After watching your channel for many years I have come to the conclusion that you don't do repair work, you do conservatory work! The musical instruments that you bring back to life are a piece of musical history! Thank you for sharing. Cheers 🥂
I'm in the instrument repair trade myself and recently made friends with a material scinece engineer. He turned me on to Linomene. It may not help with the pickguard glue, but I've found it a pretty good all around degreaser. Been using it to clean old valve oil that solidified, previously I was using a torch to clean it.
Such patience, and skill. Quite a job, just the bridge plate alone was plenty. The tear out was extreme, but not unusual. I enjoy watching someone who really knows what they're doing, who thinks everything through to the end before they get started. Wonderful results.
He has enough sense to make a tapered wedge to go under the fretboard extension. That way you don't have all that "fall away". I have seen fantastic luthiers not do that, should be common sense.
and his t-shirts are not low quality. a few I've bought from other guitar channels have the writing washed away quite quickly... 4-5 washings in fact. Ted's hasn't in a year.
I always enjoy these videos. It's so relaxing and nice to see something getting to a better state than it was in. Looking forward to many more guitar repairs to come.
Bought a 1260 Jumbo in 1966. Big step up from my first guitar, which was a tobacco- sunburst flat-top Silvertone. (I still remember the page number in the 1964 catalog: 1377! Cost about 30 bucks.) Funny that the sound of this Dee-lux actually brought back a bunch of memories from those days. Didn't quite realize how distinctive a voice the Sovereigns had.
Thats no piece of junk. Those sell for upwards of $1800 and probably higher depending on condition. So it wouldn't have gone in the bin no matter what. Well, unless you can afford to throw away stuff likely worth $1200+ even in the condition it was in with the cracks in it. If it was a $200 guitar, then sure. But he wouldn't be putting this work into it if it were only worth that much. That and no one I know would knowingly just throw away Brazilian Rosewood. Especially on a guitar in that condition, thats no where near being ready for the garbage. There's also the fact that not everyone has to take their guitars to someone when they need work done. So for some of us, it also wouldn't cost much to address those issues since we aren't paying for a professionals time & knowledge.
I always enjoy your work and humor, also I like the radio or what ever quite sound track you sometimes have going on You are a humble and talented artisan
I love the sound and projection of ladder braced guitars. My "000" sized Sovereigns have gotten compliments like "...that sounds great. I was surprised it was just a Harmony." To which I reply, "It's the carpenter, not the hammer..."😂🎉🎉🎉
I ran into an old Harmony archtop acoustic in a local pawn shop the other day. It… it was beautiful in an old beat up sort of way. My first thought was “Woodford would have to do a neck reset to this” before I even touched it. I’m sorely tempted to get it as a learning project.
A few years ago I found this obscure adhesive remover that I'm sure was made from oranges and it worked great removing contact adhesive. I've never seen it again for sale ( in the UK ) it was advertised for floor layers to remove glue from linoleum..
@Daniel Steinman definitely not as we didn't get that inthe uk back then. It was from a chemical company we used to buy our sprays from and it was really good stuff.
I LOVE cheap guitar lines from the 60s & 70s. They have such audacious looks. Some even play well and sound good. Today what I usually see are audacious paint jobs on traditional guitars or audacious guitars that are hand-made and thousands of dollars beyond my price range. (I'm a rocker, and rock is all about audacity.) Watching Ted work on these old Harmonys makes me feel good! (I've got a 1965 Silvertone/Harmony Bobkat, love it!)
Doooood!! I absolutely love that expanding prop set!! I have an old Mexican made Spanish style guitar with some nasty side cracks on some sort of rosewood. I will absolutely be stealing this idea ❤❤❤
3M General Adhesive Remover in the red and white metal can has worked for me in the past. I saturate a paper towel and wet the area by mopping the paper towel across it. Let sit for a short time and it will begin to gel the adhesive. Wipe clean with another fresh remover soaked paper towel. Then wipe all residual off with one soaked in water and dry right away. Sometimes I have to repeat the steps a few times to get everything off. I am always careful to work within the bounds of the guard to start with just in case it wants to eat the Finish. But it hasn't done that to me yet. Just have to put the stuff down and take it back off within a few minutes. PS your videos are always spot on and have been extremely educational for me. Thank you for your ingenuity!
