Just want to say thanks, Ted. A lot of the reason why I'm brave enough to attempt my own repairs and upgrades is because of your channel combined with previous skills I've acquired in the automotive repair & refinishing industry. Buying my 1st guitar in Dec 2019 was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I love everything about it. Playing them. Fixing them. Even doing regular maintenence is OK right now lol. Thanks again, Ted! 🙏❤️🎸
The very first Les Paul guitar I'd ever noticed when I was 8 years old (in my big sister's teenie mags) had looked exactly like this one, and it's still my favourite colour scheme on an LP today, 44 years later 😀 And I commend you on all your great work! My Mother had suggested to me when I was in my early teens I should become a luthier, too; I definitely would've not had the patience like you! 😆 All the best from NZ! 😀👍
Omg, that is a job that even the most respected repairguy I know, would not take on without some serious negotiating. Awesome work, as always. Yeah, it was a lot of effort, but you made that custom have a new purpose man.. love your content!
I've been repairing since 1980 and building this century but your work, Ted, always teaches me something. If I get to Canada I'll look you up. ( Terry from Oz).
@@RideAcrossTheRiver most will ask if you want to keep them and then charge extra for not filing them off. Like with a refret, it's *significantly* more expensive to leave the nibs on. I would rather re-bind the whole fingerboard and file out nibs than I would cut frets that are radiused perfectly and cut to the perfect length to fit inside the binding.
@@kotymccallister5150 I meant techs who make major changes without consultation to the customer. I'd be furious if that happened without asking me. Already I had one tech who ignored most of what I asked him to do. Took my money though ...
Wow. What a great job you did! The video is excellent too. Thank you! One thing I always take away from your videos is the quality of excellence is always your intention. It is wonderful to see.
Whatever the ultimate fee was, it was more than worth it. You thought of EVERY eventuality, plus a few more. A mature decision on the remnants on the old binding in the slots, and the chamfered bottom to preclude alignment problems is sheer genius. Thank the Lord my '88 LP is MANY years B4 needing fretwork, or else I wouldn't sleep at night... No one else could do this as nicely -Thanks ! !
Wow. That is some nice work! It must take a ton of patience to scrape and sand and fill and so on, then match the color of the more aged material on the guitar. That guitarist got his/her moneys’ worth on this repair…no matter what you charged. I like these videos that get into detail. Thanks Ted!
Great job Sir....a pleasure to watch. I have an 89 LP Custom which will need a refret some time soon and I'm now going to take onboard your advice. I'll ask the luthier to remove the nubs and cut the new frets to the edge of the binding. Much better than ending up in a situation like you were initially presented with.
I watched this video when it was published. I came back for a review as I was just gifted a 1989 Epiphone Sheraton project guitar. It needs a fret job, tuners and pickups and general clean up. Luckily the bindings are not busted out but it does have a few cracks. This video has been a real help as this guitar has the nubs. I want to save them if I can but leveling the fret board with those in place is going to be challenge. Thank you for the tips you shared in this video. It really helps.
A brilliant result! I greatly appreciate the effort and all the finicky work needed to make such a great outcome. I actually make make control knobs for bass guitars and they require 19 detailed steps to make so I know all the important repair techniques you use. Just beautiful!
Well, you have done it again. What a beautiful “properly aged” looking repair. I shiver to think how much you have to charge for a restoration like this, but the result is spectacular.
Wow! That is some beautiful and patient work you have done there. I'm looking at a 24 year old Heritage H-535 that has the identical issue. After watching this as a guide, I think I could give this a try. I'm here in the States, so I imagine most of what materials and glues, etc, you used are available to me through Stew Mac. Thank you for choosing to share your knowledge and experience with the rest of us.
Very good approach on all methods especially the hand sanding method to remove orange peel. Some will try some of this and might be tempted to use a small hand buffer which one should not do if you fill the defects with super glue etc before applying lacquer as the the filled area will sink every time. Just wanted to mention this one of many approaches this gentleman is using that makes his methods best overall. Great Job! P.S. If anyone is wondering yes I used to work for Gibson for quite some time and I am very well versed in all areas of process. Additionally it was nice to see real ebony, Love it!
Thanks for sharing. Exellent info. My late father has a substansial collection, he has quite a few with bound necks, Gibsons that is. I have 2 x Honeywell air con units running most of the time in their storage location but i have had to have a couple rebound for exactly what you are demonstrating, T shaped cracking were the Tang is pushing.The Honeywells have helped a lot but i keep my eye on them. Their now heirlooms for my children. Thanks man.
I am not a musician. Have never played any instrument in my life. Your craftsmanship is beautiful. Your comments and narration is relaxing and funny. Keep up the excellent work and videos. Really enjoy your work.
Don't play strings, don't build or repair them. Still enjoy every video for their craftsmanship and the serene hands-on / matter of fact tone. Zen Craft.
You should try “frog tape” masking tape for painted edges you need crisp. It’s a product that has hygroscopic material embedded in the outside edges of the tape that wick up paint that leaks or seeps under normal painters tape. It’s pricey but does an exceptional job. Just be sure to store it in its sealed plastic container to ensure it does not get ruined by absorbing atmospheric moisture. Available at most hardware stores here in Canada. I never comment on RU-vid, but I want to say thanks, I really enjoy your content, very informative and entertaining.
You made that look easy, fantastic job. I had my custom re-fretted and went for removal of the nibs, it plays much better as I had the E string stuck in the gap problem you mentioned!
