I recently did a 1928 Gibson L-1 and had it very similar issues! it suffered a terrible DIY bridge replacement using a different bridge (no pins), and once I got it off I found much more wood torn out than the one in this video, so bad I don't think the old one came off all the way, and whoever took it the rest of the way just preyed it off violently and busted it up, not knowing heat dissolves the glue... I also had to make an oversized bridge pad, no way around it. The original bridge couldn't be found, and I couldn't find the dimensions, but I had a few indicators of what the original looked like. They changed the design 3 times between 1927 and 1918! It's the wide one with an additional bridge pin in the center behind the 3rd and 4th pins, just because it looks good or as a spare (no info why). I recreated it by extrapolating it's dimensions from pictures, and made it slightly oversized too, to reinforce where I had to graft some wood into the soundboard: Once strung up it came alive! I never knew those things had OK bass, but then again the recordings of Robert Johnson playing his all sounded like a mic in a tin can! Unlike Ted I curse good and loud, and in that case quite often. I was like when I first saw it, and again when I got the bridge off! A short freak out lessens the nerve tension before proceeding.😅 I didn't tell the client right away when it was done, because I needed at least a good day to grove out on it.😁 Of course he couldn't pick it up right away so I had a few more days with it, and now he's gigging with it, as he should! I do this for music and musicians sake, and don't like going through all that so someone can hang it on a wall or stash it away in a hoard!😡
That is my thinking, too. Some don't see it that way. I'm not into wall hung collectables. If it can't be played, it has no value at all. Any stringed instrument can be fixed. I've seen it. 😁✌🖖
I’m no expert on wood identification, but from time to time I get small pieces of wood that look like Brazilian rosewood at local thrift stores. When I was a kid all kinds of knife and kitchen tool handles were made from rosewood. I’ve used this wood for making little things like nuts and saddles. Sometimes I cut up the blades on a grinder to make little scrapers and cutters. Tonally, this wood can be much nicer to my ear than bone. I know that it’s not as durable as bone or synthetics, but I bet I won’t be around to see them wear out.
I purchased for $25, a turn of the century table made from Black Walnut, and have used most of the wood from that table for 6 Octave Mandolin builds. Considerable work getting usable wood, but as the table was in too rough of shape to consider restoring it, it feels good to reclaim the wood for other uses.
@@ClarenceCochran-ne7du Nice going! I’ve never gotten any walnut for so little money, but for $10 I did get a Lane cedar chest that had a broken lock. The wood around the lock was broken and it wasn’t worth trying to repair it. But the lid and sides were solid 3/4 inch cedar, and I got two solid body electrics out of it and I’ve got at least enough wood left for two more electrics. The wood was veneered with figured walnut and I left it on the tops of the guitar bodies.
It's very funny !! I'm cleaning in full depth an exact clone of that guitar from the Japan Lawsuit Era, while I'm watching this video !! It's my "Aria Pro II - PW 25" from 1975. A Martin D-18 copy. It was one of my father's guitar, and I learned to play the guitar on that one in the 90's. That guitar is almost 50 years old, and was never cleaned !! It's time to make it fresh and nice for the next 50 years !! It's a very cool guitar, and it sounds great! Love your videos and your content !! I learned so much from you !!
Note the vermin incursion (or perhaps escape) at the upper right at ~02:15! Another great video! I call those old 'hog Martins wooden balloons. Built very light without much finish.
Love your mastery of the hand plane! You make it look easy but I for one truly appreciate your craft!! Thank you for these videos, always look forward to the next one!
Brazilian rosewood is a truly wonderful wood, and it is a shame that it can no longer be easily gotten in large quantities. I have to use my stock sparingly.
Possibly the best guitar repair Luther in the business , with very knowledgeable information one could ever possibly get from a luthier ! Keep up the great work my friend , I’ve been subscribed for quite some time now ,you’ve got me FULLY INVESTED my friend FULLY ! Possibly my favorite “ Snow Mexican “ lol & folks don’t get all worked up o.k. , this was just a silly comment ! Not a factual comment o.k. ! Thanks again Mr Ted !
Me, from central europe, pretty sure will never see 50s or older Martin in person, makes this really great to watch, even tho I come mainly for electric guitar repairs. Cheers mate.
I also loved the comment, "It perfumes the mind and the hands." Too often we wood working folks forget the scents. When i build with cedar, the aroma stays for days. Thank you for your art and your dialog.
