Feeling fortunate that I live in an era where I can watch a high-def video of a skilled luthier making a major modification to a custom-built guitar, while drinking coffee at my kitchen table. I can't hardly believe what I just watched... thank you, it was awesome!
I'm pushing 70, and am amazed every day I sit down at my gaming PC with 16 core and 24 threads that could easily manage a manned mission to the moon and has enough graphics power to render a video faking it so good, people almost wouldn't be able to tell. :P I tell kids who have questions. At no time in the history of man has so much detailed and video supported material for learning been available before....at just the touch of a few keys! If we had a question or wanted to learn how to do something back when...we'd have to go to a library, and hope that there was a book on it nad that the book had pictures to help us out.
I KNOW!!!!! Every now and then I stop and remind myself, that even though I am 39, I remember life before the internet. And I remember when everything wasn't online yet, then Forums got big, and you had text files and sometimes pictures of pro's teaching stuff. Now, we have up 4k video at 60FPS of a pro showing something you'd normally have to pay to learn. I love it
Your solution for creating the switch counter bore was great. Sometimes you just need to stare at the wall for a while until a solution presents itself. Bravo.
One of the best episodes in a while. Seems like it was a ton of work to film and narrate. As always, thanks so much for all the work you put in to sharing these projects with us. 🙏
@monz7951 ummm... no. It was originally prayers/ thanks, etc. Depending upon culture/ religion Non praying people have tried to change it... : o Joke-lang lol 😆 The OG emoji for high five was the wave symbol that can also be a hello/ goodbye/ wave depending upon context. (As most og emoticons had more than one meaning depending upon context, region, culture, etc... just as in everyday life 😊) I think when emoji added the squiggles to the hand to make it look more like a real "wave" 👋 is when people looking for a more appropriate high five and tried to commandeer the og prayer emoji. Here are the "OG" ASCII art/emoticons that modern emoji were based on... (Many systems still recognize and can automatically convert the types symbols into modern emoji if you're old school and still type them out. [Like me because I still think it's faster than scrolling the emoji list, lol.] ) High five: o/\o Prayer(s) (western cultures)/ thanks (eastern cultures): _/\_ Smile: :) Big smile: :D Tongue out/raspberries/lick: :P Laughing: XD, etc etc etc... (Upon a few minutes of FACT BASED research, some have scrubbed the "prayer" emoticon and its emoji conversion, BUT, it is irrefutable that the high five and its conversion were what I remembered (with the others) and posted above. o/\o ...and now you know... @>-;--
Just watched this with my father, the bro who built this guitar 😜 We’ve been a fan of your channel so this was a nice surprise. He said this guitar was played by John Pizzarelli and Russell Malone before it went to the owner.
Damn... hope your dad wasn't cringing the entire time like I did. I thought it was beautiful as it was, and no need to make it into an electric.. just because it "wasn't a gibson" or whatever. Gorgeous guitar. Your dad made some beautiful instruments.
That's rather tubular, but I can't get over the name "John Pizzarelli", it's so quintessentially East Coast Italoamerican, it almost makes Vinny Pizzapasta look subtle (Vinny Pizzapasta is not a real name)
Great job, thanks Ted Long before RUclips i found an old wrecked Framus acoustic archtop made in 1953 in the dumpster. Since it had a gaping hole in the top right in front of the fretboard i converted it into an acoustic - electric which i still play to date.
This might be my new "recommend to get people in to the channel" video-it's a single start-to-finish job that showcases a variety of interesting techniques, it's got good guitar history and repair/modification-philosophy talk at the top, and the final results are gorgeous and satisfying, it's a nice showcase of everything that makes this one of my top "someone with an interesting job does that job and talks about it" channels.
When I was a child, there was a programme shown on Sunday afternoons where, over the course of a few weeks, a kindly old Irish man demonstrated how to build a cabinet. He calmly explained everything he was doing and, while I’ve never had any desire or talent to build a cabinet, I watched them all and learned a lot. Similar feelings here. It’s a joy to watch a master craftsman at work, and to have the work explained.
Your Django-esque sting intro plays in my head as soon as see a video by you suggested on my feed. I have no choice but to click. Well played! Luv and Peace.
Fantastic video. The empathy with the original builder and the instrument you display is what makes you worth watching as a master luthier. Amazing job as ever. Luv and Peace.
Outstanding craftsmanship! Your attention to detail & problem solving combined with your respect for the instrument & future repair persons are commendable.
That occurred to me as well. The respect for the future workers by making the loom right was a very noticeable move. The future student luthier's will pay it forward too if they see this. Luv and Peace.
I can't think of a better way to spend 34 minutes on youtube than this! To anyone tackling an archtop project, I recommend watching and taking to heart the patience and care used here, in checking and verifying the alignment end to end. Thanks for sharing!
Ted, my first thought was: I guess there's no Luther's creed similar to the Hippocratic Oath to "do no harm". But of course, my concerns were unfounded. The results were far from Grimm. Beautiful job as always.
@@juana1483they dont pay you for posting, but pay you for views... more specifically advertisement views. When you skip an ad, they dont get paid unless you watch 30 seconds or more (unless the ad is less than 30 seconds).
