@The Vaudevillian - I checked out your channel, and I love your work! Hopefully you can get back on the road soon. If you ever find your way to Salt Lake City, contact me and we'll find some places for you to play. Keep spreading the jitterbug love!
At the risk of making you feel uncomfortable, you're my hero. It's been building for awhile. You capability, ability to innovate, clear explanations, assessment of value of instruments and work required, risk, historical knowledge, tool deftness etc.etc. But your call to support of local techs, well, that did it. Cheers
@I have such sights to show you I too live in the great white north, even more north, and there is a community of artisans practicing the old skills and arts. If you do not patronize them they go broke or leave. It really is important to support your community.
@I have such sights to show you he didn't say local economy, he said local scene. As in music scene. Local bands, artists, luthiers, repair guys and brick and mortar music retail.
@Ihave such sights to show you. Nice troll, but Ted said “scene” as in the local music micro-economy. And he is right on. If you (and lots of others) don’t support it trust me you *won’t* have one. Ours was vibrant in the 70s-80s. Bands made a full-time living and could play 5-6 nights a week 52 weeks/yr in a drivable radius if they wanted to, and in a wide variety of genres. No more. Today you’ll be lucky to find a couple of weekend warriors doing bad covers, probably playing for tips.
@@thesohnly Check out Rosa String Works. ua-cam.com/channels/29Dkc6-RMU8TCrloPN0Cbw.html No cuts to Twoodfrd intended. Twoodfrd is great, I'm subscribing.
I have been a guitar tech for over 16 years. I have watched a lot of video's of people working on instruments. Some good, some bad, some really good. You are at the top of your trade. You my friend have skills. Love your video's. Keep up the great work. Gary
Masterful as always. You really do have the bridge “fill and re-slot” thing down to a science. Trust me folks it is nowhere near as easy as Ted makes it look. That was a great video/repair. I bet the owner was thrilled - I would have been.
It's so weird to hear my family name (Hensel) so often in your videos. I'll have to look into "Arthur Hensel", thanks for mentioning his name. A lot of my older family were carpenters and woodworkers, but they were German speakers from Czechaslovakia. Fantastic work as always, your videos are really informative.
My compliments to you. Someone below said "the best Lut' on you tube" and talked about editing etc. I'm a 3rd generation maker / repairman 76 yrs old. My dad started training my to make violins when I was eight. I am thoroughly impressed with you and your instrument work. You always analyze the instrument, accurately determine what can or should be done to the instrument and explain clearly what you think, seek to do work that will enhance the instrument (or at a minimum stabilize it for the owner) consider the cost and and take into account what it will mean the the person who will be using it or being the caretaker of it for some future owner. After that has been done you apply your wonderful skill and very evident gift of commonsense to everything you do. I applaud you. Thank you for letting us watch you. Ralph in Appleton, WI USA
Ralph, one of the best comments I've ever read thanks for taking the time to write this out. Your points would make a fine poster in any craftsman's shop.
Some luthiers can play and others cannot. By your carefulness and analysis of what to do, practicality, I had a feeling you could really pick and you can. Really enjoyable video and practical. You made it sound great after the surgery.
As my wife loves watching an expert in knitting… I can comfortably watch you doing the repair on these guitars and learn a lot about the maintaining and doing little fixes on my own guitars. Super!😊
Your analysis is so helpful. Doing minor fixes on my own guitars and pretty far along in my first acoustic build, and I can occasionally put your teaching directly to use.
I am not being negative. I like what you said about the local economy.. but, the people from other countries are paying you a great compliment. You are a master at what you do and you inspire confidence in you. I love your videos. Thank you.
Sounds great. I enjoy how pragmatic you are when approaching modifications. Vintage & original doesn't always mean it's better. Case in point, vintage amps without fuses
I am very glad that I found this video. I have the neck off an old Alvarez and it was held on with dowels. I really dont like the dowels and was thinking about using these very inserts but was not sure if they would hold, evidently they do or you would not be using them.Thank you.
Hi, I paid £10 (around $12) for a Clifton Classical style guitar. and find I need to do a similar job as you have. The frets were uneven so I replaced those and trimmed the bridge and raised the neck height repositioned the bride bone and have ended up with a nicely intoned guitar but some fret rattle around the 9th to 14th fret. I chickened out at a neck removal but having watched this I think it is within my ability and tools I have to hand. So thank you for this great video. BTW I am a retired agricultural engineer and a classical guitar player. Cheers Andy
First time viewer here and I am blown away at your precision and masterful skill level. Not sure I'm ready to reset an acoustic guitar neck but the measuring tips and knowledge gained from this video are so helpful 👌
I would have no qualms taking any of my instruments to you for ANY work!! Love your videos with the narrations. Following your train of thought is intriguing!