Old Guilds and Martins do feel “eggshell” light , every one of these I’ve had the pleasure to play has sounded incredible too. A friend of mine acquired a pre war D 18 in pieces for $3000 had it rebuilt, it was feather light (the top was very thin too) and was the most astounding guitar I’ve ever played, felt like a living entity and made the hair on your neck stand up. It was the first time I really understood what the Martin hype was all about. Tony Rice offered my friend $20 K for that guitar at a jam session in the nineties, my friend said he’d never sell it, been looking for it his whole life, found it at a pawn shop in Albuquerque.
@@mikebeacom4883my friend aquired this guitar completely disassembled, top and back off, in box like someone had intentions of rebuilding it and doing a neck set. All the pieces including original bracing and tuners were there and the top was actually pristine with no cracks which is rare. These guitars were all made with glue that was easy to disassemble as a neck set is to be expected, and loose bracing is common. The pawn shop guy had the guitar in the back along with a rare F style Gibson Mandolin, I think my friend paid $5 k on the spot in cash for both, in retrospect a very good deal. He had the habit of scouring all the pawn shops and always asked if they had any old guitar parts or junk guitars in the back, and in this case hit the jackpot and acquired probably the most desirable holy grail instruments for Bluegrass players. Those old Martins had no truss rod, but a t shaped steel stiffener in the neck which was perfectly straight. The old super light, thin tops usually only get light or extra light strings though, even so that guitar was a cannon, with the clearest most articulate low end of any guitar I’ve ever played.
I had a '67 D-18 that didn't feel terribly light. It was a decent guitar but I felt it was overpriced because of the name and age. I'd really like to get one of the new Authentic '37s or a Collings Dread, because those both blow the 1967 I had away
@@mikebeacom4883Yes, the old Martins were made with glues that are easy to disassemble, hyde glue mostly I think. All acoustics need a neck set at some point in their life and I’m pretty sure Martin has always taken this into account. My friends guitar was in pieces in a box, back and top and neck off. All the bracing was there and everything was in as good a condition as you could want from a late thirties guitar. I think he paid around $1500 to have it reassembled, a bargain considering he was almost immediately offered $20 k for it by one of the best Bluegrass pickers to ever walk the earth.
@@willemmouw6852 yes , I’ve played a bunch of the post war Martins and never really understood the magic till I played my friends pre war . The early 60’s Guilds made in Hoboken N.J. Have some of that mojo too and are very light as well, feel super fragile , nowhere in the league of the pre war Martins but still really nice and a fraction of the price.
Hello Ted , I build faithful Martin replicas , they usually weigh in at 4 lbs 2 oz. (Mahogany and spruce) Yes , that very light . Makes for a wonderful sound . Peace ✌
I have Martin Authentic models, OM28-31 and D28-41, they are incredibly light, especially the OM28. Sound beyond fantastic. Built with Madagascar rosewood. Smell wonderful too.
Woof. So fine. From the hand work to the explanation of how, why and what to proceed with. I’m thinking there should be a certification course for those of us who have listened and watch Ted work over all these years. Thanks for elevating guitar repair to another level of care and appreciation.
I had a D-45 bought new around 1989. Over time the sound board developed quite a deformity behind the bridge and along with the binding shrinking and pulling away from the waist areas, I took it back to Nazareth for its repair. I hadn’t played the guitar much and the amount of repair was extensive. They had a problem getting the sound board to flatten and found a cracked brace and bridge plate and recommend its 2nd neck reset since new, a new bridge (anyone need a mint D-45 bridge?) and bridge plate. To get the action somewhat normal a wedge was placed under the fingerboard extension. I figured it was time to let someone else enjoy a mint D-45 and recently sold it. But I still have a great mid 70s D-18 to enjoy.
I feel blessed this man takes his time to follow up in videos in which I know is having to wait for things to dry and also cure and also videotape those things when once they're cured.
My main axe is a '56 D-18. As a long-time subscriber I'm excited to see this project. Interesting to see that score line behind the bridge-- I imagine the person who last took it off didn't have much experience with Martin's finish from this era. It really doesn't act like most guitar finishes at all and in fact is so thin you can take it down to the wood with a fingernail in many cases (which happened with my guitar when I first go it). If you're trying to lightly score through the finish you could easily cut into the top with the pressure you'd normally need for that job. Anxiously awaiting episode 2!
