Ive been upgrading cheap Yamaha acoustics recently. Ive been able to take these guitars and make them play and sound wonderful. Bone nut, saddle, rosewood pins. Adjust neck and polish frets. If needed replace tuners. Ive got a FG800 i just did this to and the guitar is like a night and day difference with the upgrades and work. But ive done this to F310, F325, F325D, F335, FG800 and F700. All guitars play waaaay outside there price range. If you look around you can find some of the cheaper Yamaha guitars with solid tops. I got a 325D for $60 shipped to me that needed a repair on the binding and that guitar is what im working on now. 🙂 THanks for the videos as always
You get into the nut slots in this video and thats a VERY important part of the setup as is the saddles height and the neck. I feel like this is where most guitars under say $800 seem to suffer. If you can get the guitar comfortable to play with intonation that works, the guitar goes from useless to useful ;-)
Tip, for guitars with truss rod it's important to set the neck relief before cutting the nut&bridge, truss rod adjustments effect the nut & bridge height..
Man I agree 100%, though the truss rod doesn't change the neck angle, it can still affect the action. The last set up I did, the action was 132 thousands. I adjusted the truss rod till the relief was about 10 - 11 and it lowered the action to 112, about .020 before I took anything off the saddle. Needless to say I got the action perfect when someone else said the guitar needed a neck reset. Always get a second opinion. I told my doctor I wanted a second opinion and he said, ok you are ugly too. lol
I completely agree about those cheep Amazon nut files being no good. I purchased them and had a lot of issues with them. They worked but I had to work on the edges more to get a proper fit. I would get the better ones. You get what you pay for.
I just came across your channel today. Very nice surprise. I'm surprised because time flies so quickly. It seems that I just watched the Rosa String Works video where you were being presented with your first assignment in your new apprentice role. Apparently it has been a couple of years now. Congrats on having your new business. Obviously your study and work experiences went very well.
That guitar is either Samick or Kawaii. It is an early 80s guitar model from the adjustable bridge which is 70s and early 80s time frame. I have a few guitars from both factories.
While the inlay looks more Martin, the "W" might be a Korean Washburn? They came out in heaps from there in the 1980s. I have a Korean D12N from 1982. The pitch at 2.08 sounds very similar to my old guitar. It has a solid top and played a lot better when properly set up. Nice work in this set up.
Hi Caleb, I wish I had you nearby. I am building a Tenor Ukelele from scratch as my last wood working project before I have to move to an apartment. I thought I'd use a log of Adirondak Spruce I have for the soundboard, but it was still too wet inside. I have glued up sheets from Cherry strips, Maple strips and Hickory strips. Any of the three can be used as my soundboard, but I don't really know what of these three constellation prizes to select. Any ideas from your end will be welcome? Aside from my question, good luck with your full shop build and I enjoy your channel too, not just Jerry's but maybe we should not tell him.😊
@@MillsGuitars Thanks Caleb. I forgot I had two pieces of Redwood 3 x 6 by by 30 inches long. I just cut 4 pieces about 3mm thick on my bandsaw and will glue them up in my jig for both a top soundboard and bottom followed by sanding down to thickness. It's very, very colorful. I hear it's an excellent soundboard. Had I not remembered I had it I had found a piece of Spruce but I think the Cherry might have worked. The Cherry is actually fairly soft. Much softer than Maple.
I had a friend that brought me a cheap guitar to "look at" The action was way too high, the releaf was outrageous, the tuners were junk and the strings were shot. Frets had a bit of wear, but not bad. I told him I could improve it a good bit, if he want to get better tuners and strings. He and I monkeyed with this guitar for several hours after tuners arrived. We got the action a lot lower and releaf tolerable. It wasn't perfect, but it was playable for sure. He was happy and we both learned a lot about improving a cheap guitar from a piece of junk just collecting dust in a pawn shop. The nut did require a little bit of work, but didn't need replacing. The bridge needed lowering and the B a bit of intonation filing. Not a bad sounding guitar for 100 bucks. It wasn't his first and only guitar.
I use the stew Mac ones I also use the hosco brand I think they are very good set and are cheaper also you want these files to cut a U shape not a V shape in the nut stew Mac and hosco brand are a great choice I am also a luthier so I am telling from experience these are the sets that do a professional job.
While what you said about string gauge is true, I do not recommend beginners to switch to softer strings until they're quite used to how an "in tune" chord should sound. I find way to many beginners totally happy with playing the right note and chord shapes but out of tune because they're pressing to hard, heavy strings helps tremendously in keeping that from happening.
I learned to play 50 years ago on a cheap Montgomery Wards guitar that came with what I think were heavy strings and required a lot of pressure to fret them. Granted, the string height was way high and the whole experience made me want to quit. I have been unable to break the heavy fingering which creates a sharper note on my expensive guitars electric and acoustic so I would recommend the lightest possibly strings available especially if the string height is way high.