My Dad told me in mid 70's, that "The Customer is Always right, even when they are wrong". He was a VP at a Detroit area supermarket chain, while I chose a different path and hold Plumbing & Mechanical Contractor License's, and definitely strive to carry out customer wishes, plans & and Ideas. I always reply that I can do whatever they want, as long as they are willing to pay the cost. I admire your work and craftsmanship, you are my Sunday night wind down.
Some customers are jerks. Granted, I work in a heavily regulated industry where, when the customer asks something like "how much money can I move without it being reported as a suspicious transaction" the only correct answer is "if you don't want this reported, first you need a time machine to go back to a time before you asked me how to circumvent the law..."
@@seanj3667I'm in a different industry altogether,but I have to agree. While doing your best for the customer, there will inevitably be the jerk or the unrealistic to upset that mission
I was lucky enough to get to play a D'Angelico at a vintage shop in the early 90's. It was almost too nice to play. True masterpiece. It was a mid 40's vintage from memory
Christmas in October!!! This was a juicy episode richer than figgy pudding. I suppose this gent wasn't into the natural sound of an acoustic, but it was an experience to watch....and of course ,,,there was polishing. Thank you, Santa.
I've been watching your videos for a couple of years and have seen you deal with some harrowing situations. This one had me on the edge of my seat. As usual, your impeccable craftsmanship shines through.
The owner of this guitar, is exactly the kind of person that you want to be your friend. Not just everyone could make that decision to cut into a work of art to many, but, just a tool to him. Bravo. Great video Peace ✌️
That guitar is a substandard replica of a work of art. The build quality was crap. Student-grade work. Cutting up that guitar was no big sacrifice. And anyone who would consider a true D'Angelico to be simply a tool and started cutting holes in it would be an idiot who just destroyed a historic work of art. Not someone to be applauded.
I've learned so much from Ted over the years that virtually every day I'm doing something that he's taught here... and I'm not even a luthier! Great episode, Mr. Woodford!! Thank you!!
You absolutely crushed this. Your workmanship is so meticulous that who is to say it had not started out thusly. Which is of course the aim. Superior craftsmanship.
Wow Ted, this turned out to be fantastic! With 366 comments already I'm sure I have nothing useful to add about the guitar except I love what you've done with it and I imagine your customer is ecstatic. But about making templates from manila folders, it's a great material for that and ideal in some ways but those fresh-cut edges will slice you to the bone!
Wow....just wow. Your work is meticulous. This channel is just a joy to watch. I can't help but think you are in the upper escalon of luthiers. The conversion to electric is so well done, it's almost impossible to think it wasn't from the "factory" originally. Thanks for another really interesting episode.
You did a great job. I was very surprised at the X bracing of in an arch top. The p90’s are a nice touch on that guitar and it didn’t loose its acoustic quality at all. I have a Sawchyn Archtop with a floating Benindetto that works well. But can respect why the owner wanted to do this.
At the end you always have "Thanks for Watching"... Well I say back at you "Thanks for making". As a hobbyist wood worker that has dabbled with a couple of music instruments in their time I really enjoy your videos. I doubt I'll ever get around to actually making a guitar. In the meantime there's twoodfrd videos to let me ponder and enjoy your craftsmanship. And it's not only your skill but your "gentle" approach to how you tackle each project. I doff my hat to you in respect for that.
Words like "Patient" and Jeweler/y are never lost on me in your content. I'll be you've been called Doctor. I get it. Some of us could not have the care of a master craftsman's considerations driven from our practice if one were to beat us with a stick. And the superglue on the toothed washer??? Why did I, or anyone I knew try this back in the day? Your modest pragmatism veils beautifully your skills of innovation. But I know. Sometimes the excitement of the challenge is better than three cups of coffee. Thanks for this episode Ted. I am heartened for all of who humbly attempt to craft excellence for a living. We might say it, but honestly, it's never quite, "just another day!"
I will edit out the errors in the next response. Embarrassed. Apologies. I get excited when I recall the days when I was that guy. Obviously I loved this particular video.
@samuelhatman8995 don't worry. It's not too hard to decipher. And the super glue on the spjked washer is such a great idea that only comes from people that have dealt with similar issues time and time again. It's a lot easier to tighten up a loose pot on most guitars. Not so much on one like this. I will do it on all pots from now on though. Just makes too much sense not to!
I don't typically fanboy over RUclipsrs, but this channel always has me coming back. The sounds, the cool tech, great conversation. It's a shame that there's people out there who try to treat down something good.
I play, and love, a big sunburst archtop, so this video had me watching the screen way too close for my eyesight. When the finished instrument with the pickguard and all was revealed it literally made me gasp, it is so beautiful. The middle pickup has that special tone that the best D’angelico’s have. It would be nice to see and hear the owner’s reaction to such a superb piece of craftsmanship.
Today, I learned about pin mills and laminate-in-place bracing. Surely these concepts will come in handy. I am sure that Mr Fred Carlson appreciates that you gave credit to him for the bracing idea. We also appreciate that you give credit where credit is due. This is fantastic content.
I don’t think you had a butcher apron on…. More like surgical scrubs. What a stellar job, meticulously thought out and implemented. Great video as always Ted.
Ted, your solution to fit the pickup selector switch was brilliant! You Make it look so easy but I know there’s years and years and years of experience you’re sharing with us. Very grateful here in Southern New England for your channel ! Thank you !!
Your content is so great - thank you for sharing. Not only does it show aspiring luthiers what they are in for, it also shows folks how difficult and exacting this work is and why it's worth paying for someone with the appropriate skills.
