Pain felt. Backed my Martin into the corner of a piano bench during a performance. Most sickening feeling b/c that guitar was pristine. Two locals luthiers wouldn’t touch it. I finally shipped it to Martin and four weeks later it came back perfectly repaired plus they buffed out all the scuffs.
the strap came off my Lowden a few years back whilst performing in my local pub, it fell on a tiled floor and created 3 parallel splits in the back similarly far away from the sound hole. As you say there was much self recrimination. Luckily there is a very good luthier nearby who managed to make an invisible repair and it’s as good as new. I asked him if he had to take the back off to fix it but he just smiled and said, no it involved advanced gynaecology! In this case in homage to Cat Stevens, it wasn’t the first cut which was the deepest but the second. Stellar work as always. Thanks.
I am a retired luthier..I like your approach sir...30yrs repairing, restoring and building violins violas cellos and guitars...has poisoned this old award winning master luthier...who now entertains senior citizens..cuz I is one...thankyou sir..most enjoyable.
You know, I think what's so great about him is that he does indeed know how good he is but he chooses to simply work his craft and just let's us come along for the ride. He often talks about how important it is to know when you're in over your head with these repairs so I have a feeling he knows his limits pretty well. He really is incredible.
As a 42 year hardwood floor repair and refinisher(and guitar player)even when you totally nail the color you always have that shadow where the old and new stain/finish meet..nearly impossible to blend perfectly!
Has anyone ever tried ‘wet paint sanding’ on guitars? The idea is,when all of the old paint is removed, you up and down sand the past together with the sawdust into the groves, pores whatever holes. Until almost dry with the first go with 120,2nd 240 until dry. It immediately shows the result. I use waterbased acrylic paints During sanding u can remove excess paste away and don’t sand to much avoiding sunspots
Only striving for competent workmanship? Are you kidding? Dude you’re a genius…an artiste. When I first saw the damage my exact thought was “that beautiful instrument is toast”. You totally resurrected it!
Excellent! You demonstrated the perseverance required. After all that work with the magnet repair you started over. Incredible work. Thank you very much
I have to say that you, sir, are a TRUE craftsman. I just discovered your channel and have been binge watching it for the last few days. I am semi-retired now from a life time of repairing all kinds of things; all aspects of home repair, electrical, plumbing, carpentry, tile, appliances, HVAC, electronics, computers, and on and on and on the list goes. I absolutely love watching you fix these guitars. Even after 50+ years of fixin' stuff, I am learning some very valuable skills from you. Even the tone of your voice on the narrations is relaxing. You have a true fan in me. Keep up the great work!
Rod Stewart: The first cut is the deepest. Ted Woodford: The first cut is the shallowest. The difference between knowledge and understanding in microcosm. This was a real treat, especially in terms of problem-solving processes. Some strong lessons in thought.
It's comforting, in a way, to see that even Ted has his moments where a brilliant idea doesn't quite work out. I've been rather forcefully reminded lately that some repairs are going to look a lot worse before they look better; the piano I mentioned last week has arrived, and it's had its moments so far.
Hardly seems worth it for "And there was a big ugly gouge right here that I smoothed over with wood putty, stained with a Minwax stain pen, and sealed up with a 2lb cut of shellac" times 25 or so. The toughest part was the glue-up of the music stand, and that went swimmingly with a few ratchet straps and a spare board to keep things aligned while the glue set.
Why is that comforting? If seeing a man fail in any capacity is comforting to you then you have some major problems. You seem like the kind of guy that sits outside your wife's work trying to catch her talking to someone. That's kinda disgusting.
@@TempoDrift1480 Fallibility in someone highly skilled and admired could quite reasonably give comfort to someone who fails more frequently. "It happens to the best of them" is a reassuring way to remind us that we all endure misfortune and upset, regardless of ability and experience. From your response it would seem you're the one with some major problems if that's how your brain interprets what was said.
Another masterful, patient repair. And bonus points for : "Bird is the Word" Trashmen reference. And the goth kid reference. Thank you for your fascinating and entertaining videos.
My 1970 Eko Jumbo is modelled on that Hummingbird, right down to the damage, which has been there since an accident in 1971! The difference is that the punched-in hole is up near the shoulder rather than the base. I didn't think a repair would be possible, but you have me thinking about it after seeing the craaftsmanship here. Bravo!
_"Chatoyance"_ - I even learnt a new word, thanks Ted. It is brilliant repairs like these and watching them develop through the video, that is the reason why I subscribed to Ted's channel. Utterly fascinating to watch and a tuturial for anyone thinking of doing luthiery as a profession. _"Competent Workmanship"_ - Ted, you are far, far more than just "competent". Cheers.
I was actually familiar with the word Chatoyance from working in jewelry sales years back (familiar in the sense that i’ve encountered it before but if you had asked me i couldn’t have told you what it meant extemporaneously), but i was incredibly impressed to see it pop up in the middle of a guitar repair video, as I doubt that’s a word most luthiers would use in response to the light qualities of a guitar’s finish. this man is like a sommelier of guitars, in the best way, lol.
