I am a retired luthier..I like your approach sir...30yrs repairing, restoring and building violins violas cellos and guitars...has poisoned this old award winning master luthier...who now entertains senior citizens..cuz I is one...thankyou sir..most enjoyable.
Pain felt. Backed my Martin into the corner of a piano bench during a performance. Most sickening feeling b/c that guitar was pristine. Two locals luthiers wouldn’t touch it. I finally shipped it to Martin and four weeks later it came back perfectly repaired plus they buffed out all the scuffs.
My 1970 Eko Jumbo is modelled on that Hummingbird, right down to the damage, which has been there since an accident in 1971! The difference is that the punched-in hole is up near the shoulder rather than the base. I didn't think a repair would be possible, but you have me thinking about it after seeing the craaftsmanship here. Bravo!
Rod Stewart: The first cut is the deepest. Ted Woodford: The first cut is the shallowest. The difference between knowledge and understanding in microcosm. This was a real treat, especially in terms of problem-solving processes. Some strong lessons in thought.
I wouldn't call this a "competent repair" as I've had to fix a lot of those! I would say this is definitely a lot better than most I've seen from people that claim to be professional luthiers. I would've replaced the entire side especially being a Gibson guitar. The Boseman Montana factory is a far cry from the one in Tennessee! But I would want it to look like the customer spent a reasonable amount for a truly professional and invisible repair. I would only charge about $200.00 for that including matching the finish. But I'm sure that this guy got his money's worth for this repair and will be happy with it as long as he owns it.
the strap came off my Lowden a few years back whilst performing in my local pub, it fell on a tiled floor and created 3 parallel splits in the back similarly far away from the sound hole. As you say there was much self recrimination. Luckily there is a very good luthier nearby who managed to make an invisible repair and it’s as good as new. I asked him if he had to take the back off to fix it but he just smiled and said, no it involved advanced gynaecology! In this case in homage to Cat Stevens, it wasn’t the first cut which was the deepest but the second. Stellar work as always. Thanks.
A damn sight better than it was in the beginning! I came into possession of a Gianinni Craviola with a similar dent plus some BB gun holes several years ago. I was able to push out the break from inside and glue it, but with no attempt to patch or refinish the residual damage. It sounds much better than it looks. Next time there may be some atttempt to hide the damage, after watching this.
Only striving for competent workmanship? Are you kidding? Dude you’re a genius…an artiste. When I first saw the damage my exact thought was “that beautiful instrument is toast”. You totally resurrected it!
As a 42 year hardwood floor repair and refinisher(and guitar player)even when you totally nail the color you always have that shadow where the old and new stain/finish meet..nearly impossible to blend perfectly!
Has anyone ever tried ‘wet paint sanding’ on guitars? The idea is,when all of the old paint is removed, you up and down sand the past together with the sawdust into the groves, pores whatever holes. Until almost dry with the first go with 120,2nd 240 until dry. It immediately shows the result. I use waterbased acrylic paints During sanding u can remove excess paste away and don’t sand to much avoiding sunspots
Excellent! You demonstrated the perseverance required. After all that work with the magnet repair you started over. Incredible work. Thank you very much
I have to say that you, sir, are a TRUE craftsman. I just discovered your channel and have been binge watching it for the last few days. I am semi-retired now from a life time of repairing all kinds of things; all aspects of home repair, electrical, plumbing, carpentry, tile, appliances, HVAC, electronics, computers, and on and on and on the list goes. I absolutely love watching you fix these guitars. Even after 50+ years of fixin' stuff, I am learning some very valuable skills from you. Even the tone of your voice on the narrations is relaxing. You have a true fan in me. Keep up the great work!
This happened to my D18. Rested it on the sofa leaning it against the back cushion, while I got up to make some coffee. Sitting down again beside the guitar heavily bounced it into the air and launched it at the edge of the adjacent coffee table. Did exactly this damage. I almost cried. The luthier that repaired it did such a good job that amazingly I couldn't see the joins until 20+ years later. The video was fascinating as I could finally see what he did. The only difference is my join is rectangular. I'm in awe of the skills you guys have.
I think if that happened to me I'd just ask you to put an input jack in there and install a pick up. Hide my shame and pretend it never happened. Amazing work as ever. You're a true artisan!
Great work! I had a similar disaster years ago when I stupidly didn’t humidify my Martin, and during a particularly cold spell (I’m in southern Ontario also) the power went out for 30 hours and temperature in the house plummeted. The top side of the guitar opened up a 1/4” chasm starting from the Fishman controls and extending down almost to the neck. The luthier who fixed it did a great job. If you look closely you can see the repair, but it stayed stable, and I learned a valuable (and expensive) lesson.
It's comforting, in a way, to see that even Ted has his moments where a brilliant idea doesn't quite work out. I've been rather forcefully reminded lately that some repairs are going to look a lot worse before they look better; the piano I mentioned last week has arrived, and it's had its moments so far.
