That banjo repair was painful to watch. Huge props to you for trying to fix that mess. You're a WAY better person than I am for attempting (and succeeding) to fix that 'thing'.
A while back I bought an old Kay banjo with that same tail piece. For the longest time I just thought I was incompetent at restringing a banjo. Thank you for showing that it’s the tail piece, not me!
•What's the difference between a banjo and a lawnmower? You can tune a lawnmower. •The two things you'll never hear: Oh, you're Jehovah's witnesses? Well come right in. Hey look that's the banjo player's Porsche •The most beautiful sound in the world is of an accordian landing on a banjo in a dumpster - also known as perfect pitch
@@rustyaxelrod Sssshuh, oops, sorry. Nothing personal. Totally big fan of Bluegrass, and all the banjo greats, Scruggs, Stanley, Trishka, Krause, Thompson, Seeger and Crowe, and of course Sonny Osborne doing his roll while brother Jimmy holds that Ruuuuuuuuuby note as the audience goes nuts. I counted 40 secs once Axully seen that live more a few times. And who doesn't agree Garcia on the 5 string was a virtuouso in his own right (though Fleck with his "techno" gig always rubbed me wrong as it lacks roots and soul) Memorable meet at Winterhawk Copake NY 1984... I saw Vassar Clemmons hanging by a fence after a Sat set having his pipe so I went over to him and offered him a drink, he had his fiddle with the itty bitty man's head, I made a request "Jessica" he said Oh son, I'm glad you like that one but I dont have the talent with me to pull that off. But then that night he was joined by Grismon and Rowan for Old And In The Way (no jerry) which ran almost til dawn until the New York State troopers showed up asking Don't you people ever sleep? And when Rowan sang "... When you're dealing cards with death, the joker's wild, the ace is high Jack bid the Mississippi River, Running Elk raised him the sky Jack saw him with the sun and moon and upped him with the stars Running Elk bet the Rocky Mountains, Jupiter, and Mars The sun was sinking in the west when Jack drew the ace of spades Running Elk just rolled his eyes, he smiled and passed away Jack picked up his torquoise stones and cast them to the sky He stared into the setting sun and then made a mournful cry " ... I was laid back on the side of a hill in the foothills of the Adirondacks with the brilliance of stars piercing the velvet of night as sweet melifulious tunes wafted up on a cool summer breeze from the stage below. And back at the tent grounds it was picking and strumming til the sun came up Car camped in the rough many a long weekend like a couple of hobos chasing festivals around the East Coast. So forgive me I didn't mean to offend and here, enjoy ruclips.net/video/4VDsrxZNuGs/видео.html
Tommy Petraglia - you seem a nice fellow who enjoys banjo and given the jokes I’m sure you know it’s a common thing to needle the banjo player, I’ve even told some myself. I wasn’t really offended, just being the straight guy for ya 🤓 I like Some of Bella’s stuff but you’re right that he’s more “modern” or whatever, its his interpretations of classical music and original stuff I enjoy. Of course the bluegrass stuff is the most exciting, personally I like the great vocal harmonies and when the banjo comes in it just seem to bring everything up a notch. I spend much more time on guitar, mostly to get the kids to sing, I enjoy the family aspect of playing music having grown up that way. I’m still bummed out over Ralph’s passing. I guess none of us will be here forever. I was searching around for something to listen to the other day and found Ralph Stanley with George Jones doing From the Window Up Above here on RUclips, give that a listen sometime, when I was a kid (in the 1970’s) I had an uncle who would play that song whenever anyone would listen and was surprised to hear such a good version of it. Anyway, keep on jammin my friend and again, no offense taken.
"There's no way for us to turn back time to a period before you damaged your guitar." I don't know man, I've seen some pretty incredible repairs on this channel.
My favorite luthier channels, right here, and Jerry Rosa.. Different, and both very enjoyable. I'm not a luthier, just a hobby woodworker that enjoys guitars..and learning the advanced techniques of these 2 masters of their craft.
That is a truly gorgeous looking classical. The combination of colors, the shape of the bridge, the lip that comes up around the handrest -- all clicks just right to produce a visually striking instrument. The first time I've actually looked at a classical and thought "wow", they usually all look the same to me. Also, I've never heard you this frustrated as you were with that banjo tailpiece.