May I add: better from a performing perspective to have better fret clearance than a rather useless decorative piece of plastic. I completely agree. Boy, I really do enjoy these videos and the history they impart. I have learned a lot. I don’t do repairs (I am a performer), but your videos are absolute treasures. Thank you!
Your videos are amazing in so many ways! Great tips for artisans and craftspeople of all stripes, along with tidbits of widsom and humor and cultural observation. A person could learn a lot from watching your videos and thinking about how you make them.
If your automotive masking tape goes south on you, throw it in the microwave for 15-30 seconds and it'll be good as new... I know it sounds like a joke, but I do it all the time... Learned it from an old body man. I think he bought tape by the case.
You can do the same thing with epoxy glue that has started to gel and thicken inside it's plastic bottles or dual-syringe. Might only take 10 or 15 seconds in the microwave, so be cautious; and don't try this with metal tubes of glue! Alternately, put the tube(s) of glue in hot water for a minute or two. If you really need absolutely full-strength adhesion and strength, a fresh batch of glue may be best.....
I have a 2014 Gibson LP Special in TV Yellow. It was only made a year or so, but the binding on the neck and the fret ends, do exactly what you talked about, high E string gets caught between the fret and binding. I don’t know that it “needs” a fret job but when it’s time to do it, I’m gonna have my guy do the fret over the binding thing. I don’t personally think I love the binding over fret end thing. You did an amazing job, makes me wish I lived in Canada to pay you to do it, my guy here is really good though, and I think, end of this year I’m gonna pull the trigger on getting it done.
Well I'm definitely getting the "WOW factor" my friend. Don't sell yourself short. That was an incredible repair. Beautifully executed and explained perfectly. You are,....THA MAN!!! I couldn't imagine having a luthier near me with your skills. All I have is Guitar Center and a mom and pop store called Cambells Vintage. Your customers have no idea how wonderfully lucky they are.
Excellent work Ted! A timely upload, as I've got a 1982 Gibson Victory MV2 to refret... And it's got nibs. I was wondering how luthiers approach this task. Cut to length or rebind? I came to the conclusion that as all the binding on the neck of the VIctory was in excellent condition, I'd just cut and file the replacement fret wires to length. I knew it would be a long and exhausting task, protecting and then shaping the wrie end to the nibs... But I also considered how easier it would be to simply rebind the neck. . I suspect that Gibson would now advocate rebinding, but I guess it depends upon the state of the fret wires, frets and binding. Obviously, if only four or five fret-wires are worn, then removing all the binding and reshaping all the nibs would be considerably invasive and costly. . This upload helped me to understand the physics and labour involved, which more or less corroborated my own musings. You are easily the most laid back instructor of luthiery on RU-vid. Clear and precise, with a little dry humour and more patience than a saint; you effortlessly guide us through the intricacies of complex chordophonic repairs. Thank you ;-)
Wow. That LP needs some help. They brought it to the right man, that's for sure. I'm glad my gold Indio 66 DLX Plus doesn't have fret nibs. It looks just fine without them, IMO. I also noticed they sprayed color over the edge of the binding like shown on this Gibson. I wondered about that but hearing that Gibby does it makes me feel a lot better about mine. It's actually a pretty phenomenal guitar for what I paid for it. I definitely got more than I paid for and I couldn't be happier.
This is the most impressive and inspiring repair video I've ever seen! Surely this guy's work has to be highly sought after among pro players and enthusiasts... And come with a hefty price tag. Well done!!
quel beau travail ! nécessaire pour obtenir un résultat parfait ; beaucoup de temps de minutie et de savoir faire. J'admire les gens comme vous ; bravo et merci.
When my early 70s Les Paul needed new frets, a number of repair people told me the best/only way to do it was to cut through the binding and do, essentially, the same job you'd do on a board without binding. When all you have is a fret saw ...
Saying it had no WOW FACTOR is certainly not true. Anyone who knows what you did would certainly be wowed. But in the end, much of this kind of work shouldn't be noticed at all, right? It's a tricky paradox.
Best thing about this video, other than the spectacular work, is the knowledge that even as calm and cool as you are you too get frustrated. I love your work.
I think that was a great job looking and thinking about it for a few days before deciding how to attack the job. As always, another great job and decision making.
MAGNIFICENT!!!!....Uncle Ted you an artisan in every sense of the word!!!...and you are correct...at the end of the day, it’s just a Les Paul...shelve it, they’ll make more!!!
Acetone binding install is for new construction only, IMO. Anyone who says otherwise either hasn't a clue or they're much, much better at it than anyone else in this world and figured out how to keep it from leaking out. Automotive masking tape from 3M usually keeps pretty well in my experience refinishing automobiles with it. I've even pulled some off that was installed 10,years prior and the sticky was good as new. Tacky enough to stick but not leave residue. We used the yellow stuff.
I hate sounding over zealous with my comments or reading other people's comments that are but.....I seriously love these videos. The jobs are interesting enough but then with the info/history/lessons and commentary on top! Just flat out great content.
Thanks for the videos. I am learning guitar and I am the type to sort of reverse engineer the tools I am using to understand how to maximize efficiency. Learning the anatomy of guitars and how they are unique has helped me understand my own guitar slightly better and is helping me eye up my next purchase after I'm done learning the basics on my cheap Michael Kelly (which is actually a very well made guitar for the price from everything I can tell). ;)
I'm fairly sure that's a neater binding job than my '61 Reissue SG came out of the factory with, my fretboard can certainly confirm that they used files to take the binding down between the frets!