Great stuff, as always. I hope you’re putting a bunch of those rose wood curls in a Ziplock bag. The Maple curls, too, but separate. One of the things I miss about no longer having a work bench and wood doing this kind of woodwork, is the extra, “you never know when you might need this” stuff like clean sawdust and wood remnants. Probably not worth your time, but you could seriously sell that stuff.
Wow, that top flexes more than my classical. I have an older hand-made Ibanez acoustic (what became their custom shop) that's all Brazilian, it smells like roses whenever I play it hard.
Watching a 58 D18 be disassembled is absolutely terrifying that's a legacy instrument if there ever was one like a 59 les Paul but it's all in good hands cheers !
I have a D-18 from the same era that needed a neck reset about a year ago. My luthier dealt with it properly, rather than doing something like shaving the bridge. I bought it in that condition and the price was adjusted accordingly. Some of the bracing needed to be reglued. Again, I knew all this when buying it. It has the dings and wear to show its age, but the volume and tone are amazing. You can play it quietly if you try, or you can use a powerful attack and make it ring out with a sustain not found on many other guitars in that price point. They say a Martin settles over the first twenty years of ownership. I'd agree with that but I'd say SOME OF THEM then mellow with age. Nope... Not all are alike. Some age different than others.
Fascinating. I love Ted's description of the lightness of these guitars. I have a 1954 0-18 that's feather light, and a 1963 Gibson B-25 that's just as light. It's as though these guitars are made of balsa wood!
you're an artist..every episode seems like an adventure mate..well done i used to learn lutherie in paris with a spanish guy who told me that brasilian rosewood had been sur-exploited to make matches , long ones specially made for cigar smokers..the smell of the wood matches apparently perfectly with the taste..what a misery
The amount of time and effort that our host spends in evaluating the piece before doing any work is necessary and wonderful to watch. You need all possible information to construct your plan of procedure. I treat my guitars well, and have a fairly light touch, but the idea of an 'eggshell' fragile guitar is unsettling to me. These days I spend all of my playing time on a 1973 telecaster bass.
I’m curious to see what Ted does about that slice on the top besides the safeguards implemented underneath. I would feel compelled to try to wick some CA in there before covering it up… or maybe after… depending on how much bigger the new bridge ends up…
A friend of mine owns a 1958 D-18 he bought in the 1970's. He has always had tuning issues with it and it turns out that the bridge placement was incorrect. Martin fixed it a few years ago at no charge. They said that quite a few guitars left the factory that year with the same issue. Possibly a jig had too much wear and tear?
I have a Martin D-18 made in the early 2000's and I have also noticed the Martin seems to be somewhat lighter compared to other acoustic guitars I own of similar size.
Watching this neck reset got me thinking about other neck resets I seen and a the reasons they are done. It then occurred me; I don’t know what it is that changes in the neck to body geometry that can only be rectified by tilting the neck back. It surly is a combination of things but I’m drawing a blank on exactly why the guitars neck has to be modified from its original set. I haven’t exactly posed this as a question however a response would be appreciated but not expected. I enjoy your content a great deal, Rusty from Oklahoma.
Good question! I always assumed it was the rear side of the neck joint pulling loose, but likely it could be some warping, bellying of the top, all kinds of small changes that interact...?
Bear with me on this, trust me it works. I was shown this by a very well known luthier and builder. Bridge removal with no heat: Score around the bridge with a new sharp exacto knife, just cutting through ther lacquer. Tape off around it. Take a larger dull chisel and tap around the perimeter of the bridge with a hammer with sharp light blows then increasingly harder. Eventually as you work around tthe bridge it will just pop right off " with little or no damage to the top." Bridge plate removal: The Stew Mac removal tool, big wooden ball handle with chisel end, works fine if you have a solid maple or rosewood bridge plate. Work the chisel end on the edges of the plate, applying inward, upward, and slight twisting motion. Bridge plate will generally pop right off. Once I tape off the bridge I can pop it off in under a minute or less...done this many times. Bridge plate requires a little more time and patience.
At the very end of the video, is there a caul inside where the bridge pad would be in addition to the call on top where the bridge would be (where it's clamped)? What kind of C-Clamps are those and they are pushing down on the two other pieces of wood closer to the sound hole to flatten out the top where there is bulge? No heat or water and how long should this get clamped up? I'm interested in how this is working because I need to do the same thing on a guitar. Any answers would be helpful! Thanks!
