do.

 

It's not like I don't have other guitars to play in the meantime.

 

 

Ha ha ha!

 

The best luthier in this country is pretty close, depends on the time of day and I try to go there at midday to 1pm (ish). I have been stuck in peak hour traffic and roadworks and it has taken me a half hour to get home! Horrible, eh!

 

He has an unmentioned brief from me to fix anything else he generally notices, save going back again sort of thing. (On a 72 Tele Custom that had scratchy pots for years, when I went to pick it up he said a previous owner had put it cheapo electronics which he replaced with some original Fender parts he had ‘in the storeroom”.)

 

A dreadful scare went through his clients when he came off his motorbike on a freeway last year and was in hospital quite a few days. And of course, the line up for repairs from these clients ‘meaning to get around to’ is still being worked through!

 

Not only that, but he made a fabulous custom 00 deep body with fat neck, for me! Me!

 

So can Ross Teigen build you a custom, Nick? If so....DO IT! These guys can build a new guitar quicker than fixing an old one! Sort of.

 

 

BluesKing777.

[j45nick]

So can Ross Teigen build you a custom, Nick? If so....DO IT! These guys can build a new guitar quicker than fixing an old one! Sort of.

BluesKing777.

 

He builds guitars, but they're too quirky for me. I'm more of a traditionalist. He has his own designs that just aren't to my taste.

 

I have a thing for traditional design, even when they aren't vintage builds. Except for things like my carbon fiber boat/travel guitar, or course.

 

With these in-demand guys, it's not like taking your car to the dealer for an oil change or a set of tires. You give it to them with your wish list, they come back with a bigger list or a re-prioritized list, and you hope you get the guitar back before you die.

[BluesKing777]

He builds guitars, but they're too quirky for me. I'm more of a traditionalist. He has his own designs that just aren't to my taste.

 

I have a thing for traditional design, even when they aren't vintage builds. Except for things like my carbon fiber boat/travel guitar, or course.

 

With these in-demand guys, it's not like taking your car to the dealer for an oil change or a set of tires. You give it to them with your wish list, they come back with a bigger list or a re-prioritized list, and you hope you get the guitar back before you die.

 

 

Keep it up, great stuff!

 

And makes me appreciate my situation even more.....and tomorrow I will post a ‘before’ photo of my old L-0 fretboard.

 

My mechanic for my 30 year old coupe is the same ilk as my luthier.....high quality, quirky, works mainly alone unless inundated, doesn’t answer the phone or call you...etc, but only ne trusted with my car. And his friend, Col, with the traytruck is a joy among traytruck drivers!

 

 

BluesKing777.

[aliasphobias]

I found that video you're talking about and watched it, and just about got physically ill. I don't know what all was going on--without seeing the guitar first hand you can never know with certainty--but if there was no visible evidence of that rim crack before the neck was removed, it suggests some sort of accident at some point. There's no way that big rim crack would not have shown both inside and outside the guitar. It suggests to me faulty technique in removing the neck, but in fairness, the lower part of the neck seemed to already be loose in an earlier video on this guitar.

 

Seeing two repair techs in a row who are big on videos but maybe lacking in some key skills sort of freaked me out.

 

I don't know anything about the history of that doubler inside on the rim next to the neck block, so perhaps someone could explain it more thoroughly. Anyone have any pictures of the arrangement you are talking about? I'm not familiar with it. I did see the image of it on the video, but am trying to get a better understanding of why it was there in that period in the first place.

 

 

The pickup system that Gibson used late '80s and early '90s was the S.O.R.S. with volume and tone control by the neck block. The "doubler" was simply insurance against splitting in that area. From what I have seen some of them had it some did not. My '87 J30 SORS did not. Whether is was arbitrary or intended to be arbitrary I haven't a clue. It's a good idea IMO. Similar to what modern builders do with their sound ports, a small "cleat" with the grain 90 degrees to the rim wood or even bias tape.

[aliasphobias]

Those videos scare me.

My luthier always sends me pictures when working on my guitars.

Here's a couple from the banner J45 when he reset the neck and made a new bridge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clean looking work Dave! Do you know what the hose is on Jamons saddle routing jig? Is it vacuum mounted? Or air going the other way to rid the area of dust?

[j45nick]

The pickup system that Gibson used late '80s and early '90s was the S.O.R.S. with volume and tone control by the neck block. The "doubler" was simply insurance against splitting in that area. From what I have seen some of them had it some did not. My '87 J30 SORS did not. Whether is was arbitrary or intended to be arbitrary I haven't a clue. It's a good idea IMO. Similar to what modern builders do with their sound ports, a small "cleat" with the grain 90 degrees to the rim wood or even bias tape.

 

 

Thanks for that clarification. I found some pictures of the arrangement. It looks awkward, but it would explain the cleat.