Les Paul 25/50 Repair Vids: Part 1 Project Intro - ua-cam.com/video/x1M5snCUCy4/v-deo.html Part 1A More thoughts - ua-cam.com/video/rqHn48Yf5Lg/v-deo.html Part 2 Removing the Fretboard - ua-cam.com/video/uT5R7Y-HJAM/v-deo.html Part 3 Stabilze the Neck - ua-cam.com/video/sng2UAwT5rM/v-deo.html Part 4 Build the Neck - ua-cam.com/video/OYoXurXrba4/v-deo.html Part 5 Carve and Clean up - ua-cam.com/video/PtzKx12dA3w/v-deo.html Part 6 Rebuilding the Fretboard - ua-cam.com/video/7K4--qrDdok/v-deo.html Part 7 Fixing the Body - ua-cam.com/video/hIaOANeOek0/v-deo.html Part 8 Final Finish and Demo - ua-cam.com/video/_-5KHMNN_DQ/v-deo.html
The amount of work that went into this is just mind blowing. Lots of thinking outside of the box too which is just priceless content to put out there for everyone, well done!
Dude, that routing jig you made for the back of the neck was insane. Great work, man, you just made that a better guitar than it was before. That neck is absolutely gorgeous.
The care taken hasn't gone unnoticed. I hate a 'Friday afternoon' Job, and your attention to detail and not settling for anything but the best is has brought this guitar back to life. This level of pride in work is getting rarer and rarer. Loved this journey
While I was watching this video I kept saying "wow!... wow!...'. What you did to make the repair was amazing! You should feel very proud of what you accomplished.
The amount of work and time it took you to resurrect that guitar is mind blowing. You are incredibly honest in your critique, but I think that’s what has made you a craftsman. You should be proud.
I had one of these for 15 years and sold it. It was in immaculate shape for its age. The pickups were beyond hot. I had to replace a tuner that got broken. Was lucky to find another one that was of the same vintage. The tuners were only made for that guitar. Sad to see this one so broke, but really great job fixing it!!! Really great job.
The fact that almost of the imperfections you mentioned are tiny cosmetic concerns after the kind of work you had to do to this thing is nothing short of incredible
Man, it's not just repair, it's god damn restoration, completely another level of skills or craftsmanship, whatever you call it. Some dudes just say: nah, it's beyond repair, i'll buy/make new one... But this one was something different))). You save this guitar and it's still the same guitar)))). Almost ;)
My ‘77 Les Paul Deluxe has maple veneer under the maple top like that as well. Apparently very common. I didn’t know it for years until someone said a lot of Les Pauls from then had that, and took a look for myself. Really great repair. One heck of a lot of work. Like the idea of fretting it without the nibs. Nibs are cool, but I like the extra playing surface of overhanging the fret end on the binding. Gonna have whoever I find to refret mine do the same.
I had a 25/50 once upon a time-only Les Paul I ever had. Alas, my fridge died at just the wrong time…. I recall that mine had darker wood along the outside two pieces of the neck, and the center piece was lighter and more curly. You flat-out missed on the inlay alignment, but so what. Great restoration overall. That was a real tough one, for sure!
Jawdropping work. I was sort of laughing at the fact that you have so many crazy tools but a pair of scissors does the trick to get the post out. I would do the same! Amazing restoration.
Beautiful work, sir. I’ve watched a bunch of your vids and you always impress. I’m inspired to begin working on some guitars of my own that have needed repairs for many years. When I screw them up, I’ll reach out to you to fix my mistakes. Lol
Really good job! It's so painful to see that previous repairs can cause more harm if done wrong. Sadly I face this regularly. I'm partially cleaning up previous repairs before actually starting the repair or restoring.
So satisfying to watch. There were moments there (not having a clue myself) where I was thinking ‘noooo man, nooooo’. All came together like a Bob Ross painting!
some seriously outstanding skill and work done on this repair. quite amazing that anyone is that talented and dedicated to complete such a repair with the results you were able to achieve
Wow man, with all the paint touch up that repair is damn near undetectable. I’d like to see it up close and under a blacklight to see if it even shows up. I had my doubts when you started but it looks amazing and sounds even better.
So how many hours of work did this take, more or less? It's nice to see people valuing a guitar enough to go to these lengths to repair and restore rather than just chucking it. Way to bring this guitar back from the brink of death to the land of the living!
