All Discussions Tagged 'Gibson' - FRETS.NET2024-03-29T02:31:20Zhttps://fretsnet.ning.com/forum/topic/listForTag?tag=Gibson&feed=yes&xn_auth=noHelp with restoration of Gibson lg1tag:fretsnet.ning.com,2015-12-28:2177249:Topic:1523132015-12-28T06:33:15.607ZCarla Ruighhttps://fretsnet.ning.com/profile/CarlaRuigh
<p>Hello all, newbie here. Glad I found this site, hoping to find resources to help me on journey to restore a 1965 lg1. This was my mom's guitar that my brother tore apart 40 years ago with the idea of restoring it. He didn't get far, and it has been sitting for decades now. With the experience of building a few dulcimers under my belt, he agreed to turn it over to me to restore. The original top is gone, but otherwise it is in surprisingly good shape. I took it to a Luthier to…</p>
<p>Hello all, newbie here. Glad I found this site, hoping to find resources to help me on journey to restore a 1965 lg1. This was my mom's guitar that my brother tore apart 40 years ago with the idea of restoring it. He didn't get far, and it has been sitting for decades now. With the experience of building a few dulcimers under my belt, he agreed to turn it over to me to restore. The original top is gone, but otherwise it is in surprisingly good shape. I took it to a Luthier to make sure there were no fatal flaws before I embarked on this project. He thought the neck was pretty solid, and might not even need re-fretting. The biggest question I have is how to do the new top without the original soundboard as a template? How can i find out where and how big to make the sound hole, and where to place the bridge? I have the original bridge, I'll make a rosewood one to replace it. My research says the original bridge was screwed on. Is this the correct way to install the new bridge? My moms other Nylon String acoustic guitar, has the bridge glued on. <span>Since there is no reason to restore this as original, without the original top, </span>I am planning on doing cross bracing rather than ladder bracing for the top. My brother also gave me the sitka spruce he got 40 years ago for the top. I have that planed down, glued up and rough cut to shape. I assume the pick guard is just glued on the top, but I saw a picture of one with the guard removed and it almost looked like the pick guard had been in a routed recess in the top. Any suggestions, advice, information on resources would be appreciated. Thanks.. Cjr </p> Gibson LG-2 X bracing radiustag:fretsnet.ning.com,2014-07-10:2177249:Topic:1349342014-07-10T16:23:39.936ZHector Trevinohttps://fretsnet.ning.com/profile/HectorTrevino
<p>Hello to all,</p>
<p>I am in the process of replacing X bracing on this mid to late 50's LG-2, the broken x bracing that came out of the guitar is not a smooth curve. I am thinking that originally it was an even arch, does anyone here happen to know what that radius should be? I thought I read somewhere that these Gibson "flat tops" had a 28' arch, does that sound right? any thoughts are appreciated, thanks.</p>
<p>Hello to all,</p>
<p>I am in the process of replacing X bracing on this mid to late 50's LG-2, the broken x bracing that came out of the guitar is not a smooth curve. I am thinking that originally it was an even arch, does anyone here happen to know what that radius should be? I thought I read somewhere that these Gibson "flat tops" had a 28' arch, does that sound right? any thoughts are appreciated, thanks.</p> Calling All Vintage Gibson Mandolin Expertstag:fretsnet.ning.com,2013-08-13:2177249:Topic:1151542013-08-13T22:15:15.091ZSteve Bakerhttps://fretsnet.ning.com/profile/SteveBaker
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<p>We have this older Gibson A4 (Appears to be from 1918-22?) in the shop and are uncertain about what it was originally like and what we've got ahead of us in a repair. Maybe some of you who specialize in mandolins have some experience with this particular model. (more below)<a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2059953158?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2059953158?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750"></img></a></p>
<p>The owner brought it in because the back is separating from the…</p>
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<p>We have this older Gibson A4 (Appears to be from 1918-22?) in the shop and are uncertain about what it was originally like and what we've got ahead of us in a repair. Maybe some of you who specialize in mandolins have some experience with this particular model. (more below)<a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2059953158?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="750" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2059953158?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p>The owner brought it in because the back is separating from the heel/block area and the action is so high it's unplayable.</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2059953512?