I think given the violent and horrible nature of this damage,you repair looks truly superb. I'm half decent at guitar maintenance myself,but I wouldn't have tackled this repair. Hats off sir. I find your videos very calming and relaxing as well as insightful and educational. Fantastic! Thanks!!!
I think if that happened to me I'd just ask you to put an input jack in there and install a pick up. Hide my shame and pretend it never happened. Amazing work as ever. You're a true artisan!
Absolutely beautiful! It still obviously shows that it has been repaired, but repaired by a fellow who shows his skill are real care about quality of his work. Bravo!
I have said it in the past and will say it again; Amazing craftsmanship! Those who live close enough to have you work on their instruments are truly fortunate.
That came out great, but if it was my guitar I would have made it into a feature by making the disc bigger and covering the whole scar, and then make it contrast by going very dark or light and maybe inlay a little hummingbird in the middle of the disc. Your videos are great!
Yeah I agree. I watch people do headstock repairs and then they spend more time trying to hide it. Hell with that, let it be seen. Anyone who has a problem with a quality repair probably isn't in it for the right reasons.
Sometimes the repairs are invisible. Sometimes are so serious that is almost impossible to make them invisible. But this... Is simply awesome. Excellent!
The inlay repair was really cool. Thanks for teaching us! The chatoyance of mahogany first struck me when I made a box in high school 'Wood 2' back in like '85. It was incredible, and almost looked to be made from tigers eye (if you had a good imagination, lol). Such beauty in the best pieces. Thanks for the video!
This happened to my D18. Rested it on the sofa leaning it against the back cushion, while I got up to make some coffee. Sitting down again beside the guitar heavily bounced it into the air and launched it at the edge of the adjacent coffee table. Did exactly this damage. I almost cried. The luthier that repaired it did such a good job that amazingly I couldn't see the joins until 20+ years later. The video was fascinating as I could finally see what he did. The only difference is my join is rectangular. I'm in awe of the skills you guys have.
I’m so glad I watched. I used those Mohawk products for decades in the furniture touch up and repair business. I’m older than dirt now and was just recently wondering if the company is still alive. I’m finally out of my stash of burnt umber. I wonder if they remember me? They will not sell to rookies. They’re very versatile. If your up to it, you can paint believable wood grain with them using diluted lacquer or padding lacquers and a fine brush. BTW, great job.
@@markbernier8434 Your probably right. Their products and information about their use is , virtually , in the realm of the occult. You know it or you don’t.
Great work! I had a similar disaster years ago when I stupidly didn’t humidify my Martin, and during a particularly cold spell (I’m in southern Ontario also) the power went out for 30 hours and temperature in the house plummeted. The top side of the guitar opened up a 1/4” chasm starting from the Fishman controls and extending down almost to the neck. The luthier who fixed it did a great job. If you look closely you can see the repair, but it stayed stable, and I learned a valuable (and expensive) lesson.
Hi Ted, it's so great to see how you approached this repair, brilliant idea with the magnets, I'm sure in other less severe instances his would work a treat. Thanks for documenting this.
I'm an industrial engineer - I design, fabricate and repair complex metal bits. A trained monkey could take my place... If I "measure once and cut twice" on a flush panel, I can generally break out the TIG welder, add a bit back, then grind away until the repair is invisible - a dozen or more times if necessary ... Wood? Ha- I'm scared to death of the stuff... I dropped my '86 Martin Brazilian Custom OM onto a spherical stage foot light in almost exactly the same place. A retired luthier made a plug with dead on identical grain characteristics he saw in a piece of BRW from the remnants of a broken up 1950s sewing cabinet he had found years before on the side of the road. Like his, your finished repair nothing short of astounding. Continually amazed at the "laser focus" of woodworkers and fine luthiers such as yourself.
This is a satisfactory, structurally-sound repair that the owner should be thrilled with. Thank God you got this job instead of the “GluBoost Guy”. In other words, it have been a hell of a lot worse!
Most people don’t understand how difficult it is repair things like this. I dabble in stuff like this and that is definitely excellent work! I picked up a few pointers as well!!
I truly.. appreciate your effort, to restore this fine instrument. I have played guitar for 50 years.. There has been many tragedies players make with them. Artists.. in the way of preserving the instrument, are as equally as those who make history with it...
oh the horror...when it's not a broken neck the bowels are spilling but fret not...the TeDoctor is here to save the day (and make the Gibson hum again. Interesting techniques and the magnet tricks is something else! I wonder how did the action got so low?... Thanks for this "Outer limits" episode doctor Ted!
