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Artisanal Heating Blankets with Justin Eisenman
Martin binding repair
The archived video and recent Council of Elders were very helpful in upping my binding reattachment game. Now I need to correct how much I've been charging! Someone mentioned that Martin pays $90/individual separation, I believe regardless of the length of the separation. Does this include finish repair, if needed? Any other guidelines on pricing for binding reattachment will be appreciated. Thanks! Neil
Martin DX 175th bridge reglue
I have a martin DX 175TH that is in for a bridge lifting. I did some research and it has an HPL top and a rosewood bridge. I have some gluboost gel on hand but I was wondering if anyone has a better suggestion.
My guitar got smashed.
It was attacked by a Martin Dreadaught on a small mountain stage resulting in a faceplant. The top is Redwood. I was able to get it to glue up fairly well and have done some splice and drop fill on the vertical cracks. I'm curious about suggestions for the deep cross grain areas. I am hoping to not re-shoot any lacquer and just rub out the finish with some Kovax dry sanding. It was never high gloss buff to begin with and it's a personal…
Martin D-35 with cracks everywhere!
Hello looths! Long time lurker, first time poster here all the way from New Zealand. I have recently acquired this 2008 Martin D-35 for a very cheap price ($1000 NZD - around 600 US!) it's dried out in a very cold environment and has two substantial cracks running all the way across the top, one large side crack, and a previous side crack repair that's been done quite poorly. I'm only about 3 years in to this repair journey and this is d…
1930s Martin 00: Best practice
Long story short, customer want to add carbon fiber in the neck for strength. Without string tension, the neck is dead straight; with strings, it's about double the relief he'd like. Is it insane to add carbon to this guitar? Or is it fine?
Sadowsky bass help needed please 🙏
Sadowsky use unique control plate screws which are much smaller than common plate screws. I believe the ones they use are: #3 × 3/8" Phillips Pan(domed) Head Black Oxide csk self tapping Sheet Metal Screw Type AB thread. Being in the UK, these are really hard to find, pretty much don’t exist here, so can anyone please help me or point me in the direction of a supplier? I’ve contacted Sadowsky direct with no response and also many of my main…
DIY silicone blanket heater
Thought fellow looths might enjoy this geekery. I've often wished for custom size heating blankets, but didn't even try uploading the file to get a quote from some of the major manufacturers. I was looking to spend countless hours of my life on something and save a hundred bucks. So I did some research, a little bit of head scratching, a slight bit of math reckoning, and made this '70s Martin bridge plate remover. Pretty slick, nice…
Glue for Martin DXME Fretboard Extension
Anyone know what glue type is appropriate for a Martin DXME fretboard extension to secure it to the plastic laminate top (or whatever it is)? I have one on the bench that has broken loose, and I’m not sure what to use. I tried contacting Martin, but they won’t help since I’m not an authorized Martin repair shop. 🫤 Thanks!
So what about Re-tops then…. (on a vintage D-35)
Hello again folks, how is everyone! So I'm curious about what people here think about re-tops, who's done them, and what sorta ballpark rates you've charged for past completed jobs. I've got a bit of a wild one here, so strap in if you've got a couple minutes for story time! Back in 2012, I traded an HD28V of mine for a cool 1966 D-35 that needed some work. Basically, the body and neck of the guitar were fine apart from…
Martin DX1 plates?
Hi folks. I have a Martin DX1 in for crack repairs. I was feeling around and discovered two huge cedar plates glued to the top. Many gluey fingerprints and spots which leads me to believe they aren’t stock but want to make sure before I remove them. I looked online for a bracing diagram but no luck. Does anyone have any info on this? Much appreciated ! Images
Replicating Kurt Cobains 59 Martin - bad idea?!
Greetings fellow Looths! I recently received a request from a customer to replicate Kurt Cobains 59 Martin, starting with a Sigma DM3. I have pasted the customers email to me below. While I have been a looth hobbyist for many years, I just recently opened my official business, Finger Lakes Guitar Works, and am just getting off the ground and a good flow of repair work is already coming in. While I feel 100% confident in my abilities to…
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Peter Barton with Dan Erlewine and Ian Davlin
Mentors and Olson Routing Rings
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Sharon's Bridge Cradle
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Council Of Elders February 5th 2026
Rozawood RB-11
I don't know when it's from. This one differs from the other one I did, which was much more traditional looking (down to the 70s martin hollow tube neck support). Nothing surprising... pocket is directly under the fret slot.