Hardly seems worth it for "And there was a big ugly gouge right here that I smoothed over with wood putty, stained with a Minwax stain pen, and sealed up with a 2lb cut of shellac" times 25 or so. The toughest part was the glue-up of the music stand, and that went swimmingly with a few ratchet straps and a spare board to keep things aligned while the glue set.
Why is that comforting? If seeing a man fail in any capacity is comforting to you then you have some major problems. You seem like the kind of guy that sits outside your wife's work trying to catch her talking to someone. That's kinda disgusting.
@@TempoDrift1480 Fallibility in someone highly skilled and admired could quite reasonably give comfort to someone who fails more frequently. "It happens to the best of them" is a reassuring way to remind us that we all endure misfortune and upset, regardless of ability and experience. From your response it would seem you're the one with some major problems if that's how your brain interprets what was said.
I'm an industrial engineer - I design, fabricate and repair complex metal bits. A trained monkey could take my place... If I "measure once and cut twice" on a flush panel, I can generally break out the TIG welder, add a bit back, then grind away until the repair is invisible - a dozen or more times if necessary ... Wood? Ha- I'm scared to death of the stuff... I dropped my '86 Martin Brazilian Custom OM onto a spherical stage foot light in almost exactly the same place. A retired luthier made a plug with dead on identical grain characteristics he saw in a piece of BRW from the remnants of a broken up 1950s sewing cabinet he had found years before on the side of the road. Like his, your finished repair nothing short of astounding. Continually amazed at the "laser focus" of woodworkers and fine luthiers such as yourself.
You know, I think what's so great about him is that he does indeed know how good he is but he chooses to simply work his craft and just let's us come along for the ride. He often talks about how important it is to know when you're in over your head with these repairs so I have a feeling he knows his limits pretty well. He really is incredible.
I think given the violent and horrible nature of this damage,you repair looks truly superb. I'm half decent at guitar maintenance myself,but I wouldn't have tackled this repair. Hats off sir. I find your videos very calming and relaxing as well as insightful and educational. Fantastic! Thanks!!!
I've discovered this rather late but have to comment. Gobsmacked is the word and the level of skill and knowlege is a real knock-out. Scince and Art in harmony. Patience application perception dedication not enough words to describe doing that incredible repair. A knowledge of modern materials plus how to apply them and the use of delicate machinery and the skill thereof. I'm amazed. I've done some wood finishing and trained to do French Polishing and I know how tricky covering up damage on natural wood can be. If someone who doesn''t know the repair is there can't notice it from 6 feet away then what you have is a top grade invisible mend. I salute this demonstration - it was a real treat to watch.
You and Jerry Rosa get the worst repair to do! A very difficult repair you did well! I’ve done some of these types of repairs and the only saving grace is that it is solid wood! Laminated is almost impossible! Love from NW Colorado, USA. Thanxz
I have said it in the past and will say it again; Amazing craftsmanship! Those who live close enough to have you work on their instruments are truly fortunate.
I’m so glad I watched. I used those Mohawk products for decades in the furniture touch up and repair business. I’m older than dirt now and was just recently wondering if the company is still alive. I’m finally out of my stash of burnt umber. I wonder if they remember me? They will not sell to rookies. They’re very versatile. If your up to it, you can paint believable wood grain with them using diluted lacquer or padding lacquers and a fine brush. BTW, great job.
@@markbernier8434 Your probably right. Their products and information about their use is , virtually , in the realm of the occult. You know it or you don’t.
_"Chatoyance"_ - I even learnt a new word, thanks Ted. It is brilliant repairs like these and watching them develop through the video, that is the reason why I subscribed to Ted's channel. Utterly fascinating to watch and a tuturial for anyone thinking of doing luthiery as a profession. _"Competent Workmanship"_ - Ted, you are far, far more than just "competent". Cheers.
I was actually familiar with the word Chatoyance from working in jewelry sales years back (familiar in the sense that i’ve encountered it before but if you had asked me i couldn’t have told you what it meant extemporaneously), but i was incredibly impressed to see it pop up in the middle of a guitar repair video, as I doubt that’s a word most luthiers would use in response to the light qualities of a guitar’s finish. this man is like a sommelier of guitars, in the best way, lol.
I came here having never done a body repair in my life. I have an old beat up acoustic with a good crack on the back by the binding that I got free and want to learn simple repairs with. This was very satisfying to watch. Thank you. In my mind I was saying this level of craftsmanship must be worth more than even that wonderful Gibson Hummingbird. You truly do a labor of love.
The inlay repair was really cool. Thanks for teaching us! The chatoyance of mahogany first struck me when I made a box in high school 'Wood 2' back in like '85. It was incredible, and almost looked to be made from tigers eye (if you had a good imagination, lol). Such beauty in the best pieces. Thanks for the video!
Absolutely beautiful! It still obviously shows that it has been repaired, but repaired by a fellow who shows his skill are real care about quality of his work. Bravo!