Ted ! Are you following me ? I found a 1975 Ibanez Concord 651 in absolutely awesome condition on Facebook Marketplace. I went to see it and the bridge was pulling and there was a nice hump behind it ! I am desperate to find a Concord 697...looks like a D-41 !
I’m interested to know, if the bridge material is so intrinsic to this instrument, why not build up the underside of the original removed bridge with a blank of Indian rosewood and reshape it?
Like the little flourish at the end, but it didn't give me enough time to press like before the window changed. Not a problem on a computer, but I watch in full, glorious 46" color via Roku. If you find you got less likes with this episode, consider a longer postlude. Or a longer warning the end is coming. 😊
I immediately thought the bridge is going to have to be a slightly larger perimeter. That and some possible patching of the under-bridge spruce. That top is almost unserviceably thin for a softwood, but I bet it sounds unbelievable.
Pardon the slightly off topic question, Ted, have you ever converted a flat top acoustic (or acoustic electric) to a floating bridge with a trapeze tailpiece to hold the ball ends for the strings? Thanks again for these great videos!
Ted, everytime I see a guitar belly like that I immediately think, ‘that guitar probably sounds fantastic.’ And, they usually do ime. I actually look for a healthy belly (not as severe as this) when hunting guitars.
Right call on the bridge, BRW is the way to go, at least, if you can. There are sources of it, that pre-date the CITEs treaty, at least in the US. Probably more difficult in Canada.
Maybe I missed it, but How come you don’t correct the soundboard’s bulge, (making it flat again) before gluing in the new pinboard? Or would it not matter whatsoever? Fascinating work buddy, keep it up🤘🏼
What Ted isn’t saying in his calm reassuring voice is that this valuable masterpiece of a guitar is on the edge of collapse and he is saving it. 😊
I recently did a 1928 Gibson L-1 and had it very similar issues! it suffered a terrible DIY bridge replacement using a different bridge (no pins), and once I got it off I found much more wood torn out than the one in this video, so bad I don't think the old one came off all the way, and whoever took it the rest of the way just preyed it off violently and busted it up, not knowing heat dissolves the glue... I also had to make an oversized bridge pad, no way around it. The original bridge couldn't be found, and I couldn't find the dimensions, but I had a few indicators of what the original looked like. They changed the design 3 times between 1927 and 1918! It's the wide one with an additional bridge pin in the center behind the 3rd and 4th pins, just because it looks good or as a spare (no info why). I recreated it by extrapolating it's dimensions from pictures, and made it slightly oversized too, to reinforce where I had to graft some wood into the soundboard: Once strung up it came alive! I never knew those things had OK bass, but then again the recordings of Robert Johnson playing his all sounded like a mic in a tin can!
Unlike Ted I curse good and loud, and in that case quite often. I was like when I first saw it, and again when I got the bridge off! A short freak out lessens the nerve tension before proceeding.😅
I didn't tell the client right away when it was done, because I needed at least a good day to grove out on it.😁 Of course he couldn't pick it up right away so I had a few more days with it, and now he's gigging with it, as he should! I do this for music and musicians sake, and don't like going through all that so someone can hang it on a wall or stash it away in a hoard!😡
I’m a 1958. Wish my belly was this flat.
😂
Genius comment of the month.
Bag up those rosewood shavings and made potpourri case candy! Glad to see you working on this one it deserves your care and skill level.
"It perfumes the mind and the hands." Beautifully said 😊
2:13 you got a buddy in the shop with you lol
Shop mascot!
I thought I was the only one to see these here and there! Nice catch!!
Made me jump!
Larger bridge plate definitely good idea!
That is my thinking, too. Some don't see it that way.
I'm not into wall hung collectables. If it can't be played,
it has no value at all. Any stringed instrument can be fixed.
I've seen it. 😁✌🖖
I’m no expert on wood identification, but from time to time I get small pieces of wood that look like Brazilian rosewood at local thrift stores. When I was a kid all kinds of knife and kitchen tool handles were made from rosewood. I’ve used this wood for making little things like nuts and saddles. Sometimes I cut up the blades on a grinder to make little scrapers and cutters. Tonally, this wood can be much nicer to my ear than bone. I know that it’s not as durable as bone or synthetics, but I bet I won’t be around to see them wear out.