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="750" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2059953512?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p>When we started looking at it, we noticed the flatter profile of the top (below) and were certain that the top was collapsing because of loose or broken braces. But we looked inside and found that to not be the case. The bridge is very tall and could certainly be lowered to get the action down. But should we be re-inforcing the top somehow first? </p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2059953747?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="750" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2059953747?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750" class="align-full"/></a>Then I started looking at the fretboard area of the body, particularly the way it falls toward the sound-hole (above,) and got to wondering if that lower arch wasn't a deliberate part of the original design. So that's the first question: Could an A4 of this era have been built with a flatter arch?</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2059954582?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="750" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2059954582?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750" class="align-full"/></a>Next we noticed and the owner confirmed that the center seam had been repaired at some time. Could enough material have been removed from the center to make the top collapse this much? If that's the case there really isn't a way to replace that material and make the arch taller. </p>
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<p>In good shape, an A5 could be worth over $2k and it's a family piece that the owner is interested in playing so he's prepared to put a few hundred into the repair. We figure the back will need to come off to fix the separation and that it won't fit back perfectly when it's time to reassemble. </p>
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<p>Wondering if anyone is familiar with this model's particulars. While we work on lots of mandolins here - new and vintage - we don't build (or re-build) them and because of the top issues, this is somewhat unfamiliar territory. Any thoughts or insights would be great.</p>
<p></p> Suggestions for some repairs.tag:fretsnet.ning.com,2013-08-02:2177249:Topic:1140162013-08-02T22:34:22.611ZBob H Abernathy IIIhttps://fretsnet.ning.com/profile/BobHAbernathyIII
<p>Good day gentlemen, </p>
<p>I am a Roberto-venn certified luthier and i have been performing repairs and building fretted and non-fretted stringed instruments For the last 4 years.</p>
<p>I have a tech friend who lost 120 guitars during the 2010 Nashville Floods. When we last met he offered me 4 Gibson Les Pauls And one taylor acoustic (i believe it is a 600 series) that had been destroyed in the flood. On the Les Pauls the Maple joinery has let go on every one from small to large gaps and…</p>
<p>Good day gentlemen, </p>
<p>I am a Roberto-venn certified luthier and i have been performing repairs and building fretted and non-fretted stringed instruments For the last 4 years.</p>
<p>I have a tech friend who lost 120 guitars during the 2010 Nashville Floods. When we last met he offered me 4 Gibson Les Pauls And one taylor acoustic (i believe it is a 600 series) that had been destroyed in the flood. On the Les Pauls the Maple joinery has let go on every one from small to large gaps and in some cases the maple has let go of the mahogany to some degree. The ebony head laminates have come off. And there are some water stains in the maple ranging from 2-10 ( 10 being the worst). All the hardware had been removed before they came into my possession. I am looking at these instruments as an opportunity for some experience.i may have to dis-assemble and re-assemble, sand, I will have to paint/dye/stain, setup, level crown and polish frets, install electronics ext... </p>
<p>So i feel like i have a few options as far as restorations go and i am looking for some insight before i get started. It seems like i will be able to A) keep a few of the les pauls as close to les pauls as possible if getting the top rejoined and bleaching out the water stains goes over without any problems or B) Have a few les pauls that are not (visually) les pauls any more (dramatic color choices translucent or opaque) odd binding selections and maybe even a strip of wood to cover the small joinery gap if i choose not to dis-assemble. </p>
<p>As far as the Joinery goes. I feel like i have two options. Option 1) I can Heat up the tops and use a spreader to push the two pieces apart and off the mahogany AND THEN rejoin them. As you can imagine this offers up a bit of a problem. Depending on the amount of material i remove during the joinery process i may lose an acceptable tolerance for the hardware insert spacing. I thought i could possibly find a piece of wood or attractive binding scheme that wouldn't look awful in between the two pieces of maple to make up for the lost material....or maintain the tolerance if there is any and on top of that keeping the maple from warping terribly. </p>