I've discovered this rather late but have to comment. Gobsmacked is the word and the level of skill and knowlege is a real knock-out. Scince and Art in harmony. Patience application perception dedication not enough words to describe doing that incredible repair. A knowledge of modern materials plus how to apply them and the use of delicate machinery and the skill thereof. I'm amazed. I've done some wood finishing and trained to do French Polishing and I know how tricky covering up damage on natural wood can be. If someone who doesn''t know the repair is there can't notice it from 6 feet away then what you have is a top grade invisible mend. I salute this demonstration - it was a real treat to watch.
The patch idea is brilliant, but I’m really surprised you didn’t stretch it out enough to cover the entire damaged area, incl those little holes. I know you are excellent at hiding crack repairs and matching the surrounding finish color and texture, but even with a perfect match, my OCD would always notice the two different areas.
Kudos to to Ted for what you were able to achieve with this repair. Knowing how I've bonded with some of my guitars, I know that gut punch feeling when a mishap like this happens. If I was the owner of this guitar I would be extremely happy with how the repair turned out. Out of all of your videos that I've watched to this point, I think that this is the repair that impressed me the most.
I wouldn't call this a "competent repair" as I've had to fix a lot of those! I would say this is definitely a lot better than most I've seen from people that claim to be professional luthiers. I would've replaced the entire side especially being a Gibson guitar. The Boseman Montana factory is a far cry from the one in Tennessee! But I would want it to look like the customer spent a reasonable amount for a truly professional and invisible repair. I would only charge about $200.00 for that including matching the finish. But I'm sure that this guy got his money's worth for this repair and will be happy with it as long as he owns it.
I came here having never done a body repair in my life. I have an old beat up acoustic with a good crack on the back by the binding that I got free and want to learn simple repairs with. This was very satisfying to watch. Thank you. In my mind I was saying this level of craftsmanship must be worth more than even that wonderful Gibson Hummingbird. You truly do a labor of love.
This video is a life saver, as I have a old flamenco guitar that I bought as a project to repair it has almost identical issue in a very similar spot so will be able to implement a large chunk of the knowledge I gained from here. It will one of my first time working on something like this so will be fun. But thank you very much for the amazing knowledge you share. Keep up the great work!
Phenomenon work my man. I used to own a Gibson B-45 12 string and if that would have happened I would put the guitar away in shame. With your repair I would have been proud to show it off again.
That’s really amazing. What a stressfest that must have been, to figure this out through trial and error with a $4k instrument. The ingenuity is just awesome.
Thank you for your humility. I appreciate that you know your limits and still push yourself to do the best you can. It’s way harder than you’re making it look. I don’t know if I would have even attempted this repair. 👍👍
I loled at the "90's goth kid painting on eye shadow". Also, while maybe not a miracle, if I were this customer, I would be ecstatic with the work you've done here.
Your level of skill is off the charts. The myriad techniques you employ to affect a repair are breath taking. I'm not sure I'd invest in such an extensive repair on that particular instrument but the owner will be thrilled that their misadventure was minimized.
A damn sight better than it was in the beginning! I came into possession of a Gianinni Craviola with a similar dent plus some BB gun holes several years ago. I was able to push out the break from inside and glue it, but with no attempt to patch or refinish the residual damage. It sounds much better than it looks. Next time there may be some atttempt to hide the damage, after watching this.
I was absolutely fascinated by this video. Exactly this happened to my D18 years ago. It got launched into the air after I sat heavily down next to it on the sofa. It landed on the edge of the coffee table making almost exactly the same dent as in this hummingbird. Almost in tears, I took it to a well-known guitar shop in town that had done other minor work on the guitar before. When I got it back I could not see a join anywhere. It looked exactly the same as it did before the damage. The colour, wood, grain, and polish were a perfect match, and only now after 40 more years of wear and tear can I just barely see the outline of the rectangular patch used in the repair. I have been curious about how they did it ever since. I can only marvel at the skill shown here and the skill of the luthier who fixed my crippled baby.
Ohhh, poor Gibby. What a beautiful instrument. Those kind of injuries are heartbreaking. I had to have an enormous humidity crack repaired in the top of my beloved Guild, some years ago. It ran from the sound hole all the way to the end of the lower bout, just above the end pin. The shop did a good sturdy repair and made nice work of the cleats, but the top has never looked the same. You did a tremendous job on this one, for what you had to work with. Excellent, as always. 👍
OMG. I just discovered a similar damage on my son's Hummingbird!!! Thank you, thank you Ted for posting this. This repair is gonna be interesting . . .
Chatoyance! Where's this word been all my adult-ish life?! Attempting to describe this effect by piling up a top-heavy stack of other words has finally been alleviated! Thank you, Ted, and thank you cats, for your eyes inspiring this lovely term.