Another masterful, patient repair. And bonus points for : "Bird is the Word" Trashmen reference. And the goth kid reference. Thank you for your fascinating and entertaining videos.
That came out great, but if it was my guitar I would have made it into a feature by making the disc bigger and covering the whole scar, and then make it contrast by going very dark or light and maybe inlay a little hummingbird in the middle of the disc. Your videos are great!
Yeah I agree. I watch people do headstock repairs and then they spend more time trying to hide it. Hell with that, let it be seen. Anyone who has a problem with a quality repair probably isn't in it for the right reasons.
This video is a life saver, as I have a old flamenco guitar that I bought as a project to repair it has almost identical issue in a very similar spot so will be able to implement a large chunk of the knowledge I gained from here. It will one of my first time working on something like this so will be fun. But thank you very much for the amazing knowledge you share. Keep up the great work!
This is a satisfactory, structurally-sound repair that the owner should be thrilled with. Thank God you got this job instead of the “GluBoost Guy”. In other words, it have been a hell of a lot worse!
Ohhh, poor Gibby. What a beautiful instrument. Those kind of injuries are heartbreaking. I had to have an enormous humidity crack repaired in the top of my beloved Guild, some years ago. It ran from the sound hole all the way to the end of the lower bout, just above the end pin. The shop did a good sturdy repair and made nice work of the cleats, but the top has never looked the same. You did a tremendous job on this one, for what you had to work with. Excellent, as always. 👍
oh the horror...when it's not a broken neck the bowels are spilling but fret not...the TeDoctor is here to save the day (and make the Gibson hum again. Interesting techniques and the magnet tricks is something else! I wonder how did the action got so low?... Thanks for this "Outer limits" episode doctor Ted!
Sometimes the repairs are invisible. Sometimes are so serious that is almost impossible to make them invisible. But this... Is simply awesome. Excellent!
The patch idea is brilliant, but I’m really surprised you didn’t stretch it out enough to cover the entire damaged area, incl those little holes. I know you are excellent at hiding crack repairs and matching the surrounding finish color and texture, but even with a perfect match, my OCD would always notice the two different areas.
Most people don’t understand how difficult it is repair things like this. I dabble in stuff like this and that is definitely excellent work! I picked up a few pointers as well!!
I truly.. appreciate your effort, to restore this fine instrument. I have played guitar for 50 years.. There has been many tragedies players make with them. Artists.. in the way of preserving the instrument, are as equally as those who make history with it...
I did a similar repair 30 years ago on a old Martin. I had saved some Mahogany side portions from a parts guitar. I think I had to slightly Re-touch up the Bend on the section I decided to use. The thin giant cleat was 1/4” larger all around. I drilled a tiny hole in the middle of the crushed in damaged side. Drilled a tiny hole in the middle of the inner side patch Cleat. Then I steamed a piece of thin maple roughly the same size as the patch. Drilled a hole in the maple as well. I used some copper -ty wire I had left over from my Neon sign Business ’ that was used to tie down the Neon tubing on the wall stand offs. Fed the wire through the damage and the cleat and maple creating a huge knot that wouldn’t slip. Applied tight bond to the Cleat and pulled wire- which pulled the cleat and forced the crushed in side out and the cleat was glued at same time. Wasn’t pretty-but it worked. After the finish touch up it was a decent job. I hate those sharp corner lamp tables!!!!
Hi Ted, it's so great to see how you approached this repair, brilliant idea with the magnets, I'm sure in other less severe instances his would work a treat. Thanks for documenting this.
Your level of skill is off the charts. The myriad techniques you employ to affect a repair are breath taking. I'm not sure I'd invest in such an extensive repair on that particular instrument but the owner will be thrilled that their misadventure was minimized.
I was absolutely fascinated by this video. Exactly this happened to my D18 years ago. It got launched into the air after I sat heavily down next to it on the sofa. It landed on the edge of the coffee table making almost exactly the same dent as in this hummingbird. Almost in tears, I took it to a well-known guitar shop in town that had done other minor work on the guitar before. When I got it back I could not see a join anywhere. It looked exactly the same as it did before the damage. The colour, wood, grain, and polish were a perfect match, and only now after 40 more years of wear and tear can I just barely see the outline of the rectangular patch used in the repair. I have been curious about how they did it ever since. I can only marvel at the skill shown here and the skill of the luthier who fixed my crippled baby.
Jaysus Ted!!! ... the wisdom of Solomon and the patience of Job! Great process for those of us who have had to cipher our way through toughies like this. Great demo of "if at first you don't succeed" ...
Great work I have a guitar with a similar damage. I’m not at the point where I think I can do that repair. But it is the first time I’ve seen someone do it . Thank you.
OMG. I just discovered a similar damage on my son's Hummingbird!!! Thank you, thank you Ted for posting this. This repair is gonna be interesting . . .