I purchased for $25, a turn of the century table made from Black Walnut, and have used most of the wood from that table for 6 Octave Mandolin builds. Considerable work getting usable wood, but as the table was in too rough of shape to consider restoring it, it feels good to reclaim the wood for other uses.
@@ClarenceCochran-ne7du Nice going! I’ve never gotten any walnut for so little money, but for $10 I did get a Lane cedar chest that had a broken lock. The wood around the lock was broken and it wasn’t worth trying to repair it. But the lid and sides were solid 3/4 inch cedar, and I got two solid body electrics out of it and I’ve got at least enough wood left for two more electrics. The wood was veneered with figured walnut and I left it on the tops of the guitar bodies.
Ted, I very much appreciate your sharing these videos with us despite the time and effort (and sometimes annoyances) involved. Thanks very much!
I find this video particularly interesting, and look forward to any follow up ones on this repair. Thanks
It's very funny !! I'm cleaning in full depth an exact clone of that guitar from the Japan Lawsuit Era, while I'm watching this video !!
It's my "Aria Pro II - PW 25" from 1975. A Martin D-18 copy.
It was one of my father's guitar, and I learned to play the guitar on that one in the 90's. That guitar is almost 50 years old, and was never cleaned !! It's time to make it fresh and nice for the next 50 years !! It's a very cool guitar, and it sounds great!
Love your videos and your content !! I learned so much from you !!
I’ve got a ‘77 Tama Martin copy. It’s a really great guitar, I’ve never seen an Aria Martin copy, probably pretty rare at this point.
That’s some skill, Twoford. And some really cool tools!
od 😁✌🖖
Thank you for showing us the skill that makes you so impressive. Please keep doing your work and sharing some of it with us.
Note the vermin incursion (or perhaps escape) at the upper right at ~02:15! Another great video! I call those old 'hog Martins wooden balloons. Built very light without much finish.
SHHH!! Be Vewie quiet. He's hunting Termites.
Love your mastery of the hand plane! You make it look easy but I for one truly appreciate your craft!! Thank you for these videos, always look forward to the next one!
Brazilian rosewood is a truly wonderful wood, and it is a shame that it can no longer be easily gotten in large quantities. I have to use my stock sparingly.
I'm really enjoying these longer format, episodic repairs. I'll really look forward to watching weekly to see how far you get.
Possibly the best guitar repair Luther in the business , with very knowledgeable information one could ever possibly get from a luthier !
Keep up the great work my friend , I’ve been subscribed for quite some time now ,you’ve got me FULLY INVESTED my friend FULLY !
Possibly my favorite “ Snow Mexican “ lol & folks don’t get all worked up o.k. , this was just a silly comment !
Not a factual comment o.k. ! Thanks again Mr Ted !
Me, from central europe, pretty sure will never see 50s or older Martin in person, makes this really great to watch, even tho I come mainly for electric guitar repairs. Cheers mate.
I have a 1957 0-18 and I swear sometimes it floats it’s so light! 😊
I also loved the comment, "It perfumes the mind and the hands." Too often we wood working folks forget the scents. When i build with cedar, the aroma stays for days. Thank you for your art and your dialog.
Old Guilds and Martins do feel “eggshell” light , every one of these I’ve had the pleasure to play has sounded incredible too. A friend of mine acquired a pre war D 18 in pieces for $3000 had it rebuilt, it was feather light (the top was very thin too) and was the most astounding guitar I’ve ever played, felt like a living entity and made the hair on your neck stand up.
It was the first time I really understood what the Martin hype was all about. Tony Rice offered my friend $20 K for that guitar at a jam session in the nineties, my friend said he’d never sell it, been looking for it his whole life, found it at a pawn shop in Albuquerque.
Can a guitar be built like a violin, extremely light, and easy to disassemble and repair?
@@mikebeacom4883my friend aquired this guitar completely disassembled, top and back off, in box like someone had intentions of rebuilding it and doing a neck set. All the pieces including original bracing and tuners were there and the top was actually pristine with no cracks which is rare. These guitars were all made with glue that was easy to disassemble as a neck set is to be expected, and loose bracing is common.
The pawn shop guy had the guitar in the back along with a rare F style Gibson Mandolin, I think my friend paid $5 k on the spot in cash for both, in retrospect a very good deal. He had the habit of scouring all the pawn shops and always asked if they had any old guitar parts or junk guitars in the back, and in this case hit the jackpot and acquired probably the most desirable holy grail instruments for Bluegrass players.