Stew Mac files are the best. They are not to be considered an expense. They are an investment to a repair/ luthier. I bought 6 or seven when I built two mandolins for different string gauges. They may not be used much in future, but if I ever repair a guitar, banjo, banjolin, or mando, I have them. Don't be afraid to invest in good tools. Anything less than the right tool is a waste of cash. My old dad had an adage -- he didn't care what anything cost, as long as it was cheap. Never worked for me.
i have the exact same guitar. got it at a pawnshop for 100.00. been trying to find info on these but its scarce. very solid build with cheap hardware except adj bridge!
i think that the sound may be ok for a while on a cheap guitar , but build quality and materials make the more expensive guitar keep consistency. which is what a musician relies on with a good instrument .
It's relief Caleb... Why call relief underbow? I'd just call it relief or concavity (concave) no matter what Jerry calls it. Most luthiers go nuts with some kinda hangup on/with their idea that many think they can adjust their "action" with the truss rod. The truss rod "affects" action and it's that simple... I like a little relief when starting a set-up on my guitars. Underbow, relief and concavity all describe the sam thing. Jerry's the Master but why obsess over it like he did; we all admire and respect his skills. One could remove the tang from a fret and use that as a gage at the nut; file down to that kinda zero fret. Could save a lot of time...
Sure, but if a person was unfamiliar with the term "relief," underbow describes what is going on much better. I think it's such a big point because people get it wrong a lot. I've heard tons of people suggesting a truss rod adjustment to fix their saddle hight or neck angle issues.
I would actually say that cheaper guitars tend to be overbuilt, and often handle heavy strings better. Many expensive guitars will have a recommendation to use mediums or lighter, and sometimes light or less. Really liked this series though.
unbranded korean W020 guitars..there seems to be a few around. 85 indicates 1985. Theres 2 main korean manuafacturers..cort and world instruments. it looks like a D45 clone ...both those manufacturers do oem for all the worlds guitar brands. 1980s guitars always have brands..bit of a mystery. 1980s korean guitars had great craftmanship but skimped on parts quality. Those dodgy inlays are more typical of rock bottom china or Indo..hmm could be a devious builder with a rubber stamp set, who printed some made in korea stickers..seen one of these on reverb that sold $300?? could be real MIK..if it sounds and plays ok..in the end thats all that matters. I love old Korean made 80s guitars..mostly electrics..some real bargains around still. nice work dude.
Caleb , in these releases ask for business you need to get some outside work. You are doing good work , need to get a backlog. I am betting on your sucess.
Caleb try Philadelphia Luthier Supply. (they're a bit less expensive than Stew Mac & cheese. Not a big fan.) I have a "plywood top, back, & sides" beater, I bought about 2007. Hated, absolutely hated, playing it. I used it almost exclusively for slide. Watch a cat "Wills Easy Guitar", he had a live stream. One guy was sniveling about his acoustic, it was intonated open & 12th, but sharp the rest of the fret board.(same as my beater). Will said "your nut isn't cut right." I checked 1st fret action, way high. I cut each slot down to .020 as I was nervous about going any deeper (the quality plastic parts, etc). After I cut the slots, the old beater came to life!!! It intonated up & down the fretboard. I was suprised, for real. But the old guitar sounds great. Who knew a plywood guitar could sound so good? Any way nice video. Check Philadelphia Luthiery, they're very good. Be good.
I use them a lot. They are local to me so I get my stuff next day. That was the major selling point for me. I have bought from stew mac one time ever. They are just too high priced
Ive been upgrading cheap Yamaha acoustics recently. Ive been able to take these guitars and make them play and sound wonderful. Bone nut, saddle, rosewood pins. Adjust neck and polish frets. If needed replace tuners. Ive got a FG800 i just did this to and the guitar is like a night and day difference with the upgrades and work. But ive done this to F310, F325, F325D, F335, FG800 and F700. All guitars play waaaay outside there price range. If you look around you can find some of the cheaper Yamaha guitars with solid tops. I got a 325D for $60 shipped to me that needed a repair on the binding and that guitar is what im working on now. 🙂
THanks for the videos as always
You get into the nut slots in this video and thats a VERY important part of the setup as is the saddles height and the neck. I feel like this is where most guitars under say $800 seem to suffer. If you can get the guitar comfortable to play with intonation that works, the guitar goes from useless to useful ;-)
Tip, for guitars with truss rod it's important to set the neck relief before cutting the nut&bridge, truss rod adjustments effect the nut & bridge height..