I did a similar repair 30 years ago on a old Martin. I had saved some Mahogany side portions from a parts guitar. I think I had to slightly Re-touch up the Bend on the section I decided to use. The thin giant cleat was 1/4” larger all around. I drilled a tiny hole in the middle of the crushed in damaged side. Drilled a tiny hole in the middle of the inner side patch Cleat. Then I steamed a piece of thin maple roughly the same size as the patch. Drilled a hole in the maple as well. I used some copper -ty wire I had left over from my Neon sign Business ’ that was used to tie down the Neon tubing on the wall stand offs. Fed the wire through the damage and the cleat and maple creating a huge knot that wouldn’t slip. Applied tight bond to the Cleat and pulled wire- which pulled the cleat and forced the crushed in side out and the cleat was glued at same time. Wasn’t pretty-but it worked. After the finish touch up it was a decent job. I hate those sharp corner lamp tables!!!!
Great work I have a guitar with a similar damage. I’m not at the point where I think I can do that repair. But it is the first time I’ve seen someone do it . Thank you.
You and Jerry Rosa get the worst repair to do! A very difficult repair you did well! I’ve done some of these types of repairs and the only saving grace is that it is solid wood! Laminated is almost impossible! Love from NW Colorado, USA. Thanxz
Congratulations, Sir, you are an orthopedic surgeon for musical instruments. From the horrible break on the resonant box, you made a perfect correction and put the guitar back into function. Admirable is the way you did it, I watched this video carefully. Extraordinarily done.
Really fascinating to watch you effect this repair. It resonated wit me because, first, I dabble in woodworking. Second, my very first guitar (an import Epihone back in 1971) suffered similar damage. It was never repaired. Third, at about the time I acquired the Epiphone, a friend with whom I played acquired a new Hummingbird and I fell in love with it. Finally, it wasn’t until about 25 years later that I finally could afford a square-bodied Gibson, ending up with a Sheryl Crow signature (‘62 Country and Western reissue). Every time I take it out of the case (especially at gigs) I think of my damaged Epiphone and worry. Thanks for sharing this and thanks for doing right by this guitar.
I can't believe he thought that magnets were going to move the wood back into place. Poor guitar! I'm sorry but I would have taken the guitar back after seeing the first attempt.
![Lethal Company Music Video 🎵 "Follow The Orders" [VERSION A]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/QeooZB4Z7RA/mqdefault.jpg)
You are one of the BEST things to ever happen to my RUclips thank you for all that you do my friend.
true!
Pain felt. Backed my Martin into the corner of a piano bench during a performance. Most sickening feeling b/c that guitar was pristine. Two locals luthiers wouldn’t touch it. I finally shipped it to Martin and four weeks later it came back perfectly repaired plus they buffed out all the scuffs.
yeah...they peeled the sticker off and put it on a new guitar....
the strap came off my Lowden a few years back whilst performing in my local pub, it fell on a tiled floor and created 3 parallel splits in the back similarly far away from the sound hole. As you say there was much self recrimination. Luckily there is a very good luthier nearby who managed to make an invisible repair and it’s as good as new. I asked him if he had to take the back off to fix it but he just smiled and said, no it involved advanced gynaecology! In this case in homage to Cat Stevens, it wasn’t the first cut which was the deepest but the second. Stellar work as always. Thanks.
I’m amazed at the process. I would have had to take the whole back off.
I am a retired luthier..I like your approach sir...30yrs repairing, restoring and building violins violas cellos and guitars...has poisoned this old award winning master luthier...who now entertains senior citizens..cuz I is one...thankyou sir..most enjoyable.
I’ve been dying to see this one!!!! Well done mate! Genius repair from a humble gentleman. You don’t even know how good you are.
You know, I think what's so great about him is that he does indeed know how good he is but he chooses to simply work his craft and just let's us come along for the ride. He often talks about how important it is to know when you're in over your head with these repairs so I have a feeling he knows his limits pretty well. He really is incredible.
I am sure he does.
You should watch the BBC's The Repair Shop
I scrolled to see if someone had said what I was thinking.. thanks!
He is, isn't he? Wait till the Bird gets their bill. 😱 Humble fellow.
That patch looks super cool, actually! Adds a ton of character to the instrument and I'd love to have that in my collection. Great work!
As a 42 year hardwood floor repair and refinisher(and guitar player)even when you totally nail the color you always have that shadow where the old and new stain/finish meet..nearly impossible to blend perfectly!
You can make a knot there
My father was a dentist. Color matching the transitions was one of his biggest challenges, but one of the things he did best.
Has anyone ever tried ‘wet paint sanding’ on guitars? The idea is,when all of the old paint is removed, you up and down sand the past together with the sawdust into the groves, pores whatever holes. Until almost dry with the first go with 120,2nd 240 until dry. It immediately shows the result. I use waterbased acrylic paints
During sanding u can remove excess paste away and don’t sand to much avoiding sunspots
Only striving for competent workmanship? Are you kidding? Dude you’re a genius…an artiste. When I first saw the damage my exact thought was “that beautiful instrument is toast”. You totally resurrected it!
