255 RSW 1918 Gibson L3 This One Made Me Cry Part 1
Вставка
- Опубліковано 29 вер 2024
- This old war horse has seen better days. But with a lot of hard work I am able to bring it back to at least some if it's former glory.
Patreon: / rosastringworks
Website: www.rosastring...
"Dads know a lot- Grandpas know everything." Very good, let's have a big hand for the greybeards who keep this world turning!
Lots of great tips in this video... Thanks.
I understand the client not wanting a whole refinish job on the back. It's over a hundred years old and seeing battle scars seems to be right and true to me. Just comes down to it the owner wants, there is no real wrong answer (well, okay, the previous repairs were definitely the wrong answer) just preference.
I know exactly what you mean brother. In my line of work, as with just about any line of work, it's always much harder to undo someone's crappy work than it is to just do it right yourself the 1st time. I try not to talk bad about other guys as well. I just think it makes me look like a know it all jerk. You said something that I say all the time. "I'm just taking out loud".🤪 Then I usually say, when I catch it, "I think quietly too." It's thinking out loud & I screw it up probably every time I say it. Good job, I enjoy watching you repair these guitars. They more I watch, the more I think it's not as hard as it looks, but I don't think I have the patience to do this for a living.
To blend those cracks in with the rest of the back wood you might try light brown leather dye and and air brush.
Brown leather dye is pretty much all I use
Dammit, I wish I had you for a neighbour!
I don't have a welding torch, so I have cold forged some parts and tools with soft steel like you did on the flat of my vice. I haven't done it for a cutting tool though. Will a propane torch get the metal hot enough to harden it or hot forge it? By the way, I love your video.
I use MAPP gas in my propane torch and it will heated hot enough just have to be a little more patient.
You mentioned on one of your videos that you use a lot of firewood, and after all it's only an old Gibson. Those cheapo tuning heads should finish it to the customer specifications (Sarcasm of course). I fully understand that you don't want to spend a lot of time on it, but after all you have plenty of time to do the odd repair? I'm sorry it can't measure up to your usual standards!
Hey Jerry (hope that's how you spell it) I just discovered your channel a few days ago, and boy am I hooked. I can't remember being more entertained and learning so much in a long long time. I just subscribed and have probably watched 50 installments before I did but I can't find a single thing I don't like about your presentations. Your no nonsense approach and added playing and singing have entertained me thoroughly. I have 7 guitars (I'm not a good player but I love the instrument) and they all play a little better because of things I've learned from you. I'm not a young man (64yrs.) but I intend on playing until they lay me down. thanks to you it's going to be a lot more enjoyable. Many thanx
I'll be 64 on the 28th
Have a great one!!!! and I'll have a soda in your honor
verry nice , I can't stop wondering why you don't have at least 15/20 pupils to teach them this craft ...
I have some old Guitars two old builds bye C F Martins one is 56003 arched front and back Maple all org Electric F hole Vega price tag still on it put away since it was bought both with org case. the other is From New York Bruno Company a Tenner Guitar if I remember right its a 1840s model but the low E key is striped right as it gets tuned. I took it in to a few shops in Seattle for repair no one knew how it was built and were afraid to try . Im a Engineer I never seen another build like it . It has to come out through the front nothing on the back and just two shaft holes one on the front one on the side every thing else is sweet... All so a T Haruo Flate Top Box the best sound of them all while in the Guitar Stand on a Concrete floor no Vibration it came flying out like some one kicked it. I saw it 10 feet away ??? my Son saw it. The front of the Head hit the floor hard and split the Neck American Music said it cant be fixed as did others so Im disabled shot on money I opened the crack cleaned it out and used Elmer's wood glue clamped it and waited two weeks and put light strings on it 15 years ago and its been playing ever since you could play this Guitar at the Garden my friend Dave and I traveled from Eugene Oregon Salem Portland then Alaska playing Guitars $100,000 worth in all in just one of the shops until we found this one. Some thing real special about this one it plays like a dream. A true blessing this Guitar saved my life a long story but its doing its job. enjoy love your work A+
I thought maybe you hurt your back lifting all those rocks. Write the check and let someone else do the brick laying. We need you fixing musical instruments. LOL.
I'd be pissed if you put that nasty BLO on my guitar. Smdh. Damage is the things you do to the instruments you work on. You damage them more than you repair them.
boy oh boy, I get a lot of them where I have to repair the repairs too and can tell you it doubles the work and makes the job twice as hard to fix right. you're doing some fine work, can't wait to hear it!