You're a brave man taking on the 'homemade" guitar. I stopped taking in project guitars of suspect origin a while ago and my stress and frustration went down considerably .
If the banjo customer was ok with doing a 180* on the ring, it might have been the quickest fix. I don’t touch those things for a reason, but it seems like it might have worked. Thanks for sharing “A day in the misery of a luthier”. lol
I literally almost fell off the chair when, after all that misery with the black electric, he realized the pickups are out of phase with each other. WHAT A DAY.
I am anxious to see that neck setup. Very informative, as always. Thanks. I have been using actual string tension and a "T" bar sander of various lengths to level the recalcitrant frets. Tedious to level and then crown properly.
My 5-string had a similar tail-piece. I got got through several strings trying to re-string it; each time at least one loop would break. Eventually replaced it with a much simpler design with no cover - improved the tone as well!
As a carpenter and joiner of over 30 years experience, my Estwing hammers are HAMMERED. I love the feel of them! Willy Nelson has a guitar called Trigger - same deal! Marks = usage = life = character!
I have an old Banjo (1928) in my list of projects to get to shortly. It needs a new vellum, new inlays (very intricate), and some other stuff. It's currently sitting in a pile waiting for its turn to get picked up. It's a good example of an old Banjo, John G Abbott, the best Banjo maker in UK at the time. Funny you mentioned Louisville in connection to Banjo's. I lived there for 10yrs. Never have I known an area with so many musicians. Almost everyone you meet can play something or loves singing. Here in London, it's more like 1 in 500 can play an instrument
Fixed my old spines on the neck on a almost unfixable worked a treat thank u the mahogany worked a treat still in tune 5 weeks later next 12 stringer same brake I got the faith no pun intended
Great thank you it's good to see some of the frustrating days and issues you get, it's hard to draw the line with the amount of hours involved thank you
I gotta say I seen that coming When the truss rod cover was glued Down I thought Oh Man they didn't Yes they Did 😂 I do got to admit though you put out good quality informative videos! TFS Enjoyed!
Wow Boss.. you have to have the patients of Job to deal with some of the instruments you get to work on. NEVER boring that’s for sure. Love this channel and your work skillz figuring it all out Sir! Keep up the great work.. it’s always impressive.
When repositioned an old banjo head you can slightly dampen it so it is a little softer and won’t tear. Let it sit and dry before you reef down on the screws.
Harmony used the same single dowel rod attachment with their banjos with the Bakelite Pots. I've worked on several, and every one, whether Tenor, Plectrum or 5 string, they've all been a pain in the butt. I've ended up shimming the neck end most of those I've worked on Ted. Harmony used a similar tail piece, that I ended up removing and getting rid of the loop end all together, as the always seem to break right where you have to that 90° bend. The one Plectrum I own, I ended up converting to use ball end strings.
Thanks for sharing. I'm thinking about changing jobs to becoming a luthier, taking my first step doing an acoustic build (just braced up the top the other day). Super informative seeing the wacky challenges you tackle.
Ted, you are a really funny bloke, as well as being a great luthier. Your discussion of guitar care and people's expectations was spot on. I have several high end acoustics and I don't TRY and put scratches on them, but I don't care if I do and woldn't dream of getting them fixed. I'm an amateur maker of modest ability, and all my guitars are French polished. I go through the exact run of instructions about how to care for a guitar that you did. if you want your guitar pristine, you just have to do that stuff. Had a friend ask me over the phone if I would 'fix' the intonation on his guitar. After a few minutes of dickering I asked what should have been the first question: 'When did you last change your strings?' Oh, a couple of years ago.' Problem solved.
Not sure if it applies to open back banjos, but banjos in general usually use a higher action than acoustic guitars. .125” or 1/8” at the 12th is usually recommended for banjos. I know I set my Stelling to .090” as I would my guitars, and then discovered that factory spec was .125”. Setting it there made a huge improvement in response. Banjos don’t seem to have the string tension guitars do, and the extra room for strings to vibrate helps a lot.