I feel like you undersold the value of independent volume and tone controls for each pickup. For me, the best thing about them is being able to make the middle position really come alive by rolling the tone off from the neck pickup and using the volume control to add or remove it from the mix. It creates a really unique sound that you can't achieve otherwise that allows you to dial in a darker sound without it being too muddy. Absolutely love having parallel controls, purely because of that tone
Great comment, I play an archtop with 2 pickups and four knobs, and I just use them to balance the output between the pups. I will now go and experiment with your technique, thank you for the insight.
He still can with this control arrangement. He just has to use concentric pots. (Stacked pots). For an instrument like this I can see the utility of individual volume and tone controls.
The "butcher's apron" is what folks like me (who think they know what they are doing) do to things. The many hours you have spent honing your craft, and the care you take to get the best out of the instrument within the constraints of budget and reason is an inspiration. Beautiful job, as always!
Epoxy putty's great stuff. I knocked over my guitar before a gig and split the nut right under the B string. As a stopgap repair I threw on some epoxy putty for the B and the E string. 25 years later it's still there! 🤣
It's always a joy to watch your videos. I am an amateur tech (essentially working on my instruments and sometimes for some friends) and would never dare to do luthier work like yours. But it is really a wonder to watch, and I'm pretty sure there is always something to learn, even for a rookie like me. Cheers from Toulouse, France.
Tip: Regular JB Weld actually works better on plastic than the special plastic JB Weld stuff. See Project Farm. Go figure. Love the black choice of pickup cover. I wouldn't have said that before I saw it.
I have yet to try a "plastic fusion" epoxy that impresses me, regardless of brand. All of them seem to contain some kind of nasty smelling solvent and so they really stink up the room but they never seem to grip, nor harden, to the same degree that a regular epoxy does. I love JB Weld ( both the regular slow cure and fast cure "Kwik" variety) But I wasn't impressed with their marine weld epoxy, and their UV-cured super glue works well enough but the soft squeezy rubber applicator container it comes in (apparently a design purchased from another adhesive company) is the worst glue dispenser system I've ever seen ----- it allows air in so that the nozzle clogs, and it's designed to not be removable or swappable, and then the glue hardens inside the tube prematurely.
Excellent work! one of my favorites.....I fixed my Washburn acoustic with a cracked headstock from watching your vids....also I used your vids to help me get to sleep...kinda like ASMR.....lol
Great job Ted! Manufacturing tolerances are definitely not what they used to be. It’s sad you have to enlarge holes to fit included screws. :/ ❤ from the cold lands! \m/, ,\m/
I watch too much guitar repair content as it is....but Ted's videos are rich with valuable information both simple and DEEP. It's comforting to know that this high degree of art can be accomplished in a small chilly shop (without 2000 tools). Well done as always.
Fantastic work. I admit, I am not a hollow body guy - but when I realized what the job was, I died a little inside. It almost seems a little sacrilegious to cut that beautiful of an instrument up - but I do believe the results spoke for themselves. I would not have considered it myself, but the end was good!
Thank you for this video. I love all things guitar and this is hitting on my archtop fascination right now. I really appreciate your discussion of all your thought processes and the detail you go into, concerning each procedure.
Speaking of D'Aquisto, I had a New Yorker Special that the original owner decided to add an L5CES wiring harness to. Later he felt that he ruined the guitar. I had an early 60s L5CN that someone added an L5CES harness to. It ended up with a big crack in the top. One thing about these archtops with pickups is that the tops are usually laminate(at least with Gibson). This helps reduce feedback.Sticking pickups into a solid top archtop would make for a lively guitar. What about clipping the pole pieces on the bottom of the bridge pickup? It would save from routing into the x brace. As for the switch, there is a deep nut for Switchcraft switch. This is common on Gibsons where the switch wont fit through the top. "Typically found on a Gibson Les Paul guitar or where the switch threads don't protrude enough through the guitar body to attach a standard toggle switch nut." from Philly Luthier.
I love your attention to detail, when I do repairs around the house my wife says the same to me. My answer to her is ‘This isn’t anything, Ted’s got me blown away’! Such a beautiful job on this arch top, I’m sure the customer was over the moon with the results.
Always a pleasure watching you work. Ive recently (10 years) started replacing my pickup selector switches with a blending pot. The smooth transition eleminates sudden transitions. I've found that there are "sweet spots" on my 2022 Gibson 335 where i made an indicator pointer washer and recessed glass jewels on the speed knob for references. Turns out, my favorite spots always a blend. I replaced the stock volume and tone pots with a CTS matched set (510k ish). Also using one of my NOS .22uf Bumblebee's i bought at auction 35 years ago. It really opened up the Gibson T-Type pickups, but i have a set of Ron Ellis pups just in case.
That's a beautiful job. If anything, I think your modifications have improved the look - I'm sure the sound and tone were equally improved (not having heard it before).
That thing is an absolute work of art. With those P90s, I bet it would absolutely sing with just a hint of overdrive. This really highlights what's so great about guitars. They're all really just tools for making music. If that tool doesn't quite do what you want it to, you can make changes so it does. In this case, you preserved the original function of the guitar as an acoustic archtop, while adding modern functionality with a pair of P90s. This is the epitome of "making it your own". Bravo!