Ted, please take a very close look at that mahogany back, I have had a late 60s sovereign that had a cheat solid back made from a smaller piece of mahogany and carefully glued together alternating the grain direction. At 10:24 the back kind of looks that way. Other Sovereigns I have had did have a real one piece back though.
A method I use to remove adhesive from pinball playfields is regular flour and 91% iso. Yes you still have to rub for a while but it works. The glue sticks to the flour and then you just brush or vacuum it away. For tougher spots I use plastic razor blades as they won't scratch the wood like metal can.
...at the local hoot nanny. Man, I watch to learn and take in competent guitar work. I just play and appreciate fine work you do and the fine instruments. our one liner drops though. man I am dead, I lost it for a little bit on that one and had to rewind 🤣🤣😂😂🤣
Another fine repair, sir! Who'd a thunk a craftsman could become an international sensation by filming his work? Good times that we live in. I'm impressed with the quality of materials that went into that Harmony. The adjustable bridge, though... Can we go back in time and slap that idea out of the guy's head who first thought of it to keep it from getting out in the wild? Too many guitar manufacturers utilized it. What a horrible idea for an acoustic instrument!
Neck reset sanding: I see you sprung for some Norton Sandpaper. They make the best period. I refinish furniture and switched to Norton abrasives like 10+ years ago and it’s all I buy.
On the gunk removal, I bought some orange plastic razorblades, that work well on stuff I’d normally try to scrape with a finger nail. Nothing magic about it, but less likely to scratch the finish.
I watch lots of guitar resto vids on here. You always seem to treat these guitars with respect and you have a calming way about you. You're the Bob Ross of guitar repair!
I just recently discovered your channel and I love it. I have learned not to even think about trying to repair one of my guitars. As an aside, if you're not doing stand-up comedy, you should! Your dry, esoteric approach is quite entertaining.
One other thought, in the early 70's my dad bought me set of Martin's. One was a D35 and a D35 - 12 string both with T bars with height problems and no warranty Martin Luthier to fix the problems. Also a cousin showed me his Harmony Sovereign with excellent action and deep rich tones and decent treble. My Uncle Tom helped finding my cousin's guitar. Mainly the reason I own 2 Harmony's today from 40 years ago. My dad took a picture of me and I looked angry. He never knew why? How can you tell a parent, at 11 why you hated my guitars with great sound while your fingers are bleeding and dad paying close to $1000 and cannot say I wish I had a cheaper guitar! Yamaha guitars had some good sounds, but no continuity with model to model. Later down into the 80's I bought one sold it. The second samething? My teacher had a great one. Mine were trash. Today I have great but modest sounding working steel string guitars, but man people need to learn about buying acoustic guitars. I cringe when somebody tells me they bought their guitar from a catalog or ordered one sight unseen. Only from some photo or 2 even from the 80's. That's the only thing that hits your nerves like a drag queen with long nails and while she does that slowly she is watching you at the same time! Cheers
I have my hands in a 1926 -30 "The Gibson" L-1 as we speak. It has two unglued braces, after market way wrong bridge (DIY CA 1950's) and the bridge plate was replaced with two thin veneer strips all willy nilly... Huge bulge and a few cracks in the soundboard (Mahogany). Oh dear, I have my work cut out for me. Neck is freakishly good though, no need for a reset. I have found that old Soveriegns do sound great for what they were sold for! I worked on quite a few and only one was a lemon. One still sounded good albeit very quiet, until I removed the 2.5" X 12" X 3/8" plywood someone used as a bridge plate and replaced it with a proper bridge plate. I got really lucky they used crap glue, and probably didn't clean and sand or used any clamps. It took an extreme attack angles, and some leverage, but it popped off clean in one POP! Once shored up, it could easily be played side by side with top line Martin's, Gibsons and even very expensive hand made instruments.
The pickguard looks like the map of a continent from a fantasy novel where there has been some sort of massive circular catastrophe in the center. There has since been divergent societal evolution in the northern and southern halves, and each side thinks that the other is just a myth from prehistory. I claim 25% of the profits if you use this as a writing prompt for a successful fantasy decology.