Both the first two instruments were bleep... and I felt your pain. I think banjos are just super hard to work on. I have tried a little banjo work. Very basic stuff. Destroyed the bridge and bought another. Ha ha! I feel like, without that truss rod working in the electric, it’s amazing if you can get it near playable... lucky stars! Whatever those are. Ha ha! The Classical Guitar is really nice looking! I hope you can find a solution for its needs. I have a soft spot in my Guitar Heart for them... Thank you for another fine video, sharing your work. I learn much from you... and enjoy a good reveal shot, like the truss rod cover over the glue pool. Painfully good stuff. To whomever did that or owns the electric Guitar, throughout the years, I have done dastardly things to some of my instruments, out of lack of knowledge... and am passing no judgement, as I have not one leg to stand on, with that regard. So... please, do not be disheartened by anything in my comments. 🤦🏻♂️🎸🔚😬 I have even done bad things to beautiful Violins. I confess this all before the universe... and am just trying to better myself and be the change I wish to see. 🦦
I would love some videos where you talk about polishing with the autobody compound. I've made a few attempts at this and some of my attempts have been better than others.
This is very chiropractic. "I say there chiro. I have a problem. I'm buckling under pressure." "I'm going to adjust your neck angle." "I see." "I'll try not to damage your flesh ring. " " ...I see."
As a fairly accomplished woodworker I grew tired of making square stuff and decided to try making a Strat and Tele. I had a nice collection of figured exotic wood and made 2 stunning guitars. I invested in the proper tools and hand radiused the fretboards etc. Made the jig for cutting fret slots etc. Anyway, that's where my knowledge ran out and I called on friends for the electric work paid my guitar guy for the setup. Everybody has to start somewhere.
Some of the dried epoxy around the neck tension rod nut (the area uncovered by the black cover) could be removed by using a dremel with a grinding or shaping tip. Its noisy, but it would get the nut exposed for adjustment. Thanks
I repaired a mando banjo with many similar issues. Now that I see what is going on, maybe I can get it playable! It's just a wall hanger now. Thanks Ted.
Scratch'es Smatc'es. My Axe is an ARIA with T top pickups .Looks like a Les Paul. Feels & sounds like one.It's had so much damage over the years, but it still looks great & the feel & sound is Awesome.
I have a banjo that is nearly identical to that one, with the exceptions being a fifth string, and a resonator on the back. Legend in my family has it that it was bought broken in a yard sale for $15, and my Uncle, who was a career cabinet maker took it all apart and rebuilt it. I understood that he replaced the wood 100% but now I am more inclined to believe that he ONLY made a new neck for it, from scratch, having never built any kind of instrument before in his life . . . My Aunt learned how to play on that banjo, and .. a number of well known people (Stanley, Trishca, Stillman, Row Lewis) have played it at festivals and picking sessions. When my Uncle passed, the banjo was willed to me and I will never part with it. I would love to know more about it, and based on this video now I think I have grounds for some searching!
Because you do the things I enjoy....I thought I’d ask if you have ever installed a DeArmond toaster pickup in a tele neck position? I think they were the same pickups they used on the old rickenbackers. It was mounted on a Kalamazoo archtop. I’ll have to drill out the rivets as the wire is routed out the side of the pickup and I’d need to divert it coming out it’s back to the tele body route. Ever done that? Well I thought I’d ask. I’m handy enough to be dangerous. Cheers Toaster measure at 10.6 with a Peter Florence Voodoo TE60....no idea of what I’m doing. Second tele build.
New viewer, Subscriber. Thanks for sharing ! Guitars get scratched, dinged. It's just what they do. The functionality of the instrument is the main concern of a player. If you buy Guitars to hang in a Glass viewing case then that is something that I have absolutely no understanding of but that is the person I like buying a used Guitar from as long as they aren't confusing sentimental value with actual value.