<p>Also i would have to make custom binding to reach the outside edge of the mahogany...Or i can install regular binding and rout/sound the small remaining edge of mahogany down to it's new edge. </p>
<p>My main issue is that it feels like no matter which way i go i am going to be doing MORE HARM.</p>
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<p>Option 2) I can simply plug/fill/dropfill/ the gaps of the joinery and then paint them as gold tops or opaque colors, pearls or flakes.i also considered routing a strip down the center and using an attractive piece of wood to fill it and using the same wood as the new binding. (might look nice) It just seems like such a tragedy to cover up these wonderful maple tops. </p>
<p>So if anyone has any suggestions or warnings i would love to hear them. I Wouldn't mind coming up with a few les pauls that were just radically different from the average with custom paint jobs and such but with the maple under them i don't know if i can call them legitimate restorations or just repairs for instruments that were devastatingly ruined. </p> Les Paul Junior vs Les Paul body shapetag:fretsnet.ning.com,2013-06-12:2177249:Topic:1110282013-06-12T05:03:11.292ZMicha Schellhaashttps://fretsnet.ning.com/profile/MichaSchellhaas
<p>Hi,</p>
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<p>I was wondering if some of you can share some information regarding Les Paul body shapes/sizes.</p>
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<p>Is the Junior smaller? I find contradicting information out there.</p>
<p>How about the scale lenght?</p>
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<p>Thanks in advance,</p>
<p>I am mapping out a guitar that I want to have build...</p>
<p>Hi,</p>
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<p>I was wondering if some of you can share some information regarding Les Paul body shapes/sizes.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Is the Junior smaller? I find contradicting information out there.</p>
<p>How about the scale lenght?</p>
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<p>Thanks in advance,</p>
<p>I am mapping out a guitar that I want to have build...</p> Looking for Luthier in CA or Austin/TX to build a 56' Les Paul Junior type guitartag:fretsnet.ning.com,2013-06-02:2177249:Topic:1101272013-06-02T08:48:10.717ZMicha Schellhaashttps://fretsnet.ning.com/profile/MichaSchellhaas
<p>Hi,I'm not looking so much for the high end builds, more the luthiers that do good solid work and want to have fun building a 56 Junior. I could think of some cool little changes though. Maybe a flame showing through the burst ;-)</p>
<p>I live in LA (just moved) and I'm sure there are people around, I also go up to the bay area and severa times a year to Austin, TX - so if you know somebody let me know!</p>
<p>Hi,I'm not looking so much for the high end builds, more the luthiers that do good solid work and want to have fun building a 56 Junior. I could think of some cool little changes though. Maybe a flame showing through the burst ;-)</p>
<p>I live in LA (just moved) and I'm sure there are people around, I also go up to the bay area and severa times a year to Austin, TX - so if you know somebody let me know!</p> ES 335 Planstag:fretsnet.ning.com,2013-03-21:2177249:Topic:1058922013-03-21T22:00:24.089ZAlvaro Balderrama Chiappehttps://fretsnet.ning.com/profile/AlvaroBalderramaChiappe
<p>I'm designing the plans for a semi hollow guitar and a bass based on Gibson's 335.<br/>I'd appriciate if someone help me with some pictures of the inside. I know it has a solid block, but i'd like to see a picture or a plan.<br/>I'm thinking the bass will be 30 inch scale. what do you think?<br/>Greetings from Bolivia!</p>
<p>I'm designing the plans for a semi hollow guitar and a bass based on Gibson's 335.<br/>I'd appriciate if someone help me with some pictures of the inside. I know it has a solid block, but i'd like to see a picture or a plan.<br/>I'm thinking the bass will be 30 inch scale. what do you think?<br/>Greetings from Bolivia!</p> Need help - 1956 ES 175 needs a restoration jobtag:fretsnet.ning.com,2012-12-28:2177249:Topic:991692012-12-28T21:30:05.434ZMicha Schellhaashttps://fretsnet.ning.com/profile/MichaSchellhaas
<p>Hi everybody!<br></br> <br></br> I have a great 1956 ES-175 that needs a serious restoration job. It has a crack in the heel of the neck. I was told it needs a neck reset, and many luthiers turned down the job. It's an awesome guitar. It needs a new fretboard too, the original one is shaved down so much, some of the dots in the binding are half way gone already.</p>
<p>I am more of a player that collector, so I need somebody to point me to a luthier that wants to do the job. I am in the bay area…</p>