Randy Schartiger Randy you are so right and after seeing your repairs, you know exactly what it takes to bring these instruments back from bad repairs and make them as good as they can be. You and Jerry are brought instruments as a last chance! Thank goodness you guys are around to show the proper way to treat bad repairs! Thanxz
Hey Randy!!! Good to see you on here....been there done that many many times myself...i feel your pain!!!
I think you made all the right calls here,esp NOT putting the ferrules on the headstock....!....pleasure to watch as always!
Hi Jerry, Ian from Tassie here. It's funny as in when I saw this video I constantly said to myself as you are coming up to a problem, 'why don't you do it this way' lol, then guess what? you do it that way lolololol. Great video as usual Jerry. I just restored a Gibson Kalamazoo for a client. It was her mothers during WW2. She bought it off an American GI who had to pawn it while in Australia.
I think they might have needed to replace the fretboard but could only manage with a bit narrower one. Or maybe the fretboard shrank w/c obviously isn't likely... 🤔
Jerry, I noticed something was missing so I youtubed some Rosa String Works band and played it in the background while watching. El Comanchero fits real well during the sped up parts!
As an antique restorer I can give you a tip about the finish problem you encountered. You are right about trying to spot match old finishes, it is tough. What works for me is to get the whole surface to a common color / tone first and then adjust as needed. The way that works best for me is to mix up a solution of 50% alcohol and 50% paint thinner and dip a pad of extra fine steel wool in the solution and begin using a circular motion to massage the old finish. This lifts the old finish and allows you to manipulate ity. You can use this technique remove as much or as little of the old finish as you want. In the case of the guitar you are working on I would try to leave as much of the original finish and color as I could. You can even out the finish across the lighter spots and once you have that done you can let it dry. After it dries you can decide whether to adjust the overall color / tone or not. BUt, you have to get an overall color / tone rather than trying to spot match. Once satisfied you can apply a clear finish if desired. Use super fine steel wool to smooth after the solvent procedure and to prep for finish.
Good tip.
"The answer is: yes I have." Yep. The time tested truth of working with superglue. Everybody. And I do mean every single one, has, at one time or another, glued their skin to something or skin to another part of their skin that ought not be glued together and learned the lesson.
Really enjoying the demostration of your skills. There are Non-blooming CA Accellerators you won't have to worry about turning the glue white. The white is from boiling the glue while it is in the liquid form. Try Mercury brand accell. It's a slightly slower accell so you don't create enough heat from chem reaction to cause boiling. The CA they sell is made here in the USA and usually 2 to 3 months newer than CA's manufactured in China and shipped here. I am a professional modeler, laser cutter and RC airplane kit producer among other things.
I know you don't like refinish old instruments but the L3 deserves a refinish to preserve the wood. Half of these died from lack of humidity or too much but I have found most old arch tops are dying for humidity. You do great work and love your video's.
I have a badly abused 99 martin DR definitely played hard and put away wet (literally) he smoked. A lot. And at some gig gone bad he used the guitar as a club and knocked a hole into the back. She's not dead just unhappy
You can only do with what you have to work with, without a restoration I can't see how it could of been better. Of course you can't be micromanaged by the customers they have to take faith in you will do the best you can and be happy with the results. Thumbs up onto part 2.
The back looks much better. It is a vintage instrument, so if I were the customer, I would be very happy with the results.
I think the back looks pretty darn good compared to what it started out like. Looking forward to part 2!
You're so funny. While you're putting the shellac on "The customer doesn't want me to do this", while dying the headstock "He doesn't like when I dye things".
😂
I love those old Gibsons....what a debacle. She's coming along. Is that battalion of kids on your screen saver your family? Also, is there any video or photographic evidence of you glued inside an instrument? That sounds fun.
My grandkids.
Thank you for posting this video and especially for saving this old Gibson.
You are doing a fantastic repair. I had a1918 Gibson L1 in pretty good condition
and sold it to my buddy. I put a L R Baggs IBeam in it for him and it reproduces the sound
perfectly. I love old Gibson’s. Thanks again for saving this old warrior, I’m going to search for part 2.
Kenny hughes
You mentioned that you have allergies, do you have carpet in your house? I had all kinds of trouble breathing thru my nose until someone mentioned that carpet might be the culprit! Got rid of the carpet and the breathing problems all at the same time. Just sayin'.
Thanks for this video Mr Rosa. I have a luthiers shop in NW Indiana and I get jobs like this all the time. i had a neck re-set on a d-28 where some repair guy in Chicago had used a three part eboxy to re-set the neck. I guess he figured it would be the last time anybody would ever do one on this guitar. Well 10 yr's later it winds up in my shop and hloy cow what a mess!! I can relate to your frustration.
