Good, thank you. Thanks for been such a professional. Whoever questions your work have not reached your level of professionalism, integrity and trust you have reached. My respects.
There is NOTHING wrong about showing respect for even a humble instrument, and, congruently, showing respect for the owner [ and customer ] of that instrument. That's how a true craftsman, and a smart repair person, should act. Just keep up with what you're doing: educating, informing, and inspiring. Thank you for that.
Thank you, Perihelion77: In the hands of a master craftsman a humble instrument can be elevated to a great instrument. The reason I appreciate this man’s work is because he brings out the full potential in these instruments that makes them play like they could have emerged from the factory with some extra care. He makes humble instruments great and great instruments better.
+ 1000. If it’s gonna get played, Making it the best it can be is actually in the best interest of the instrument and the customer. Initial value or future value is bullshit unless you are a guitar speculator or investor trying to make money. Eddie Van Halen is a pretty good example of a guy who made an absolutely crappy guitar sound amazing. Second guessing people who play music is fun I guess, but this guy is a genuine craftsman an artist, he would probably prefer artisan but you get my point. He’s also 100% right about whoever is paying the bill gets to decide. His obligation to the customer is to inform them of the price, and whether he recommends the work based on his experience. They decide what work to do
I have a 70's Yamaha FG750S that I bought used in the 70s as a teenager. I love it. It's been played enough it really could use new frets. The fret job would be way more than the guitar is worth. I still want to do it. After watching Ted for a while, I'm gonna.
I love that you repair these types of guitars. One thing, maybe drill a small hole in your plunger. Cover it with your thumb pushing down then take your thumb off before pulling up. That way, when you have tight situations, the viscous glue might form a vacuum underneath and so you are pulling up about as much as you are pushing down. With a hole, you can equalize the pressure before pulling up and it won't pull the glue up at all. Just a thought. Thanks.
I work at a guitar shop in California and we had a guy put 600+$s in restoring a 1968 stella. Love is where you find it Trolls. We dig the videos. I love the old crazy stuff. workin on my own 1953 Stella grand concert now and a 56 Stratotone. Ukes are my true love. Thanks for ur time.
I don't get the trolls on this one. If the work needs to be done, it needs to be done. The customer wanted the guitar fixed, and even if it isn't a smart financial move the customer obviously cared enough to spend the money on it. It's really hard to put a price on sentiment or tone. To be honest I'd have a hard time trusting my high end dollar guitars with a luthier who wouldn't show professionalism with my budget guitars. You sir are a true professional.
I appreciate that you don’t have different levels of work: everything is done to your highest standard all of the time, just like most of us were taught as children. Any guitar that has survived half a century deserves to be prepared to provide music for the next 50 years.
This looks like old guitar and would have probably been easier to replace it with a new guitar. But, you can never tell why someone would want it repaired and restored instead of buying a new one. I own a cheap $199 Yamaha Bass; it will never be discarded -- it was my first bass guitar gifted to me by my wife for my birthday. Then, there's a 18-year old bicycle that was a birthday gift to my then 3 year old to ride. It was in a really bad shape -- cost me around $150 to buy, and I spent close to $80 to get it restored. Just to see the joy on his 21 year old face as he saw his first bike come back to life was priceless.
Count me among the boosters for doing repairs on cheap instruments, Ted. Aside from being a great way to sharpen your skills, it’s always fun to take a “garage-sale special” and turn it into a functioning instrument. Add to that the joy in the face of someone who had thought their grandpa’s old guitar was a hopeless case ... what’s not to like?
With you 100%, Fred; I put the neck back on an old Kay arch top which had been sitting in somebody’s closet (and his fathers’ closet before that) for years. I realized as I was stringing it up that it had been a entire generation since it made a sound; it was a near religious experience to hear it sing out.
As you have said, "sometimes it's just worth doing for the practice". How true! I recently picked up 3 really cheap RJ Reynolds 3/4 sized guitars. One wasn't worth repairing, so I took the back off and then used it to make a template for bridge plate overlays for the other two. I was able to flatten the tops and re-glue the bridges properly. When finished, I donated the two repaired guitars to the local library's musical instrument lending program.
The trolls are so wrong. I love that you save "unworthy" guitars. I realize not all guitars are worth restoring, but it's not always about the monetary value! Keep up the incredible work!
I don't know if unworthy is accurate. It's worth it to someone. I understand what you're saying though. My uncle repairs antique furniture. I look at some and say why? He says family heirloom, childhood bed, what ever reason. Everything has a worth just depends who you ask.
My first guitar was a CHEAP Silvertone acoustic. I was 6. But, my mom gave it to me and I never saw or heard from her again until I was 18. It's long gone now, as she is. But the memory...takes you to a fantasy land where you grew up next door to the Brady's...
