Al Pachter Al’s Guitar Workshop
Forum Replies Created
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Have you used the Fill N Finish powder stains? When used with the ultra thin FNF, its not too hard to “sneak up” on the actual color by doing layers of lighter color that eventually get you to the right tint. a little red, a very little black, a little brown, more red, etc. it gets painted on with art cotton swabs that look like q tips, or with makeup application sticks. Happy to vidoe chat about this via whatever platform you prefer (Whatsapp, etc.).
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Hey Jesse,
I use west systems 404 epoxy adhesive filler tinted with Mixol for jobs like this. It won’t be easy but you can get it close. Practice on scrap wood first. Message me for more details. We can do a zoom call if you want.
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The local presentation I just did was free. I initially asked for a fee then decided I wanted to do it at no cost because the director of the place that hosted it has always been a big supporter of my shop and the venue is new and very important (lessons, workshops, rehearsal space, recording studio) in my area.
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That’s annoying! I’m sure it’ll be fine to not have them linked. I changed my settings so that only some of my IG posts are also posted to FB. My FB posts are aimed for local people and my IG posts are geared to my IG people (mostly looths lol).
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Great idea! Here is what can be called a partial restoration of a 1968 Hagstrom Viking (like the one o. The Elvis ‘68 CBS tv Comeback Special). We decided to restore it for structural integrity and playability, leaving a lot of the mojo untouched. The neck binding is brand new. Aged to match. Refret also.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFv_4EkuoOw/?igsh=MTc3b2UwZDQ0amltcA==
instagram.com
43 likes, 4 comments - als_guitar_workshop on February 6, 2025: "This project is done! Very pleased with the results! I’ll follow up with a video of the details of the job. #hagstrom #hagstromguitars #guitarrestoration #guitar #guitarrepairshop #loothing #luthier".
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The answer depends on your situation. If you need additional work then yes, it makes sense to do. I’ve never been an authorized service center because I don’t like to be locked into a pricing agreement but I’ve also never needed the additional work.
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Corey! That’s great news! I’m a dealer for D’Addario, Fishman, K&K, Hipshot, Fralin pickups and Aguilar. When Korg bought Aguilar I became a Korg dealer too. Korg is the US distributor for several other companies too. I find that most customers have already bought what they want so I’ve not found the need to become a dealer for other companies. I’m also an Allparts dealer but I don’t use them all that much. Slow shipping, world’s least helpful website and prices aren’t that much better than Stewmac. I have a Stewmac builder agreement which they will do for most shops even if you don’t build (like me.) their StewMAX program is fantastic so sign up for that too!
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Hi Matt,
I don’t do full refins. Only finish repair and touch up.
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I’m interested to hear @ianloothgroup-com @ianhatesguitars response here…
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Hi Joe,
I gotta say I’m not following why you aren’t ready to start your own business. Based on what you are writing you could start part time and build from there as your skills grow. But it sounds like you have enough experience to at least start as a set-up specialist with fret work. I started my business that way and learned along the way. I added new services once I had gotten good enough at them to sell to customers. Its taken me a few years to get to where I am but I did it on my own and eventually with the help of the hooligans known as The Looth Group.
It definitely sounds like your current job at the store holds no value and you would be better off working elsewhere while you hang your part time shingle as a solo repair shop. Jump on the loothalong if you can. Lots of great people ready to offer you support and encouragement!
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Hey Corey, in addition to what Ian has said, I’ll add that much of this type of repair depends on the nature of the job. If this repair is a practice effort on your part, and the amount of time invested is less important than the learning involved, then keep going to see how much better you can get it. If this is a customer job then you can use my cosmetic repair info sheet as a guide for yourself. In that case, try your best not to go over your contracted hours, knowing that you’ve already explained to the customer that it’s not going to be perfect. Always remember that the number one goal is to stay in business and none of us can do that if we chop our hourly fee in half or worse. Many shops don’t do cosmetic work because it takes too long, but often it takes too long because the looth is chasing perfection. Yes, there are looths who can get it very close to perfect. It’s ok that yours isn’t perfect and fwiw I’ve had many happy customers from jobs that yielded identical results to what you have so far.
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Hi Matt, I would say that if it was Titebond that was used, there is a good chance that enough glue wasnt used since there is enough wood surface that a proper glue-and-clamp with Titebond should have held fine. With that in mind, I would try to get as much glue residue removed as you can and proceed with West Systems. I think you have enough surface that a good glue up with epoxy should hold without additional reinforcement. Predictably, I would opt for a carbon fiber overlay over splines if you want to do a reinforcement, but that is because I don’t do splines and prefer the cf method, especially on a black finish. But I know that cf isn’t everyone’s cup of tea… Good luck and keep us posted!