I've had an Alverez AP70 for awhile. It's the one that is out and in reach when I'm home and the one I travel with. The action has always been a little high so its a bit uncomfortable to play. I just thought I'd have to live with it that way forever. I used the technique you showed of placing a straight edge on the fret board and determined that the neck didn't need a reset. I decided to try sanding to lower the bridge, as I've seen you do in other of your videos. I was able to get the action down to a very comfortable height. The guitar is now a joy to play. Thank you! - Bob C
I was taught to use a tightly fitted dovetail, a bolt, and glue only under the fingerboard extension. Great tone and ease of reset. It was fun to watch the Kung-Fu method. Thanks!
I am not sure what part of the video I enjoyed the most ...you playing or the fix . Cheers to you and family . This likely the best learning tool you will have , without spending thousands on a luthier course . No wonder Americans inquire to you. Trust me , there are very few of your caliber
Putting the 90 degree angle wire between the string and saddle to find the sweet spot is going to help with making the next saddle for my customized Vantage VIS 2-G! Since I didn't get the intonation exactly perfect when I finished customising it about 2 months ago and have been pondering (and enjoying the enhanced sound and string height, down from 12mm at the 12th) how to resaddle. Thanks!
Very nice repair job. The tip for setting the intonation using a bent b-string on the flat top of the saddle is priceless. Regarding the distance from the bottom of the strings to the face of the guitar - It is important to remember that many guitarists play with a "thumb pick," and if that isn't enough space, it's going to be hitting the guitar when playing. My Lowden has a 12 mm space, and that works well. I have another guitar that has a 9.5 mm space, and that is not big enough. I have to shorten the tongue on my thumb pick, and try to play over the sound hole to avoid bashing it into the guitar top. Loved the playing on the Hensel at the end of the video. The guitar just went up in value considerably.
Oh and apparently I will be moving to Canada as I have a few instruments in need of repair! ...hehe. There are many of us that feel that it might just be justified!! ----- Just paying you compliments. Your work is impeccable. The other thing for me would be to see my guitar played with proper skillz! Thank you for your efforts!
This is the first time I have ever been the first person to view a UA-cam video! Keep up the good work. If I played guitar and it broke I'd send it to you.
you are such a good luthier and guitarist. Really enjoy watching your work & lightening to you play them at the end. wish you were local so i could send you some work
I wish I could give you a double like for this video. The video itself was excellent as always, but you earned a like just for your encouraging people to support their local economy. It's just sad that you have to spell it out again. Thanks again!
"It’s not like karate, where they grunt and yip and, and where they miss, and chop the table in two with their hand. Kung fu is simplicity." -Bruce Lee
They all could easily call another luthier on UA-cam that's in the US. Jerry seems to do pretty dang good work and I'd have no problem sending him anything I own, even though he doesn't mess with electrics much. He does have an apprentice working for him now that does do electrics. So that's good.
I like these guitars. Not all music is best played on a Martin. Here in England we didn't have any cheap guitars that were even close to playable, let alone nice sounding when I was getting interested, (1960s). Plywood things that were a bit guitar-looking was as good as it got. Job well done, sir.
You could put some glue on the heel surface too, but it's all endgrain and it doesn't make a very strong bond. Repair people like the headache-free disassembly.
Its understandable that guys want you to fix their guitars. You have built trust here. If y'all need a great luthier in southwestern Pennsylvania, I know a guy that will comfort you as much as this guy...
Great job on the Kung Fu neck reset and bridge saddle placement. I noted you also plant a few fingers on the soundboard whilst picking. I often do the same.An important feature is the wedge under the fingerboard after neck reset. gluing surface restored.My first guitar I built in reform school was a bolt on neck as well
Great job Ted! I can't wait to get my hands on it and play it. Appreciate the shout out!
-Jitterbug James
@The Vaudevillian - I checked out your channel, and I love your work! Hopefully you can get back on the road soon. If you ever find your way to Salt Lake City, contact me and we'll find some places for you to play. Keep spreading the jitterbug love!