I really like your non-snobby take on working on old guitars, be they ever so humble. I think any guitar that has lasted through the wars deserves respect. (I just did a complete reconstruction job, full neck reset and straighten, on a similar old painted Regal.) A philosophical question always arises: why do people spend tons of money on different devices to make their electric guitars sound a lot of different ways, yet chase one "perfect" acoustic sound? These old guitars started out cheap, but many have a cool and unique sound.
Enjoyed that repair ...a number of years ago now. I canvassed kijiji , looking for old acoustics to learn on. A family in the neighborhood , sent me a message about a guitar they would give me, but I had to come by that evening . Apparently it was in the garbage. I still have it and it’s amazing and was fun to bring back. Great channel , and your vids are amazing . A trusted luthier is hard to find .. this guy is very good
I changed a bridge on an old beater acoustic last year. It had a big fat crack in the bridge, with a little belly in the top. Amazon sold me a nice rosewood bridge for cheap and it's back together now and playable once again. Plywood or not, that little guy had a pretty rich tone. Nice work on those frets too.
Hey Ted. Not that I'm expecting you to read this - you're a busy man. Anyhow, I started watching your channel when I was stranded in Singapore under COVID and I thought I'd watched all of your videos - and I'm happy to be wrong. As always, a delight to watch you work and to listen to your observations. Thanks so much for sharing what you do with the world.
Some of the best guitarists I know learned on no name pawn shop guitars, drums, basses so on. Every instrument is worthy of beginning the road that leads to a master of entertainment.
The definition of a professional is: competent, skillful, and assured. You my friend are way more then "just" a professional ! I hold folks like you in high regard.
@@banacek60chord43: You make a very good point. Just because someone is "professional", it does Not mean their work is worth 2 cents. I have a personal peeve, with "professional" writers and journalists, some of whom have been in the business a long time. They will use "that" three times in one sentence, when it does not belong there even once. They have no idea how to use commas. They will use words like "dynamical" and "fantastical", adding "al" to any word ending in "ic". While this, in particular, has been going on for a very long time, they just keep adding to the list of words. No doubt, they are influenced by the multitude of Twittering 12 year olds.
I admire your skill set, your attitude, & your dedication to classic guitars. They might not have much monetary value, but they are a valuable part of music history, & deserve to be saved !!
Hold on a minute; I think I need to call B.S. on your claim of L-ing out L. I'm betting that when the actual moment came, that you _thought_ about it; perhaps you L'ed in you mind but _couldn't_ go through with it in the real world... A bold attempt, nevertheless; you can go through life with your head held high... I salute (pronounced sal-YOOT) you...
I have a solid spruce top/laminated mahogany sides, Recording King 12 fret, slot headstock, parlour of similar proportions to this, which cost me just £200, new, a few years back - to which I’ve added a Fishman mic/piezo and preamp system. Strung with Martin bronze 12s, played live through a (very lightly) overdriven electric guitar amp (Vox AC15 with a 12” Alnico Blue). Great guitar for Delta Blues. If the guitar is ‘right’, spend the money... upgrades or repairs. Whatever it takes.
Not a guitarist, not a luthier, just a humble double bassist. You wouldn't believe how soothing I find watching your videos! Thanks to you I'm starting to think of luthiers as the guardian angels of instruments :) awesome work and thank you so much for sharing it
Thank you for providing these videos. You're exactly right telling people who want to learn guitar repair to just start somewhere and learn how to do it.
Thank you for this. I'm taking notes as I watch. You teach I listen. Your commitment to high quality as well as your patience is truly inspiring. Excellent work sir.
I noticed getting experience was touched on in this video. One great way to get a plethora of experience is to go out and look for old beat up guitars at garage sales, flea markets, online, really just anywhere. Once you have a few you can practice by trying to fix them. You can even put some damage on one and then go about fixing it. I know a person who did that when they started and they are an excellent Luthier. They now teach students and this is how he gets projects to teach them. It's a great process. Then to learn finishing just buy a kit guitar and try your hand at finishing it. You can practice on pieces of wood you can get from a lumbar yard or home depot before you try the guitar.
I do like the little hand tool you made to remove the sound plates. Nicely made tool, as well as the small saw.. I'm presently working on an older low priced, parlor guitar, I found and bought out of Value Village for $10, and felt sorry for it's condition. The braces were loose and ready to fall off, and the body was coming un-glued, and the neck needed a reset to get the strings to a good playing height. I bought it mainly because it was made of what appears to be solid maple. I was surprised it wasn't made of plywood. Once home, I found a serial number inside ( "F70 HL", or could be "HD"...very hard to make out which is is). Also had a large "R" written in with a felt pen next to the serial number. No other markings could be found, not even the make. Anyways, I felt it would make a nice little porch playing guitar, while sitting out in the evening, enjoying the stars, and a clear sky, on the front porch, so it's getting repaired back to good playing condition again for my own personal use. By the way, it appears to be from around the 1940's or 50's era by it's construction, and finish. Should make not only a solid little guitar, but a nice sounding one, when completed.