Man I agree 100%, though the truss rod doesn't change the neck angle, it can still affect the action. The last set up I did, the action was 132 thousands. I adjusted the truss rod till the relief was about 10 - 11 and it lowered the action to 112, about .020 before I took anything off the saddle. Needless to say I got the action perfect when someone else said the guitar needed a neck reset. Always get a second opinion. I told my doctor I wanted a second opinion and he said, ok you are ugly too. lol
Caleb Very informative for most people who are afraid to do there own work! Jerry taught you well!
Good informative video Caleb. Especially compensating the saddle. I was curious about that and you showed it. Thanks for the content
You are a very good teacher
I completely agree about those cheep Amazon nut files being no good. I purchased them and had a lot of issues with them. They worked but I had to work on the edges more to get a proper fit. I would get the better ones. You get what you pay for.
I'm going to take care of my tuners on all my guitars , Thanks for the inspiration Caleb 🎸
I just came across your channel today. Very nice surprise. I'm surprised because time flies so quickly. It seems that I just watched the Rosa String Works video where you were being presented with your first assignment in your new apprentice role. Apparently it has been a couple of years now. Congrats on having your new business. Obviously your study and work experiences went very well.
That guitar is either Samick or Kawaii. It is an early 80s guitar model from the adjustable bridge which is 70s and early 80s time frame. I have a few guitars from both factories.
Awesome video thanks for sharing. I know someone that would be very happy with that guitar. It sounds great the way it is. Stay well & safe.
While the inlay looks more Martin, the "W" might be a Korean Washburn? They came out in heaps from there in the 1980s. I have a Korean D12N from 1982. The pitch at 2.08 sounds very similar to my old guitar. It has a solid top and played a lot better when properly set up. Nice work in this set up.
Great tips, enjoyed this video
Great video Caleb good job nice guitar 👍🇬🇧
Caleb, can you explain how you use the digoital calipers in one of your videos?
I'll try to remember to talk about it.
Hi Caleb,
I wish I had you nearby. I am building a Tenor Ukelele from scratch as my last wood working project before I have to move to an apartment.
I thought I'd use a log of Adirondak Spruce I have for the soundboard, but it was still too wet inside.
I have glued up sheets from Cherry strips, Maple strips and Hickory strips. Any of the three can be used as my soundboard, but I don't really know what of these three constellation prizes to select. Any ideas from your end will be welcome?
Aside from my question, good luck with your full shop build and I enjoy your channel too, not just Jerry's but maybe we should not tell him.😊
You really want a soft wood soundboard. If you're going hardwood pick the softest one available.
@@MillsGuitars Thanks Caleb.
I forgot I had two pieces of Redwood 3 x 6 by by 30 inches long. I just cut 4 pieces about 3mm thick on my bandsaw and will glue them up in my jig for both a top soundboard and bottom followed by sanding down to thickness.
It's very, very colorful. I hear it's an excellent soundboard. Had I not remembered I had it I had found a piece of Spruce but I think the Cherry might have worked. The Cherry is actually fairly soft. Much softer than Maple.
I had a friend that brought me a cheap guitar to "look at" The action was way too high, the releaf was outrageous, the tuners were junk and the strings were shot. Frets had a bit of wear, but not bad. I told him I could improve it a good bit, if he want to get better tuners and strings. He and I monkeyed with this guitar for several hours after tuners arrived. We got the action a lot lower and releaf tolerable. It wasn't perfect, but it was playable for sure. He was happy and we both learned a lot about improving a cheap guitar from a piece of junk just collecting dust in a pawn shop. The nut did require a little bit of work, but didn't need replacing. The bridge needed lowering and the B a bit of intonation filing. Not a bad sounding guitar for 100 bucks. It wasn't his first and only guitar.
I learned a little.
Thank you
I use the stew Mac ones I also use the hosco brand I think they are very good set and are cheaper also you want these files to cut a U shape not a V shape in the nut stew Mac and hosco brand are a great choice I am also a luthier so I am telling from experience these are the sets that do a professional job.
While what you said about string gauge is true, I do not recommend beginners to switch to softer strings until they're quite used to how an "in tune" chord should sound. I find way to many beginners totally happy with playing the right note and chord shapes but out of tune because they're pressing to hard, heavy strings helps tremendously in keeping that from happening.
I learned to play 50 years ago on a cheap Montgomery Wards guitar that came with what I think were heavy strings and required a lot of pressure to fret them. Granted, the string height was way high and the whole experience made me want to quit. I have been unable to break the heavy fingering which creates a sharper note on my expensive guitars electric and acoustic so I would recommend the lightest possibly strings available especially if the string height is way high.
Stew Mac files are the best. They are not to be considered an expense. They are an investment to a repair/ luthier. I bought 6 or seven when I built two mandolins for different string gauges. They may not be used much in future, but if I ever repair a guitar, banjo, banjolin, or mando, I have them. Don't be afraid to invest in good tools. Anything less than the right tool is a waste of cash. My old dad had an adage -- he didn't care what anything cost, as long as it was cheap. Never worked for me.