I used to work at Lyrical Lumber in Orlando Fl, and man, people have no idea the time it takes to fix something right. They wanted you to spend 6 hours on their 300 dollar guitar for 50 bucks .RIP Bill Covert (Owner and teacher at L.L.) Great work my friend< I often wish I couldve gotten better at the craft, but the customers and time/ pay ratio killed me. I just stuck to playing guitar (and I can't complain:)
so the one _good_ instrument you can't work on it until you get the buy-in from the builder :( can't help wondering if attacking that epoxied-in truss rod nut with a big soldering iron might free it up? then once removed it might be a matter of attacking the rod end itself with an iron to unstick it from its surrounding epoxy bed long enough to then spin the nut back on and get some movement out of it as for the dowel-stick banjo with the bad neck angle, i'm not a "banjo guy" either but wow what a pain! pretty sure that end screw was supposed to come out with the lug that held the tailpiece, not be still stuck in the rim and dowel stick like that! i don't love the idea but all i've ever been able to come up with is plugging and drilling a new hole in the end of the dowel stick to kick the neck angle back, along with stuffing appropriate shims at the heel to keep things supported
Your show has a lot of entertainment value and guitar lovers like to see old guitars rescued. You should really consider setting up a Patreon account so viewers can leave something in the tip jar. If nothing else it would hep pay for those jobs you "take a bath" on time wise or when you need some new tools or supplies.
"It's really hard to get paid enough to make it worthwhile"... I hear that. I do my own setups, and fretwork. I would never touch someone else's guitar
Why do people use things like epoxy and Gorilla glue to repair headstock breaks? There’s enough information out there on places like RUclips to dissuade even the most novice would be repair man, good wood glue such as Titebond is easily available almost anywhere, (even here in the UK). The banjo repair was very interesting. I always think that banjo construction is an odd combination of woodworking and mechanics. As always I really enjoyed the video and am already looking forward to the next one.
I'm so impressed with the work that you do!! I really want to get into the business even though I still am not the greatest at setting up my own guitars. Wondering if there's a local luthier that might let me apprentice under them.
I had a friend who left his banjo in the car and forgot to lock it. When he got back an hour later there were two.
People hate banjos so much they don’t steal them, they give them away.
Ahahaha
😂😂😂
@Jay Bee "it got broked"
😆
"A patent that never should have been granted" made me lol. 😂
Like someone would copy it!!!
That was the best.😀
@@tochriss bm ,mmm.,
I've become addicted to this channel. I look for the next instalment every day. Thanks for this latest fix!
+1 addicted. Great channel
Hello Philip. Welcome to the meeting. We can’t help with your addiction but we can relate
That banjo repair was painful to watch. Huge props to you for trying to fix that mess. You're a WAY better person than I am for attempting (and succeeding) to fix that 'thing'.
"It was built by '(VOCALIZED) BEEEEEEEP'..."
and then proceeds to say his name aloud without a bleep
Looks like a solder monster puked on the back of those pots!
Yep.
Looks like I did it. I gotta re-fix my strat so bad. even though it sounds fine. I'm ashamed of it even now
That guitar went from a Steel Adjustable Neck to a Steel Reinforced Neck.
Whole lotta of work on a guitar that sounds like junk and looks like junk also, you are a saint for working on it.
A while back I bought an old Kay banjo with that same tail piece. For the longest time I just thought I was incompetent at restringing a banjo. Thank you for showing that it’s the tail piece, not me!
•What's the difference between a banjo and a lawnmower? You can tune a lawnmower.
•The two things you'll never hear:
Oh, you're Jehovah's witnesses? Well come right in.
Hey look that's the banjo player's Porsche
•The most beautiful sound in the world is of an accordian landing on a banjo in a dumpster - also known as perfect pitch
Hey! 😤
Haha!
@@rustyaxelrod
Sssshuh, oops, sorry. Nothing personal.
Totally big fan of Bluegrass, and all the banjo greats, Scruggs, Stanley, Trishka, Krause, Thompson, Seeger and Crowe, and of course Sonny Osborne doing his roll while brother Jimmy holds that Ruuuuuuuuuby note as the audience goes nuts. I counted 40 secs once
Axully seen that live more a few times.
And who doesn't agree Garcia on the 5 string was a virtuouso in his own right
(though Fleck with his "techno" gig always rubbed me wrong as it lacks roots and soul)
Memorable meet at Winterhawk Copake NY 1984... I saw Vassar Clemmons hanging by a fence after a Sat set having his pipe so I went over to him and offered him a drink, he had his fiddle with the itty bitty man's head, I made a request "Jessica" he said Oh son, I'm glad you like that one but I dont have the talent with me to pull that off.
But then that night he was joined by Grismon and Rowan for Old And In The Way (no jerry) which ran almost til dawn until the New York State troopers showed up asking Don't you people ever sleep?