Another great restore project! Derek, the amount of work and passion you put in is so great to see. You do full rebuild stuff a lot of people wouldn't touch. The neckwork alone was impressive and very well done, and it blends right in well. I wouldn't worry too much about the cosmetics. Don't sweat the small details too much! You saved a guitar that may have been retired forever and made it playable again and that is the most important thing. It a nice player's grade axe now and is not so valuable it has to be babied. The owner will treasure it though anyways, I just know it. If the owner picks it up again and again and enjoys it than it was all worth it. I love fully bound Gibsons. It may be extra work but the look is so classy and cool! It's still a wicked stunnah as we say up here in Maine! Haha..
Dude that was some straight up Dan Erlewine shit right there! I've been watching your videos for years, seen you build some killer guitars but honestly this repair (restoration) was by far the most impressive thing I've seen you accomplish, congratulations man! I mostly build electric guitars but I will do repairs for people that don't irritate the hell out of me so I fully understand what goes into a project like this, people aren't seeing the 4 hours you spent on one jig you may never use again just to accomplish one rout or cut, it's intense work to say the least. You killed it Big D!
Whoa. Don't think I've ever seen someone remove the truss rod for a neck repair. That must've been a royal pain in the backside, but I guess it does give you a lot more leeway for working on the wood.
Dude that was a fantastic job you did. I don't have the patients to do all that. You have the rights to say it is the original neck. I would have just used splines and such and left the neck on it (for that right), but your repair was much more superior. If I went to the trouble of removing it, I would have taken the headstock veneer off and glued it on a new neck. I know that is cheating. That is why you are great and I am not. I take the easy way out.
Sweet. If it were mine Id just have you clear the neck so we can see the work that was done. The repairs are the real conversation piece. In my opinion.
Les Paul 25/50 Repair Vids:
Part 1 Project Intro - ua-cam.com/video/x1M5snCUCy4/v-deo.html
Part 1A More thoughts - ua-cam.com/video/rqHn48Yf5Lg/v-deo.html
Part 2 Removing the Fretboard - ua-cam.com/video/uT5R7Y-HJAM/v-deo.html
Part 3 Stabilze the Neck - ua-cam.com/video/sng2UAwT5rM/v-deo.html
Part 4 Build the Neck - ua-cam.com/video/OYoXurXrba4/v-deo.html
Part 5 Carve and Clean up - ua-cam.com/video/PtzKx12dA3w/v-deo.html
Part 6 Rebuilding the Fretboard - ua-cam.com/video/7K4--qrDdok/v-deo.html
Part 7 Fixing the Body - ua-cam.com/video/hIaOANeOek0/v-deo.html
Part 8 Final Finish and Demo - ua-cam.com/video/_-5KHMNN_DQ/v-deo.html
You are the man. I wish you were my neighbor.
I knew you were good but I didn't know you were this good you just made this guitar worth its weight in gold .
When it was broken it ceased to be a guitar. You made it sing again. I’m impressed! Great work!
The amount of work that went into this is just mind blowing. Lots of thinking outside of the box too which is just priceless content to put out there for everyone, well done!
thanks!
Phenomenal job Big D. Well done. I remember seeing this at the outset and thinking, no chance.... I was very wrong. Hugely impressive
thank you
Dude, that routing jig you made for the back of the neck was insane. Great work, man, you just made that a better guitar than it was before. That neck is absolutely gorgeous.
thanks buddy!
The care taken hasn't gone unnoticed. I hate a 'Friday afternoon' Job, and your attention to detail and not settling for anything but the best is has brought this guitar back to life. This level of pride in work is getting rarer and rarer. Loved this journey
While I was watching this video I kept saying "wow!... wow!...'. What you did to make the repair was amazing! You should feel very proud of what you accomplished.
This guy is a woodworking genius hands down!!!
thank you!
The amount of work and time it took you to resurrect that guitar is mind blowing. You are incredibly honest in your critique, but I think that’s what has made you a craftsman. You should be proud.
thank you!
Seeing this video gives me cold chills. I have one of these that I bought new in 1980 and have owned it for 44 years.
The all-in-one vid is a great addition. It was a marathon timeline getting this big job done.
thank you
If there is something nicer than play guitar, is to play a broken guitar that fixed yourself. Congrats dude, that's some flawless work!!
"I am amazed at the level of skill that you have in repairing this work of art, a Gibson Les Paul 25/50 Custom guitar!"
Good to see you have the tools and the PATIENCE! Beautiful.
I had one of these for 15 years and sold it. It was in immaculate shape for its age. The pickups were beyond hot. I had to replace a tuner that got broken. Was lucky to find another one that was of the same vintage. The tuners were only made for that guitar.