<p>Hi everybody!<br/> <br/> I have a great 1956 ES-175 that needs a serious restoration job. It has a crack in the heel of the neck. I was told it needs a neck reset, and many luthiers turned down the job. It's an awesome guitar. It needs a new fretboard too, the original one is shaved down so much, some of the dots in the binding are half way gone already.</p>
<p>I am more of a player that collector, so I need somebody to point me to a luthier that wants to do the job. I am in the bay area now, but I'll be living in LA soon... I though this is the right forum for that! Thanks guys, looking forward to your reply.</p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2059950952?profile=original"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2059950952?profile=original" width="600"/></a><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2059951516?profile=original"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2059951516?profile=original" width="600"/></a><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2059951599?profile=original"><img width="750" class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2059951599?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750"/></a></p>
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<p></p> Dead notes on an Epiphone bass guitartag:fretsnet.ning.com,2012-10-25:2177249:Topic:955112012-10-25T03:36:44.709ZAlexander Lópezhttps://fretsnet.ning.com/profile/AlexanderLopez
<p>I've just found the most annoying dead-spot on any bass guitar. While most Fenders have it around the high C (first string, fifth fret), this brand-new Epiphone Thunderbird active 5-string has an enormous dead-note area: from the open low-B on the 5th string to the fourth fret of the fourth string (G#).<br></br><br></br>I have to say this guy is not a newbie. He owns three other basses, is a semi-pro, and tried lots of things before asking me for help. He's used three sets of strings, with…</p>
<p>I've just found the most annoying dead-spot on any bass guitar. While most Fenders have it around the high C (first string, fifth fret), this brand-new Epiphone Thunderbird active 5-string has an enormous dead-note area: from the open low-B on the 5th string to the fourth fret of the fourth string (G#).<br/><br/>I have to say this guy is not a newbie. He owns three other basses, is a semi-pro, and tried lots of things before asking me for help. He's used three sets of strings, with different gauges, different tunings, and even inverted the nut to string it up lefty-style. The dead spots have always been there: from the low-G# and downwards.<br/><br/>Usually, adding mass on the neck shifts the dead spot to a lower note and gives more sustain (Billy Sheehan has been using a C-clamp on his Yamaha for decades), but I doubt it could be useful in this bass. I mean, it's a Thunderbird: the shit is one of the heaviest basses around! And its neck-through-body 7-piece maple/walnut neck is supposed to increase rigidity and a more even tone.<br/><br/>I don't think that other pickups can solve the problem, because it's still noticeable when unplugged. Maybe installing steel or graphite reinforcements in the neck can increase its rigidity, but it's hard to spend that kind of money in a $600 instrument. <br/><br/>Any suggestions?</p> 1918 Gibson F2 Restorationtag:fretsnet.ning.com,2011-11-10:2177249:Topic:768342011-11-10T18:22:27.630ZAnnette & Nowellhttps://fretsnet.ning.com/profile/AnnetteNowell
<p>Hi all,</p>
<p>I'm new here and wanted to extend a thank you to Frank Ford for his information regarding a Gibson top cave-in . My husband and I bought a pretty beat up 1918 Gibson F2 and when browsing the internet we came upon Frank's Frets.com. What a great place indeed, so well documented and placed on the web for anyone to see, such a valuable resource! Here is the link for photo's of the restoration -…</p>
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<p>Hi all,</p>
<p>I'm new here and wanted to extend a thank you to Frank Ford for his information regarding a Gibson top cave-in . My husband and I bought a pretty beat up 1918 Gibson F2 and when browsing the internet we came upon Frank's Frets.com. What a great place indeed, so well documented and placed on the web for anyone to see, such a valuable resource! Here is the link for photo's of the restoration -</p>
<p><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.livingtreemusic.com/living_tree_music_restoration_repair.html">http://www.livingtreemusic.com/living_tree_music_restoration_repair...</a></p>
<p>And I've attempted a blog type entry on the in the Shop/Studio page, not quite up to Frank's documentation...it's our first Gibby restoration : )</p>
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<p>So once again, a big thank you to Frank Ford and his Frets website for the great work he does!!</p>
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<p>Annette & Nowell Siegel</p>
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<p><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.livingtreemusic.com/">www.livingtreemusic.com</a></p>