At the risk of making you feel uncomfortable, you're my hero. It's been building for awhile. You capability, ability to innovate, clear explanations, assessment of value of instruments and work required, risk, historical knowledge, tool deftness etc.etc. But your call to support of local techs, well, that did it. Cheers
Indeed, l’m a big fan of this guy too; he’s a smart cookie, and a good egg! 😁👍
Tom’s videos are the highlight of my day.
“That Hensel so hot right now” - Mugatu
Especially when he kills the prime minister of Malaysia
That cracked me up! Thanks for the laugh
I FEEL LIKE I'M TAKING CRAZY PILLS!!!!
This is easily the best English speaking luthier channel on UA-cam. Thank you for your Kung fu skills.
"Oh, I just improved the tone" Lmao
These videos are my "happy place".
SERENITY NOW!!
Ha mine too
Great advice on supporting your local luthier. Never realized you were in the great white north until now.
@I have such sights to show you I too live in the great white north, even more north, and there is a community of artisans practicing the old skills and arts. If you do not patronize them they go broke or leave. It really is important to support your community.
He said "support your local scene or it will die". And that's the truth. Doesn't mean that every village needs a luthier.
@I have such sights to show you he didn't say local economy, he said local scene. As in music scene. Local bands, artists, luthiers, repair guys and brick and mortar music retail.
@Ihave such sights to show you. Nice troll, but Ted said “scene” as in the local music micro-economy. And he is right on. If you (and lots of others) don’t support it trust me you *won’t* have one. Ours was vibrant in the 70s-80s. Bands made a full-time living and could play 5-6 nights a week 52 weeks/yr in a drivable radius if they wanted to, and in a wide variety of genres. No more. Today you’ll be lucky to find a couple of weekend warriors doing bad covers, probably playing for tips.
@@thephotoyak what''s wrong with supporting local economy ? do you want to live in the permanent welfare state
Oohh the sound of the end worksmanship is mesmerizing
Another cracking job done. And lovely playing at the end. Sounds great.
I see what you did there...
Best luthier on UA-cam. Love your work.
What other luthiers (on youtube or not) are so adept at lutherie, random references, videography, and video editing?
@@thesohnly Check out Rosa String Works. ua-cam.com/channels/29Dkc6-RMU8TCrloPN0Cbw.html
No cuts to Twoodfrd intended. Twoodfrd is great, I'm subscribing.
That string trick to get the intonation is such an eye opener! Thanks!
"if you don't help out your local scene, it's gonna die.", could you tell everyone this?
Made in China.
I have been a guitar tech for over 16 years. I have watched a lot of video's of people working on instruments. Some good, some bad, some really good. You are at the top of your trade. You my friend have skills. Love your video's. Keep up the great work.
Gary
That b string hack for intonation is great. Thanks for that.
Masterful as always. You really do have the bridge “fill and re-slot” thing down to a science. Trust me folks it is nowhere near as easy as Ted makes it look. That was a great video/repair. I bet the owner was thrilled - I would have been.
@The Shape :
So, try it and find out.
It's so weird to hear my family name (Hensel) so often in your videos. I'll have to look into "Arthur Hensel", thanks for mentioning his name. A lot of my older family were carpenters and woodworkers, but they were German speakers from Czechaslovakia.
Fantastic work as always, your videos are really informative.
My compliments to you. Someone below said "the best Lut' on you tube" and talked about editing etc. I'm a 3rd generation maker / repairman 76 yrs old. My dad started training my to make violins when I was eight. I am thoroughly impressed with you and your instrument work. You always analyze the instrument, accurately determine what can or should be done to the instrument and explain clearly what you think, seek to do work that will enhance the instrument (or at a minimum stabilize it for the owner) consider the cost and and take into account what it will mean the the person who will be using it or being the caretaker of it for some future owner. After that has been done you apply your wonderful skill and very evident gift of commonsense to everything you do. I applaud you. Thank you for letting us watch you. Ralph in Appleton, WI USA
Ralph, one of the best comments I've ever read thanks for taking the time to write this out.
Your points would make a fine poster in any craftsman's shop.
Some luthiers can play and others cannot. By your carefulness and analysis of what to do, practicality, I had a feeling you could really pick and you can. Really enjoyable video and practical. You made it sound great after the surgery.
As my wife loves watching an expert in knitting… I can comfortably watch you doing the repair on these guitars and learn a lot about the maintaining and doing little fixes on my own guitars. Super!😊
I should have posted this some time ago, but the best part of this video was call out to The Vaudevillian. Kudos. Great referral!