Sad to see this one so broke, but really great job fixing it!!! Really great job.
thank you
wow, you did woodwork I did not know was possible. like grafting a neck back together into one cohesive piece. so much work.
The fact that almost of the imperfections you mentioned are tiny cosmetic concerns after the kind of work you had to do to this thing is nothing short of incredible
You have came a helluva long way since Chicago,man.Congratulations on your persistence and success.
Keep up the fantastic work.
The knowledge & skill displayed here is unreal. I can’t imagine the cost for a repair of this magnitude and craftsmanship.
It's like watching a wizard at work. Amazing stuff.
Sincerely hope you get a dedicated workshop. The calibre of your work demands it.
You gave that Guitar a new life buddy. Much better than the state it arrived in.
Man, it's not just repair, it's god damn restoration, completely another level of skills or craftsmanship, whatever you call it. Some dudes just say: nah, it's beyond repair, i'll buy/make new one... But this one was something different))). You save this guitar and it's still the same guitar)))). Almost ;)
Came for the resto, stayed for the music. Nice neck work man.
My ‘77 Les Paul Deluxe has maple veneer under the maple top like that as well. Apparently very common. I didn’t know it for years until someone said a lot of Les Pauls from then had that, and took a look for myself.
Really great repair. One heck of a lot of work. Like the idea of fretting it without the nibs. Nibs are cool, but I like the extra playing surface of overhanging the fret end on the binding. Gonna have whoever I find to refret mine do the same.
Im a drummer. But my grandad played a Les Paul Custom. This touched my heart.
You truly are a straight up Professional , I’ve only heard of luthiers like you man..great work! GOAT status!
This man can literally make a brand new high end Guitar of his own.... This very repairing process is a lot difficult than making a new one....
yes so much harer
I wish I paid more attention in woodwork class, that was outstanding, brilliant job 👍👍
haha
Fantastic refit Derek! Be proud of your work! It is fabulous!
Dude that restoration is insane... Especially the neck!!! Wow. Take a bow!!
thank you!
I had a 25/50 once upon a time-only Les Paul I ever had. Alas, my fridge died at just the wrong time…. I recall that mine had darker wood along the outside two pieces of the neck, and the center piece was lighter and more curly. You flat-out missed on the inlay alignment, but so what. Great restoration overall. That was a real tough one, for sure!
Always jaw dropping skills, keeping a great guitar alive for many years, always worth the struggles, incredible.
Jawdropping work. I was sort of laughing at the fact that you have so many crazy tools but a pair of scissors does the trick to get the post out. I would do the same! Amazing restoration.
My hats off you brother. Great job on resurrecting the beauty! 💪🏻
i'm exhausted just watching the video. great completion
Derek, When you play a beauty like this, smile. You did a fantastic job.
I should have!!! I needed Justin to play this one
Always impressive watching a craftsman at work.
Fret-over-binding is the way to go. It's more playable than the standard Gibson installation practice.
Beautiful work, sir. I’ve watched a bunch of your vids and you always impress. I’m inspired to begin working on some guitars of my own that have needed repairs for many years. When I screw them up, I’ll reach out to you to fix my mistakes. Lol
Really good job! It's so painful to see that previous repairs can cause more harm if done wrong. Sadly I face this regularly. I'm partially cleaning up previous repairs before actually starting the repair or restoring.
So satisfying to watch. There were moments there (not having a clue myself) where I was thinking ‘noooo man, nooooo’. All came together like a Bob Ross painting!
happy little splinters of wood
Wow, that’s a fantastic job !! ✨👍
Wow, I just play them. You have a LOT of skill at this dude. GREAT job and nice video.
some seriously outstanding skill and work done on this repair. quite amazing that anyone is that talented and dedicated to complete such a repair with the results you were able to achieve
That's a great repair job. It's good to see non-creeping hide glue being used in the right places, where other people use regular Titebond.
yea never know if I have to pop the neck again...
Great work. You are an official artist with a capital A.🇬🇧
I really congratulate your effort and persistence. You deserve an A plus+ score!!! 👍👍👏👏
Dude, this came out beautifully. I've never seen a bridge like that and I am all sorts of intrigued by it.
Saw you on reddit, I'm digging the content. You do great work and it shows.
thank you!
I do custom gunstock work and build modern reproductions of flintlock rifles. Let me say you have made some very difficult jobs look easy. well done.
Absolutely amazing work. You are a wizard.
I hope the owner of this guitar understands what just happened here... you brought this guitar back to life! Great work man!
maybe the most impressive guitar repair I've seen
The video I’ve been waiting to watch. Excited!