Nice repair. I had a similar problem with a Faith Jupiter. I put two cushioned bars clamped across the whole guitar and inserted a car inner tube after removing any sharp bits inside the guitar. You then slowly inflate the tube which pushes the indented wood back. The idea of the clamps is to stop the tube from ballooning and blowing the guitar apart. Another less severe method is to use a fish hook and line combined with projectile pressure from the inside from a curved wooden coat hanger with a small rubber ball on the end. I don't like drilling holes and filling them. For me it's a very very last resort.
Phenomenon work my man. I used to own a Gibson B-45 12 string and if that would have happened I would put the guitar away in shame. With your repair I would have been proud to show it off again.
Congratulations, Sir, you are an orthopedic surgeon for musical instruments. From the horrible break on the resonant box, you made a perfect correction and put the guitar back into function. Admirable is the way you did it, I watched this video carefully. Extraordinarily done.
Thank you for your humility. I appreciate that you know your limits and still push yourself to do the best you can. It’s way harder than you’re making it look. I don’t know if I would have even attempted this repair. 👍👍
Really fascinating to watch you effect this repair. It resonated wit me because, first, I dabble in woodworking. Second, my very first guitar (an import Epihone back in 1971) suffered similar damage. It was never repaired. Third, at about the time I acquired the Epiphone, a friend with whom I played acquired a new Hummingbird and I fell in love with it. Finally, it wasn’t until about 25 years later that I finally could afford a square-bodied Gibson, ending up with a Sheryl Crow signature (‘62 Country and Western reissue). Every time I take it out of the case (especially at gigs) I think of my damaged Epiphone and worry. Thanks for sharing this and thanks for doing right by this guitar.
I love your work. It's amazing that you get your ogre-sized hands to do all the fiddly work, If I looked at some of your repairs and knew the process, I'd just assume you have tiny hands. Nope... You've got mitts like a bear - but the dexterity of a hummingbird.
I am a retired luthier..I like your approach sir...30yrs repairing, restoring and building violins violas cellos and guitars...has poisoned this old award winning master luthier...who now entertains senior citizens..cuz I is one...thankyou sir..most enjoyable.
Pain felt. Backed my Martin into the corner of a piano bench during a performance. Most sickening feeling b/c that guitar was pristine. Two locals luthiers wouldn’t touch it. I finally shipped it to Martin and four weeks later it came back perfectly repaired plus they buffed out all the scuffs.
yeah...they peeled the sticker off and put it on a new guitar....
You are one of the BEST things to ever happen to my UA-cam thank you for all that you do my friend.
true!
My 1970 Eko Jumbo is modelled on that Hummingbird, right down to the damage, which has been there since an accident in 1971! The difference is that the punched-in hole is up near the shoulder rather than the base. I didn't think a repair would be possible, but you have me thinking about it after seeing the craaftsmanship here. Bravo!
Rod Stewart: The first cut is the deepest.
Ted Woodford: The first cut is the shallowest.
The difference between knowledge and understanding in microcosm.
This was a real treat, especially in terms of problem-solving processes. Some strong lessons in thought.
You beat me to it!
when it comes to cutting me she's the worst.....
I wouldn't call this a "competent repair" as I've had to fix a lot of those! I would say this is definitely a lot better than most I've seen from people that claim to be professional luthiers. I would've replaced the entire side especially being a Gibson guitar. The Boseman Montana factory is a far cry from the one in Tennessee! But I would want it to look like the customer spent a reasonable amount for a truly professional and invisible repair. I would only charge about $200.00 for that including matching the finish. But I'm sure that this guy got his money's worth for this repair and will be happy with it as long as he owns it.
the strap came off my Lowden a few years back whilst performing in my local pub, it fell on a tiled floor and created 3 parallel splits in the back similarly far away from the sound hole. As you say there was much self recrimination. Luckily there is a very good luthier nearby who managed to make an invisible repair and it’s as good as new. I asked him if he had to take the back off to fix it but he just smiled and said, no it involved advanced gynaecology! In this case in homage to Cat Stevens, it wasn’t the first cut which was the deepest but the second. Stellar work as always. Thanks.
I’m amazed at the process. I would have had to take the whole back off.
A damn sight better than it was in the beginning!
I came into possession of a Gianinni Craviola with a similar dent plus some BB gun holes several years ago. I was able to push out the break from inside and glue it, but with no attempt to patch or refinish the residual damage.
It sounds much better than it looks. Next time there may be some atttempt to hide the damage, after watching this.
Only striving for competent workmanship? Are you kidding? Dude you’re a genius…an artiste. When I first saw the damage my exact thought was “that beautiful instrument is toast”. You totally resurrected it!
Miracle worker. Your skills are on another level. Blown away with the tinting process. Thank you.
As a 42 year hardwood floor repair and refinisher(and guitar player)even when you totally nail the color you always have that shadow where the old and new stain/finish meet..nearly impossible to blend perfectly!