Your analysis is so helpful. Doing minor fixes on my own guitars and pretty far along in my first acoustic build, and I can occasionally put your teaching directly to use.
I am not being negative. I like what you said about the local economy.. but, the people from other countries are paying you a great compliment. You are a master at what you do and you inspire confidence in you. I love your videos. Thank you.
Sounds great. I enjoy how pragmatic you are when approaching modifications. Vintage & original doesn't always mean it's better. Case in point, vintage amps without fuses
I am very glad that I found this video. I have the neck off an old Alvarez and it was held on with dowels. I really dont like the dowels and was thinking about using these very inserts but was not sure if they would hold, evidently they do or you would not be using them.Thank you.
Hi, I paid £10 (around $12) for a Clifton Classical style guitar. and find I need to do a similar job as you have. The frets were uneven so I replaced those and trimmed the bridge and raised the neck height repositioned the bride bone and have ended up with a nicely intoned guitar but some fret rattle around the 9th to 14th fret. I chickened out at a neck removal but having watched this I think it is within my ability and tools I have to hand.
So thank you for this great video.
BTW I am a retired agricultural engineer and a classical guitar player. Cheers Andy
Loved your PSA about people asking to send you work.
Thanks for the advice, kindly way of explaining your methods and reasons.
You must have the patience of a saint.
Really.
And a love of the practice.
First time viewer here and I am blown away at your precision and masterful skill level. Not sure I'm ready to reset an acoustic guitar neck but the measuring tips and knowledge gained from this video are so helpful 👌
I learn so much from your videos. Thank you!
I would have no qualms taking any of my instruments to you for ANY work!! Love your videos with the narrations. Following your train of thought is intriguing!
Kung Fu neck reset. 😂
Nice work brother.
Love these videos ... so relaxing to watch. Thanks!
Really worth it to get that lovely sweet and distinctive tone.
Dang. Another great video. Highlighted by how great that thing sounded at the end. Beautiful!
I've had an Alverez AP70 for awhile. It's the one that is out and in reach when I'm home and the one I travel with. The action has always been a little high so its a bit uncomfortable to play. I just thought I'd have to live with it that way forever. I used the technique you showed of placing a straight edge on the fret board and determined that the neck didn't need a reset. I decided to try sanding to lower the bridge, as I've seen you do in other of your videos. I was able to get the action down to a very comfortable height. The guitar is now a joy to play. Thank you! - Bob C
I was taught to use a tightly fitted dovetail, a bolt, and glue only under the fingerboard extension. Great tone and ease of reset. It was fun to watch the Kung-Fu method. Thanks!
Learned a few nifty tricks! Love the way you found the intonation points. Gonna remember that one, for sure. Thanks!
Thanks for the great fingerpicking at the end Ted! You are no slouch guitarist.
Support your local economy! Loved that.
And loved the whole show, as always.
Thank you for supporting local businesses oh, and I totally enjoy your videos!
I am not sure what part of the video I enjoyed the most ...you playing or the fix .
Cheers to you and family . This likely the best learning tool you will have , without spending thousands on a luthier course . No wonder Americans inquire to you.
Trust me , there are very few of your caliber
These are the best neck reset videos on UA-cam. I learn something new every time. Thanks For Posting!
Putting the 90 degree angle wire between the string and saddle to find the sweet spot is going to help with making the next saddle for my customized Vantage VIS 2-G! Since I didn't get the intonation exactly perfect when I finished customising it about 2 months ago and have been pondering (and enjoying the enhanced sound and string height, down from 12mm at the 12th) how to resaddle.
Thanks!
As always, a pleasure to tag along with you on the repair.
The other videos were leaving me with the question, "...the fuck is Hensel?" Now I know!
Yay! Another neck! I got my Ginger Ale and a cookie. Life is good. Hope you and yours are well Ted. Best Regards!
It's such a joy to watch your videos. I'm learning so much about your craft. The playing at the end was the cherry on top!
Very nice repair job. The tip for setting the intonation using a bent b-string on the flat top of the saddle is priceless. Regarding the distance from the bottom of the strings to the face of the guitar - It is important to remember that many guitarists play with a "thumb pick," and if that isn't enough space, it's going to be hitting the guitar when playing. My Lowden has a 12 mm space, and that works well. I have another guitar that has a 9.5 mm space, and that is not big enough. I have to shorten the tongue on my thumb pick, and try to play over the sound hole to avoid bashing it into the guitar top. Loved the playing on the Hensel at the end of the video. The guitar just went up in value considerably.