Those old Martins had no truss rod, but a t shaped steel stiffener in the neck which was perfectly straight. The old super light, thin tops usually only get light or extra light strings though, even so that guitar was a cannon, with the clearest most articulate low end of any guitar I’ve ever played.
I had a '67 D-18 that didn't feel terribly light. It was a decent guitar but I felt it was overpriced because of the name and age. I'd really like to get one of the new Authentic '37s or a Collings Dread, because those both blow the 1967 I had away
@@mikebeacom4883Yes, the old Martins were made with glues that are easy to disassemble, hyde glue mostly I think.
All acoustics need a neck set at some point in their life and I’m pretty sure Martin has always taken this into account.
My friends guitar was in pieces in a box, back and top and neck off. All the bracing was there and everything was in as good a condition as you could want from a late thirties guitar. I think he paid around $1500 to have it reassembled, a bargain considering he was almost immediately offered $20 k for it by one of the best Bluegrass pickers to ever walk the earth.
@@willemmouw6852 yes , I’ve played a bunch of the post war Martins and never really understood the magic till I played my friends pre war . The early 60’s Guilds made in Hoboken N.J. Have some of that mojo too and are very light as well, feel super fragile , nowhere in the league of the pre war Martins but still really nice and a fraction of the price.
Hello Ted , I build faithful Martin replicas , they usually weigh in at 4 lbs 2 oz. (Mahogany and spruce) Yes , that very light . Makes for a wonderful sound . Peace ✌
Teasing us with how good the rosewood smells 'cause we'll never get to know!😆
Every time I open my Martin's case, I am greeted by the most wonderful scent.
It's a '97, so I doubt Brazilian but it is still incredible. 😁✌🖖
I have Martin Authentic models, OM28-31 and D28-41, they are incredibly light, especially the OM28. Sound beyond fantastic. Built with Madagascar rosewood. Smell wonderful too.
Woof. So fine. From the hand work to the explanation of how, why and what to proceed with. I’m thinking there should be a certification course for those of us who have listened and watch Ted work over all these years. Thanks for elevating guitar repair to another level of care and appreciation.
I truly enjoy your videos, Ted.
Loving the series styles you’ve been doing lately! 🎸😎👊
I had a D-45 bought new around 1989. Over time the sound board developed quite a deformity behind the bridge and along with the binding shrinking and pulling away from the waist areas, I took it back to Nazareth for its repair. I hadn’t played the guitar much and the amount of repair was extensive. They had a problem getting the sound board to flatten and found a cracked brace and bridge plate and recommend its 2nd neck reset since new, a new bridge (anyone need a mint D-45 bridge?) and bridge plate. To get the action somewhat normal a wedge was placed under the fingerboard extension. I figured it was time to let someone else enjoy a mint D-45 and recently sold it. But I still have a great mid 70s D-18 to enjoy.
What a beauty!
Thanks for restoring these beautiful pieces of art and incredible instruments.
9:00 I like to roll the edge on one side of a new razor blade w a burnishing tool before adding tape
The restraint and knowledge to take two hours to correctly remove a bridge plate is totally understated in this particularly concise video from Ted.
I feel blessed this man takes his time to follow up in videos in which I know is having to wait for things to dry and also cure and also videotape those things when once they're cured.
Thank you for your work and time spent making these videos!
My main axe is a '56 D-18. As a long-time subscriber I'm excited to see this project.
Interesting to see that score line behind the bridge-- I imagine the person who last took it off didn't have much experience with Martin's finish from this era. It really doesn't act like most guitar finishes at all and in fact is so thin you can take it down to the wood with a fingernail in many cases (which happened with my guitar when I first go it). If you're trying to lightly score through the finish you could easily cut into the top with the pressure you'd normally need for that job.
Anxiously awaiting episode 2!
Great stuff, as always. I hope you’re putting a bunch of those rose wood curls in a Ziplock bag. The Maple curls, too, but separate. One of the things I miss about no longer having a work bench and wood doing this kind of woodwork, is the extra, “you never know when you might need this” stuff like clean sawdust and wood remnants. Probably not worth your time, but you could seriously sell that stuff.
Wonderful video!! Extra points for spelling CAUL for the masses.
Usual expertise. I came on after an hour and was about the 4000gh viewer. Nice going, Ted!
Wow, that top flexes more than my classical. I have an older hand-made Ibanez acoustic (what became their custom shop) that's all Brazilian, it smells like roses whenever I play it hard.