You can make a knot there
My father was a dentist. Color matching the transitions was one of his biggest challenges, but one of the things he did best.
Has anyone ever tried ‘wet paint sanding’ on guitars? The idea is,when all of the old paint is removed, you up and down sand the past together with the sawdust into the groves, pores whatever holes. Until almost dry with the first go with 120,2nd 240 until dry. It immediately shows the result. I use waterbased acrylic paints
During sanding u can remove excess paste away and don’t sand to much avoiding sunspots
I would've make an extra soundhole. It would sound awesome!
Excellent! You demonstrated the perseverance required. After all that work with the magnet repair you started over. Incredible work. Thank you very much
Nice repair. When I saw the picture I never thought anybody could fix it and make the repair hide much. You did. Congrats.
I have to say that you, sir, are a TRUE craftsman. I just discovered your channel and have been binge watching it for the last few days. I am semi-retired now from a life time of repairing all kinds of things; all aspects of home repair, electrical, plumbing, carpentry, tile, appliances, HVAC, electronics, computers, and on and on and on the list goes. I absolutely love watching you fix these guitars. Even after 50+ years of fixin' stuff, I am learning some very valuable skills from you. Even the tone of your voice on the narrations is relaxing. You have a true fan in me. Keep up the great work!
This happened to my D18. Rested it on the sofa leaning it against the back cushion, while I got up to make some coffee. Sitting down again beside the guitar heavily bounced it into the air and launched it at the edge of the adjacent coffee table. Did exactly this damage. I almost cried. The luthier that repaired it did such a good job that amazingly I couldn't see the joins until 20+ years later. The video was fascinating as I could finally see what he did. The only difference is my join is rectangular. I'm in awe of the skills you guys have.
I think if that happened to me I'd just ask you to put an input jack in there and install a pick up. Hide my shame and pretend it never happened.
Amazing work as ever. You're a true artisan!
Nah, just slap on a Bernie '16 bumper sticker and be done with it...
@@Jah_Rastafari_ORIG Or a Rolling Stones red tongue? It IS a Hummingbird.
Or one of the recently hip side soundholes
What would the Input Jack be for? Playing music from an mp3 Player through the soundhole?
@@nilswegner2881 I think he meant an output jack for piezo pickups.
Great work! I had a similar disaster years ago when I stupidly didn’t humidify my Martin, and during a particularly cold spell (I’m in southern Ontario also) the power went out for 30 hours and temperature in the house plummeted. The top side of the guitar opened up a 1/4” chasm starting from the Fishman controls and extending down almost to the neck. The luthier who fixed it did a great job. If you look closely you can see the repair, but it stayed stable, and I learned a valuable (and expensive) lesson.
Excellent job! It required a calm, a patience and accuracy at top level but the end result is stunning!👌🏼✨
Excellent craftsmanship. Long video but I was glued to me seat clear to the end.
Great repair job! This video was very interesting and educational. Thank you!
That's pretty next level repair work. Great job on this particular piece.
It's comforting, in a way, to see that even Ted has his moments where a brilliant idea doesn't quite work out. I've been rather forcefully reminded lately that some repairs are going to look a lot worse before they look better; the piano I mentioned last week has arrived, and it's had its moments so far.
Are there any places we can see work in progresses on such things of yours?
I really wanted the magnets to work
Hardly seems worth it for "And there was a big ugly gouge right here that I smoothed over with wood putty, stained with a Minwax stain pen, and sealed up with a 2lb cut of shellac" times 25 or so. The toughest part was the glue-up of the music stand, and that went swimmingly with a few ratchet straps and a spare board to keep things aligned while the glue set.
Why is that comforting? If seeing a man fail in any capacity is comforting to you then you have some major problems. You seem like the kind of guy that sits outside your wife's work trying to catch her talking to someone. That's kinda disgusting.
@@TempoDrift1480 Fallibility in someone highly skilled and admired could quite reasonably give comfort to someone who fails more frequently. "It happens to the best of them" is a reassuring way to remind us that we all endure misfortune and upset, regardless of ability and experience. From your response it would seem you're the one with some major problems if that's how your brain interprets what was said.
I'm an industrial engineer - I design, fabricate and repair complex metal bits. A trained monkey could take my place... If I "measure once and cut twice" on a flush panel, I can generally break out the TIG welder, add a bit back, then grind away until the repair is invisible - a dozen or more times if necessary ... Wood? Ha- I'm scared to death of the stuff... I dropped my '86 Martin Brazilian Custom OM onto a spherical stage foot light in almost exactly the same place. A retired luthier made a plug with dead on identical grain characteristics he saw in a piece of BRW from the remnants of a broken up 1950s sewing cabinet he had found years before on the side of the road. Like his, your finished repair nothing short of astounding. Continually amazed at the "laser focus" of woodworkers and fine luthiers such as yourself.
I’ve been dying to see this one!!!! Well done mate! Genius repair from a humble gentleman. You don’t even know how good you are.