Ted, I believe you could fix the "Un-Fixable" Martin 1870 Parlor Guitar that Kurt Russell destroyed while filming the Quentin Tarantino movie "The Hateful Eight". I have read Martin refuses to even speak about that incident publicly but I think a dedicated Luthier like yourself could make it playable once again. You should see if that is something Martin would entertain. It would blow your channel up and increase your street cred in a major way! Keep up the great work!
I agree about Goo Gone. I tried that once trying to remove some adhesive left by a plastic cover that fell off my truck bed and it did nothing. Like you said, most of the work would be your fingernail.
Wow! The time you spend reviving tired instruments, and then consolidate that to a consumable time frame is awesome! Love the axe, great video. Lord help me, I'm a sucker for cheap guitars with "high end" aspirations... Great job!
mineral spirits often works to remove adhesives, though it might not work since you tried naphtha. Olive oil will also loosen up some adhesives as well. Thanks for the videos. Really enjoy them.
For all its quirks and issues, it's actually a pretty nice guitar! I'm surprised that there weren't a lot more cracks! Wondering why you didn't replace the entire saddle assembly with a full width piece of bone, or plug the slot and re-rout it, so as to get rid of those crappy bridge screws? Wouldn't that induce more string energy transference and give a better sound?
Really great video man. Two jobs in one. Thanks for spending the time filming editing and commenting. Really entertaining and just well out together. San always. Nice work man. You made another guitar owner very happy.
What helps is dousing a rag in goo-gone, letting it sit over the area for about a half-hour, then going at it with a plastic razor blade. It's not perfect but it works really well
To me, the craftsmanship you exhibit is just satisfying to watch. Stellar detail, I always enjoy the history of the instrument/manufacturer. You are like a live library and history teacher. Thank you for sharing the love of music and respect of the individual instruments.
After watching your channel for many years I have come to the conclusion that you don't do repair work, you do conservatory work! The musical instruments that you bring back to life are a piece of musical history! Thank you for sharing. Cheers 🥂
He's an artist. And his knowledge of the history of instruments/companies is wonderful.
The level of skill, ingenious homemade tools, and attention to detail of your repairs never ceases to amaze me.
Absolutely. I watch Rosa String Works and man they don't take the same care as here. I actually can't believe how little care they take
Totally Agree to MLl & DC.. technique and engineering makes the difference… 🎸👍🏻
In the Harmony catalog, that pick guard was called the “Wu-Tang” style.
This is the old wood paneled "Wagon Queen family truckster" Ala the Griswolds of acoustic guitars.
Those tuners gave me the same feeling as hearing fingernails on a blackboard
I'm in the instrument repair trade myself and recently made friends with a material scinece engineer. He turned me on to Linomene. It may not help with the pickguard glue, but I've found it a pretty good all around degreaser. Been using it to clean old valve oil that solidified, previously I was using a torch to clean it.
Such patience, and skill. Quite a job, just the bridge plate alone was plenty. The tear out was extreme, but not unusual. I enjoy watching someone who really knows what they're doing, who thinks everything through to the end before they get started. Wonderful results.
He has enough sense to make a tapered wedge to go under the fretboard extension. That way you don't have all that "fall away". I have seen fantastic luthiers not do that, should be common sense.
Even for Ted, this is next level stuff. Can’t wait to see the Gibson acoustic(s) finale!
Love seeing ladder braced guitars, and more so hearing them. There is a certain sound to them that I can never adequately explain.
Tending to an almost electric sound?
He's a real-life artist. Awesome workmanship. I just bought a cool tee-shirt too..
and his t-shirts are not low quality. a few I've bought from other guitar channels have the writing washed away quite quickly... 4-5 washings in fact. Ted's hasn't in a year.
I always enjoy these videos. It's so relaxing and nice to see something getting to a better state than it was in. Looking forward to many more guitar repairs to come.
Those push rods are genius!
Yeah, simple, effective design - Brilliant!
Bought a 1260 Jumbo in 1966. Big step up from my first guitar, which was a tobacco- sunburst flat-top Silvertone. (I still remember the page number in the 1964 catalog: 1377! Cost about 30 bucks.) Funny that the sound of this Dee-lux actually brought back a bunch of memories from those days. Didn't quite realize how distinctive a voice the Sovereigns had.