F word I love this channel!
Another great video👍
Watching a 58 D18 be disassembled is absolutely terrifying that's a legacy instrument if there ever was one like a 59 les Paul but it's all in good hands cheers !
I have a D-18 from the same era that needed a neck reset about a year ago. My luthier dealt with it properly, rather than doing something like shaving the bridge. I bought it in that condition and the price was adjusted accordingly. Some of the bracing needed to be reglued. Again, I knew all this when buying it.
It has the dings and wear to show its age, but the volume and tone are amazing. You can play it quietly if you try, or you can use a powerful attack and make it ring out with a sustain not found on many other guitars in that price point. They say a Martin settles over the first twenty years of ownership. I'd agree with that but I'd say SOME OF THEM then mellow with age. Nope... Not all are alike. Some age different than others.
Fascinating. I love Ted's description of the lightness of these guitars. I have a 1954 0-18 that's feather light, and a 1963 Gibson B-25 that's just as light. It's as though these guitars are made of balsa wood!
you're an artist..every episode seems like an adventure mate..well done
i used to learn lutherie in paris with a spanish guy who told me that brasilian rosewood had been sur-exploited to make matches , long ones specially made for cigar smokers..the smell of the wood matches apparently perfectly with the taste..what a misery
Thank you Fred 👍🎸
The amount of time and effort that our host spends in evaluating the piece before doing any work is necessary and wonderful to watch. You need all possible information to construct your plan of procedure. I treat my guitars well, and have a fairly light touch, but the idea of an 'eggshell' fragile guitar is unsettling to me. These days I spend all of my playing time on a 1973 telecaster bass.
Thank you, Ted. Another great video with consideration to the social perceptions of old instruments and authenticity.
Boris the spider at 2:14 .not camera shy !!
2:13good sir you have a bug in your shop!
I’m curious to see what Ted does about that slice on the top besides the safeguards implemented underneath. I would feel compelled to try to wick some CA in there before covering it up… or maybe after… depending on how much bigger the new bridge ends up…
A friend of mine owns a 1958 D-18 he bought in the 1970's. He has always had tuning issues with it and it turns out that the bridge placement was incorrect. Martin fixed it a few years ago at no charge. They said that quite a few guitars left the factory that year with the same issue. Possibly a jig had too much wear and tear?
Martins are known to often have the bridge a little off. 😁✌🖖
Thanks Ted!
I have a Martin D-18 made in the early 2000's and I have also noticed the Martin seems to be somewhat lighter compared to other acoustic guitars I own of similar size.
15:15 Why not cross-grain then for the bridge pad? Wouldn't that make it stronger for the string holes?
Watching this neck reset got me thinking about other neck resets I seen and a the reasons they are done. It then occurred me; I don’t know what it is that changes in the neck to body geometry that can only be rectified by tilting the neck back. It surly is a combination of things but I’m drawing a blank on exactly why the guitars neck has to be modified from its original set. I haven’t exactly posed this as a question however a response would be appreciated but not expected. I enjoy your content a great deal, Rusty from Oklahoma.
Good question! I always assumed it was the rear side of the neck joint pulling loose, but likely it could be some warping, bellying of the top, all kinds of small changes that interact...?
I would dearly love to let you work on my 64 D-21 but getting the Brazilian into Canada and back would be a nightmare.
I'm not worried at all about this guitar, Ted knows what he is doing. 😊
All those clamps sticking out of the sound hole remind me of my last root canal.
Bear with me on this, trust me it works. I was shown this by a very well known luthier and builder.
Bridge removal with no heat: Score around the bridge with a new sharp exacto knife, just cutting through ther lacquer. Tape off around it. Take a larger dull chisel and tap around the perimeter of the bridge with a hammer with sharp light blows then increasingly harder. Eventually as you work around tthe bridge it will just pop right off " with little or no damage to the top."
Bridge plate removal: The Stew Mac removal tool, big wooden ball handle with chisel end, works fine if you have a solid maple or rosewood bridge plate. Work the chisel end on the edges of the plate, applying inward, upward, and slight twisting motion. Bridge plate will generally pop right off.
Once I tape off the bridge I can pop it off in under a minute or less...done this many times.
Bridge plate requires a little more time and patience.
Thanks again. Any progress on new swag? Cheers
"I'm happy with the direction this is going", this line gave me a twinge of dread. We'll see.