Excellent! You demonstrated the perseverance required. After all that work with the magnet repair you started over. Incredible work. Thank you very much
I have to say that you, sir, are a TRUE craftsman. I just discovered your channel and have been binge watching it for the last few days. I am semi-retired now from a life time of repairing all kinds of things; all aspects of home repair, electrical, plumbing, carpentry, tile, appliances, HVAC, electronics, computers, and on and on and on the list goes. I absolutely love watching you fix these guitars. Even after 50+ years of fixin' stuff, I am learning some very valuable skills from you. Even the tone of your voice on the narrations is relaxing. You have a true fan in me. Keep up the great work!
Rod Stewart: The first cut is the deepest.
Ted Woodford: The first cut is the shallowest.
The difference between knowledge and understanding in microcosm.
This was a real treat, especially in terms of problem-solving processes. Some strong lessons in thought.
You beat me to it!
when it comes to cutting me she's the worst.....
Miracle worker. Your skills are on another level. Blown away with the tinting process. Thank you.
It's comforting, in a way, to see that even Ted has his moments where a brilliant idea doesn't quite work out. I've been rather forcefully reminded lately that some repairs are going to look a lot worse before they look better; the piano I mentioned last week has arrived, and it's had its moments so far.
Are there any places we can see work in progresses on such things of yours?
I really wanted the magnets to work
Hardly seems worth it for "And there was a big ugly gouge right here that I smoothed over with wood putty, stained with a Minwax stain pen, and sealed up with a 2lb cut of shellac" times 25 or so. The toughest part was the glue-up of the music stand, and that went swimmingly with a few ratchet straps and a spare board to keep things aligned while the glue set.
Why is that comforting? If seeing a man fail in any capacity is comforting to you then you have some major problems. You seem like the kind of guy that sits outside your wife's work trying to catch her talking to someone. That's kinda disgusting.
@@TempoDrift1480 Fallibility in someone highly skilled and admired could quite reasonably give comfort to someone who fails more frequently. "It happens to the best of them" is a reassuring way to remind us that we all endure misfortune and upset, regardless of ability and experience. From your response it would seem you're the one with some major problems if that's how your brain interprets what was said.
Another masterful, patient repair. And bonus points for : "Bird is the Word" Trashmen reference. And the goth kid reference. Thank you for your fascinating and entertaining videos.
Great repair job! This video was very interesting and educational. Thank you!
My 1970 Eko Jumbo is modelled on that Hummingbird, right down to the damage, which has been there since an accident in 1971! The difference is that the punched-in hole is up near the shoulder rather than the base. I didn't think a repair would be possible, but you have me thinking about it after seeing the craaftsmanship here. Bravo!
Excellent job! It required a calm, a patience and accuracy at top level but the end result is stunning!👌🏼✨
Shouldn’t have lent it to Pete Townshend.
Great work Good job!
He won't get fooled again.
_"Chatoyance"_ - I even learnt a new word, thanks Ted. It is brilliant repairs like these and watching them develop through the video, that is the reason why I subscribed to Ted's channel. Utterly fascinating to watch and a tuturial for anyone thinking of doing luthiery as a profession. _"Competent Workmanship"_ - Ted, you are far, far more than just "competent". Cheers.
Said the same thing
I was actually familiar with the word Chatoyance from working in jewelry sales years back (familiar in the sense that i’ve encountered it before but if you had asked me i couldn’t have told you what it meant extemporaneously), but i was incredibly impressed to see it pop up in the middle of a guitar repair video, as I doubt that’s a word most luthiers would use in response to the light qualities of a guitar’s finish. this man is like a sommelier of guitars, in the best way, lol.
Came right down here to say the say the same thing! That is an amazing and graceful word. I am so glad to add that to my vocabulary. Thanks
Ted!
@A RUclips Hero For Fun how about Thixotropic as a starter..
i learned chatoyance from eagles hotel calfornia .. '' shimmering lights''
I think given the violent and horrible nature of this damage,you repair looks truly superb. I'm half decent at guitar maintenance myself,but I wouldn't have tackled this repair. Hats off sir. I find your videos very calming and relaxing as well as insightful and educational. Fantastic! Thanks!!!
I think if that happened to me I'd just ask you to put an input jack in there and install a pick up. Hide my shame and pretend it never happened.
Amazing work as ever. You're a true artisan!
Nah, just slap on a Bernie '16 bumper sticker and be done with it...
@@Jah_Rastafari_ORIG Or a Rolling Stones red tongue? It IS a Hummingbird.
Or one of the recently hip side soundholes
What would the Input Jack be for? Playing music from an mp3 Player through the soundhole?
@@nilswegner2881 I think he meant an output jack for piezo pickups.
Absolutely beautiful! It still obviously shows that it has been repaired, but repaired by a fellow who shows his skill are real care about quality of his work. Bravo!
Bravo for showing the learning process of things that don’t work and moving on :)
I have said it in the past and will say it again; Amazing craftsmanship! Those who live close enough to have you work on their instruments are truly fortunate.
Indeed.