That’s an SJ-200 with ALL the extra! Mustache bridge be dammed! That’s the mustache, goatee and sideburns!
in these past four years, Sunday isn't the same without a visit to Ted's shop
You took a piece of junk, ready for the garbage, and brought it back to life. Amazing work as always.
Thats no piece of junk. Those sell for upwards of $1800 and probably higher depending on condition. So it wouldn't have gone in the bin no matter what. Well, unless you can afford to throw away stuff likely worth $1200+ even in the condition it was in with the cracks in it.
If it was a $200 guitar, then sure. But he wouldn't be putting this work into it if it were only worth that much.
That and no one I know would knowingly just throw away Brazilian Rosewood. Especially on a guitar in that condition, thats no where near being ready for the garbage.
There's also the fact that not everyone has to take their guitars to someone when they need work done. So for some of us, it also wouldn't cost much to address those issues since we aren't paying for a professionals time & knowledge.
I am surprised how good it actually sounded when you were done. Bravo.
Several different people are selling "neck removal kits" featuring two of the same foam cutters as you show, some with a spectacular markup.
oh wow, that didn't take long!
The most pleasant (and informative) videos around. Love them.
Intrepid, undaunted, he faces troubles and prevails victorious. Again. Bravo.
Most entertaining video in recent memory plus there was polishing .A true smorgasbord of experience for those learning guitar repair.
I always enjoy your work and humor, also I like the radio or what ever quite sound track you sometimes have going on
You are a humble and talented artisan
1:11 Magnificent description of the bridge, delivered with style. Nice work!
That prop jig is worth the price of admission!
I love the sound and projection of ladder braced guitars. My "000" sized Sovereigns have gotten compliments like "...that sounds great. I was surprised it was just a Harmony." To which I reply, "It's the carpenter, not the hammer..."😂🎉🎉🎉
That wonderful creaking sound reminded me of walk-through tour of the HMS Victory, I once went on!
Another great one, including excellent advertising copy from you. Of course, you could have gone with: 'Own Batman's guitar! Play the dinner song!!
I ran into an old Harmony archtop acoustic in a local pawn shop the other day. It… it was beautiful in an old beat up sort of way. My first thought was “Woodford would have to do a neck reset to this” before I even touched it. I’m sorely tempted to get it as a learning project.
A few years ago I found this obscure adhesive remover that I'm sure was made from oranges and it worked great removing contact adhesive. I've never seen it again for sale ( in the UK ) it was advertised for floor layers to remove glue from linoleum..
I suspect it to be some form of goo-gone!😂 I think that stuff is orange oil based
Limonene?
@Daniel Steinman definitely not as we didn't get that inthe uk back then. It was from a chemical company we used to buy our sprays from and it was really good stuff.
Who doesn't love things that are one shot only ! [like the pick guard placement]
I LOVE cheap guitar lines from the 60s & 70s. They have such audacious looks. Some even play well and sound good. Today what I usually see are audacious paint jobs on traditional guitars or audacious guitars that are hand-made and thousands of dollars beyond my price range. (I'm a rocker, and rock is all about audacity.) Watching Ted work on these old Harmonys makes me feel good! (I've got a 1965 Silvertone/Harmony Bobkat, love it!)
Doooood!! I absolutely love that expanding prop set!! I have an old Mexican made Spanish style guitar with some nasty side cracks on some sort of rosewood. I will absolutely be stealing this idea ❤❤❤
Oh, and without the weird pickguards that looks just like my Sovereign 1260 from '67. I can't imagine those benefit the sound in any way.
3M General Adhesive Remover in the red and white metal can has worked for me in the past. I saturate a paper towel and wet the area by mopping the paper towel across it. Let sit for a short time and it will begin to gel the adhesive. Wipe clean with another fresh remover soaked paper towel. Then wipe all residual off with one soaked in water and dry right away. Sometimes I have to repeat the steps a few times to get everything off. I am always careful to work within the bounds of the guard to start with just in case it wants to eat the Finish. But it hasn't done that to me yet. Just have to put the stuff down and take it back off within a few minutes.
PS your videos are always spot on and have been extremely educational for me. Thank you for your ingenuity!