You know, I think what's so great about him is that he does indeed know how good he is but he chooses to simply work his craft and just let's us come along for the ride. He often talks about how important it is to know when you're in over your head with these repairs so I have a feeling he knows his limits pretty well. He really is incredible.
I am sure he does.
You should watch the BBC's The Repair Shop
I scrolled to see if someone had said what I was thinking.. thanks!
He is, isn't he? Wait till the Bird gets their bill. 😱 Humble fellow.
I’ve seen similar accidents and the necessary repairs but yours was the best!
I think given the violent and horrible nature of this damage,you repair looks truly superb. I'm half decent at guitar maintenance myself,but I wouldn't have tackled this repair. Hats off sir. I find your videos very calming and relaxing as well as insightful and educational. Fantastic! Thanks!!!
I've discovered this rather late but have to comment. Gobsmacked is the word and the level of skill and knowlege is a real knock-out. Scince and Art in harmony. Patience application perception dedication not enough words to describe doing that incredible repair. A knowledge of modern materials plus how to apply them and the use of delicate machinery and the skill thereof. I'm amazed. I've done some wood finishing and trained to do French Polishing and I know how tricky covering up damage on natural wood can be. If someone who doesn''t know the repair is there can't notice it from 6 feet away then what you have is a top grade invisible mend. I salute this demonstration - it was a real treat to watch.
Great job, I think the patch is attractive and a beautiful "scar" that adds to the story of the instrument.
You and Jerry Rosa get the worst repair to do! A very difficult repair you did well! I’ve done some of these types of repairs and the only saving grace is that it is solid wood! Laminated is almost impossible! Love from NW Colorado, USA. Thanxz
Bravo for showing the learning process of things that don’t work and moving on :)
I have said it in the past and will say it again; Amazing craftsmanship! Those who live close enough to have you work on their instruments are truly fortunate.
Indeed.
I’m so glad I watched. I used those Mohawk products for decades in the furniture touch up and repair business. I’m older than dirt now and was just recently wondering if the company is still alive. I’m finally out of my stash of burnt umber. I wonder if they remember me? They will not sell to rookies. They’re very versatile. If your up to it, you can paint believable wood grain with them using diluted lacquer or padding lacquers and a fine brush. BTW, great job.
I would bet they do, and even if it is the next generation now just name dropping would prove your bona fides.
@@markbernier8434
Your probably right. Their products and information about their use is , virtually , in the realm of the occult. You know it or you don’t.
Loved your thought process on this fix. Well done!
_"Chatoyance"_ - I even learnt a new word, thanks Ted. It is brilliant repairs like these and watching them develop through the video, that is the reason why I subscribed to Ted's channel. Utterly fascinating to watch and a tuturial for anyone thinking of doing luthiery as a profession. _"Competent Workmanship"_ - Ted, you are far, far more than just "competent". Cheers.
Said the same thing
I was actually familiar with the word Chatoyance from working in jewelry sales years back (familiar in the sense that i’ve encountered it before but if you had asked me i couldn’t have told you what it meant extemporaneously), but i was incredibly impressed to see it pop up in the middle of a guitar repair video, as I doubt that’s a word most luthiers would use in response to the light qualities of a guitar’s finish. this man is like a sommelier of guitars, in the best way, lol.
Came right down here to say the say the same thing! That is an amazing and graceful word. I am so glad to add that to my vocabulary. Thanks
Ted!
@A UA-cam Hero For Fun how about Thixotropic as a starter..
i learned chatoyance from eagles hotel calfornia .. '' shimmering lights''
I came here having never done a body repair in my life. I have an old beat up acoustic with a good crack on the back by the binding that I got free and want to learn simple repairs with. This was very satisfying to watch. Thank you. In my mind I was saying this level of craftsmanship must be worth more than even that wonderful Gibson Hummingbird. You truly do a labor of love.
That patch looks super cool, actually! Adds a ton of character to the instrument and I'd love to have that in my collection. Great work!
@twoodfrd That damage WAS EXTREMELY PAINFUL TO LOOK AT!!!!!! NICE WORK ON THE REPAIR!!!!!
The inlay repair was really cool. Thanks for teaching us! The chatoyance of mahogany first struck me when I made a box in high school 'Wood 2' back in like '85. It was incredible, and almost looked to be made from tigers eye (if you had a good imagination, lol). Such beauty in the best pieces. Thanks for the video!
Absolutely beautiful! It still obviously shows that it has been repaired, but repaired by a fellow who shows his skill are real care about quality of his work. Bravo!
Shouldn’t have lent it to Pete Townshend.
Great work Good job!
He won't get fooled again.
Fantastic repair! I really appreciate you sharing your process.