That came out great, but if it was my guitar I would have made it into a feature by making the disc bigger and covering the whole scar, and then make it contrast by going very dark or light and maybe inlay a little hummingbird in the middle of the disc. Your videos are great!
Was going to say the same thing. Nothing shameful about an honest repair.
Cool idea but I think this would drive up the cost significantly
I would tattoo my guitar.
I would have made it into a sound port for mice!
Yeah I agree. I watch people do headstock repairs and then they spend more time trying to hide it. Hell with that, let it be seen. Anyone who has a problem with a quality repair probably isn't in it for the right reasons.
Sometimes the repairs are invisible. Sometimes are so serious that is almost impossible to make them invisible.
But this... Is simply awesome.
Excellent!
The inlay repair was really cool. Thanks for teaching us! The chatoyance of mahogany first struck me when I made a box in high school 'Wood 2' back in like '85. It was incredible, and almost looked to be made from tigers eye (if you had a good imagination, lol). Such beauty in the best pieces. Thanks for the video!
This happened to my D18. Rested it on the sofa leaning it against the back cushion, while I got up to make some coffee. Sitting down again beside the guitar heavily bounced it into the air and launched it at the edge of the adjacent coffee table. Did exactly this damage. I almost cried. The luthier that repaired it did such a good job that amazingly I couldn't see the joins until 20+ years later. The video was fascinating as I could finally see what he did. The only difference is my join is rectangular. I'm in awe of the skills you guys have.
I’m so glad I watched. I used those Mohawk products for decades in the furniture touch up and repair business. I’m older than dirt now and was just recently wondering if the company is still alive. I’m finally out of my stash of burnt umber. I wonder if they remember me? They will not sell to rookies. They’re very versatile. If your up to it, you can paint believable wood grain with them using diluted lacquer or padding lacquers and a fine brush. BTW, great job.
I would bet they do, and even if it is the next generation now just name dropping would prove your bona fides.
@@markbernier8434
Your probably right. Their products and information about their use is , virtually , in the realm of the occult. You know it or you don’t.
"Competent workmanship..." I think you've got that down. Beautiful job.
I hope the customer appreciates the work you've done and pays according
Nice repair. When I saw the picture I never thought anybody could fix it and make the repair hide much. You did. Congrats.
Great job, I think the patch is attractive and a beautiful "scar" that adds to the story of the instrument.
Great work! I had a similar disaster years ago when I stupidly didn’t humidify my Martin, and during a particularly cold spell (I’m in southern Ontario also) the power went out for 30 hours and temperature in the house plummeted. The top side of the guitar opened up a 1/4” chasm starting from the Fishman controls and extending down almost to the neck. The luthier who fixed it did a great job. If you look closely you can see the repair, but it stayed stable, and I learned a valuable (and expensive) lesson.
Thoroughly interesting & highly skilled repair with laugh out loud humour as usual. Ted = Legend 👍
Yes, the humour ist great! - I've got Long Arms..- and then he shows a skeleton of a gibbon. :-)
Hi Ted, it's so great to see how you approached this repair, brilliant idea with the magnets, I'm sure in other less severe instances his would work a treat. Thanks for documenting this.
An absolutely amazing repair! If only I lived closer to you, you’d be my go-to guitar repair and maintenance guy.
As much as I hate stickers on guitars, that would be my repair method.
I LOVE your videos! Besides the excellent repair work, you are friggin funny! Almost spit my coffee out when you showed the skeleton!
me too mate )
I'm an industrial engineer - I design, fabricate and repair complex metal bits. A trained monkey could take my place... If I "measure once and cut twice" on a flush panel, I can generally break out the TIG welder, add a bit back, then grind away until the repair is invisible - a dozen or more times if necessary ... Wood? Ha- I'm scared to death of the stuff... I dropped my '86 Martin Brazilian Custom OM onto a spherical stage foot light in almost exactly the same place. A retired luthier made a plug with dead on identical grain characteristics he saw in a piece of BRW from the remnants of a broken up 1950s sewing cabinet he had found years before on the side of the road. Like his, your finished repair nothing short of astounding. Continually amazed at the "laser focus" of woodworkers and fine luthiers such as yourself.
This is amazing! It's always a challenge to match the colors of the guitar to the patch or even cracks and chips. This was simply awesome man!!!!
This was absolute genius level repair work! I wish I was this good at wood work!
This is a satisfactory, structurally-sound repair that the owner should be thrilled with. Thank God you got this job instead of the “GluBoost Guy”. In other words, it have been a hell of a lot worse!
I’ve seen similar accidents and the necessary repairs but yours was the best!
Most people don’t understand how difficult it is repair things like this. I dabble in stuff like this and that is definitely excellent work! I picked up a few pointers as well!!
I truly.. appreciate your effort, to restore this fine instrument. I have played guitar for 50 years.. There has been many tragedies players make with them. Artists.. in the way of preserving the instrument, are as equally as those who make history with it...
You had me laughing from one minute in. Great repair also.