And when Rowan sang
"... When you're dealing cards with death, the joker's wild, the ace is high
Jack bid the Mississippi River, Running Elk raised him the sky
Jack saw him with the sun and moon and upped him with the stars
Running Elk bet the Rocky Mountains, Jupiter, and Mars
The sun was sinking in the west when Jack drew the ace of spades
Running Elk just rolled his eyes, he smiled and passed away
Jack picked up his torquoise stones and cast them to the sky
He stared into the setting sun and then made a mournful cry "
... I was laid back on the side of a hill in the foothills of the Adirondacks with the brilliance of stars piercing the velvet of night as sweet melifulious tunes wafted up on a cool summer breeze from the stage below.
And back at the tent grounds it was picking and strumming til the sun came up
Car camped in the rough many a long weekend like a couple of hobos chasing festivals around the East Coast.
So forgive me I didn't mean to offend and here, enjoy
ruclips.net/video/4VDsrxZNuGs/видео.html
Tommy Petraglia - you seem a nice fellow who enjoys banjo and given the jokes I’m sure you know it’s a common thing to needle the banjo player, I’ve even told some myself. I wasn’t really offended, just being the straight guy for ya 🤓 I like Some of Bella’s stuff but you’re right that he’s more “modern” or whatever, its his interpretations of classical music and original stuff I enjoy.
Of course the bluegrass stuff is the most exciting, personally I like the great vocal harmonies and when the banjo comes in it just seem to bring everything up a notch. I spend much more time on guitar, mostly to get the kids to sing, I enjoy the family aspect of playing music having grown up that way.
I’m still bummed out over Ralph’s passing. I guess none of us will be here forever. I was searching around for something to listen to the other day and found Ralph Stanley with George Jones doing From the Window Up Above here on RUclips, give that a listen sometime, when I was a kid (in the 1970’s) I had an uncle who would play that song whenever anyone would listen and was surprised to hear such a good version of it. Anyway, keep on jammin my friend and again, no offense taken.
I’m a a banjo player and have a Tesla. Close anyway :-) and I still like the banjo jokes
"There's no way for us to turn back time to a period before you damaged your guitar." I don't know man, I've seen some pretty incredible repairs on this channel.
My favorite luthier channels, right here, and Jerry Rosa.. Different, and both very enjoyable. I'm not a luthier, just a hobby woodworker that enjoys guitars..and learning the advanced techniques of these 2 masters of their craft.
That is a truly gorgeous looking classical. The combination of colors, the shape of the bridge, the lip that comes up around the handrest -- all clicks just right to produce a visually striking instrument.
The first time I've actually looked at a classical and thought "wow", they usually all look the same to me.
Also, I've never heard you this frustrated as you were with that banjo tailpiece.
You're a brave man taking on the 'homemade" guitar. I stopped taking in project guitars of suspect origin a while ago and my stress and frustration went down considerably .
"There is no way we can turn back time before you damage your guitar!" Priceless advice hahahahaha
That "plug cutter" idea was a neat trick to free up that binding screw.
Just did one of those banjos recently. They are a definite challenge. Shims are quite common on those. Nice job.
Your patience astounds me. Your posts are the highlight of my weekend. No, I don't have a life...
+1
I So enjoy watching these videos of yours. 😊🤙🤙
Oof. Felt my soul leave my body a bit when I saw that truss rod.
Truss rod soul snatching. bwahahaha
It came to a sticky end, RIP
I love all of the wear on my guitars. They each have their stories from playing and touring
If the banjo customer was ok with doing a 180* on the ring, it might have been the quickest fix.
I don’t touch those things for a reason, but it seems like it might have worked.
Thanks for sharing “A day in the misery of a luthier”. lol
Watching these videos is incredibly calming. They're becoming a highlight of my day.
I literally almost fell off the chair when, after all that misery with the black electric, he realized the pickups are out of phase with each other. WHAT A DAY.
Have you ever tried using the Way-Back Machine to make dings and scratches for away? You’re welcome, for that tip!
Hey! I have a patent on that!😊
I am anxious to see that neck setup. Very informative, as always. Thanks. I have been using actual string tension and a "T" bar sander of various lengths to level the recalcitrant frets. Tedious to level and then crown properly.