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I would use Gluboost thin or possibly ultra thin.
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Hey Corey! Come to Health and Wellness For Looths! We talk about ways to manage anxiety of all types. It’s very supportive and non-judgemental. We meet every 2 weeks. Next week on Tuesday is our next meeting.
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That is some very nice work!
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Also I am guessing that some of the guys on here who have vintage restoration experience will suggest shellac with trans tints for color. I personally like the Mohawk line of finish repair products but most on here would advise you to use materials that are more period correct than that.
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Hi Dean,
Great to see you here. How much experience do you have with finish repair work? If not much, this seems like a very difficult one to start with. Do you have other guitars that you could practice on? Also, consider coming to the loothalong. Or one of the Council of Elders meetings where you could present this guitar for discussion and input.
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Hey @ianloothgroup-com @guitarspecialistinc what do you think?
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Hi David,
I saw your thread while looking through this section of the website. I am in Fairfax, VA if you are still looking for help. I do a good amount of finish repair and my work can be seen on my IG and TT pages. Also, Doug Proper is not in VA, he is in New York, north of NYC.
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Hi Ray, Great thread. I’m curious why the customer is so insistent on urethane? I find that my customers often will come in with a very headstrong idea of what they want, but when I ask them how they came to their decision they usually reference a thread on a guitar forum or some conversation they had with someone who was not a finish expert. The reason I bring it up here is that I have been getting very good results with Mohawk rattle can products, specifically Ultra Flo Ultra Bond clear and their rattle can toner line of products. I source those products from Kingspor Woodworking in Notrh Carolina. That company is extremely knowledgeable and unusually helpful with my specific questions about guitar work as their tech consultant there has a working knowledge of guitar finish work. I have not tried to do an entire re-fin with those products, but I have used them extensively on headstock repairs including carbon fiber repairs with wood grain simulation as part of my finish work.
If your customer is willing to talk about other alternatives to urethane, it might be worth having that discussion with them.
If you are wondering how durable the mohawk finish is, I’ve actually hammered the carbon fiber finish to test its toughness and remarkably even with significant pounding with my fretting hammer the finish has come out unscathed. I made a video of that on my TikTok page for kicks. I also used their satin sheen clear on my shop stool, including the base of the stool which is where my feet often rest, and no sign of wear from that either. I’m sure eventually that kind of abuse will result in wear, but for now its hanging in there.
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Hey Jack, I’ve been using the new Gluboost liquid binding which is very similar to what you are trying to make and it’s really great. Many uses. It’s called Gluboost White binding repair. Get some. You’ll like it!
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This is the type of situation that I always think I can improve but in the end I spend a lot of time on it without making it look much better, if at all. So yeah, as tempting as it is to fiddle with it, it really does look fine as you have it. Nice job!
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Wholesale is what I was talking about. I forgot the terminology they use there. But yeah, same program. You should sign up for their Stewmax program. Free shipping and free return shipping on all purchases.
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Hey Corey,
I’ve learned over the years that it’s criticallly important to accurately describe the outcome of the repair. Before my cosmetic info sheet, my satisfaction rate was very high. Since I started using that sheet, it’s even higher. And my work is nowhere near as good as our top shelf guys in The Looth Group. So it can be done!
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Hey again, Corey! You’ve gotten lots of great input here, which is great to see. Hope you can make our meeting this coming week on Tuesday at 12:00pm. Also I just posted a new video presentation outling my own business flow model that you might take a look at. It’s about 12 minutes long and hopefully helpful! The link is posted in the general business section here but I’ll give the link again here
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Thanks, Ian! Very helpful. Much appreciated!
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I think you should experiment with the FNF White. You’ll learn quickly how to use it and you’ll get answers to all these questions by that process. When I fist got the White I tried it for several different things as practice, to become acquainted with it. We became fast friends. Its especially handy for nut slot back-fills. Much easier than using nut slot filling powder (although that method works very well, its just more cumbersome for the same result).
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Yes. I really wish they named it something else because its really nothing like a white colored Fill N Finish. Its much more than that.
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Excellent! Thanks so much, Ian!
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I agree with your approach. Goodwill and parnership is what its about. Engaging in a tangled business relationship always souunds like indentured servitude to me. And it is never clear what will happen when the looth eventually leaves the shop. The only scenario that I would consider is one in which all parties agree in writing that the looth can hand out his own business cards in the store and take the customers with him to his own shop for subsequent work, rather than through the store, and that the looth can leave at any time he wants with no repercussions.