Amazing as always. For the people that say a guitar that isn't worth anything ain't worth fixing, EVERY guitar is worth fixing. Playing guitar is one of the most important things to me, passed on to me by my dad before he passed away. Thanks for the amazing videos! Keep up the great work.
Thanks for the knowledge (and skill) you share and also for not being a brand conscious snob. Someone bought that instrument new and probably loved it and thanks to you it still brings joy to people.
Oddly enough I have actually learned to do repairs from videos. I'm a hobbyist luthier so nothing at stake. Yours are one of the best videos around. Redoing bridges, removing fret boards, joining warped necks and replacing fret boards are a few things I've learned from your type videos. So, all good.
You provide a great commentary on continued professional growth. A good explanation of why you would do something hard if for no other reason than to gain experience make yourself a better, more confident Craftsman. I really enjoy your matter-of-fact presentation Style.
Regarding the ‘trolls” who must voice their opinions regarding the cost of repairing inexpensive guitars; The joy and/or sentimentality an object, in these cases a guitar, brings to someone far exceeds monetary values. Kudos to you for embracing this notion. And yes, I quite enjoy watching you work in unusual instruments.
If you accomplished nothing else with that guitar, you passed useful skills along to those of us who appreciate knowing them. And did your usual skillful best making it happen.
There nothing wrong with giving something old a new lease of life and sometimes you have to sacrifice your time to gain knowledge and experience to achieve your own goal and self satisfaction your expertise sir is next to none your work speaks for its self
Only just discovered your channel. It’s very soothing to watch you work so meticulously showing both your skill and passion in your tasks. Also, was a bit amused to learn you are located in Hamilton, Ontario. I used to live on Hamilton mountain before moving up to Yukon for a few years then finally coming to my senses and heading off to live in Australia to thaw out.
All instruments deserve to be repaired. History, sentimental value, it did have a real life at one time , when a person plays this thing and brings it to life , the look on there , the nonbelievers, faces will just say it all. Keep fixing .
Another very interesting video. I was surprised that the plywood top cracked all the way through but you did explain why, I’ve just never seen it happen before . Some of those old inexpensive guitars work really well as slide instruments, they have that old time blues sound. I’m pretty sure that a lot of the old blues men couldn’t afford expensive instruments.
As always, a treat. Those that scorn, ridicule, or take time and exude effort to pass negative judgment upon guitar restoration (any type, age, model, or quality) are obviously cold hearted, unloved, and most likely selfish, arrogant & ignorant (man, that felt great to get off my chest...been carrying it around for decades). May they reinguitarnate into a Bimart Non-Orchestra Model - 17.75...or worserest still. When I first saw the tape containing the guitar's tuning (low to high = E, C#, A, E, A, E) I thunked, "Lawdy, lawd, lawd, I hope he reverses that." You did. You are too erudite for an error'like'that. Moltissimo graci, Ted...post at will, good sir.
Looks like a fun little parlor lap guitar to play with. Why would people criticize you for fixing any guitar? What business is that of anyone’s? Anyways I enjoy watching you fix any guitars. Peace brother.
If the owner wants to put the money into it, then that's his/her choice. Whether or not we as viewers think it's worth investing that much $$ in it, doesn't matter. As long as the owner's happy with the repair to a favorite instrument, that's all that really matters.
So cool to see you working on one of these since I happen to have recently bought one in very good shape as well for about $200 that I'm working on. Mine had no label (which is part of why seeing this is so cool) but must've been produced in the same place and time. It has a floating bridge but the same exact rosette and every other piece. Of course it WOULD be the case the one video of yours I happen to miss when it came out features a guitar I own. Interestingly enough though I"m in IL I got mine from Canada, but it has USA scratched into the back of the headstock. Its looks are consistent with the guitars being made in Chicago in the 10's-30's. I was a bit bummed to find out it was a ply top... I actually didn't even realize they did those back then and I was sure mine was solid. More investigation required. I'm sure you don't need extra things to do but it would be really nice if somehow people in jobs like yours could take a couple high def photos and document all the odd guitars that came in for reference of other folks who collect or restore old guitars. Just seeing this video let me know a possible maker/seller for mine (prob made in Chicago by Lyon and Healy or something similar) as well as which of its tuners was replaced (both are clearly from the same era). Fantastic stuff as always thanks for all you do. Sorry to ramble about this guitar but putting it here on the slim chance someone else with one comes across this in 7 years. Here's the original reverb listing for the one I'm working on right now if anyone's interested: reverb.com/item/31490731-lyra-natural-small-parlor-20-s-s-floating-bridge-post-oscar-schmidt-harmony I see tons of incredibly similar guitars to these dated from 1905- the 30's and I'm not really sure how to tell the difference.