It’s a little “Let’s split up and look for help” 🤞🏻
Thank you.
Love the spider @2:12
thank you!
At the very end of the video, is there a caul inside where the bridge pad would be in addition to the call on top where the bridge would be (where it's clamped)? What kind of C-Clamps are those and they are pushing down on the two other pieces of wood closer to the sound hole to flatten out the top where there is bulge? No heat or water and how long should this get clamped up? I'm interested in how this is working because I need to do the same thing on a guitar. Any answers would be helpful! Thanks!
so far so good, nice old martin there..glad youre gonna imbue it with some much needed new life
Ted you know as wood ages it dehydrated and got lighter in weight, your smart enough to know that!
Ted ! Are you following me ? I found a 1975 Ibanez Concord 651 in absolutely awesome condition on Facebook Marketplace. I went to see it and the bridge was pulling and there was a nice hump behind it ! I am desperate to find a Concord 697...looks like a D-41 !
I’m interested to know, if the bridge material is so intrinsic to this instrument, why not build up the underside of the original removed bridge with a blank of Indian rosewood and reshape it?
What is that thing you got on the bridge to loosen the glue up and where can I get one? Thanks, you are awesome.
Thanks Ted
Like the little flourish at the end, but it didn't give me enough time to press like before the window changed. Not a problem on a computer, but I watch in full, glorious 46" color via Roku. If you find you got less likes with this episode, consider a longer postlude. Or a longer warning the end is coming. 😊
I screamed "NO" when this ended. Was completly taken over by Ted and his je ne sais quoi . "Canadian luthier voodoo" maybe.
Is it a humidity deal? That it’s on the wet side and that’s causing some extra hump?
Alternatively will stabilizing the belly increase the risk of a crack if it dries out?
Very good! So many others would just only change the neck angle and that’s not right. But I don’t understand what a boat has to do with it?
I immediately thought the bridge is going to have to be a slightly larger perimeter. That and some possible patching of the under-bridge spruce. That top is almost unserviceably thin for a softwood, but I bet it sounds unbelievable.
Pardon the slightly off topic question, Ted, have you ever converted a flat top acoustic (or acoustic electric) to a floating bridge with a trapeze tailpiece to hold the ball ends for the strings?
Thanks again for these great videos!
So that CITES thing got relaxed for finished instruments with rosewood on them, but just plain timber is still controlled?
Brazilian rosewood is a completely different thing.
my favorite part is the spider about 2:15 minutes in.
Port Orford cedar heartwood is also like exotic perfume.
you ROCK
2:12 spider friend! 🕷
Ted, what kind of tape are you using on the wood/heater to remove the bridge?
Just a reminder folks, it’s not Ted trying to contact you in the chat!
Mine bridge also had nice chocolateish smell Cremona 12string from 70./80s made in Czechoslovakia
Still hoping for an exotic Wandre guitar to come in to get repaired.
Where can I source a new pickguard for an Ibanez Gio GRG131DX in hh format from the usa?
Ted, everytime I see a guitar belly like that I immediately think, ‘that guitar probably sounds fantastic.’ And, they usually do ime. I actually look for a healthy belly (not as severe as this) when hunting guitars.
Happy Family Day weekend Uncle Ted...like it or not, we're your extended guitar family...oh, what time is dinner tomorrow? Red or White?
beguiling….now I have to use that word 3 times today.
I thought about Clint in the 1971 movie
15:43 Who you gonna caul?
I’ll see myself out …
The spider at 2:15 lol
What kind of wattage does that little heat pad have? 75?
Probably, 25w, which can actually get quite hot.
Try holding onto a 25w bulb sometime. Ouch! 😁✌🖖
When you got a glue a bridge pad in and flatten out a hump; who you gonna caul? T. WOODFORD!
Right call on the bridge, BRW is the way to go, at least, if you can. There are sources of it, that pre-date the CITEs treaty, at least in the US. Probably more difficult in Canada.
So interesting!
Highlight of the video ... Unforced canadian about ... love it LOL
The stiffness of a beam is proportional to the 4th (!!) power of the height. 100 compared to 90 should be x1.52 stiffer.
Maybe I missed it, but How come you don’t correct the soundboard’s bulge, (making it flat again) before gluing in the new pinboard? Or would it not matter whatsoever? Fascinating work buddy, keep it up🤘🏼
11:19 Now you know why it’s so light.