Yep! Good luck to you. Thanks for watching.
If you have never grappled with how to un-stick yourself from your work, you have never truly used CA adhesive.
That back turned out pretty good in the end. I was wondering if something like a sort of thin french polish, just to get a thinner coat of shellac than the brush, would've worked well and saved a little sanding. Not a criticism by any means, just a thought.
My 2cents would be to use a garnet colored shellac to tint the back a little darker over all and if applied like a french polish it may even out the color. I do believe you are an expert and a true Pro no matter what you say.
Dot inlay on a Gibson hummmmmmmmm1918 hummmmmmmmmm
Jerry, I think you are your own toughest critic. You do impecable repairs. Peace
Does every poor guitar break your heart? How can you bear it? My "harp desk" slipped off the pillar when I tried to rescue it from our hungry Lab who was jumping up & down. It now has tiny dings & a little scratch ... It makes me so sad! In time, I'll have that bit fixed. However, I cannot bear to let her travel; not right now!
Great video Jerry! I can't wait for part 2. I noted how you struggled with color-matching of repaired areas with their surrounding areas, in attempts to blend in the repairs. I wonder if antique furniture restoration and guitar repair are similar when it comes to "hiding" the repair. I think you do great work, but this one seemed to have you stumped a bit when it came to hiding the repairs on the back. To that end, you might check out Thomas Johnson Antique Furniture Restoration's youtube channel... in particular his latest video:
ua-cam.com/video/sSDDkAkgyxU/v-deo.html
Like you, Mr. Johnson is a true professional, located in Maine, and he is very good at explaining why and what he is doing. His channel has years of videos, all containing various types of repairs - wood replacement, color matching, crack and break repair, etc. in various types of furniture. He's even got one where he repairs a large free-standing Harp! He seems to always use simple products, simple methods, and has outstanding results.
Great job jerry, pretty scary from the start,
Good job considering what you had to work with. I don't understand the owner. I would want that restored to new as much as possible. Then I would enjoy the guitar for many years to come. But it's on him. Thanks for sharing the video. I truly hope you have a blessed Holliday season.
Have a little shelack to the side pigmented and take those mixes and go over the off spots . It would close to make them disappear
It does look nice Jerry keep up the good work. I trusted you with my guitar and anything you needed to do was done. It plays great. I think this costumer will be real happy.
I know this video is over a year old, I hope you see this comment. I am a long time blacksmith (over 50 years as a smith) I won't disagree much with your hardining or tempering, you pretty much have it correct. A helpfull hint or two though. When hardening an unknown steel, use a magnet to test for temp. When the steel will not stick to a magnet then it is hot enough. If you continue to heat more, the metal will not get any harder but the grain structure will grow to be much larger and ultamate hardness is lower. Second, to temper, you did a lot good, but heat from below the cutting edge and watch the colors run into the edge. You are correct that for woodworking tools a light straw is what you want but you must quench the tool again when the oxide colors are where you want them. This is around 500 deg F give or take. MUCH lower than the red (about 1500 F) that you took the tool to. The other thing is when you let the tool cool on its own like you did, you normalize the steel and it for all practical reasons, is as soft as it started before hardening. Actually for a tool like a knife, we will normalize 2 or 3 times to remove all stress from the steel before hardening. I am typing this at 19 minutes into the video so we will see how it cuts, likely OK but the tool could be better.
Thank you.
I'm liking your style, it seems very close to my own approach to repairing old instruments...no fancy tools, and figuring out a work-around to each problem as they arise.
I understand why the ancients revered smiths. Weyland the Smith forged Arthur's sword in the mists of time, out of meteorites. Or so the story goes!
Got damn near a double of that was my grandfathers I was estimating 1919-22 on mine..just a piece of my family's history...Great look
Got a mid 20s L0 been took care of and in the family. I mean over a century old never been worked on and no cracks or buzzing. Kinda impressed with it. Stuff like that doesn't come around often and if you get passed one down regardless of condition take care of it. I know a lady that has the first D28 made and it is thrown in a closet and threw around never played but was her husband's and won't part with it. I'd at least take care of it geeezzz
Very nice. I don't play any instruments or work on them. I have musician friends though and watching your videos helps understand what they go through in keeping structual integrity but also keeping ware which to them, there is a story behind each mar and blemish. History imprinted on the instrument.
Very nice video. Your videos are interesting.
