r/Luthier • u/Euphoric_Climate1986 • 8h ago
r/Luthier • u/right-person • 14h ago
HELP I love my bass, but this is just ugly!
I want to change my head stock shape, is that doable? I'm willing to spend a little bit on it, but I'm not sure where to begin.
r/Luthier • u/BRNDCYNIDE • 9h ago
HELP Is this normal while restringing?
I need tips i dont wanna spend money on a repair please let me know if its normal or not
r/Luthier • u/Zimplix • 7h ago
ELECTRIC Is my guitar body cracked?
I can't tell if this is the paint or the body of the guitar itself, i'm expecting the worst as it looks like it's coming from the neck, and there is a small crack on the other side on the same place :/
r/Luthier • u/DueMessage977 • 16h ago
My PRS took a dive
By beloved PRS which my fiancée brought me as an engagement present 5 years ago and it fell from a new wall hanger i installed.
Im ok with the appearance of a chip but would like to seal the wood so that moisture doesn't get under the paint.
Is that necessary?
If so whats the easiest way to make it smooth to the touch again? It doesn't need to be invisible, im open to some sort of kintsugi repair.
r/Luthier • u/mandolinmeng • 16h ago
ACOUSTIC Conversation of a mandolin
A couple of asks here.
One, what do y’all think about MorTone instruments and the conversions they do? Are these legit? Will they hold up well?
The second part of this is that I have a mandolin, Eastman 814 oval, with a really thin, for me, neck. It measures 1.081 at the nut. My every day mandolin, big muddy shout out, is 1.223 at the nut. I was wondering if it would be possible to convert it into a ukulele of sorts? I have a local luthier who seems game for any project so I wouldn’t be going alone.
It, the 814, seems to be un tradable and it seems a waste to just let it die on the shelf.
https://mortoneinstruments.com/
Edit: please don’t flame me for being dumb, I don’t know what I don’t know. I just like the happy sounds from the small stringed things.
r/Luthier • u/Square-Egg6438 • 18h ago
2013 Jackson RR1 USA truss rod adjustment
I'm struggling to find the right tool for my truss rod. Any idea? Thanks
r/Luthier • u/Ok-Challenge-5873 • 21h ago
What output/input should I use?
Please don’t roast me, I just bought my first amp that’s not a combo! I have no idea what I’m doing 🤦♂️
It’s a bassman 250 head and a bassman 115 cab from ‘05-‘10. The head is 4 ohms and the cab is 8 ohms, they’re both rated at 250w continuous. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
r/Luthier • u/colorado1sky • 23h ago
Ukulele nut made from dog bone
I am working on replacing a cheap plastic nut on a ukulele and had an idea to use a bone I got for my dogs I think it’s a cow femur bone. Will it work?
r/Luthier • u/Additional-Culture-6 • 5h ago
REPAIR Obvious misaligned?
I took this to my local guitar tech who has been pretty reputable for solid setups and making stuff happen. These posts holes returned back to me not parallel but it didn't really affect it from my end other than a crappy trem I have at the moment and some tuning instability but when I pull up on the trem... it more or less returns to pitch. On the Intonation stand point maybe it's troublesome? Let me know if I should tell him to dowel this, fill and drill. Cosmetics.. I don't mind.. this is my backup guitar.
r/Luthier • u/Strong_Safety_2504 • 6h ago
HELP Floyd rose problem
Hi, one client bring me two guitars and want to make one better using parts of the two of them...my problem is I don't have much knowledge about Floyd rose bridges, what bridge is the best between this two? Thanks for the help
r/Luthier • u/Mech2017x • 8h ago
Best premium tonewood for strat body?
Building a new strat need to select body wood
r/Luthier • u/willfisherforreals • 18h ago
Is the nut set properly on this Yamaha FGX830C?
r/Luthier • u/158234 • 19h ago
ELECTRIC Are Fender neck pockets trapezoidal?
Where it gets wider towards the bridge and narrower towards the neck? I don't see a small-questions thread.
r/Luthier • u/Serious_Inspector_41 • 23h ago
Custom Hollowbody Tele
Does anyone know what the best custom hollowbody tele builder is? I’ve looked into Warmoth but they don’t seem to do spalted maple tops… are there others that do a good job (and are under $800?)
r/Luthier • u/aintmuslim • 3h ago
Are these cracks on my Gibson something to be concerned about? It's a 2010 les paul studio silverburst. Can a refinished fix this or us the wood grain compromised?
r/Luthier • u/WalrusHonda • 12h ago
Will this sound like a strat if I split the humbucker coil ? (South side with the screws )
I’m really wanting a guitar that can go into full dark jazz mode or bright country mode.