You'd look real swell at the local hootenanny - 😅
Ted, please take a very close look at that mahogany back, I have had a late 60s sovereign that had a cheat solid back made from a smaller piece of mahogany and carefully glued together alternating the grain direction. At 10:24 the back kind of looks that way. Other Sovereigns I have had did have a real one piece back though.
A method I use to remove adhesive from pinball playfields is regular flour and 91% iso. Yes you still have to rub for a while but it works. The glue sticks to the flour and then you just brush or vacuum it away. For tougher spots I use plastic razor blades as they won't scratch the wood like metal can.
I don't often laugh at things you say.. but the "... majestic eagle.." quip gave me a good chuckle.. just what I needed.
...at the local hoot nanny.
Man, I watch to learn and take in competent guitar work.
I just play and appreciate fine work you do and the fine instruments.
our one liner drops though.
man I am dead, I lost it for a little bit on that one and had to rewind 🤣🤣😂😂🤣
very nice work Ted as always, you are an absolutely awesome guitar tech
Sunday morning completed!!!!! Always look forward to a new video from Ted
Another fine repair, sir! Who'd a thunk a craftsman could become an international sensation by filming his work? Good times that we live in. I'm impressed with the quality of materials that went into that Harmony. The adjustable bridge, though... Can we go back in time and slap that idea out of the guy's head who first thought of it to keep it from getting out in the wild? Too many guitar manufacturers utilized it. What a horrible idea for an acoustic instrument!
Neck reset sanding: I see you sprung for some Norton Sandpaper. They make the best period. I refinish furniture and switched to Norton abrasives like 10+ years ago and it’s all I buy.
It sounded a lot better than I expected! As always, very nice work on the repairs. Not more than needed, but more than enough.
The sound of that guitar reminded me of the intro to "Big Yellow Taxi" by Joni Mitchell.
Another awesome video from the master...👍 You made my day.
The amount of labor to get these old guitars playable amazes me.
They weren’t put together all that well in the first place. Chances are this guitar cost $50 new.
On the gunk removal, I bought some orange plastic razorblades, that work well on stuff I’d normally try to scrape with a finger nail. Nothing magic about it, but less likely to scratch the finish.
That description of the bridge cracked me up! 😂
I watch lots of guitar resto vids on here. You always seem to treat these guitars with respect and you have a calming way about you. You're the Bob Ross of guitar repair!
I’m Always fascinated at the common sense that ain’t so common. 🤙🤙
You sir are an Arteeest
Awesome work Ted, thanks so much for all the lessons.
I just recently discovered your channel and I love it. I have learned not to even think about trying to repair one of my guitars. As an aside, if you're not doing stand-up comedy, you should! Your dry, esoteric approach is quite entertaining.
One other thought, in the early 70's my dad bought me set of Martin's. One was a D35 and a D35 - 12 string both with T bars with height problems and no warranty Martin Luthier to fix the problems. Also a cousin showed me his Harmony Sovereign with excellent action and deep rich tones and decent treble. My Uncle Tom helped finding my cousin's guitar. Mainly the reason I own 2 Harmony's today from 40 years ago. My dad took a picture of me and I looked angry. He never knew why? How can you tell a parent, at 11 why you hated my guitars with great sound while your fingers are bleeding and dad paying close to $1000 and cannot say I wish I had a cheaper guitar! Yamaha guitars had some good sounds, but no continuity with model to model. Later down into the 80's I bought one sold it. The second samething? My teacher had a great one. Mine were trash. Today I have great but modest sounding working steel string guitars, but man people need to learn about buying acoustic guitars. I cringe when somebody tells me they bought their guitar from a catalog or ordered one sight unseen. Only from some photo or 2 even from the 80's. That's the only thing that hits your nerves like a drag queen with long nails and while she does that slowly she is watching you at the same time! Cheers
I have my hands in a 1926 -30 "The Gibson" L-1 as we speak. It has two unglued braces, after market way wrong bridge (DIY CA 1950's) and the bridge plate was replaced with two thin veneer strips all willy nilly... Huge bulge and a few cracks in the soundboard (Mahogany). Oh dear, I have my work cut out for me. Neck is freakishly good though, no need for a reset.