This one had me wanting it to last longer as I was learning some great tricks of the trade. I am so impressed with your workmanship, meticulous craftsmanship and quality of work. I've built a few flat top acoustics and have always been intrigued with archtops. I’ve been a subscriber for awhile but now realize I need to watch more of your videos. Thanks!
My uncle had a D'Angelico New Yorker made for him in the 50s,he had D'A install a neck pickup added to the body and then years later had D'A install a block to cover the hole. When he went to sell it many people said D'A would have never done either work and the guitar wasn't as worth as much. He offered the guitar to me but I knew I couldn't afford it at the time and really regret not finding the money to buy it and keep it in the family.Also my uncle loaned the guitar to Sal Salvador who had a signature model made by Guild or Gretsch ,I can't remember.
I have to say - The update on this guitar is nothing less than spectacular. Bravo! Fine work. This guitar has been so improved and can be loved again. I was against the upgrade but I was wrong. Great job. Thank you for the video and step by step. Awesome guitar!
The mod that dare not speak its name.... I must say that you have always been a good narrator and an imaginative storyteller. I would go so far now as to state that you are becoming quite the raconteur. Well done.
This is such an enlightening experience!!! .... your technical skills and design approach, world class....so many steps, but each one essential. Thanks again!!
Once again Ted your work amazes me. I too like a single ton/vome contol and the toggle switch is like my Gretsch -good positioning. A job well done. Don't see enough videos these days but filming them would be a PITA.
Very, very, well done! My experience with working on semi-hollow body guitars, was always a tedious and difficult proposition at best. Doing all that work on an F-hole guitar would have likely been a near suicidal undertaking for me. My hat's off to you, sir! Excellent work!
The p/ups and accessories look like they grew there and it sounds just the way it should with that lovely "radio" echo from the Bakelite era to it. Beautiful!
awesome as always! two little things; if he liked the feel of cheap alpha pots because they're super easy to turn then there are CTS pots like that. the dimarzio-spec CTS pots are some of the best around and have very low turning torque. it seems like the CTS "vintage style" versions with the dimpled back where the spindle pokes through are the easy-turning ones, and the dimarzios are like that as for the switch, the back-facing cutter thing is a nice answer but also what you need (and what gibson uses) is the "deep nut" that threads around the switch collar and extends down into the hole to grab the switch even through a thicker top some gibson archtops have a weird rubber gasket thing they mount the switch in, i suppose for when even the deep nut is not deep enough to reach
Feeling fortunate that I live in an era where I can watch a high-def video of a skilled luthier making a major modification to a custom-built guitar, while drinking coffee at my kitchen table. I can't hardly believe what I just watched... thank you, it was awesome!
the best
agreed !!
I'm pushing 70, and am amazed every day I sit down at my gaming PC with 16 core and 24 threads that could easily manage a manned mission to the moon and has enough graphics power to render a video faking it so good, people almost wouldn't be able to tell. :P
I tell kids who have questions. At no time in the history of man has so much detailed and video supported material for learning been available before....at just the touch of a few keys! If we had a question or wanted to learn how to do something back when...we'd have to go to a library, and hope that there was a book on it nad that the book had pictures to help us out.
I KNOW!!!!! Every now and then I stop and remind myself, that even though I am 39, I remember life before the internet. And I remember when everything wasn't online yet, then Forums got big, and you had text files and sometimes pictures of pro's teaching stuff.
Now, we have up 4k video at 60FPS of a pro showing something you'd normally have to pay to learn. I love it
sgreed
Your solution for creating the switch counter bore was great.
Sometimes you just need to stare at the wall for a while until a solution presents itself. Bravo.
One of the best episodes in a while. Seems like it was a ton of work to film and narrate. As always, thanks so much for all the work you put in to sharing these projects with us. 🙏
What are we praying for?
@gteefxr3094 that's the emoji for "thanks" Relax
That's originally the high five emoji actually
@monz7951 ummm... no. It was originally prayers/ thanks, etc. Depending upon culture/ religion
Non praying people have tried to change it... : o Joke-lang lol 😆
The OG emoji for high five was the wave symbol that can also be a hello/ goodbye/ wave depending upon context.
(As most og emoticons had more than one meaning depending upon context, region, culture, etc... just as in everyday life 😊)
I think when emoji added the squiggles to the hand to make it look more like a real "wave" 👋 is when people looking for a more appropriate high five and tried to commandeer the og prayer emoji.
Here are the "OG" ASCII art/emoticons that modern emoji were based on... (Many systems still recognize and can automatically convert the types symbols into modern emoji if you're old school and still type them out. [Like me because I still think it's faster than scrolling the emoji list, lol.] )
High five: o/\o
Prayer(s) (western cultures)/ thanks (eastern cultures): _/\_
Smile: :)
Big smile: :D
Tongue out/raspberries/lick: :P
Laughing: XD,
etc etc etc...
(Upon a few minutes of FACT BASED research, some have scrubbed the "prayer" emoticon and its emoji conversion, BUT, it is irrefutable that the high five and its conversion were what I remembered (with the others) and posted above. o/\o
...and now you know... @>-;--
Okay folks. I think maybe it's time to go outside.
Just watched this with my father, the bro who built this guitar 😜 We’ve been a fan of your channel so this was a nice surprise. He said this guitar was played by John Pizzarelli and Russell Malone before it went to the owner.