"The guitar just went up in value considerably."
Yes, it was previously a piece of wood. Now, it's a guitar. 😃
Well done - I'll have to use this method on my guitar in a couple of years. Thanks!
Very informative, thankyou 'n' keep it up, Don from Hamilton NZ on my Wife's I/ Pad, take care now
On this one i can't decide if I like more the playing or the repair. Great job for both.
That song at the end, you're a great guitar player! More good episodes. Keep em coming
Sounds sweet, fine job
Oh and apparently I will be moving to Canada as I have a few instruments in need of repair! ...hehe. There are many of us that feel that it might just be justified!! ----- Just paying you compliments. Your work is impeccable. The other thing for me would be to see my guitar played with proper skillz! Thank you for your efforts!
Beautifully done
A real nice job and that tone is to die for.I hope he gets a good gig to pay for it...............
This man is a true master of his craft.
This is the first time I have ever been the first person to view a UA-cam video! Keep up the good work. If I played guitar and it broke I'd send it to you.
Only if you are local to him :)
JD Default 😊
OMG !!
That thing plays like the best guitar ever and so in tune !!
Tod ! You are the best !!
Thanks for this video gem !
Learned a lot from you !
Great job. It is such a pleasure to watch you do your magic. Thanks !
Great work on the Hensel! It sounds good. I'm sure it plays easily too.
Thanks for the link to The Vaudvillian. That is some fun stuff, right there.
cheers!
Great stuff! Watching your videos is like going to luthier school! Thanks for sharing!
I enjoy your playing out at the end of your videos. Again a great job.
Thanks, nice lil rag at the end, sounds a bit like a tune on one of the last Norman Blake album
Lovely job and it sounds great too
I love those headstocks great video , need to do some similar things to my guitar
Thank you Sir. Going to give that a try soon.
You play great, the guitar sound ideal too.
Marvellous!
Great repair. You can't even tell its been touched
I emailed you about this recently. This is the perfect response.
This is one of my favorites
you are such a good luthier and guitarist. Really enjoy watching your work & lightening to you play them at the end. wish you were local so i could send you some work
I wish I could give you a double like for this video. The video itself was excellent as always, but you earned a like just for your encouraging people to support their local economy. It's just sad that you have to spell it out again. Thanks again!
After watching hours of vids of guys carefully using steam to work the neck out, I was super surprised to see you bust out the Japanese saw 🤯
Another great job, and playing.
Impressive. Thank you for these videos.
Excellent as always
Beautiful job.
"It’s not like karate, where they grunt and yip and, and where they miss, and chop the table in two with their hand. Kung fu is simplicity." -Bruce Lee
Too bad Dr. Demento's not still around, the Vaudvillian would go far there. Thanks very much for the tips and thumbs up to crush a troll.
They all could easily call another luthier on UA-cam that's in the US. Jerry seems to do pretty dang good work and I'd have no problem sending him anything I own, even though he doesn't mess with electrics much.
He does have an apprentice working for him now that does do electrics. So that's good.
And that is why he is called...The Hensel Whisperer!
Another brilliant job Ted. But who are the fuds that give your videos the thumbs down...
Great video and a beautiful sounding guitar with a really individual voice.
I like these guitars. Not all music is best played on a Martin. Here in England we didn't have any cheap guitars that were even close to playable, let alone nice sounding when I was getting interested, (1960s). Plywood things that were a bit guitar-looking was as good as it got. Job well done, sir.
Sounds lovely
Nice work. What a great sounding little guitar.
You do such excellent work...no wonder everybody around the world wants to send you their guitars:)
that sharp file onthe saddle was satisfying. So you only end up gluing the fingerboard on the top and the neck just gets bolted on.
You could put some glue on the heel surface too, but it's all endgrain and it doesn't make a very strong bond. Repair people like the headache-free disassembly.
Its understandable that guys want you to fix their guitars. You have built trust here. If y'all need a great luthier in southwestern Pennsylvania, I know a guy that will comfort you as much as this guy...
Very sweet sound mate.
Very nice work as always!!
Finally, a proper stringing tutorial!
Great job. precision.
Hear hear, support your local luthier!
Marvelous job, dude.
Great job on the Kung Fu neck reset and bridge saddle placement. I noted you also plant a few fingers on the soundboard whilst picking. I often do the same.An important feature is the wedge under the fingerboard after neck reset. gluing surface restored.My first guitar I built in reform school was a bolt on neck as well