Greetings! Im late but just looked at your sweetheart parlor guitar! That was a deal ! I love the rear pyramid “fan” of paint that outlines the beautiful center back decor! Congratulations on a great find. If you haven’t already done so, check out Ed Dowling on YT ( and his web sight). He’s an expert on all parlor guitars and knows much about odd ducks-He might be able to identify your’s via a few email pictures. Thanks for sharing! Best Regards, Shawn
Cutting the ends of the bridge plate on slight angel is inspired. I will definitely put that one on my bag of tricks. Great work as always. I must of missed something, you said the top was plywood but the crack went straight through. Did they laminate the layers with the grain all running the same way?
You are correct sir..... Most people do not want to improve, fix or create anything. Just to complain when someone does and gets a return, either monetary or self satisfaction. And to then complain that they don't get rewarded for anything. "It's an awful lot of work Ted, why would you do this.??" Because he can.!!
It may have been named for George Halmington on the 4th. He was a singer and picker and actor. I may be wrong. But it may be right. Something to look into. Good luck with the repair. I will look forward to it.
I wish my life was so perfect that I had the time and energy to care how somebody else spent their money... I mean, I still wouldn't care, but it'd be nice if things were so great that I could!
I've been watching you for weeks now and just realized you're in my town... Well kinda if you want to make the argument that stone creek is Hamilton 😂 love watching your stuff great craftsmanship
Your work and work moral is fantastic, you are a true craftsman. I know because I know what that means. Not everyones opinion deserves credit, in fact most people with a "strong opinion" simply don't know what they are talking about, you might as well listen to your cat, who would probably say "yo Butler fix that guitar and buy me some salmon".
i was just about to comment "this may be a replacement bridge"...then i saw you beat me too it with the annotation!!!.it's a really pretty guitar nonetheless and well worthy of repair imo!!!
I've learned something from each of your videos. Something I feel you gloss over a bit is the sentimental value of these older humble instruments. Perhaps a word or two if you know about whether they are just old friends or handed down from a lover or ancestor might give a bit of perspective.
Mark Bernier like this one and the last, one should not underestimate the importance of sentimental value. And I think any guitar that lasts 40+ years and means something to a person is as important as a $7000 Martin!
Good, thank you. Thanks for been such a professional. Whoever questions your work have not reached your level of professionalism, integrity and trust you have reached. My respects.
There is NOTHING wrong about showing respect for even a humble instrument, and, congruently, showing respect for the owner [ and customer ] of that instrument. That's how a true craftsman, and a smart repair person, should act.
Just keep up with what you're doing: educating, informing, and inspiring. Thank you for that.
Thank you, Perihelion77: In the hands of a master craftsman a humble instrument can be elevated to a great instrument. The reason I appreciate this man’s work is because he brings out the full potential in these instruments that makes them play like they could have emerged from the factory with some extra care.
He makes humble instruments great and great instruments better.
+ 1000. If it’s gonna get played, Making it the best it can be is actually in the best interest of the instrument and the customer. Initial value or future value is bullshit unless you are a guitar speculator or investor trying to make money. Eddie Van Halen is a pretty good example of a guy who made an absolutely crappy guitar sound amazing. Second guessing people who play music is fun I guess, but this guy is a genuine craftsman an artist, he would probably prefer artisan but you get my point. He’s also 100% right about whoever is paying the bill gets to decide. His obligation to the customer is to inform them of the price, and whether he recommends the work based on his experience. They decide what work to do
Absolutely, if a little old grandma played and loved this guitar and wanted a repair job on it, I would not dream of saying no.
I have a 70's Yamaha FG750S that I bought used in the 70s as a teenager. I love it. It's been played enough it really could use new frets. The fret job would be way more than the guitar is worth. I still want to do it. After watching Ted for a while, I'm gonna.
As I always tell people 'value' is a matter of perspective, it maybe a cheap guitar but its obviously used and loved so to them it's invaluable
I love that you repair these types of guitars. One thing, maybe drill a small hole in your plunger. Cover it with your thumb pushing down then take your thumb off before pulling up. That way, when you have tight situations, the viscous glue might form a vacuum underneath and so you are pulling up about as much as you are pushing down. With a hole, you can equalize the pressure before pulling up and it won't pull the glue up at all. Just a thought. Thanks.
I work at a guitar shop in California and we had a guy put 600+$s in restoring a 1968 stella. Love is where you find it Trolls. We dig the videos. I love the old crazy stuff. workin on my own 1953 Stella grand concert now and a 56 Stratotone. Ukes are my true love. Thanks for ur time.