Another masterful, patient repair. And bonus points for : "Bird is the Word" Trashmen reference. And the goth kid reference. Thank you for your fascinating and entertaining videos.
i think the repaired look at 16:40 was perfect . good repairs on on vintage gear shows the character .... you do great work
That came out great, but if it was my guitar I would have made it into a feature by making the disc bigger and covering the whole scar, and then make it contrast by going very dark or light and maybe inlay a little hummingbird in the middle of the disc. Your videos are great!
Was going to say the same thing. Nothing shameful about an honest repair.
Cool idea but I think this would drive up the cost significantly
I would tattoo my guitar.
I would have made it into a sound port for mice!
Yeah I agree. I watch people do headstock repairs and then they spend more time trying to hide it. Hell with that, let it be seen. Anyone who has a problem with a quality repair probably isn't in it for the right reasons.
I hope the customer appreciates the work you've done and pays according
This video is a life saver, as I have a old flamenco guitar that I bought as a project to repair it has almost identical issue in a very similar spot so will be able to implement a large chunk of the knowledge I gained from here. It will one of my first time working on something like this so will be fun. But thank you very much for the amazing knowledge you share. Keep up the great work!
An absolutely amazing repair! If only I lived closer to you, you’d be my go-to guitar repair and maintenance guy.
sir you have done a great job. beautifully covered .lovely
This is a satisfactory, structurally-sound repair that the owner should be thrilled with. Thank God you got this job instead of the “GluBoost Guy”. In other words, it have been a hell of a lot worse!
Ohhh, poor Gibby. What a beautiful instrument. Those kind of injuries are heartbreaking. I had to have an enormous humidity crack repaired in the top of my beloved Guild, some years ago. It ran from the sound hole all the way to the end of the lower bout, just above the end pin. The shop did a good sturdy repair and made nice work of the cleats, but the top has never looked the same. You did a tremendous job on this one, for what you had to work with. Excellent, as always. 👍
oh the horror...when it's not a broken neck the bowels are spilling but fret not...the TeDoctor is here to save the day (and make the Gibson hum again.
Interesting techniques and the magnet tricks is something else!
I wonder how did the action got so low?...
Thanks for this "Outer limits" episode doctor Ted!
Sometimes the repairs are invisible. Sometimes are so serious that is almost impossible to make them invisible.
But this... Is simply awesome.
Excellent!
The patch idea is brilliant, but I’m really surprised you didn’t stretch it out enough to cover the entire damaged area, incl those little holes. I know you are excellent at hiding crack repairs and matching the surrounding finish color and texture, but even with a perfect match, my OCD would always notice the two different areas.
Yep..me too.
Yep and me 👍🏻
a lot better than the original hole though !
My guess would be that the less patching the better, only what is structurally necessary as a rule of thumb.
I appreciate your craftsmanship! Bravo.
Thoroughly interesting & highly skilled repair with laugh out loud humour as usual. Ted = Legend 👍
Yes, the humour ist great! - I've got Long Arms..- and then he shows a skeleton of a gibbon. :-)
Now that is the work of a very good Luthier and then some. Brilliant work.
This is amazing! It's always a challenge to match the colors of the guitar to the patch or even cracks and chips. This was simply awesome man!!!!
Colour matching and grain matching are fairly easy with pencil crayons. The colour gets sealed inside the lacquer. I use them on a lot of furniture.
Most people don’t understand how difficult it is repair things like this. I dabble in stuff like this and that is definitely excellent work! I picked up a few pointers as well!!
I truly.. appreciate your effort, to restore this fine instrument. I have played guitar for 50 years.. There has been many tragedies players make with them. Artists.. in the way of preserving the instrument, are as equally as those who make history with it...
You had me laughing from one minute in. Great repair also.
I did a similar repair 30 years ago on a old Martin. I had saved some Mahogany side portions from a parts guitar. I think I had to slightly Re-touch up the Bend on the section I decided to use. The thin giant cleat was 1/4” larger all around. I drilled a tiny hole in the middle of the crushed in damaged side. Drilled a tiny hole in the middle of the inner side patch Cleat. Then I steamed a piece of thin maple roughly the same size as the patch. Drilled a hole in the maple as well. I used some copper -ty wire I had left over from my Neon sign Business ’ that was used to tie down the Neon tubing on the wall stand offs. Fed the wire through the damage and the cleat and maple creating a huge knot that wouldn’t slip. Applied tight bond to the Cleat and pulled wire- which pulled the cleat and forced the crushed in side out and the cleat was glued at same time. Wasn’t pretty-but it worked. After the finish touch up it was a decent job. I hate those sharp corner lamp tables!!!!
I LOVE your videos! Besides the excellent repair work, you are friggin funny! Almost spit my coffee out when you showed the skeleton!
me too mate )
Hi Ted, it's so great to see how you approached this repair, brilliant idea with the magnets, I'm sure in other less severe instances his would work a treat. Thanks for documenting this.
Love this channel. This week's episode looks like a real humdinger. They just keep getting better!
Back in the day ,we used a rubber ball and wooden mallet,just like knocking a dent out of a fender. Worked like a charm.
