Scott's Guitar Blog

Uke Can Do it!

Here's a shot of the finsihed lacquered uke!  My son is so proud that it came out this nicely.  He had a lot to do with its construction, and it was a great experience for an 8 year old to build a uke with his Dad....We decided to make a matching rope-bound walnut pickguard for fun...it adds a nice look and feel, even though you don't really need a PG on a uke.

I'll get more articles on guitars out soon, I've just been so busy working, it's hard to find time to write! Please visit S.B. MacDonald Custom Instruments to see more on guitarmaking and repair!

Ukulele Binding Time!

Hi Folks, I'm back with that little uke I'm making with my son!  It is the first instrument we're really making together.  Today we installed the traditional "rope" binding seen on so many Hawaiian instruments; it is comprised of maple and rosewood pieces glued in a long strip.
It is a very lovely and rich look, and fun to work with.

The channels are routed into the body, and the strips are glued and taped in place.  When dry, they are sanded flush with the top, sides and back.  My son asked me "Daddy, why am I always the clamp?"
I replied "Son, that's what luthier's are for a large part of their careers...clamps."

The soundhole edge was also bound in rope style binding.  I bent the wet wood around my bathroom doorknob to make the tight curve...so much for the dark secrets of lutherie!  Hey, don't ask questions if it  works !  You can see how amazing this looks in the bottom phot during the finishing process...once the lacquer is on, the wood comes alive!  Please visit my website to see the bulk of my work!  All the best, Scott

 

Save Money With Fret Leveling!

I can't tell you how many customers bring me their instruments needing fret jobs (fret replacement) that could have saved big money, and wear and tear on their guitar by bringing the instrument in sooner. As you play your guitar more and more, grooves start to form in the frets in the areas you use the most. This wear in the frets will affect intonation, action, and performance. These grooves will deepen at a faster and faster rate once they begin to wear. Once the grooves are more than halfway through the fret crown, it is too late to save the frets, and an expensive fret job will be in order!

Many people don't realize that even with significant fretwear, the frets can be saved by a process called by several names: A recrowning, and level and polish, or a grid and polish. This process mills down the frets just to the point where the grooves are gone. The frets are then re-crowned into a nice curve with a special file, wet-sanded, and buffed to look and feel just like new.

A luthier with a good touch and the right tools can often get two or three fret recrownings in, at a fraction of the price of a fret job. This can extend the time of your first fret replacement by years! You'd be shocked how often even deeply worn frets can be saved! Look out for dishonest techs who will say you need a fret replacement when you don't. They get big money doing this. I've even heard of guys who say they're replacing the frets, only to recrown them, and the client thinks they've had a fret job!

In fact, it isn't uncommon after a fret recrowning for my clients to swear the frets were brand new. That is a great compliment, but more importantly, it means that for a lot less money, they've maximized the performance of their guitar, saved a lot of money, and had a less stressful repair on their instrument. Please vist my website www.customguitars.com for more on guitar repair and custom built guitars!