Damn... hope your dad wasn't cringing the entire time like I did. I thought it was beautiful as it was, and no need to make it into an electric.. just because it "wasn't a gibson" or whatever. Gorgeous guitar. Your dad made some beautiful instruments.
How cool is that !!?
That's uber cool bro!!
Could have used a recessed tapered switch nut, like you see on a Les Paul.
That's rather tubular, but I can't get over the name "John Pizzarelli", it's so quintessentially East Coast Italoamerican, it almost makes Vinny Pizzapasta look subtle (Vinny Pizzapasta is not a real name)
Great job, thanks Ted
Long before RUclips i found an old wrecked Framus acoustic archtop made in 1953 in the dumpster.
Since it had a gaping hole in the top right in front of the fretboard i converted it into an acoustic - electric which i still play to date.
Nice.
This might be my new "recommend to get people in to the channel" video-it's a single start-to-finish job that showcases a variety of interesting techniques, it's got good guitar history and repair/modification-philosophy talk at the top, and the final results are gorgeous and satisfying, it's a nice showcase of everything that makes this one of my top "someone with an interesting job does that job and talks about it" channels.
When I was a child, there was a programme shown on Sunday afternoons where, over the course of a few weeks, a kindly old Irish man demonstrated how to build a cabinet. He calmly explained everything he was doing and, while I’ve never had any desire or talent to build a cabinet, I watched them all and learned a lot.
Similar feelings here. It’s a joy to watch a master craftsman at work, and to have the work explained.
You might have been wearing a butcher’s apron, but that was an exquisite and beautiful remodeling project. Bravo!
Thanks, Ted - that pen mill was exactly what I was after to reduce a tailblock!!!!! The whole show was also an art form, obviously.
Your Django-esque sting intro plays in my head as soon as see a video by you suggested on my feed.
I have no choice but to click.
Well played!
Luv and Peace.
Fantastic video. The empathy with the original builder and the instrument you display is what makes you worth watching as a master luthier.
Amazing job as ever.
Luv and Peace.
🎉🎉
My Sunday evening “me time”. Always great to have your video’s as a little relaxation before a new week. Keep up the good work. Greetings from Norway
Outstanding craftsmanship!
Your attention to detail & problem solving combined with your respect for the instrument & future repair persons are commendable.
That occurred to me as well. The respect for the future workers by making the loom right was a very noticeable move.
The future student luthier's will pay it forward too if they see this.
Luv and Peace.
The nice bro bit had me rolling laughing. :-)
It's grim, bro. Lol
I heard Seth Meyers in my head doing it in one of his many Boston accents.
I can't think of a better way to spend 34 minutes on youtube than this! To anyone tackling an archtop project, I recommend watching and taking to heart the patience and care used here, in checking and verifying the alignment end to end. Thanks for sharing!
Ted, my first thought was: I guess there's no Luther's creed similar to the Hippocratic Oath to "do no harm". But of course, my concerns were unfounded. The results were far from Grimm. Beautiful job as always.
That was one hell of an elaborate job, but of course you came through with some eminent solutions! Impressive work, Ted!
I know I've said this before, but lord god, I hope this man is paid well for the work he does. He goes well beyond the call of duty.
My guess is he's getting around 10k a year from RUclips plus whatever he makes from his actual profession
@@Padlock_SteveRUclips pays you for posting??
@@juana1483 yea if it gets views
@@juana1483they dont pay you for posting, but pay you for views... more specifically advertisement views. When you skip an ad, they dont get paid unless you watch 30 seconds or more (unless the ad is less than 30 seconds).
My Dad told me in mid 70's, that "The Customer is Always right, even when they are wrong". He was a VP at a Detroit area supermarket chain, while I chose a different path and hold Plumbing & Mechanical Contractor License's, and definitely strive to carry out customer wishes, plans & and Ideas. I always reply that I can do whatever they want, as long as they are willing to pay the cost. I admire your work and craftsmanship, you are my Sunday night wind down.
Some customers are jerks. Granted, I work in a heavily regulated industry where, when the customer asks something like "how much money can I move without it being reported as a suspicious transaction" the only correct answer is "if you don't want this reported, first you need a time machine to go back to a time before you asked me how to circumvent the law..."
@@seanj3667I'm in a different industry altogether,but I have to agree. While doing your best for the customer, there will inevitably be the jerk or the unrealistic to upset that mission
I was lucky enough to get to play a D'Angelico at a vintage shop in the early 90's. It was almost too nice to play. True masterpiece. It was a mid 40's vintage from memory
nice work! I enjoy hearing your reasoning for how you are doing things.
Really enjoyed this one. Well, every video you drop but this one especially. I love the looks of the finished product.
The owner made a great choice with what he wanted to do and with whom he asked to do it! Really lovely guitar!
Christmas in October!!! This was a juicy episode richer than figgy pudding. I suppose this gent wasn't into the natural sound of an acoustic, but it was an experience to watch....and of course ,,,there was polishing. Thank you, Santa.
I've been watching your videos for a couple of years and have seen you deal with some harrowing situations. This one had me on the edge of my seat. As usual, your impeccable craftsmanship shines through.
With so much surgery I expected gown, cap, and gloves... the patient was saved and expected to make a full recovery.. BRAVO!