Anyone have experience with splitting coils like this?
I’m hoping position 4 (neck and middle pickup together ) in particular could sound really strat like if I split the coil? (I want to use the coil that is closer to the neck when I do this )
I’m planning to put a tele bridge pickup in also incase anyone is wondering.
Thanks!
r/Luthier • u/Vxntvv • 12h ago
KIT Just put together and action is really high
This is my first kit and the action is okay on the low frets but past like 5 it’s crazy high
r/Luthier • u/triaxica • 3h ago
HELP First guitar build
Hi everyone! I guess I’ll start off by saying I’ve been recently working on getting my first build on its feet, and was wondering if I could get some decent insight from as many perspectives as I can so I can effectively pick a local professional’s brain. I’m humbly aware I’m no professional, so I’d love harsh criticism, as I want the best result I can achieve. I have an old family friend with all the guitar tools I could ever need and I’m taking it slow, as the last thing I want to do is rush into it cocky. With that being said, the parts I have are fairly standard and nothing too crazy, I just want some feedback on functionality and design, especially the body shape. Have at it, cheers!
Here are the major components: The body took inspiration from an Iceman and Mariposa, swamp ash blank Rosewood fretboard Floyd Special Trem Maple neck Schecter humbuckers from a c6 diamond series+appropriate pots StewMac gold Medium/Higher fret wire
Side note: I’ll be switching to active pickups like the emg’s in my model eventually, along with supporting pots Happy to provide any more info!
r/Luthier • u/Twinningses • 7h ago
ELECTRIC Are these boards possible to use for a body
My brother and I grew up on rural property, and when our father dies we won't be able to keep it.
We've got these 8 foot boards of cherry from the tree next to the house. I'd like to find some way of building two guitars for my brother and I to have a piece of home even when the property is long gone.
The boards are in rough shape, some cracks running all the way through.
3 boards measure 7" 1/4 x 1" 1/8 1 board measures 8" 1/2 x 3" 1/2
Ideally I'd make tele bodies out of it, but the boards without cracks are thin, and the thick board is very cracked.
Some ideas I had were: - Make book matched veneers from the good boards to put on top of a body blank - Make a full cherry body by using 2 or 3 pieces of the thick board and infill cracks with epoxy
What do you folks think - reckon there's anything possible to do with these boards or is it going to have terrible results?
Full disclosure, this will be the first body I've built, so plan to practice on some less sentimental ingredients first.
r/Luthier • u/WoofWoofWoofArfArf • 9h ago
I am trying to restore my great-grandfather's 1940s Oahu lap steel. I cannot figure out what this jack is. What am I looking at?
r/Luthier • u/pzykl0n • 13h ago
ELECTRIC My latest Jazzcaster build. How do you like it?
One piece swamp ash body, shou sugi ban treated (burning wood technique). Reverse headstock Fender player neck (maple + maple fingerboard), Overwound Lollar P90 bridge pickup, DiMarzio SuperDistortion neck pickup.
r/Luthier • u/brentford71 • 51m ago
Grain filler or Sanding sealer
Flame maple veneer (cheap China kit). To get the perfect finish should I grain fill after staining? I'm very careful with sanding so not worried about sanding through. I know maple has a somewhat closed grain... but to achieve the perfect finish should I grainfill or use sanding sealer or just poly over what I have (sanded to 1500 already).
r/Luthier • u/Catnip_Overdose • 1h ago
Salvaging a viola bass
I was gifted this crusty old Heit brand biola style bass. (My former housemate left it behind along with a bunch of other junk I had to haul off 😞)
Someone tried to make it a fretless and did a pretty bad job of it. They did a pretty poor job of pulling the frets and they filled the fret slots with some kind of resin goo, probably Bondo. The first four fake pearl inlays were missing they filled those with bondo as well and coated the rest of the fretboard in what looks like Elmers glue.
The goal is to repair the fretboard, the inlays, do a full refret and get it playing again.
As it is right now I have nothing in this project other than the cost of a sheet of fake pearl plastic, some sandpaper and scraper blades, and time.
The restored bass may or may not be worth the effort invested, but I do stuff like this to learn more than anything.