Good informative video. tks.
i have the exact same guitar. got it at a pawnshop for 100.00. been trying to find info on these but its scarce. very solid build with cheap hardware except adj bridge!
Good job ...It sounds good to ... Thx ...
It’s a Martin D-42 copy or “clone.” The made in Korean part is interesting. There are some Chinese guitar factories that still make them.
Hello from British Columbia Canada
🇨🇦👋👍♥️🤔
Nice , thank you
I have just got three new acoustic guitars. Yes I know! And they all have angled Bridge pins. They must have been watching Jerry.
Nice job!
i think that the sound may be ok for a while on a cheap guitar , but build quality and materials make the more expensive guitar keep consistency. which is what a musician relies on with a good instrument .
Hosco is a bit cheaper tool but still good quality. They are made in Japan
super cool video. Congrats and keep them coming!😀
Washburn?
That guitar looks like a Takamine or an el Degas of the vintage of the Gibson patent lawsuit.
It's relief Caleb... Why call relief underbow? I'd just call it relief or concavity (concave) no matter what Jerry calls it. Most luthiers go nuts with some kinda hangup on/with their idea that many think they can adjust their "action" with the truss rod. The truss rod "affects" action and it's that simple... I like a little relief when starting a set-up on my guitars. Underbow, relief and concavity all describe the sam thing. Jerry's the Master but why obsess over it like he did; we all admire and respect his skills.
One could remove the tang from a fret and use that as a gage at the nut; file down to that kinda zero fret. Could save a lot of time...
Sure, but if a person was unfamiliar with the term "relief," underbow describes what is going on much better.
I think it's such a big point because people get it wrong a lot. I've heard tons of people suggesting a truss rod adjustment to fix their saddle hight or neck angle issues.
Wondered where you went after you left the other channel... how is your relationship with the old guy that trained you.
I would actually say that cheaper guitars tend to be overbuilt, and often handle heavy strings better. Many expensive guitars will have a recommendation to use mediums or lighter, and sometimes light or less. Really liked this series though.
unbranded korean W020 guitars..there seems to be a few around. 85 indicates 1985. Theres 2 main korean manuafacturers..cort and world instruments. it looks like a D45 clone ...both those manufacturers do oem for all the worlds guitar brands. 1980s guitars always have brands..bit of a mystery. 1980s korean guitars had great craftmanship but skimped on parts quality. Those dodgy inlays are more typical of rock bottom china or Indo..hmm could be a devious builder with a rubber stamp set, who printed some made in korea stickers..seen one of these on reverb that sold $300?? could be real MIK..if it sounds and plays ok..in the end thats all that matters. I love old Korean made 80s guitars..mostly electrics..some real bargains around still. nice work dude.
Caleb,
Do you have a file card to clean all that plastic out of the teeth of your file?
No
Now how do you make a cheap guitar player, play better?
That guitar looks like a Conqueror if it has 2 tiny holes on the face of the head stock that would have been where the plastic label was nailed on.
It doesn't
Caleb , in these releases ask for business you need to get some outside work. You are doing good work , need to get a backlog. I am betting on your sucess.
Yeah, I try to put something like that in but I always forget.
Might be a Morris Guitar
Caleb try Philadelphia Luthier Supply. (they're a bit less expensive than Stew Mac & cheese. Not a big fan.) I have a "plywood top, back, & sides" beater, I bought about 2007. Hated, absolutely hated, playing it. I used it almost exclusively for slide. Watch a cat "Wills Easy Guitar", he had a live stream. One guy was sniveling about his acoustic, it was intonated open & 12th, but sharp the rest of the fret board.(same as my beater). Will said "your nut isn't cut right." I checked 1st fret action, way high. I cut each slot down to .020 as I was nervous about going any deeper (the quality plastic parts, etc). After I cut the slots, the old beater came to life!!! It intonated up & down the fretboard. I was suprised, for real. But the old guitar sounds great. Who knew a plywood guitar could sound so good? Any way nice video. Check Philadelphia Luthiery, they're very good. Be good.
I use them a lot. They are local to me so I get my stuff next day. That was the major selling point for me. I have bought from stew mac one time ever. They are just too high priced
There are nur filed from Yamaha that are cheaper. I use them. They are well made although a bit on the flimsy side.
Do a video on buying a guitar for novices
I could also fix guitars but i don't have a bandana
The no name guitar works good.
Looks like a Korean made Yamaha
That guitar will sound good with 12 or 13 gauge strings.
Looks kinda like a sigma. Most of those were made in Japan.
It could be an EKO Italian made guitar.
dont think so...
although the screws on the bridge do look familiar to an "Echo"...