I have found that old Soveriegns do sound great for what they were sold for! I worked on quite a few and only one was a lemon. One still sounded good albeit very quiet, until I removed the 2.5" X 12" X 3/8" plywood someone used as a bridge plate and replaced it with a proper bridge plate. I got really lucky they used crap glue, and probably didn't clean and sand or used any clamps. It took an extreme attack angles, and some leverage, but it popped off clean in one POP! Once shored up, it could easily be played side by side with top line Martin's, Gibsons and even very expensive hand made instruments.
The pickguard looks like the map of a continent from a fantasy novel where there has been some sort of massive circular catastrophe in the center. There has since been divergent societal evolution in the northern and southern halves, and each side thinks that the other is just a myth from prehistory.
I claim 25% of the profits if you use this as a writing prompt for a successful fantasy decology.
That's one happy mustache bridge!
Ted, I believe you could fix the "Un-Fixable" Martin 1870 Parlor Guitar that Kurt Russell destroyed while filming the Quentin Tarantino movie "The Hateful Eight". I have read Martin refuses to even speak about that incident publicly but I think a dedicated Luthier like yourself could make it playable once again. You should see if that is something Martin would entertain. It would blow your channel up and increase your street cred in a major way! Keep up the great work!
Weekend complete ✅
Ted I just seen Alfie Smith play ring of fire and kill it! Ten Stars ⭐️ for the great Alfie Smith!
Watching your videos is time well spent.
I agree about Goo Gone. I tried that once trying to remove some adhesive left by a plastic cover that fell off my truck bed and it did nothing. Like you said, most of the work would be your fingernail.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from your posts it’s that patience is a virtue.
Your work is beyond exemplary however.
The bridge looks like the Pringles guy mustache!
What a tasty but bizzarre relic from the past!!!
Loved the creaking tuners! Thank you for another great video.
Very nice job Ted. Thanks for sharing.
awesome craftsmanship - world needs more people like you - thank you.
fantastic, thanks.
Thank you for showing us some of your tools. Very helpful.
Thanx Ted , i needed this
Hideously beautiful!
What a beauty! Love it 🤘🤘
Wow, that sounded really good. Nice job...
Haha yeah… quite the Harmony that is. That head stock is something else.
Wow! The time you spend reviving tired instruments, and then consolidate that to a consumable time frame is awesome! Love the axe, great video. Lord help me, I'm a sucker for cheap guitars with "high end" aspirations... Great job!
Love your videos. You have to have the patience of a saint.
mineral spirits often works to remove adhesives, though it might not work since you tried naphtha. Olive oil will also loosen up some adhesives as well.
Thanks for the videos. Really enjoy them.
Sounds way better than I expected.
I have to admit it... I'm in love with that guitar!
Sundays with Ted. Always a pleasure. Thank you sir.
Thanks. Great video.
your patience is amazing!
That is a VERY beautiful guitar.
I love it
For all its quirks and issues, it's actually a pretty nice guitar! I'm surprised that there weren't a lot more cracks! Wondering why you didn't replace the entire saddle assembly with a full width piece of bone, or plug the slot and re-rout it, so as to get rid of those crappy bridge screws? Wouldn't that induce more string energy transference and give a better sound?
Don't remember seeing this one. Awesome!
Really great video man. Two jobs in one. Thanks for spending the time filming editing and commenting. Really entertaining and just well out together. San always. Nice work man. You made another guitar owner very happy.
Thank you. Nice work. As usual. 🤙🤙
What helps is dousing a rag in goo-gone, letting it sit over the area for about a half-hour, then going at it with a plastic razor blade. It's not perfect but it works really well
Great one!
Great jam session and the repairers was pretty cool to
I appreciate you Ted.
Great work, thanks for the inspiration and posting ❤.
To me, the craftsmanship you exhibit is just satisfying to watch. Stellar detail, I always enjoy the history of the instrument/manufacturer. You are like a live library and history teacher. Thank you for sharing the love of music and respect of the individual instruments.
affascinante ... lavoro da artista
That bridge looks like a bird in flight!
GoO gOnE! GOo goNE!! XD
Another job well done Mr. Woodford.
I have an H1270 which is the slotted headstock string 12 fret version of the Sovereign. These are great guitars!
Surprise! That guitar didn’t sound like I expected.
ingenious clamping, man!