You actually did a good job on describing the hardening of the steel. The hardness is determined by the carbon content and the quenching method. A good steel is 4150, which has a 50% carbon. The quenching can be water, oil or air. A water quench gives you a Martensite microstructure, which is very hard and brittle. A oil quench gives you a ferrite microstructure, which isn't as hard and brittle. The last is air cooling which gives a soft pearlite microstructure (annealing). .
Ft.
Good work as usual! a little tip for you, sand with olive oil or food grade oil to lubricate your paper over shellac!
One thing about any acoustic guitar modern or vintage I love, is when you look inside it always looks like an old basement.
We've missed you Jerry. This video was very rewarding, though! Can't wait for part 2.
1918 guitar wow show history
I'm so amazed about the approach taken *forging* the chisel vs machining it ! There's always other ways to do things and new things to learn.
I love Archtops , and have restored quite a few of them ,I work for Fullerton Mo's Music, in FULLERTON ,I might suggest that you take the back off , MUCH easier + you can tweak the pitch angle of the neck ,have access to all the braces, ( cleaner easier work ) + now that the back is off it's easier to repair ,or ,replace ,it's SOOO much EISIER
I've removed the backs of dozens and dozens of guitars so I'm totally aware.
I have a 1970s Fender guitar the string height is terrible and the action is terrible what is the best way for me to go about lowering the strings on that guitar keep in mind I've never done this before
It takes a book to explain how to do all that I don't think I could explain it any better than I've done in my videos.
Yes yes. I feel ya there. I run into the same thing with automotive and electronic repairs. It never fails to have one every now and then that is totally a compilation of repairs done bad that have to be redone and set right. It is sad 😞
I've been enjoying your videos for a few days now.
Watching you make the new tool was pretty amazing
look at stewmac 'Vintage Grommet Tuner Bushing' that is what would probably been on that headstock to keep the tuners from chewing the wood.
Yes I keep those in stock. Unfortunately they did not fit this guitar never had grommets.
@@RosaStringWorks in that case you could flood the holes with extra thin ca glue to reinforce them
Or you could have taken a big old rusty screwdriver and a 4 lb mallet and get those old holes a little bigger you you know the way the other guy would have done it
Another example of Jerry can fix anything. Jerry you will say"Oh no, not everything", but at least every video you have done is an incredible repair/restore on so many instruments. Love you and your videos! Can't wait to see pt.2 and how it turned out. Thanxz
Actually the stain looks good …… you said you wanted to look used.
Some people like the old worn look, in fact, most people do, that's why they pay extra for relic-ing
Now I can feel your anger and thats because of these so called fake luthier....
You've been missed. Thought those cement blocks messed you up, there were so many. We've been haunting UA-cam waiting for you to re-appear, and concerned a bit too. Really glad to see you again.
Popsicle sticks. Very clever.
a wire wheel would clean it in 3 seconds, you can't charge for being dumb about tools and what is on the market. Thomas Chippendale's shop in 1753 had dogleg chisels, so you can too. look at Lee valley tools for them
I understand that. I like to make my own tools. Thanks for taking a look.
Yes i like it. Looks more like an old cared for guitar than an old abused one and your work will extend its playing life. Cheers for sharing.
Do you have a video where you tell your story about how you got into instrument repair?
I think I've told some of that on video before but I don't remember which one.
Hey Jerry another great video and thanks for the new word "wallered" as in wallered up...my vocabulary just gets better and better, 2 thumbs up!!!
By the way where can I get some of that canopy glue, I've been using Duco cement, works great but does not clean up with water, thanks.
Yeah I haven't used stucco cement since I got the canopy glue. I just buy it off eBay by searching on canopy glue
@@RosaStringWorks Thanks, I have a look.
“You could be walking and trip over that” LOL
That song you wrote on your way to band practice, what video was that at the end of. Wanted to show my gf but cant find it...
Sorry I don't remember either.
You made a SILK PURSE,... out of a pigs ear.
.
Looks real good., can walk across the back without tripping now....
Wilton vise...nice.
Great to see you back at the bench Jerry. You’ve got a real tough job on with that poor old abused guitar, with the customer wanting to keep as much of the original finish as possible you’ve had to make some difficult decisions but I think that you’ve made the right ones thus far. After all the poor sanding marks and chips etc were not original to the instrument. I’m sure that what you’ll end up with is a guitar that looks naturally aged and cared for and not a sad old poorly maintained one. Looking forward to part 2.
No excuses needed, you did an awesome job as usual.
How about a thumbs up??? at the end???? ...... heck.... I ALWAYS hit the like on the way INTO your videos !! .. many thanks........ it really looks wonderful after your work 🎶🎼🎸🎹🎻🪕
Beautiful work. A difficult fix but well handled. Can’t wait for the next bit.
