Quick guitar post for today

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Back when I was working on the Japanese Sorrento starter guitar I installed a Les Paul style Tune-O-Matic bridge in the proper place on the body so it could have good intonation. That worked well but the bridges for Les Paul guitars are set up with a 12 inch radius. The Sorrento was a 9.5 inch radiius so the middle two strings were a bit closer to the frets than the outside strings. I sat down after lunch and did some thinking and had a 'Doh!' (forehead slap) moment. I loosened the strings, took the bridge off the mounting pins, and took it out to the garage along with a 9.5inch radius gauge. I have a couple 3/4 inch square pieces of hardwood on the bench and a few other things like some nuts and bolts. I took the hardwood squares and held them against the top outer edges of the bridge next to the roller saddles. Then I held them in the vise opening with the adjustment screws on the bridge pointing up. I grabbed a 1/2inch nut off the bench and put it on the bottom of the bridge in the middle. A little tightening while using the radius gauge to know when to stop and I turned a 12inch bridge into a 9.5inch bridge. Now I can have the action height I wanted and the middle strings no longer buzz. Gave myself a literal pat on the back afterwards. The light bulb still comes on sometimes when I flip the switch.:)
 

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So - one for the acoustic types.

I just acquired a one-owner '66 Martin D-18; it sounds great, but the pick guard was badly curled at the edges where the wood shrank and the guard didn't- Martin had briefly tried gluing the pick guards directly to raw wood in this era (bad plan), and will fix this issue for free if you are the registered owner. I'm not, and the original owner never registered the guitar. The pick guard curl put enough stress on the front of the guitar to create a 4" split (with the grain).

As well, there is a slight bulge behind the bridge - that usually means a split or separated bridge plate inside the body.

In any event, the old girl is with a Martin luthier for repair - he assures me none of these issues are critical, so she should be back to bluegrass condition in a few weeks.
 
So - one for the acoustic types.

I just acquired a one-owner '66 Martin D-18; it sounds great, but the pick guard was badly curled at the edges where the wood shrank and the guard didn't- Martin had briefly tried gluing the pick guards directly to raw wood in this era (bad plan), and will fix this issue for free if you are the registered owner. I'm not, and the original owner never registered the guitar. The pick guard curl put enough stress on the front of the guitar to create a 4" split (with the grain).

As well, there is a slight bulge behind the bridge - that usually means a split or separated bridge plate inside the body.

In any event, the old girl is with a Martin luthier for repair - he assures me none of these issues are critical, so she should be back to bluegrass condition in a few weeks.
I watch a Canadian luthier on Youtube called 'twoodfrd', and it is amazing the things he can do with a acoustic guitar. That is why I stick with bolt on neck electric guitars to tinker with.
 
I had a 00-18 Martin for years that needed a reset - the prior owner ruined the bridge ivory (yes, it was real ivory and irreplaceable) by using a three-cornered file to cut string channels to lower the action. We just lived with the problem. Some lowlife stole the guitar from my daughter and her husband's valuable vintage Telecaster as well.
 
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