I would've make an extra soundhole. It would sound awesome!
oh the horror...when it's not a broken neck the bowels are spilling but fret not...the TeDoctor is here to save the day (and make the Gibson hum again.
Interesting techniques and the magnet tricks is something else!
I wonder how did the action got so low?...
Thanks for this "Outer limits" episode doctor Ted!
I've discovered this rather late but have to comment. Gobsmacked is the word and the level of skill and knowlege is a real knock-out. Scince and Art in harmony. Patience application perception dedication not enough words to describe doing that incredible repair. A knowledge of modern materials plus how to apply them and the use of delicate machinery and the skill thereof. I'm amazed. I've done some wood finishing and trained to do French Polishing and I know how tricky covering up damage on natural wood can be. If someone who doesn''t know the repair is there can't notice it from 6 feet away then what you have is a top grade invisible mend. I salute this demonstration - it was a real treat to watch.
The patch idea is brilliant, but I’m really surprised you didn’t stretch it out enough to cover the entire damaged area, incl those little holes. I know you are excellent at hiding crack repairs and matching the surrounding finish color and texture, but even with a perfect match, my OCD would always notice the two different areas.
Yep..me too.
Yep and me 👍🏻
a lot better than the original hole though !
My guess would be that the less patching the better, only what is structurally necessary as a rule of thumb.
Im always amazed with these vids. It's amazing what happens when pride and patience are combined with craft.
Love this channel. This week's episode looks like a real humdinger. They just keep getting better!
Kudos to to Ted for what you were able to achieve with this repair. Knowing how I've bonded with some of my guitars, I know that gut punch feeling when a mishap like this happens. If I was the owner of this guitar I would be extremely happy with how the repair turned out.
Out of all of your videos that I've watched to this point, I think that this is the repair that impressed me the most.
I wouldn't call this a "competent repair" as I've had to fix a lot of those! I would say this is definitely a lot better than most I've seen from people that claim to be professional luthiers. I would've replaced the entire side especially being a Gibson guitar. The Boseman Montana factory is a far cry from the one in Tennessee! But I would want it to look like the customer spent a reasonable amount for a truly professional and invisible repair. I would only charge about $200.00 for that including matching the finish. But I'm sure that this guy got his money's worth for this repair and will be happy with it as long as he owns it.
Fantastic repair! I really appreciate you sharing your process.
Excellent craftsmanship. Long video but I was glued to me seat clear to the end.
I came here having never done a body repair in my life. I have an old beat up acoustic with a good crack on the back by the binding that I got free and want to learn simple repairs with. This was very satisfying to watch. Thank you. In my mind I was saying this level of craftsmanship must be worth more than even that wonderful Gibson Hummingbird. You truly do a labor of love.
An amazing example of workmanship!
Makes me nauseous to see that injury
This video is a life saver, as I have a old flamenco guitar that I bought as a project to repair it has almost identical issue in a very similar spot so will be able to implement a large chunk of the knowledge I gained from here. It will one of my first time working on something like this so will be fun. But thank you very much for the amazing knowledge you share. Keep up the great work!
Phenomenon work my man. I used to own a Gibson B-45 12 string and if that would have happened I would put the guitar away in shame. With your repair I would have been proud to show it off again.
That’s really amazing. What a stressfest that must have been, to figure this out through trial and error with a $4k instrument. The ingenuity is just awesome.
Thank you for your humility. I appreciate that you know your limits and still push yourself to do the best you can. It’s way harder than you’re making it look. I don’t know if I would have even attempted this repair. 👍👍
That's pretty next level repair work. Great job on this particular piece.
That was beautiful work, Ted. The fact that you can SEE the beautiful work, is a plus in my book!!
Colour matching and grain matching are fairly easy with pencil crayons. The colour gets sealed inside the lacquer. I use them on a lot of furniture.
Every time I think you couldn't impress me more with your skill, you do. Awesome work.
That is an awesome repair. Crushed sides on an acoustic are so common yet few can do a skilled repair.
Well done!
I loled at the "90's goth kid painting on eye shadow". Also, while maybe not a miracle, if I were this customer, I would be ecstatic with the work you've done here.
Your level of skill is off the charts. The myriad techniques you employ to affect a repair are breath taking. I'm not sure I'd invest in such an extensive repair on that particular instrument but the owner will be thrilled that their misadventure was minimized.
What a privilege to watch a craftsman at work. Subscribed.
Considering the extension, place and type of damage I really doubt that one could do a better repair than this. Awesome!
A damn sight better than it was in the beginning!
I came into possession of a Gianinni Craviola with a similar dent plus some BB gun holes several years ago. I was able to push out the break from inside and glue it, but with no attempt to patch or refinish the residual damage.
It sounds much better than it looks. Next time there may be some atttempt to hide the damage, after watching this.
I was absolutely fascinated by this video. Exactly this happened to my D18 years ago. It got launched into the air after I sat heavily down next to it on the sofa. It landed on the edge of the coffee table making almost exactly the same dent as in this hummingbird.
