MIMF

Be very careful with tape on raw wood, especially soft woods, as it can pull fibers and splinters when it is removed. Also be very careful when applying CA, as it can wick to places you don't want it to go. CA is great at gap filling, it's just not strong in that condition. Make a habit of making yo...

Those celluloid fingerboards actually wear very well over the years. They are touchy when you do fret work though.

Looks like a lot of guitar for $2500. Lovely bearclaw top.

Here is another point to consider: the fingerboard to top joint is a structural element, and leaving a gap, or filling it with glue or some other filler, will probably not give the necessary strength in that joint. Just take it apart and fit it properly.

I have some Grobet needle files and also some cheap Chinese set from Harbor Fright. The cheap ones do just as well as the Swiss ones, and they are fairly expendable. $3 or so for a set is pretty cheap. I try to find the coarse ones because they will remove material quicker than the fine cut ones. So...

Your local hardware store should have a selection of oil based and water based pore fillers to choose from. Follow the directions on the can, and let it all dry a few days before using your water based finish.

I think you are going to need the help of a calculator and an equation for figuring fret placement. Fortunately there is an abundance of fret spacing calculators on the internet. Next you need a decent measuring device, whether a ruler or a caliper to measure the distance of frets from the nut. Dete...

Gentlemen, whatever you do to cover up a gap it will still be a gap, just filled. It will not look right until it is right. The process to get rid of the gap is to reset the neck. The tenon of the dovetail needs a small amount taken off so the fingerboard sits directly on the top. One very important...

Neodymium magnets. StewMac has some, also K&J Magnets. Sometimes American Science and Surplus has some too. K&J has by far the best selection. You might spend some time at frets.com to see how Frank Ford uses them.

Viola chin rest hardware. Try violin supply businesses (International Violin, Howard Core, etc.)

Yeah, it is a matter of preventing things like this rather than trying to cover them. I have had to take more than a few parts apart and make things right. It's a distasteful process but it is the path that leads to a good result.

You will find that MOP is virtually impossible to stain or dye except by coating it. It will not accept any coloration internally except when it is formed in the oyster. You should consider sanding the pearl to at least 800 grit, and 1000 or 1200 is better.

With a straight edge and even frets you should have between .004" and .008" @ 7th fret. This is called the "relief". The "set" is the angle the neck is set to the body.

For original owners that have registered their guitar it is a warranty issue.

As a Martin service center for more than 20 years I have done many of these pick guard repairs. The guard will most likely not be reusable, so get a new self adhesive one for your repair. Barry has basically laid the process out for you but there are some 'finer points' you might benefit from. Often...

NAMM is a sensory overload experience. I used to participate there as part of the Luthiers Consortium with 8 or 10 other luthiers. We shared a 10 X 10 foot space and each of us displayed one guitar at the show. After hours when the show closed each evening we went back to our hotel where we set up a...

It is probably best to heat the fingerboard to help drive off any moisture content before starting with the alcohol. The alcohol further dries the hide glue and breaks down some of the molecular bonds, so it fractures. That is what you want to hear as the joint separates, the pop and crack of the gl...

We are ever in pursuit of better and easier ways of doing things, and removing fingerboards is one. By preventing damage in the process the completed project becomes easier and less tome consuming. Some fingerboards come off without much difficulty but some do not come off well at all. I recall a Gu...

I'm throwing in with Barry here regarding keeping the inlay back from the fret. It is only a slight bit of material that needs to be removed to clear the barbs, it's easy to do, and it hides under the crown of the fret. One other issue is that pearl inlay material is very brittle and will not respon...

You have to check the mating surfaces of the joints before you glue them. Now that you have had an issue with snipe, no matter how small, you will be checking for it on every neck you make. The same goes when gluing your wedges together for the top and back plates. I have a quick and dirty method of...