You did a nice job.
I would have glued all of the edges and then pulled it with a vacuum. No patch and the repair would have been near invisible.
Simply amazing.
In awe of your skill and the care you take.
Fantastic ❗️❗️❗️
Your level of skill is off the charts. The myriad techniques you employ to affect a repair are breath taking. I'm not sure I'd invest in such an extensive repair on that particular instrument but the owner will be thrilled that their misadventure was minimized.
Fantastic watch. Just amazing repair work.
You started with such a mess! Life happens. Great repair. Thanks!
That is an awesome repair. Crushed sides on an acoustic are so common yet few can do a skilled repair.
Well done!
Very soothing to watch and listen too: I always hated hummingbirds, ( don't know why ) but you are inventive with this repair...
That great work, it's so hard to do, mostly the finish. Congrats.
I could not stop watching this video! Excellent craftsmanship.
"Competent workmanship..." I think you've got that down. Beautiful job.
I was absolutely fascinated by this video. Exactly this happened to my D18 years ago. It got launched into the air after I sat heavily down next to it on the sofa. It landed on the edge of the coffee table making almost exactly the same dent as in this hummingbird.
Almost in tears, I took it to a well-known guitar shop in town that had done other minor work on the guitar before. When I got it back I could not see a join anywhere. It looked exactly the same as it did before the damage. The colour, wood, grain, and polish were a perfect match, and only now after 40 more years of wear and tear can I just barely see the outline of the rectangular patch used in the repair. I have been curious about how they did it ever since.
I can only marvel at the skill shown here and the skill of the luthier who fixed my crippled baby.
Used to play one from the 50s, close to that age too, nice work,.
This was absolute genius level repair work! I wish I was this good at wood work!
Jaysus Ted!!! ... the wisdom of Solomon and the patience of Job! Great process for those of us who have had to cipher our way through toughies like this. Great demo of "if at first you don't succeed" ...
Great work I have a guitar with a similar damage. I’m not at the point where I think I can do that repair. But it is the first time I’ve seen someone do it . Thank you.
You have amazing skill. I admire people with such attention to detail. Wow.
OMG. I just discovered a similar damage on my son's Hummingbird!!! Thank you, thank you Ted for posting this. This repair is gonna be interesting . . .
Nice save on the instrument, and thanks too for the vocabulary lesson!
I appreciate you showing the initial failed effort. I enjoy your process here.
Nice repair. I had a similar problem with a Faith Jupiter.
I put two cushioned bars clamped across the whole guitar and inserted a car inner tube after removing any sharp bits inside the guitar. You then slowly inflate the tube which pushes the indented wood back. The idea of the clamps is to stop the tube from ballooning and blowing the guitar apart. Another less severe method is to use a fish hook and line combined with projectile pressure from the inside from a curved wooden coat hanger with a small rubber ball on the end. I don't like drilling holes and filling them. For me it's a very very last resort.
You are a miracle worker that was an amazing repair absolutely brilliant
Phenomenon work my man. I used to own a Gibson B-45 12 string and if that would have happened I would put the guitar away in shame. With your repair I would have been proud to show it off again.
Another gorgeous repair. I have to say I am pretty partial to the patches, they give it a unique look!
Congratulations,
Sir, you are an orthopedic surgeon for musical instruments. From the horrible break on the resonant box, you made a perfect correction and put the guitar back into function. Admirable is the way you did it, I watched this video carefully. Extraordinarily done.
Haha, when the magnet was taped on it looked like the poor Gibson was going in for surgery! Amazing work!
What a privilege to watch a craftsman at work. Subscribed.
The tools you built! Sound of head exploding!!!
Seriously, genius.
Thank you for your humility. I appreciate that you know your limits and still push yourself to do the best you can. It’s way harder than you’re making it look. I don’t know if I would have even attempted this repair. 👍👍
As much as I hate stickers on guitars, that would be my repair method.
Thanks for sharing and awesome work and Gods blessings for you and all your family
Really fascinating to watch you effect this repair. It resonated wit me because, first, I dabble in woodworking. Second, my very first guitar (an import Epihone back in 1971) suffered similar damage. It was never repaired. Third, at about the time I acquired the Epiphone, a friend with whom I played acquired a new Hummingbird and I fell in love with it. Finally, it wasn’t until about 25 years later that I finally could afford a square-bodied Gibson, ending up with a Sheryl Crow signature (‘62 Country and Western reissue). Every time I take it out of the case (especially at gigs) I think of my damaged Epiphone and worry. Thanks for sharing this and thanks for doing right by this guitar.
I love your work. It's amazing that you get your ogre-sized hands to do all the fiddly work, If I looked at some of your repairs and knew the process, I'd just assume you have tiny hands. Nope... You've got mitts like a bear - but the dexterity of a hummingbird.
you did an excellent repair to a bad damage. a very difficult mission with an excellent result.
well done Sir! cheers NZ