Beautiful guitar and amazing craftsmanship. I always learn some new trick or technique from your videos!! Thanks for posting
The owner of this guitar, is exactly the kind of person that you want to be your friend. Not just everyone could make that decision to cut into a work of art to many, but, just a tool to him. Bravo. Great video
Peace ✌️
That guitar is a substandard replica of a work of art. The build quality was crap. Student-grade work. Cutting up that guitar was no big sacrifice. And anyone who would consider a true D'Angelico to be simply a tool and started cutting holes in it would be an idiot who just destroyed a historic work of art. Not someone to be applauded.
@XLBiker13
Geez Snobby Snoberson! Take it easy
I've learned so much from Ted over the years that virtually every day I'm doing something that he's taught here... and I'm not even a luthier! Great episode, Mr. Woodford!! Thank you!!
Excellent job Ted. I learned a few more tricks...or should I say, new skills...once I try them for myself. Thank you.
You have the voice of a wise, patient, old man. Very therapeutic. I have built one classical guitar in my life. So I can relate. Very enjoyable!!!!!
You absolutely crushed this. Your workmanship is so meticulous that who is to say it had not started out thusly. Which is of course the aim. Superior craftsmanship.
Wow Ted, this turned out to be fantastic! With 366 comments already I'm sure I have nothing useful to add about the guitar except I love what you've done with it and I imagine your customer is ecstatic. But about making templates from manila folders, it's a great material for that and ideal in some ways but those fresh-cut edges will slice you to the bone!
Wow....just wow. Your work is meticulous. This channel is just a joy to watch. I can't help but think you are in the upper escalon of luthiers. The conversion to electric is so well done, it's almost impossible to think it wasn't from the "factory" originally. Thanks for another really interesting episode.
an escalon sounds like an apparatus the evil genius uses to descend to gloat at the secret agent.
Ted, brilliant idea and execution fitting the pickup selector switch! Really enjoyed this episode man, you’re a smart fella !!!
My weekly Moment of Zen, plus a big box archtop with P90's. Perfection beyond my Perfect Enough. Thanks, Ted!
Dude you totally finessed that puppy together . Looks great sounds great , completely enjoy watching you do repairs and rebuilds . Thank you
You did a great job. I was very surprised at the X bracing of in an arch top. The p90’s are a nice touch on that guitar and it didn’t loose its acoustic quality at all. I have a Sawchyn Archtop with a floating Benindetto that works well. But can respect why the owner wanted to do this.
...and yet another amazing video from an amazing luthier/teacher/guitarist (!)
Cheers, mang
Where else can you get such a superb lesson in the art of luthiery? What a tour d'force, mon Ami. Merci!
At the end you always have "Thanks for Watching"... Well I say back at you "Thanks for making". As a hobbyist wood worker that has dabbled with a couple of music instruments in their time I really enjoy your videos. I doubt I'll ever get around to actually making a guitar. In the meantime there's twoodfrd videos to let me ponder and enjoy your craftsmanship. And it's not only your skill but your "gentle" approach to how you tackle each project. I doff my hat to you in respect for that.
Words like "Patient" and Jeweler/y are never lost on me in your content. I'll be you've been called Doctor. I get it. Some of us could not have the care of a master craftsman's considerations driven from our practice if one were to beat us with a stick. And the superglue on the toothed washer??? Why did I, or anyone I knew try this back in the day? Your modest pragmatism veils beautifully your skills of innovation. But I know. Sometimes the excitement of the challenge is better than three cups of coffee. Thanks for this episode Ted. I am heartened for all of who humbly attempt to craft excellence for a living. We might say it, but honestly, it's never quite, "just another day!"
I will edit out the errors in the next response. Embarrassed. Apologies. I get excited when I recall the days when I was that guy. Obviously I loved this particular video.
@samuelhatman8995 don't worry. It's not too hard to decipher. And the super glue on the spjked washer is such a great idea that only comes from people that have dealt with similar issues time and time again. It's a lot easier to tighten up a loose pot on most guitars. Not so much on one like this. I will do it on all pots from now on though. Just makes too much sense not to!
I don't typically fanboy over RUclipsrs, but this channel always has me coming back. The sounds, the cool tech, great conversation. It's a shame that there's people out there who try to treat down something good.
This is a beauty! My first guitar was a Silvertone Archtop. It was an entry level guitar but I loved it!
Great looking job thanks for sharing and Gods blessings for you and all your family
I play, and love, a big sunburst archtop, so this video had me watching the screen way too close for my eyesight. When the finished instrument with the pickguard and all was revealed it literally made me gasp, it is so beautiful. The middle pickup has that special tone that the best D’angelico’s have. It would be nice to see and hear the owner’s reaction to such a superb piece of craftsmanship.
Today, I learned about pin mills and laminate-in-place bracing. Surely these concepts will come in handy.
I am sure that Mr Fred Carlson appreciates that you gave credit to him for the bracing idea.
We also appreciate that you give credit where credit is due.
This is fantastic content.
I don’t think you had a butcher apron on…. More like surgical scrubs. What a stellar job, meticulously thought out and implemented. Great video as always Ted.
What a fantastic result, the design of the mods were so sympathetic to the original guitar. I loved this video from start to finish.
Great job Ted, thanks for letting us hang out with you!
Ted, your solution to fit the pickup selector switch was brilliant! You
Make it look so easy but I know there’s years and years and years of experience you’re sharing with us. Very grateful here in Southern New England for your channel ! Thank you !!