I don't get the trolls on this one. If the work needs to be done, it needs to be done. The customer wanted the guitar fixed, and even if it isn't a smart financial move the customer obviously cared enough to spend the money on it. It's really hard to put a price on sentiment or tone. To be honest I'd have a hard time trusting my high end dollar guitars with a luthier who wouldn't show professionalism with my budget guitars. You sir are a true professional.
I appreciate that you don’t have different levels of work: everything is done to your highest standard all of the time, just like most of us were taught as children. Any guitar that has survived half a century deserves to be prepared to provide music for the next 50 years.
In America, you guys have so many instruments and they all tell stories - they are 'of the people' and each one will last as long as its loved.
@@PrinceWesterburg where are you from? The "in America" thing threw me.
@@waybackplayback1347 they’re from the UK
Great video. The bigger the soundhole the faster the job goes. Nice playing. Thank you.
This looks like old guitar and would have probably been easier to replace it with a new guitar. But, you can never tell why someone would want it repaired and restored instead of buying a new one. I own a cheap $199 Yamaha Bass; it will never be discarded -- it was my first bass guitar gifted to me by my wife for my birthday. Then, there's a 18-year old bicycle that was a birthday gift to my then 3 year old to ride. It was in a really bad shape -- cost me around $150 to buy, and I spent close to $80 to get it restored. Just to see the joy on his 21 year old face as he saw his first bike come back to life was priceless.
I don't see you wasting efforts.... i see a man who just enjoys his work... being an artist no matter the canvas
Count me among the boosters for doing repairs on cheap instruments, Ted. Aside from being a great way to sharpen your skills, it’s always fun to take a “garage-sale special” and turn it into a functioning instrument. Add to that the joy in the face of someone who had thought their grandpa’s old guitar was a hopeless case ... what’s not to like?
With you 100%, Fred; I put the neck back on an old Kay arch top which had been sitting in somebody’s closet (and his fathers’ closet before that) for years. I realized as I was stringing it up that it had been a entire generation since it made a sound; it was a near religious experience to hear it sing out.
As you have said, "sometimes it's just worth doing for the practice". How true! I recently picked up 3 really cheap RJ Reynolds 3/4 sized guitars. One wasn't worth repairing, so I took the back off and then used it to make a template for bridge plate overlays for the other two. I was able to flatten the tops and re-glue the bridges properly. When finished, I donated the two repaired guitars to the local library's musical instrument lending program.
The trolls are so wrong. I love that you save "unworthy" guitars. I realize not all guitars are worth restoring, but it's not always about the monetary value! Keep up the incredible work!
I don't know if unworthy is accurate. It's worth it to someone. I understand what you're saying though. My uncle repairs antique furniture. I look at some and say why? He says family heirloom, childhood bed, what ever reason. Everything has a worth just depends who you ask.
11:38 - wonderful music, blended with maybe-not-as-wonderful sounds of woodworking. It's just pure bliss!
My first guitar was a CHEAP Silvertone acoustic. I was 6. But, my mom gave it to me and I never saw or heard from her again until I was 18. It's long gone now, as she is. But the memory...takes you to a fantasy land where you grew up next door to the Brady's...
...I'm probably not just speaking for myself when I say I would love to watch most of your repairs...
the best repair work as usual...bravo
I really like your non-snobby take on working on old guitars, be they ever so humble. I think any guitar that has lasted through the wars deserves respect. (I just did a complete reconstruction job, full neck reset and straighten, on a similar old painted Regal.) A philosophical question always arises: why do people spend tons of money on different devices to make their electric guitars sound a lot of different ways, yet chase one "perfect" acoustic sound? These old guitars started out cheap, but many have a cool and unique sound.
Noticing the the marks, the cuts, the band aid. Wow, you really went to battle on this one! Sounds great as expected. Thank you for sharing.
Enjoyed that repair ...a number of years ago now. I canvassed kijiji , looking for old acoustics to learn on. A family in the neighborhood , sent me a message about a guitar they would give me, but I had to come by that evening . Apparently it was in the garbage. I still have it and it’s amazing and was fun to bring back. Great channel , and your vids are amazing . A trusted luthier is hard to find .. this guy is very good
I changed a bridge on an old beater acoustic last year. It had a big fat crack in the bridge, with a little belly in the top. Amazon sold me a nice rosewood bridge for cheap and it's back together now and playable once again. Plywood or not, that little guy had a pretty rich tone. Nice work on those frets too.
Hey Ted. Not that I'm expecting you to read this - you're a busy man. Anyhow, I started watching your channel when I was stranded in Singapore under COVID and I thought I'd watched all of your videos - and I'm happy to be wrong. As always, a delight to watch you work and to listen to your observations. Thanks so much for sharing what you do with the world.
Some of the best guitarists I know learned on no name pawn shop guitars, drums, basses so on. Every instrument is worthy of beginning the road that leads to a master of entertainment.
Any one else find these videos and this channel relaxing ?