Ted. Your videos bring me a great deal of comfort, entertainment and enjoyment! Thank you most sincerely for your excellent work!
Love to see a Classical Guitar set-up. For a change.
Looking forward to the next installment.
The one thing I truly appreciate from your videos has to be your candor. Thanks again!
Epoxied truss rod: better than finding a hidden screw that just ruined a good saw!
Some of my best and fav guitars had dings, cracks, and even holes....
ROCK ON FREAKS
Really enjoy your videos. Many thanks!
“That’s one patent that should never have been granted”.... love it!
My 5-string had a similar tail-piece. I got got through several strings trying to re-string it; each time at least one loop would break. Eventually replaced it with a much simpler design with no cover - improved the tone as well!
As a carpenter and joiner of over 30 years experience, my Estwing hammers are HAMMERED. I love the feel of them! Willy Nelson has a guitar called Trigger - same deal! Marks = usage = life = character!
I have an old Banjo (1928) in my list of projects to get to shortly. It needs a new vellum, new inlays (very intricate), and some other stuff. It's currently sitting in a pile waiting for its turn to get picked up. It's a good example of an old Banjo, John G Abbott, the best Banjo maker in UK at the time. Funny you mentioned Louisville in connection to Banjo's. I lived there for 10yrs. Never have I known an area with so many musicians. Almost everyone you meet can play something or loves singing. Here in London, it's more like 1 in 500 can play an instrument
I have the same tail piece on my harmony banjo. I am glad to see I’m not alone in thinking it’s crap.
Fixed my old spines on the neck on a almost unfixable worked a treat thank u the mahogany worked a treat still in tune 5 weeks later next 12 stringer same brake I got the faith no pun intended
Great thank you it's good to see some of the frustrating days and issues you get, it's hard to draw the line with the amount of hours involved thank you
I'm happy to see that you're still using "Jimi's favorite naphtha"!
This is THE CRAFT. You seem to do it very well....I could imagine a bad day could be VERY traumatic.
I always live the way you respect whomever worked on something before you. True class!
The videos keep getting better!
Cheers from the Netherlands!
What the actual hell?.... you dont get paid enough.... "oh nice the pickups are out of phase".....literally crying with laughter!!!!!
I gotta say I seen that coming
When the truss rod cover was glued
Down I thought Oh Man they didn't
Yes they Did 😂
I do got to admit though you put out good quality informative videos!
TFS Enjoyed!
I have an Aria 70's Les Paul that broke just like the one on this vid. I repaired it and it is holding and tunes up well
That classical is beautiful! I looks so pretty!
Wow Boss.. you have to have the patients of Job to deal with some of the instruments you get to work on. NEVER boring that’s for sure.
Love this channel and your work skillz figuring it all out Sir!
Keep up the great work.. it’s always impressive.
13:00
Pardon me but I farted just like that not even a minute ago.
Nice work, brother!
When repositioned an old banjo head you can slightly dampen it so it is a little softer and won’t tear. Let it sit and dry before you reef down on the screws.
Wood working experience = he once snapped a tree branch, stepping on it.
Harmony used the same single dowel rod attachment with their banjos with the Bakelite Pots. I've worked on several, and every one, whether Tenor, Plectrum or 5 string, they've all been a pain in the butt. I've ended up shimming the neck end most of those I've worked on Ted.
Harmony used a similar tail piece, that I ended up removing and getting rid of the loop end all together, as the always seem to break right where you have to that 90° bend. The one Plectrum I own, I ended up converting to use ball end strings.
Banjo description is a perfect example of the experience in the field of your profession.
Thanks for sharing. I'm thinking about changing jobs to becoming a luthier, taking my first step doing an acoustic build (just braced up the top the other day). Super informative seeing the wacky challenges you tackle.
Ted, you are a really funny bloke, as well as being a great luthier. Your discussion of guitar care and people's expectations was spot on. I have several high end acoustics and I don't TRY and put scratches on them, but I don't care if I do and woldn't dream of getting them fixed. I'm an amateur maker of modest ability, and all my guitars are French polished. I go through the exact run of instructions about how to care for a guitar that you did. if you want your guitar pristine, you just have to do that stuff. Had a friend ask me over the phone if I would 'fix' the intonation on his guitar. After a few minutes of dickering I asked what should have been the first question: 'When did you last change your strings?' Oh, a couple of years ago.' Problem solved.