I cringed when I heard what the project would consist of, but I gotta say it turned out great, visually and sonically. Nice job.
Your content is so great - thank you for sharing. Not only does it show aspiring luthiers what they are in for, it also shows folks how difficult and exacting this work is and why it's worth paying for someone with the appropriate skills.
Wow incredible work, a double-black diamond run for sure. Amazing!
Only 4500 tips to go.....
Absolutely fantastic. Thanks for sharing
34 minutes of pure bliss.
Wow watching you work was a treat. What a wonderful job , you can work on my guitars any time. Thanks for sharing your talent.
I feel like you undersold the value of independent volume and tone controls for each pickup.
For me, the best thing about them is being able to make the middle position really come alive by rolling the tone off from the neck pickup and using the volume control to add or remove it from the mix.
It creates a really unique sound that you can't achieve otherwise that allows you to dial in a darker sound without it being too muddy.
Absolutely love having parallel controls, purely because of that tone
Great comment, I play an archtop with 2 pickups and four knobs, and I just use them to balance the output between the pups. I will now go and experiment with your technique, thank you for the insight.
He still can with this control arrangement. He just has to use concentric pots. (Stacked pots). For an instrument like this I can see the utility of individual volume and tone controls.
Awesome video, I always learn a lot, your precision and how you use your tools is a delight to watch.
The finished version looks absolutely incredible!
The "butcher's apron" is what folks like me (who think they know what they are doing) do to things. The many hours you have spent honing your craft, and the care you take to get the best out of the instrument within the constraints of budget and reason is an inspiration. Beautiful job, as always!
Yay! my favorite time of the week! New Ted Video Day!
Enjoy your posts! Bringing new life to old guitars, wonderful!
This was an interesting project.
Epoxy putty's great stuff. I knocked over my guitar before a gig and split the nut right under the B string. As a stopgap repair I threw on some epoxy putty for the B and the E string. 25 years later it's still there! 🤣
It's always a joy to watch your videos. I am an amateur tech (essentially working on my instruments and sometimes for some friends) and would never dare to do luthier work like yours. But it is really a wonder to watch, and I'm pretty sure there is always something to learn, even for a rookie like me. Cheers from Toulouse, France.
This is a message to a man who will never read it. Love your videos and your craft Ted. Your skill and attention is inspired.
Beautiful! And I like how you detailed the curve on the top of the pickguard.
Bros Grimm. "they should've made a Do, bro..."
Oh my god I did not expect the build to turn out so well! It's so impressive! And the sound is immaculate! Bravo! Bravo!
I seriously didn't expect this, I mean it
Tip: Regular JB Weld actually works better on plastic than the special plastic JB Weld stuff. See Project Farm. Go figure.
Love the black choice of pickup cover. I wouldn't have said that before I saw it.
I have yet to try a "plastic fusion" epoxy that impresses me, regardless of brand. All of them seem to contain some kind of nasty smelling solvent and so they really stink up the room but they never seem to grip, nor harden, to the same degree that a regular epoxy does. I love JB Weld ( both the regular slow cure and fast cure "Kwik" variety) But I wasn't impressed with their marine weld epoxy, and their UV-cured super glue works well enough but the soft squeezy rubber applicator container it comes in (apparently a design purchased from another adhesive company) is the worst glue dispenser system I've ever seen ----- it allows air in so that the nozzle clogs, and it's designed to not be removable or swappable, and then the glue hardens inside the tube prematurely.
It's not black, it's tortoise-shell.
@@nazfrde , the *pickups* are black (though they're also available in gold or chrome, perhaps cream/ivory). The pick GUARD is tortoiseshell.
@@nazfrde What? The pickguard is tortoise, but the pickup covers are black.
@@goodun2974 Agreed. I think that Project Farm's opinion would be the same. There is no ideal product for all applications.
Excellent work! one of my favorites.....I fixed my Washburn acoustic with a cracked headstock from watching your vids....also I used your vids to help me get to sleep...kinda like ASMR.....lol
Great job Ted! Manufacturing tolerances are definitely not what they used to be. It’s sad you have to enlarge holes to fit included screws. :/
❤ from the cold lands! \m/, ,\m/
modern manufacturing tolerances are better than they have ever been in history.
I watch too much guitar repair content as it is....but Ted's videos are rich with valuable information both simple and DEEP. It's comforting to know that this high degree of art can be accomplished in a small chilly shop (without 2000 tools). Well done as always.
Ted time!
Fantastic work.
I admit, I am not a hollow body guy - but when I realized what the job was, I died a little inside. It almost seems a little sacrilegious to cut that beautiful of an instrument up - but I do believe the results spoke for themselves. I would not have considered it myself, but the end was good!
Yet another astonishing piece of work Ted. Thank you.
Beautiful work…I like the guitar much more now than before…I’m sure the customer was impressed and pleased.
🎉🎉
Ive been watching you for at least 2 years, your a great inspiration.
Thank you for this video. I love all things guitar and this is hitting on my archtop fascination right now. I really appreciate your discussion of all your thought processes and the detail you go into, concerning each procedure.