The definition of a professional is: competent, skillful, and assured. You my friend are way more then "just" a professional ! I hold folks like you in high regard.
The definition of professional is sadly. just someone who makes money from what they do. It CAN, as in this case mean what you say.
@@banacek60chord43: You make a very good point. Just because someone is "professional", it does Not mean their work is worth 2 cents. I have a personal peeve, with "professional" writers and journalists, some of whom have been in the business a long time. They will use "that" three times in one sentence, when it does not belong there even once. They have no idea how to use commas. They will use words like "dynamical" and "fantastical", adding "al" to any word ending in "ic". While this, in particular, has been going on for a very long time, they just keep adding to the list of words. No doubt, they are influenced by the multitude of Twittering 12 year olds.
That's right! It's one thing to do good work and another to know how to teach it
I admire your skill set, your attitude, & your dedication to classic guitars. They might not have much monetary value, but they are a valuable part of music history, & deserve to be saved !!
I love watching your videos - "borders on the fantastical" to describe the action had me laughing out loud.
Hold on a minute; I think I need to call B.S. on your claim of L-ing out L. I'm betting that when the actual moment came, that you _thought_ about it; perhaps you L'ed in you mind but _couldn't_ go through with it in the real world... A bold attempt, nevertheless; you can go through life with your head held high... I salute (pronounced sal-YOOT) you...
would make a nice guitar for the fallout shelter.
I have a solid spruce top/laminated mahogany sides, Recording King 12 fret, slot headstock, parlour of similar proportions to this, which cost me just £200, new, a few years back - to which I’ve added a Fishman mic/piezo and preamp system.
Strung with Martin bronze 12s, played live through a (very lightly) overdriven electric guitar amp (Vox AC15 with a 12” Alnico Blue).
Great guitar for Delta Blues. If the guitar is ‘right’, spend the money... upgrades or repairs. Whatever it takes.
Love the design of the rosette and the floral type stuff on the lower bout. Really well designed.
Not a guitarist, not a luthier, just a humble double bassist. You wouldn't believe how soothing I find watching your videos! Thanks to you I'm starting to think of luthiers as the guardian angels of instruments :) awesome work and thank you so much for sharing it
I appreciate the fact that you properly consider the needs/goals of the owner when setting up the git fiddle. Nailing it!
Thank you for providing these videos. You're exactly right telling people who want to learn guitar repair to just start somewhere and learn how to do it.
Thank you for this. I'm taking notes as I watch. You teach I listen. Your commitment to high quality as well as your patience is truly inspiring. Excellent work sir.
Thank you for bringing new life back to this guitar.
As a slide player I totally love this repair.
I noticed getting experience was touched on in this video. One great way to get a plethora of experience is to go out and look for old beat up guitars at garage sales, flea markets, online, really just anywhere. Once you have a few you can practice by trying to fix them. You can even put some damage on one and then go about fixing it. I know a person who did that when they started and they are an excellent Luthier. They now teach students and this is how he gets projects to teach them. It's a great process. Then to learn finishing just buy a kit guitar and try your hand at finishing it. You can practice on pieces of wood you can get from a lumbar yard or home depot before you try the guitar.
I do like the little hand tool you made to remove the sound plates. Nicely made tool, as well as the small saw.. I'm presently working on an older low priced, parlor guitar, I found and bought out of Value Village for $10, and felt sorry for it's condition. The braces were loose and ready to fall off, and the body was coming un-glued, and the neck needed a reset to get the strings to a good playing height. I bought it mainly because it was made of what appears to be solid maple. I was surprised it wasn't made of plywood. Once home, I found a serial number inside ( "F70 HL", or could be "HD"...very hard to make out which is is). Also had a large "R" written in with a felt pen next to the serial number. No other markings could be found, not even the make. Anyways, I felt it would make a nice little porch playing guitar, while sitting out in the evening, enjoying the stars, and a clear sky, on the front porch, so it's getting repaired back to good playing condition again for my own personal use. By the way, it appears to be from around the 1940's or 50's era by it's construction, and finish. Should make not only a solid little guitar, but a nice sounding one, when completed.
Amazing as always. For the people that say a guitar that isn't worth anything ain't worth fixing, EVERY guitar is worth fixing. Playing guitar is one of the most important things to me, passed on to me by my dad before he passed away. Thanks for the amazing videos! Keep up the great work.
Excellent video. Thank you. I admire that you work on inexpensive guitars. People have connections to musical instruments-no matter what they cost.
Like Willie Nelson's "Trigger". That's held together with chicken wire and bubble gum. But Wllie wouldn't trade that for the world!
Thanks for the knowledge (and skill) you share and also for not being a brand conscious snob. Someone bought that instrument new and probably loved it and thanks to you it still brings joy to people.
