Official Luthiers Forum!

Felt like rambling a bit today.
Some of the best advice I ever received regarding repair work on guitars/violins/etc... besides the "do no harm" motif. Was the idea that any repair you make should "think of the next guy". The meaning is simple, any repair you make should not make the next guy go "@$%!#$!". It should not add a ton of time to his workload or make his life a living hell for the time he has it.

There are many variables in repairs. Lots of times poor repairs come from people who are *slightly* educated and know the gist of what they were trying to accomplish. But they failed in the execution and used methods that made more repairs needed.
Some examples of the semi-educated repairs.

1. Customer brings in a Martin Clapton signature. Local shop had done a warranty neck reset under a year ago. The heel had slipped and the repair work simply was not good. Gaps in the heel, visible glue lines, just a poor job overall. I told the customer to leave it as is and to report it to Martin.

2. 1950s Gibson J45 that had previously had a "Setup" by the same shop that had done the Martin neck reset. Their "setup" was to cut the bridge down to 3/16" thick and then trim the saddle to a nub.

3. Customer brings in a 67 J50 that had been "fixed" by another local shop. They used Gorilla Glue to re attach the bridge.

4. 1968 Martin D35. Neck had been fit into the dovetail so tightly that it developed a crack. Every single gap and surface was FLOODED with titebond. Took a week to remove all of it and get an actual good neck angle and glue up. What a $#@%4#@ nightmare that one was.....

The problem with these repairs is that they did solve the problem, but they solved them in a way that made the next guy's life much harder than it needed to be and also caused the customer to have to pay for a repair twice. And many times these repairs end up costing more to reverse and correct than if they had simply done it better the first time.

On another note there are repairs that consistently make the next repair harder and can significantly damage the guitar. The most prevalent of these I still see in my area is scoring the top of a guitar and the bridge to make it "stick better" this ultimately hurts the guitar and doesn't help anything. The same shop that did the warranty Martin work I mentioned before routinely does this to guitars and they also routinely come to my shop when they need to be fixed again.

Then you have the folks that have no idea what they're doing. They neither think of the next guy nor do they know what a good repair entails. These are the guys that superglue their tuners so that their guitar stays in tune better. I think we could wax poetic about these people and share some humorous stories.
I recall a story a member on here shared about a Heritage that had had the neck reset and glued back in with CA glue.

All this to say that when you make a repair you should always consider if it can be repaired in the future. There are many things you can do and not do to make good solid repairs but not permanently alter the instrument. The most servicable thing for me on the majority of things in acoustics is the use of hide glue. Also avoiding the use of things like bondo go a long way to making a solid repair.

In conclusion. As I said before "think of the next guy" applies especially if you do not know how to do something. If you want the best repair sometimes it's better to simply not do it. There are tons of people way more skilled than myself, and part of being a good repair guy is knowing specifically what you're good at and what you're not good at.

Mr. Kirkland's 'think of the next guy' should be printed out in 4" high block letters and hung in plain view of any repair tech's bench, along with - as mentioned - Sydenham's admonition to 'first, do no harm.' All I have to do is to remember to bring both my reading glasses and progressives with me to be able to read it.

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We have become a civilization that elevates idiots, prostitutes, and clowns. Am I still to defend it? Yes, for its principles. Yes, for what it was. Yes, for what it still may be.

-Mark Helprin, The Oceans and the Stars: A Sea Story, A War Story, A Love Story (A Novel)

The problem I run into is Joe Handyman simply won't listen. I make more progress talking to the squirrels in the yard.

And so in this case - I don't feel bad about a pro repairman charging the guy the "You tried to repair it first and messed it up" fee at full price....

Seriously - drive some deck screws into the neck. Knock some ring shank tacks to hold the bridge on.. Drool a bottle of gorilla glue in through the sound hole. Make a couple soundboard support posts out of broom handle and screw them in place.. Super Glue mixed with sawdust slobbered into cracks. It will be fine and everything will work out...

The problems I have had with repairmen is simply not doing decent quality professional workman quality work. I am not talking invisible perfect work - but not making things worse.

Very well said and many thanks from me for saying it Dan.

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Ann Arbor Guitars

Exactly!

The clueless ones that wonder why you can't/won't fix it for under $20.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

"The clueless ones that wonder why you can't/won't fix it for under $20."

Hey! How much does a bottle of Gorilla glue cost - for $20 they should get some change back....