You are a master of the jigs. Very clever
wow... amigo es la mejor restauracion de un brazo roto que he visto... lo hiciste muy bien.. felicitaciones!!
Wow just wow. I'm speechless! Awesome!
Amazing quality level and amount of work done! Respect!
Stunning work Sir!!! You are a true artist.
So impressed with all the made jigs to do the work and the skill too pal 👍🏻👏🏻
What an outstanding repair and redo of this guitar and the video are awesome !
Truly an astonishing piece of work Derek.
thank you
Wow man, with all the paint touch up that repair is damn near undetectable. I’d like to see it up close and under a blacklight to see if it even shows up. I had my doubts when you started but it looks amazing and sounds even better.
thanks buddy
Amazing repair! There are fantastic craftsman in this country.The repair had to cost more than the purchase price! 😊
So how many hours of work did this take, more or less? It's nice to see people valuing a guitar enough to go to these lengths to repair and restore rather than just chucking it. Way to bring this guitar back from the brink of death to the land of the living!
about 120ish hours. so much time setting up jigs etc
@@bigdguitars What's your hourly rate? Is $50 reasonable? That's $6000... maybe the video ad revenue helps to make it viable.
That repair is damn immaculate! Very impressive work.
thank you
Another great restore project! Derek, the amount of work and passion you put in is so great to see. You do full rebuild stuff a lot of people wouldn't touch. The neckwork alone was impressive and very well done, and it blends right in well. I wouldn't worry too much about the cosmetics. Don't sweat the small details too much! You saved a guitar that may have been retired forever and made it playable again and that is the most important thing. It a nice player's grade axe now and is not so valuable it has to be babied. The owner will treasure it though anyways, I just know it. If the owner picks it up again and again and enjoys it than it was all worth it. I love fully bound Gibsons. It may be extra work but the look is so classy and cool! It's still a wicked stunnah as we say up here in Maine! Haha..
Looks great. Quite a restore.
Thanks!
Great T-Shirt ! Thanks for support
I had one of those guitars they are beautiful and play awesome!!! Good job!!!
You'r a true magician brother....
To pay someone with the repair skills you displayed would cost almost as much as that guitar is worth! You'd really have to love it...
Dude that was some straight up Dan Erlewine shit right there! I've been watching your videos for years, seen you build some killer guitars but honestly this repair (restoration) was by far the most impressive thing I've seen you accomplish, congratulations man! I mostly build electric guitars but I will do repairs for people that don't irritate the hell out of me so I fully understand what goes into a project like this, people aren't seeing the 4 hours you spent on one jig you may never use again just to accomplish one rout or cut, it's intense work to say the least. You killed it Big D!
Pretty amazing. You really did give this babe a second life !
Epic repair. Truly inspiring 🙏
Incredible Job.. Wish i had the patience and knowhow for this type of work ...
Fantastic work, Derek!
Great job! For future reference, volutes have a slight curve to the high edge
Whoa. Don't think I've ever seen someone remove the truss rod for a neck repair. That must've been a royal pain in the backside, but I guess it does give you a lot more leeway for working on the wood.
Super cool guitar to repair, you really did an amazing job. Thank you for sharing this.
Stellar Repair! 👍🤘🏼
Incredible work. I was disappointed the Bigsby didn’t pull through as well.😢
I sold it to fund the repair
A very interesting video as I have a 25/50 which I have owned from new. It was fascinating to see under the fretboard etc. I enjoyed that.
Nice job! I didn’t realize you had such good guitar chops! Love the T-shirt!
Wow, that turned out incredible!
Great work- beautiful sounding guitar with a real history...it's a survivor!
thank you!!!
That job is simply fantastic!!
Killer work and jigs for days!
Damn, that was impressive! Very nice.
What a rebuild!!! amazing!!!
thank you
Dude that was a fantastic job you did. I don't have the patients to do all that. You have the rights to say it is the original neck. I would have just used splines and such and left the neck on it (for that right), but your repair was much more superior. If I went to the trouble of removing it, I would have taken the headstock veneer off and glued it on a new neck. I know that is cheating. That is why you are great and I am not. I take the easy way out.
haha thank you
New Look of the neck is ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Sweet. If it were mine Id just have you clear the neck so we can see the work that was done. The repairs are the real conversation piece. In my opinion.
Right on
Beautiful work man
Great job Derek! Thanks for Your T-Shirt greetings from Ukraine
That was a job very well done!
Quality work dude !
Much appreciated!
That's an incredible job, congrats!
thank you
What a craftsman!