Jonathan Stewart JM Stewart Guitars
Forum Replies Created
-
Heres a 1972 D-35
-
Im no expert here, as ive only been in business in my current, rent “free” location(at home shop) a few years, but I can tell you my experience of working in retail music shops for the last 10 years.
Repairs VASTLY outpaced retail sales every quarter. Pay the flat rate rent, no percentages, you will make more this way, and tell you partner your happy to do work as credit towards your monthly rent, but no percentages.
-
Maybe this is blasphemy on an older guitar, but I do my compression fret, get the neck where I want it, using a little bead watered down wood glue as more of a lubricant to aide the fret tang getting into the slot, then ill add a final bead of superglue to lock it all in.
-
Thanks for the tips @ianhatesguitars .
How do you approach making your shims?
I may have asked before, but I generally try to use a piece of ebony on a belt sander with a holder of some kind and try to eyeball it…just looking for more predictable results . I could use my drum sander I suppose and try to kick up one side enough and just try to be mindful of drum pressure so it doesn’t shoot out
-
Thanks @ianhatesguitars and @danerlewine for the tips. I’m ordering CF rods now and will definitely install them.
I’ve done 20-30 neck resets at this point and there’s still two points that give me gruff, maybe if you have input, somone else may find this post and learn….
First is breaking glue joints. I don’t seem to have much of a problem with bridges, but fretboard extensions always give me problems. I end up scooping up a chunk of spruce with the fretboard. I use the orange heat pads for bridges and extensions with a variac. I usually get the heat somewhere up near 175 F and leave it be for 10-15 min. Should I be using more heat for longer? This D-35 gave me a lot of gruff that I’d like to make smoother next time….
Second, to shim under the fretboard extension or not? The look of very dramatic fall away for some of the more intense angle adjustments is a bit unsightly. The biggest question I have is how you go about making them? I always struggle making these, either to sharp or shallow…any tips?
-
3) A Small Parlor(slightly smaller than example 1) of my own design with Adk top, enlarged soundhole, and Cherry
-
2) A 12-fret Size 5 martin-style build with Redwood and Koa
-
1) An 0-14 fret Martin-style build with Adk Spruce and 35-style Indian Rosewood B&S
-
oooooo I like this idea. I’m sure I can find the carbon fiber rods easily enough. do you install them and then plug a square tube, or do you glue it into place with something like epoxy?
-
This is great info here Doug.
My shop is mostly repairs because they pay bills right now, but I love doing the more in-depth repairs like neck resets and restorations on vintage guitars, but mostly, I want to be building.
That being said, I want to move away from my benches and into a Proper workstation. I see you suggest the complete DPW package, which includes the crossover and mini docking station. Ill probably buy a pedestal, bolt it to the floor, and make new cabinets for tool storage and such. Can you link to the DPW expansion package? I don’t see it on the Totalvise website
-
It does look like a good course, but a pretty penny. $30 a month billed every 6 months(179$) or 25$ a month billed annually(299$)
I’ll search for other knowledge sources, and may end up doing this.
-
Also: turquoise is a bitch to leave out compared to abalone
-
It’s not with it. Cheap, yes, no shipping hazard cost, yes, but it’s sort of an unusable color. Very light and transparent, not useful IMO. The axiom stuff is great and the pieces are long enough to use one piece on a Dread Top, you will have to patch in a second piece for the back.
-
So it looks like it depends on what material and thickness you need. LMII has an info table giving total circumference of a few popular body sizes. It says a Dreadnaught is about 61” around. Some of the binding axiom sells is up to 60” which is enough to use one piece around the top, but it looks as if almost all options for celluloid will need a second piece for the back.
I contacted John Hall of blues creek guitars, and he told me to look to Amazon. I bought a piece of Musicilly(sp?) Chinese made Tortoise binding that was about 64” long. Who knows if it’s celluloid, it did soften with acetone, but not like other material i have, and is pretty light colored, but is for sure long!
On a separate note, how do you builder approach side purfling? Do you buy it pre-laminated to your binding, or are you laminating it and then bending it in house? I’d like to be able to pull off side binding, but can’t seem to get my purfling to do what I want without breaking.