And I thought I had seen very bad solder jobs before..... that just crushed the Internet.
Nice video showing diversity of your work day.
Not sure if it applies to open back banjos, but banjos in general usually use a higher action than acoustic guitars. .125” or 1/8” at the 12th is usually recommended for banjos. I know I set my Stelling to .090” as I would my guitars, and then discovered that factory spec was .125”. Setting it there made a huge improvement in response. Banjos don’t seem to have the string tension guitars do, and the extra room for strings to vibrate helps a lot.
This vid is a great example of an actual day in real repair shop great work
Your patience and problem solving is impressive.
If I had a fraction of your talent then I would be a happy man!
Nice ressucitation of this old banjo great work ! It actually sounds quite good
Lovely work as ever !!!!!
It is another great video! Thank you.
Now that was an entertaining & eclectic range of jobs - Cheers.
Both the first two instruments were bleep... and I felt your pain. I think banjos are just super hard to work on. I have tried a little banjo work. Very basic stuff. Destroyed the bridge and bought another. Ha ha! I feel like, without that truss rod working in the electric, it’s amazing if you can get it near playable... lucky stars!
Whatever those are. Ha ha!
The Classical Guitar is really nice looking! I hope you can find a solution for its needs. I have a soft spot in my Guitar Heart for them...
Thank you for another fine video, sharing your work. I learn much from you... and enjoy a good reveal shot, like the truss rod cover over the glue pool. Painfully good stuff.
To whomever did that or owns the electric Guitar, throughout the years, I have done dastardly things to some of my instruments, out of lack of knowledge... and am passing no judgement, as I have not one leg to stand on, with that regard. So... please, do not be disheartened by anything in my comments.
🤦🏻♂️🎸🔚😬 I have even done bad things to beautiful Violins. I confess this all before the universe... and am just trying to better myself and be the change I wish to see.
🦦
I would love some videos where you talk about polishing with the autobody compound. I've made a few attempts at this and some of my attempts have been better than others.
This is very chiropractic.
"I say there chiro. I have a problem. I'm buckling under pressure."
"I'm going to adjust your neck angle."
"I see."
"I'll try not to damage your flesh ring. "
" ...I see."
As a fairly accomplished woodworker I grew tired of making square stuff and decided to try making a Strat and Tele. I had a nice collection of figured exotic wood and made 2 stunning guitars. I invested in the proper tools and hand radiused the fretboards etc. Made the jig for cutting fret slots etc. Anyway, that's where my knowledge ran out and I called on friends for the electric work paid my guitar guy for the setup. Everybody has to start somewhere.
Some of the dried epoxy around the neck tension rod nut (the area uncovered by the black cover) could be removed by using a dremel with a grinding or shaping tip. Its noisy, but it would get the nut exposed for adjustment. Thanks
I have had to restring banjos with the same tail piece, I feel your pain! Non of my banjos have that patience tester.
I repaired a mando banjo with many similar issues. Now that I see what is going on, maybe I can get it playable! It's just a wall hanger now. Thanks Ted.
Scratch'es Smatc'es. My Axe is an ARIA with T top pickups .Looks like a Les Paul. Feels & sounds like one.It's had so much damage over the years, but it still looks great & the feel & sound is Awesome.
I have a banjo that is nearly identical to that one, with the exceptions being a fifth string, and a resonator on the back. Legend in my family has it that it was bought broken in a yard sale for $15, and my Uncle, who was a career cabinet maker took it all apart and rebuilt it. I understood that he replaced the wood 100% but now I am more inclined to believe that he ONLY made a new neck for it, from scratch, having never built any kind of instrument before in his life . . . My Aunt learned how to play on that banjo, and .. a number of well known people (Stanley, Trishca, Stillman, Row Lewis) have played it at festivals and picking sessions. When my Uncle passed, the banjo was willed to me and I will never part with it. I would love to know more about it, and based on this video now I think I have grounds for some searching!