Speaking of D'Aquisto, I had a New Yorker Special that the original owner decided to add an L5CES wiring harness to. Later he felt that he ruined the guitar. I had an early 60s L5CN that someone added an L5CES harness to. It ended up with a big crack in the top. One thing about these archtops with pickups is that the tops are usually laminate(at least with Gibson). This helps reduce feedback.Sticking pickups into a solid top archtop would make for a lively guitar.
What about clipping the pole pieces on the bottom of the bridge pickup? It would save from routing into the x brace. As for the switch, there is a deep nut for Switchcraft switch. This is common on Gibsons where the switch wont fit through the top. "Typically found on a Gibson Les Paul guitar or where the switch threads don't protrude enough through the guitar body to attach a standard toggle switch nut." from Philly Luthier.
I love your attention to detail, when I do repairs around the house my wife says the same to me. My answer to her is ‘This isn’t anything, Ted’s got me blown away’! Such a beautiful job on this arch top, I’m sure the customer was over the moon with the results.
Takes a lot for me to be wowed, but I'm definitely Wowed.
Clean methodical, and accurate work.
Well done buddy, that guitar is lovely 👍
Always a pleasure watching you work. Ive recently (10 years) started replacing my pickup selector switches with a blending pot. The smooth transition eleminates sudden transitions. I've found that there are "sweet spots" on my 2022 Gibson 335 where i made an indicator pointer washer and recessed glass jewels on the speed knob for references. Turns out, my favorite spots always a blend. I replaced the stock volume and tone pots with a CTS matched set (510k ish). Also using one of my NOS .22uf Bumblebee's i bought at auction 35 years ago. It really opened up the Gibson T-Type pickups, but i have a set of Ron Ellis pups just in case.
First time viewer here and I really enjoyed the project. Picked up several nice tips including your carved depth gauge!
That's a beautiful job. If anything, I think your modifications have improved the look - I'm sure the sound and tone were equally improved (not having heard it before).
Awesome Work!
Glad there are people like you around that have the know-how and patience to do this type of work.
Ted, that was such a beautiful transformation. Your work is impeccable!
That thing is an absolute work of art. With those P90s, I bet it would absolutely sing with just a hint of overdrive.
This really highlights what's so great about guitars. They're all really just tools for making music. If that tool doesn't quite do what you want it to, you can make changes so it does. In this case, you preserved the original function of the guitar as an acoustic archtop, while adding modern functionality with a pair of P90s. This is the epitome of "making it your own".
Bravo!
@user-OfficialTwoodfrd Scammer!
This one had me wanting it to last longer as I was learning some great tricks of the trade. I am so impressed with your workmanship, meticulous craftsmanship and quality of work. I've built a few flat top acoustics and have always been intrigued with archtops. I’ve been a subscriber for awhile but now realize I need to watch more of your videos. Thanks!
Kind of love this guitar, and even more with the completed modifications. Well done.
My uncle had a D'Angelico New Yorker made for him in the 50s,he had D'A install a neck pickup added to the body and then years later had D'A install a block to cover the hole. When he went to sell it many people said D'A would have never done either work and the guitar wasn't as worth as much. He offered the guitar to me but I knew I couldn't afford it at the time and really regret not finding the money to buy it and keep it in the family.Also my uncle loaned the guitar to Sal Salvador who had a signature model made by Guild or Gretsch ,I can't remember.
🎉🎉
I have to say - The update on this guitar is nothing less than spectacular. Bravo! Fine work. This guitar has been so improved and can be loved again. I was against the upgrade but I was wrong. Great job. Thank you for the video and step by step. Awesome guitar!
🎉🎉🎉
Gorgeous work! Looks like they’ve always been there…awesome!
Even though i dont play anymore (arthritis), i very much enjoy your channel. Good stuff
The mod that dare not speak its name....
I must say that you have always been a good narrator and an imaginative storyteller. I would go so far now as to state that you are becoming quite the raconteur. Well done.
This is such an enlightening experience!!! .... your technical skills and design approach, world class....so many steps, but each one essential. Thanks again!!
🎉🎉🎉
Once again Ted your work amazes me. I too like a single ton/vome contol and the toggle switch is like my Gretsch -good positioning. A job well done. Don't see enough videos these days but filming them would be a PITA.
It turned out Beautiful!! Great Craftmanship Sir!
Ted, your work was superb as usual. I really enjoyed watching this.
Very, very, well done! My experience with working on semi-hollow body guitars, was always a tedious and difficult proposition at best. Doing all that work on an F-hole guitar would have likely been a near suicidal undertaking for me. My hat's off to you, sir! Excellent work!
The p/ups and accessories look like they grew there and it sounds just the way it should with that lovely "radio" echo from the Bakelite era to it. Beautiful!
awesome as always!
two little things;
if he liked the feel of cheap alpha pots because they're super easy to turn then there are CTS pots like that. the dimarzio-spec CTS pots are some of the best around and have very low turning torque. it seems like the CTS "vintage style" versions with the dimpled back where the spindle pokes through are the easy-turning ones, and the dimarzios are like that
as for the switch, the back-facing cutter thing is a nice answer but also what you need (and what gibson uses) is the "deep nut" that threads around the switch collar and extends down into the hole to grab the switch even through a thicker top
some gibson archtops have a weird rubber gasket thing they mount the switch in, i suppose for when even the deep nut is not deep enough to reach
Beautiful guitar. Terrific upgrade. Well thought out and executed. Lots of attention to detail. I’m sure the owner was very happy with the outcome.