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Hi, I'm wondering how to achieve this color on a guitar. It's Sparkle Burgundy. I suspect the clear varnish has yellowed with age, which is why it has a coppery effect depending on the light. Can you recommend a varnish to achieve this effect? ​​Should I use a UV lamp after varnishing to age the varnish? Thanks in advance for your help.

I was asked to turn this Fender American Natural Strat into a hard-tail. It would have taken a good while to finish this plug without LED Coatings. I used SM Colortone H2O base grain filler colored with MIxol Ochre; sanded it flat an hour later, then put on a finish with LED Clear Gloss colored with Colortone Stains (Straw, Light Yellow, and a touch of Med. Brown). The entire finish took 25 minutes. THen I glued it in with Epoxy colored…

I had a very unique instrument come into the shop yesterday. It's an American built Weissonborn/lap guitar (*spelling). The top has separated from the kerfing and sides on the lower left bout, and was raised significantly while under string tension when the customer dropped it off. I have a two fold problem as I see it. Applying horizonal pressure to a very light and fragile instrument, and getting enough glue into the separation where…

I've only built a handful of necks and most of them have been roasted maple fretboards. This time around I am using a beautiful and incredibly stiff/hard piece of ebony. I am doing a light hammering in of the frets to get them seated and then using the hand-held vice clamps from Stewmac with the correct fretboard radius to push them down evenly the rest of the way. This process works just fine on roasted maple. It's just a softer wood t…

Wow! Sorry I missed the live version of this chat. Having used light cured dental materials for years, I can guess the answers to some of your questions. Beware, these are only guesses because the dental materials are similar, but likely a bit different. First, as far as wearing the orange glasses - it’s a darn good idea. Repeated exposure to a bright light, especially with blue components, will likely promote cataract formation. I do no…

Hi all, I was fortunate enough to have been gifted a Brazilian RW B&S set from a friend who inherited it. Unfortunately, while the back pieces were nicely bookmatched, the side pieces apparently were orphans. One of the sides matches the back closely enough, but the other is pretty light, and the contrast is....stark. I want to darken-up the lighter side, but I don't want to just hit it with my best guess for a stain, cross my fingers, a…

I had a client dropped off his Suhr JM Classic for a pot replacement yesterday. The fretboard extension hangs over the pickguard on these a little so I flipped it over to loosen the neck screws a tad. I found what looked like 3 missing neck screws and only one screwed in place. The one screwed in place was bright and shiny. I removed that screw and the neck would not budge at all. I focused a pin light into the neck pocket holes to find…

Can anyone shed light on the “high clarity” options that Bjorn offers? I’m looking for an all around glue for most applications, just wondering if there is benefit to the HC options?

Stew Mac Erlewine Neck Jig for sale, purchased new in May of 2023. Very light use in excellent condition. More photos upon request. Comes with angle vise, shipping based on location. Available for pickup in Fairfield County, CT. $550.00 Erlewine Neck Jig Workstation - StewMac

Initial frequency analysis of this D28 copy (done with a temporary 35g bolt-on bridge and the back plate taped on) is VERY LOW. Main air resonance 83.5hz and top monopole 156.6. It's standard Martin scalloped X-bracing with a torrefied Adirondack top. Since I can still easily access the bracing, I'm thinking of going in and laminating wood on top of the X brace to stiffen it. Other options would be a very light bridge, though I'm not…

I’m working on a 1920’s Regal with an ebonized fingerboard. I’ve seen these referred to as “ebonized pearwood,” but all I know is it’s worn through to a light wood, definitely much softer and grainier than maple. I want to keep the finger wear through the ebonizing, but build up a little layer of protection. Boiled linseed oil seems ideal for this. However, I’ve heard boiled linseed oil doesn’t react well with tannins. Tannins may be pa…

Has anyone had luck contacting UV III Systems? I’ve called, could not leave a message, emailed them and never heard back, tried ordering replacement bulbs today and their website had an error. Not sure where to get the specific bulbs for our UV4-XL curing light.