To fill really big holes. chopsticks from the local Asian take-out are better than toothpicks -- you can fill dozens of holes with just one of them by simply re-tapering the end with an ordinary pencil sharpener. Dan Erlewine uses store-bought hardwood dowels, but chopsticks are just as good and they're free as long as you eat that take-out from time to time. :-)
Never had a chopstick in my life I hate Chinese food
Well then, you can pony up for some dowels from the local hardware emporium or hobby shop. Honestly, just taper the business end with a pencil sharpener and they'll do a much faster, better, and better looking job of filling those extra big holes than the multiple toothpick method. :-)
Have you ever tried to mix sawdust and woodglue to patch and fill 🤔, seen it before. You prolly know better then me.
Yes I've done it a lot. But it always shrinks a lot too.
@@RosaStringWorks thats good to know! Thanks man! Admire your work.
Bud when you have enough work to last you threw eturnity kinda speaks loud that you know what your doing and what your talking about. E6100 .. now you have an Idea who I am .lol
Nothing you can’t fix, Jerry.
Considering the circumstances, I like the lines on the back where you fixed it because it was done with such care and dedication. That turned a dreadfully crude repair into a positive chapter in the instruments history.
40:50 Jerry pretending he's not a dress maker
Thank You - enjoyed the entire video.
hey Jerry! for the bigger holes on the headstock, bamboo skewers work well!!! you can even shave them to fit!
The reason I use the toothpicks on this one specifically was the holes were not round they were in weird shapes. The toothpicks conform to all the different spaces. I have used other things in the past
@@RosaStringWorks --Ahh......got ya ;-)
Jerry, Thanks for the instruction on all your videos. I have learned more from you than any other luthier. Keep them coming!
Try finish sanding with 1800-2000 grit then machine buff with an automotive glaze followed with a good wax polish. It's great watching your solutions to fixing.
Great tip about the wedges to get the end pin out. Awesome metalwork advice too. Great job as usual.
4 thumbs up!!
Hi Jerry, great video - could you please give me more information on the binding glue that you are using. I am intrigued. I use weld-on cement and it is messy and gets old and stringy. Thanks in advance.
It's called canopy glue. I believe they use it to glue the plastic canopies on model airplanes. It works really well. I just bought it off eBay.
@@RosaStringWorks Thanks Jerry - really appreciate that. Just found it on UK Amazon and ordered some. Really appreciate you responding.
There are though "Best Practices for Repair," and that's what we should be trying to follow. Many times though, it does come down to, there's really only one method by which something should be repaired, effectively, efficiently and aesthetically.
That Sir, is something I've regularly observed in your videos.
Jerry how do you process the antler into nuts and bridges. Do you use for bridge pins or anything else. Is there only a specific part of the antler that you do use.
I'm sorry I don't remember the video number but I actually do have a video out there on making the deer antler Saddles you can probably search on it with RSW deer-antler saddles
@@RosaStringWorks thanks Jerry I got a hold of some northern Michigan Whitehall antler and thanks to you I'm about to try my hand at a brand new adventure. "Adventures in guitar enhancement".( I hope)
Jer, If the results you get are as good as I have seen in other of your vids, I can't imagine how spectacular they would be if colorblindness wasn't a factor. I understand the purist way of thinking, but pure vs pretty is in the eye of the beholder. Witness Trigger. UGLY as sin, Willie in sound. :)
Good to see a new video. Thanks.
Great Job, I learn a lot. From Panamá Republic of Panamá, where the Canal is located. Thanks. Boris Allara.
Great video Jerry ,thank you . I love the way you work , much like myself . You hit every job with your knowledge and experience and sometimes they throw you curve balls like a pro . Your not afraid to `go for it` , you just gota man :) I just hope you don`t beat on yourself to hard on the very very rare time( s ) it goes tits up , and you have to spend hrs fixing something your head was tellin you not to do :D . I am a Neon Sign maker , i bend glass , it doesn`t like it . I face similar struggles :D :D
Looks great with the buffing, and extra dying.... Don't apologize for using your own good judgement.
I found your videos very interesting, thank you! And I really enjoyed this one, that back couldn't be better, nice work!
One other observation.... Happy Turkey.... And a safe and Happy Christmas. TY for your vids
Looking Good!
NIce video, toward the end, varnishing the back over the partially non matching crack repairs, you might consider breaking out the airbrush to blend things prior to...Give it a whirl. I also understand pay quote and fully committing to any lengthy restoration all play into it.
Cheer's,
Holly Westlake
Maine USA