The Hub

The latest builds, repairs, and conversations from across Looth. Activity
Filters AND Search Tuning× Reset all
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Repair

repair suggestions for top cracks

This is a no name classical with fan bracing. The owner , an orthopedic surgeon , had a friend buy this for him years ago in europe. His daughter had it for a few years and the cracks showed up. I had repaired some of the other top cracks with TJ Thompsons cauls and cleats. These two cracks I wonder about. Both are cupped upwards slightly. I have pictures of the cracks and pictures with a clear overlay showing the bracing below. I really…

5 replies
5 replies
LikeShare
Private member
Thanks Ian. I have seen the Doug and Dan video with TJ Thompson but could not find any others. I was thinking of splining the wider crack but it is cupped up. How would you handle that? Also looking i…
Private member DiscussionDiscussions

Sterling Maj200xsm - Tunning issues

Hi guys, it's my first post here. First of all, english is not my first language, so I'm sorry for any mistake or its a bit rough. Recently I have a Sterling Maj200xsm from a costumer that has tunning issues with the tremolo. Any of you has experience with this model? I made a full set up and I checked the nut, saddles, springs, and dont found the trouble. Sometimes there are no issues at all, then the 2º and 3º string goes higher, then…

4 replies
4 replies
LikeShare
Private member
Hi guys, I finally managed to sort the problem out. Seens like was a simple issue that I cant see in that moment. I took the whole bridge apart and did a complete setup from scratch. I read somewhere…
Private member DiscussionDiscussions

Guitar Bouzouki full build

Some of you might enjoy this - a full recent guitar bouzouki build. It's about 35 mins long. Plenty of woodworking tips in there for the eagle eyed. Give it a watch, the tunes are great. Nigel

1 reply
1 reply
LikeShare
Private member
That was AWESOME!!! I've always wanted to build a cylindrical top guitar. I had envisioned it exactly how you executed it! I did have some emails with Johann Brentrup before his passing as he had descri…
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Builds

Neck block for adjustable neck -thoughts on design

I've built a number of classical guitars with an adjustable neck and they seem to gather quite a bit of interest, so i'm currently in the process of looking to refine the design and build. It's quite a simple construction where the neck is held together by string tension and hangs on a pivot. I developed a 3d printed "socket" which acts as the interface between the body and the guitar and allows for some fine tuning of the alignment of t…

3 replies
3 replies
LikeShare
Private member
Not really answering your question but I've done a version of the Smallman/Gore joint (I think it's really just Smallman but whatever) on all my guitars (nylon/steel/gypsy). I'm not particularly conc…
Private member DiscussionGeneral

Tremolo issues. Not returning to "zero"

Hey guys. I guess this is an old topic, everyone talks about it but I haven't been able to find a definitive solution for this. Here's the deal: I'm working on a PRS Silversky that has this old problem that when you use the trem bar, one string (G in this case) goes sharp. I made a few adjustments to the nut as we all know that's the first thing to look at...no good. This guitar is new so I'm pretty much ruling out the bridge and posts si…

1 reply
1 reply
LikeShare
Ian Davlin
There's the old tremsetter. I haven't seen anyone extolling their virtues any more, but here is the link to the device. https://www.stewmac.com/parts-and-hardware/all-hardware-and-parts-by-instrument/…
Private member DiscussionElectric Repair

Bass Neck Stiffness, Can't Get Enough Relief

Hello, I hope everyone is having a great 4th of July weekend so far. I was recently asked by a friend to work on a cheap S101 bass someone had given to him. It had no electronics and it was severally back bowed. After finishing up the electronics, I did the set up. He wanted the guitar tuned low, to Drop C. So, I went out and bought some Ernie Ball Power Slinkies 55-110. Once I got to the nut depth check, it was clear there were large, g…

5 replies
5 replies
LikeShare
Private member
9m✎🗑 A standard heat treatment, with the neck clamped in an upbow, should help. I have been using an Aria neck heat bar for 50 years with more successes than failures. You can find the Aria on eBay for…
Private member DiscussionFolk, Bluegrass, Irish, Old Time Instruments

Full mandolin batch build video on YouTube

Just posted a full build video for the last mandolin batch over on YouTube. Give it a watch folks, its 25 mins long. And there should be a few woodworking tips there for some of you, and some lovely tunes all played on my work.

LikeShare
Private member DiscussionNeck Reset Database

Washburn Neck Reset

I am working on a neck reset on a Washburn Parlor - SN 283552. I have read that the 28 in the SN indicates that is was built in 1928, but the owner thinks based on her research that it was built before 1920. I am assuming a dovetail joint and that I can get into the neck joint for steaming by drilling into the 13th fret slot, but if anyone knows differently please let me know. The fingerboard extension has already separated slightly…

8 replies
8 replies
LikeShare
Ian Davlin
Love the truss rod let in to the top!
Private member DiscussionDesign and Testing

AI hallucinations-Claude fessing up

I am working on an article to post here on the Looth Group regarding the history, and problems, with scale temperament. In the process, I asked Claude about a particular point, and Claude gave me a quote that perfectly encapsulated the concept I was exploring. I asked Claude to provide the specific citation for the quote. Claude fessed up to outright misrepresentation. Probably nothing new here, but I thought it was worth sharing.…

1 reply
1 reply
LikeShare
Private member
There's a really cool book, not specifically about intonation but dives deeply into it, called Harmonic Experience by W.A Mathieu. Highly recommended. Cheapish used.
Private member DiscussionElectric Repair

Schecter Banshee Mach 6 Intonation at the second fret

I have a customer with a guitar that has an intonation issue. It plays flat at the first and second fret on the D and G string. The factory spec says its a 25.5 scale but I measure from the nut to the 12th fret 12 5/8. I plugged the number for a 25.25 scale into the Stew Mac fret board calculator and the measurement is off from the nut to the first fret. Unfortunately I now longer have the guitar in my possession so I cant tell you exac…

5 replies
5 replies
LikeShare
Ian Davlin
Any way for you to get the instrument back for those measurements? One thing about the compensated nut, is it suggests some factory tinkering with intonation more broadly. It's not uncommon for intona…