Oddly enough I have actually learned to do repairs from videos. I'm a hobbyist luthier so nothing at stake. Yours are one of the best videos around. Redoing bridges, removing fret boards, joining warped necks and replacing fret boards are a few things I've learned from your type videos. So, all good.
beautiful little piece... really nice results. I am saddened that so many pieces get discarded, rather than restored.
You always give respect to every instrument regardless of value the value is with the owner player your craftsmanship is astounding my friend
13:43 This Guitar is in Open A Tuning (Open G would be down a whole step) & Joseph Kekuku used that Tuning when he started the Slide Guitar Craze.
You provide a great commentary on continued professional growth. A good explanation of why you would do something hard if for no other reason than to gain experience make yourself a better, more confident Craftsman. I really enjoy your matter-of-fact presentation Style.
I do enjoy the variety of projects you present!
Cool. Hearing it make cool music as it was born to do made the repair worthwhile.
Regarding the ‘trolls” who must voice their opinions regarding the cost of repairing inexpensive guitars; The joy and/or sentimentality an object, in these cases a guitar, brings to someone far exceeds monetary values. Kudos to you for embracing this notion. And yes, I quite enjoy watching you work in unusual instruments.
If you accomplished nothing else with that guitar, you passed useful skills along to those of us who appreciate knowing them. And did your usual skillful best making it happen.
Ted, great video. I really appreciate your time and work showing us how this all gets done. Thank you for sharing.
There nothing wrong with giving something old a new lease of life and sometimes you have to sacrifice your time to gain knowledge and experience to achieve your own goal and self satisfaction your expertise sir is next to none your work speaks for its self
Cool!! Great work. And great playing at the end too.
Your videos need to be so much longer, very informative and soothing, feel sad when they end.
@Kieran Chalmers. ASMR Guitar Repair...
Thanks for another amazing lesson. Patience is certainly one of your qualities
Another fine example of your professionalism and attention to detail.
Only just discovered your channel. It’s very soothing to watch you work so meticulously showing both your skill and passion in your tasks. Also, was a bit amused to learn you are located in Hamilton, Ontario. I used to live on Hamilton mountain before moving up to Yukon for a few years then finally coming to my senses and heading off to live in Australia to thaw out.
Sounds surprisingly good for a laminated top guitar.
Great job as always!
this may be a long video but it is the best one you've ever made my friend I have patience my buddy and glad to watch this video from beginning to end
What a beautiful little guitar :)
All instruments deserve to be repaired. History, sentimental value, it did have a real life at one time , when a person plays this thing and brings it to life , the look on there , the nonbelievers, faces will just say it all. Keep fixing .
It's a beautiful parlor 🎶🎶🎶
I love old stuff over and over again btw.
Hi Ted, been waiting for a new video from you for a few days.! I love your work. Can't wait for the next ones.! Cheers from England. Rob.
Thanks for the education Again !! Great how you determine the age akin to an art historian looking at the components and structure of a painting.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and wisdom. That was just awesome.
Love your work man. And the videos. Keep them coming, please :)
Another very interesting video. I was surprised that the plywood top cracked all the way through but you did explain why, I’ve just never seen it happen before . Some of those old inexpensive guitars work really well as slide instruments, they have that old time blues sound. I’m pretty sure that a lot of the old blues men couldn’t afford expensive instruments.
As always, a treat. Those that scorn, ridicule, or take time and exude effort to pass negative judgment upon guitar restoration (any type, age, model, or quality) are obviously cold hearted, unloved, and most likely selfish, arrogant & ignorant (man, that felt great to get off my chest...been carrying it around for decades). May they reinguitarnate into a Bimart Non-Orchestra Model - 17.75...or worserest still. When I first saw the tape containing the guitar's tuning (low to high = E, C#, A, E, A, E) I thunked, "Lawdy, lawd, lawd, I hope he reverses that." You did. You are too erudite for an error'like'that. Moltissimo graci, Ted...post at will, good sir.
That's Open A
Looks like a fun little parlor lap guitar to play with. Why would people criticize you for fixing any guitar? What business is that of anyone’s? Anyways I enjoy watching you fix any guitars. Peace brother.
If the owner wants to put the money into it, then that's his/her choice.
Whether or not we as viewers think it's worth investing that much $$ in it, doesn't matter. As long as the owner's happy with the repair to a favorite instrument, that's all that really matters.
I love the pail lid glue palette.
Love these old unique guitars…..
So cool to see you working on one of these since I happen to have recently bought one in very good shape as well for about $200 that I'm working on. Mine had no label (which is part of why seeing this is so cool) but must've been produced in the same place and time. It has a floating bridge but the same exact rosette and every other piece. Of course it WOULD be the case the one video of yours I happen to miss when it came out features a guitar I own.