Almost in tears, I took it to a well-known guitar shop in town that had done other minor work on the guitar before. When I got it back I could not see a join anywhere. It looked exactly the same as it did before the damage. The colour, wood, grain, and polish were a perfect match, and only now after 40 more years of wear and tear can I just barely see the outline of the rectangular patch used in the repair. I have been curious about how they did it ever since.
I can only marvel at the skill shown here and the skill of the luthier who fixed my crippled baby.
Haha, when the magnet was taped on it looked like the poor Gibson was going in for surgery! Amazing work!
Ohhh, poor Gibby. What a beautiful instrument. Those kind of injuries are heartbreaking. I had to have an enormous humidity crack repaired in the top of my beloved Guild, some years ago. It ran from the sound hole all the way to the end of the lower bout, just above the end pin. The shop did a good sturdy repair and made nice work of the cleats, but the top has never looked the same. You did a tremendous job on this one, for what you had to work with. Excellent, as always. 👍
@twoodfrd That damage WAS EXTREMELY PAINFUL TO LOOK AT!!!!!! NICE WORK ON THE REPAIR!!!!!
The tooling is the art and joy. Awesome.
Very well done and to keep the sound quality of the guitar and its intonation is truely amazing
Absolutely amazing job, never thought it would turn out so well, brilliant !
That's what I call a superb work of art. The repair is very well done.
Any marks, could be considered " natural war scars" Cheers!!!
I could not stop watching this video! Excellent craftsmanship.
DUDE! The x-ray got me!
OMG. I just discovered a similar damage on my son's Hummingbird!!! Thank you, thank you Ted for posting this. This repair is gonna be interesting . . .
Back in the day ,we used a rubber ball and wooden mallet,just like knocking a dent out of a fender. Worked like a charm.
You did a nice job.
Now that is the work of a very good Luthier and then some. Brilliant work.
This is the second time that I have watched this video and I’m still impressed with the quality of your work.
So much skill here. Great recovery and the results are fine by me . Happy to be the owner after that repair …Cheers Alberta Dave
Chatoyance! Where's this word been all my adult-ish life?! Attempting to describe this effect by piling up a top-heavy stack of other words has finally been alleviated! Thank you, Ted, and thank you cats, for your eyes inspiring this lovely term.
you did an excellent repair to a bad damage. a very difficult mission with an excellent result.
well done Sir! cheers NZ
I did a similar repair 30 years ago on a old Martin. I had saved some Mahogany side portions from a parts guitar. I think I had to slightly Re-touch up the Bend on the section I decided to use. The thin giant cleat was 1/4” larger all around. I drilled a tiny hole in the middle of the crushed in damaged side. Drilled a tiny hole in the middle of the inner side patch Cleat. Then I steamed a piece of thin maple roughly the same size as the patch. Drilled a hole in the maple as well. I used some copper -ty wire I had left over from my Neon sign Business ’ that was used to tie down the Neon tubing on the wall stand offs. Fed the wire through the damage and the cleat and maple creating a huge knot that wouldn’t slip. Applied tight bond to the Cleat and pulled wire- which pulled the cleat and forced the crushed in side out and the cleat was glued at same time. Wasn’t pretty-but it worked. After the finish touch up it was a decent job. I hate those sharp corner lamp tables!!!!
Great work I have a guitar with a similar damage. I’m not at the point where I think I can do that repair. But it is the first time I’ve seen someone do it . Thank you.
You and Jerry Rosa get the worst repair to do! A very difficult repair you did well! I’ve done some of these types of repairs and the only saving grace is that it is solid wood! Laminated is almost impossible! Love from NW Colorado, USA. Thanxz
Simply amazing.
In awe of your skill and the care you take.
Fantastic ❗️❗️❗️
Thanks for taking the time to put this up. One of the most interesting things I've seen in a long time.
Congratulations,
Sir, you are an orthopedic surgeon for musical instruments. From the horrible break on the resonant box, you made a perfect correction and put the guitar back into function. Admirable is the way you did it, I watched this video carefully. Extraordinarily done.
I'm very impressed with the wood working & finishing. Outstanding job! Adds some character to the guitar.
Really fascinating to watch you effect this repair. It resonated wit me because, first, I dabble in woodworking. Second, my very first guitar (an import Epihone back in 1971) suffered similar damage. It was never repaired. Third, at about the time I acquired the Epiphone, a friend with whom I played acquired a new Hummingbird and I fell in love with it. Finally, it wasn’t until about 25 years later that I finally could afford a square-bodied Gibson, ending up with a Sheryl Crow signature (‘62 Country and Western reissue). Every time I take it out of the case (especially at gigs) I think of my damaged Epiphone and worry. Thanks for sharing this and thanks for doing right by this guitar.
I can't believe he thought that magnets were going to move the wood back into place. Poor guitar! I'm sorry but I would have taken the guitar back after seeing the first attempt.