Tools: Rich Mans Nut Files

So, what about those posh diamond-coated nut files you can get? Are they any good? Well…

Guitar Repair, SetupGerry Hayes29 April 2024guitar, bass, repair, luthier, nerds, nut, file, diamond

Tools: Poor Man's Saddle Sander

Those nut and sddle sanders they sell on eBay for not a lot of money… Are they any good? Well…

Guitar Repair, SetupGerry Hayes25 April 2024guitar, bass, repair, luthier, nerds, nut, saddle, sander

Fitting a new bolt-on neck - Part 3

This damned neck continues to task me, curse it. This time the tuner bushings are too small for the holes in the aftermarket neck. Let’s deal with that…

Guitar RepairGerry Hayes20 April 2024neck, tuners, bushing, hole, repair, guitar, bass, bolt-on, veneer, wood-bending

Fitting a new bolt-on neck - Part 2

Last time we wrestled the neck into the pocket. Now we meet another common issue with aftermarket necks: Mismatched screw holes. Find out how to deal with this…

Guitar RepairGerry Hayes17 April 2024neck, bolt-on, guitar, bass, electric guitar, hole, plug

Fitting a new bolt-on neck - Part 1

Fitting a new bolt-on neck should be a relatively straightforward process. However, sometimes necks can fight back a little. Check it out…

Guitar RepairGerry Hayes15 April 2024neck, bolt-on, retrofit, fender, bass, guitar, electric guitar

Appointments: The final word

Ok. This is the final word on how I’ll be managing appointments from now on. TL;DR is this: Demand is really high. Previous short-lived (and hare-brained) system was bad. Moving to a straightforward waiting list.
Click through for more context…

HousekeepingGerry Hayes22 February 2023housekeeping, appointments, waiting list, repair

Haze Appointment Update

So, things got pretty crazy when I opened for appointments yesterday. Let’s talk about that…
Note: Post updated since published.

HousekeepingGerry Hayes3 January 2023appointments, calendar

Appointment Scheduling Changes

Things have been incredibly busy over the last year and seem to be getting more so, so it’s necessary to change how I handle appointments. Here’s what’s happening…
Note: Post updated since published.

HousekeepingGerry Hayes2 January 2023appointments, housekeeping, calendar

Notched or non-notched straight-edge

Should you use a notched straight edge for guitar and bass setup? It’s a precision tool and is invaluable for some jobs. But maybe not setup. Read more…

Guitar Repair, SetupGerry Hayes19 October 2022guitar, bass, repair, luthier, fret level, setup, measurement

Truss Rod Standards

Dealing with truss rods can often be a frustrating experience. There are no real standards. For the most part, you’ll encounter a smallish number of adjustment nuts and tools but sometimes makers throw curveballs. Looking at Maton today…

Guitar Repair, SetupGerry Hayes12 October 2022guitar, bass, repair, luthier, nerds

Rounding Out Tremolo Stabilisers (for now)

I’ll return to tremolo stabilisation (a particular implementation) at some point in the future but, for now, I’ve a few thoughts to round out the subject, including an important caveat for all these systems. Check it out…

Guitar Repair, SetupGerry Hayes31 August 2022guitar, bass, repair, luthier, nerds

Using Tremolo Stabilisers

After blocking, after dive-only setups, after tremolo-stops… It’s time to look at ways to keep the bridge fully floating but still add a little extra stability to the system. Let’s take a look at tremolo stabiliser devices…

Guitar Repair, SetupGerry Hayes24 August 2022guitar, bass, repair, luthier, nerds, tremolo, floating tremolo, stabiliser, tuning

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