Interestingly enough though I"m in IL I got mine from Canada, but it has USA scratched into the back of the headstock. Its looks are consistent with the guitars being made in Chicago in the 10's-30's. I was a bit bummed to find out it was a ply top... I actually didn't even realize they did those back then and I was sure mine was solid. More investigation required.
I'm sure you don't need extra things to do but it would be really nice if somehow people in jobs like yours could take a couple high def photos and document all the odd guitars that came in for reference of other folks who collect or restore old guitars. Just seeing this video let me know a possible maker/seller for mine (prob made in Chicago by Lyon and Healy or something similar) as well as which of its tuners was replaced (both are clearly from the same era). Fantastic stuff as always thanks for all you do. Sorry to ramble about this guitar but putting it here on the slim chance someone else with one comes across this in 7 years.
Here's the original reverb listing for the one I'm working on right now if anyone's interested: reverb.com/item/31490731-lyra-natural-small-parlor-20-s-s-floating-bridge-post-oscar-schmidt-harmony
I see tons of incredibly similar guitars to these dated from 1905- the 30's and I'm not really sure how to tell the difference.
Greetings! Im late but just looked at your sweetheart parlor guitar!
That was a deal ! I love the rear pyramid “fan” of paint that outlines the beautiful center back decor!
Congratulations on a great find. If you haven’t already done so, check out Ed Dowling on YT ( and his web sight). He’s an expert on all parlor guitars and knows much about odd ducks-He might be able to identify your’s via a few email pictures.
Thanks for sharing! Best Regards, Shawn
I just love this one! I rebuilt an old parlor (Lakeside), and learned a lot. Thanks !
That was a surprisingly resonant little guitar.
I know next to nothing about guitars
But the statement about the action "why it boarders on the fantastical" killed me.
Love these vids
Thx man!!
Cutting the ends of the bridge plate on slight angel is inspired. I will definitely put that one on my bag of tricks. Great work as always. I must of missed something, you said the top was plywood but the crack went straight through. Did they laminate the layers with the grain all running the same way?
Interesting bunch of fixes. Ready to be enjoyed again. Nice!
Fantastical action haha! I love it! Great work as always. It's almost as if some people have no heart or idea of sentimental value.
I love your videos! Thank you for sharing.
"Why would you do this?"
Well, one could a) destroy it; b) leave it as is, or c) improve it, and very few people are improvers (and not just guitars.)
You are correct sir..... Most people do not want to improve, fix or create anything. Just to complain when someone does and gets a return, either monetary or self satisfaction. And to then complain that they don't get rewarded for anything.
"It's an awful lot of work Ted, why would you do this.??"
Because he can.!!
Or use it by as a wall hanger. Guitars make beautiful arts pieces.
I once worked for Hailton Organ and Piano they might have done guitars as well. It was 1970-71.
I love old underdog guitars all guitars need love !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love how you do what you want to.
It may have been named for George Halmington on the 4th. He was a singer and picker and actor. I may be wrong. But it may be right. Something to look into. Good luck with the repair. I will look forward to it.
Wowzer! Didn't see this one coming. Mucho work. Does sound nice though! Great job!
Ted, ALL of my stringed instruments have sentimental value, as I'm sure yours do to you! We cherish the moments we spend with our instruments, right?
Saved my saturday evening, this did. Nice job!
Sounds fantastic! Great job!
I wish my life was so perfect that I had the time and energy to care how somebody else spent their money... I mean, I still wouldn't care, but it'd be nice if things were so great that I could!
I've been watching you for weeks now and just realized you're in my town... Well kinda if you want to make the argument that stone creek is Hamilton 😂 love watching your stuff great craftsmanship
Your work and work moral is fantastic, you are a true craftsman. I know because I know what that means. Not everyones opinion deserves credit, in fact most people with a "strong opinion" simply don't know what they are talking about, you might as well listen to your cat, who would probably say "yo Butler fix that guitar and buy me some salmon".
Preservation of the art is what it’s about no matter how “small”!
Love for an instrument should not be proportional to that instrument's dollar value.
I don't care what anyone else in the comments says
you are the man
i was just about to comment "this may be a replacement bridge"...then i saw you beat me too it with the annotation!!!.it's a really pretty guitar nonetheless and well worthy of repair imo!!!
LOL I find myself nodding or saying "Ahh yeah nice" when Ted shows us something or points "this" out. I love it all.
14:00 This Guitar makes a very bluesy sound, especailly when you use a Bottle Neck.
I've learned something from each of your videos. Something I feel you gloss over a bit is the sentimental value of these older humble instruments. Perhaps a word or two if you know about whether they are just old friends or handed down from a lover or ancestor might give a bit of perspective.
Mark Bernier like this one and the last, one should not underestimate the importance of sentimental value. And I think any guitar that lasts 40+ years and means something to a person is as important as a $7000 Martin!
Thank you Ted...have a great new year for 2020...blessings from England UK...:-)