Because you do the things I enjoy....I thought I’d ask if you have ever installed a DeArmond toaster pickup in a tele neck position? I think they were the same pickups they used on the old rickenbackers. It was mounted on a Kalamazoo archtop. I’ll have to drill out the rivets as the wire is routed out the side of the pickup and I’d need to divert it coming out it’s back to the tele body route. Ever done that? Well I thought I’d ask. I’m handy enough to be dangerous. Cheers
Toaster measure at 10.6 with a Peter Florence Voodoo TE60....no idea of what I’m doing. Second tele build.
15:36 - that was nice - reminded me of some of the Doc Watson and Family albums, or the old Folkways catalog :)
New viewer, Subscriber. Thanks for sharing ! Guitars get scratched, dinged. It's just what they do. The functionality of the instrument is the main concern of a player. If you buy Guitars to hang in a Glass viewing case then that is something that I have absolutely no understanding of but that is the person I like buying a used Guitar from as long as they aren't confusing sentimental value with actual value.
“Flesh ring...”
“Gross; stop.”
“Say it with me: flesh ring.”
“Stop it, would ya?”
“Fleshhhhhh...”
“STOP IT!!”
:D
Amazing rescue job on that banjo.
I love this channel.
I used to work at Lyrical Lumber in Orlando Fl, and man, people have no idea the time it takes to fix something right. They wanted you to spend 6 hours on their 300 dollar guitar for 50 bucks .RIP Bill Covert (Owner and teacher at L.L.) Great work my friend< I often wish I couldve gotten better at the craft, but the customers and time/ pay ratio killed me. I just stuck to playing guitar (and I can't complain:)
Great stuff! Always educational!
One idea is that banjo could have used a new head. might have given back the gap at the neck. Big fan of your work!
Thank you for taking the time
Hey I from Louisville! We don't play banjos here either. You're thinking of Lexington. 😁
I'm curious about the classical guitar and what the course of action will be... Staying tuned.
so the one _good_ instrument you can't work on it until you get the buy-in from the builder :(
can't help wondering if attacking that epoxied-in truss rod nut with a big soldering iron might free it up?
then once removed it might be a matter of attacking the rod end itself with an iron to unstick it from its surrounding epoxy bed long enough to then spin the nut back on and get some movement out of it
as for the dowel-stick banjo with the bad neck angle, i'm not a "banjo guy" either but wow what a pain! pretty sure that end screw was supposed to come out with the lug that held the tailpiece, not be still stuck in the rim and dowel stick like that!
i don't love the idea but all i've ever been able to come up with is plugging and drilling a new hole in the end of the dowel stick to kick the neck angle back, along with stuffing appropriate shims at the heel to keep things supported
That banjo sounds like one if thoes Japanese things with a million strings. Lol. I can hear your frustration with that instrument in your voice
You're right. It does sound like a koto.
This was pretty chill to watch
Your show has a lot of entertainment value and guitar lovers like to see old guitars rescued. You should really consider setting up a Patreon account so viewers can leave something in the tip jar. If nothing else it would hep pay for those jobs you "take a bath" on time wise or when you need some new tools or supplies.
Love, nay, NEED to know what happened to the concert classical guitar... please for the love of God update on that as you progress!
"It's really hard to get paid enough to make it worthwhile"... I hear that. I do my own setups, and fretwork. I would never touch someone else's guitar
Why do people use things like epoxy and Gorilla glue to repair headstock breaks? There’s enough information out there on places like RUclips to dissuade even the most novice would be repair man, good wood glue such as Titebond is easily available almost anywhere, (even here in the UK). The banjo repair was very interesting. I always think that banjo construction is an odd combination of woodworking and mechanics. As always I really enjoyed the video and am already looking forward to the next one.
This show proves Leo Fender is a genuine genius for the bolt on neck
I'm so impressed with the work that you do!! I really want to get into the business even though I still am not the greatest at setting up my own guitars. Wondering if there's a local luthier that might let me apprentice under them.
Control cavity. "oh yeah"...well put.
Hey, hello from Minnesota - love this channel! Please let us know what ended up happening with the classical guitar toward the end of the video :)
Plz teach us about left handed guitar banjos, how to switch over , things needed to know about left handed stringed instruments
I almost spit out my lunch during the banjo segment.