Jim Kozel – Luthier, Musician – Guitar Repair "We Fret the Details"

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About Jim Kozel …

I’m Jim Kozel, a Cleveland-based luthier. I am also a guitarist, songwriter and teacher. Music is the heart and soul of my life. I have been performing my musical stories for well over half a century; setting up, repairing and building instruments for nearly that long. Your instrument needs to fit you like a comfortable old pair of jeans. I approach every repair, setup or commission with that in mind. This website was created as a BLOG space so you can leave comments and ask questions.

Musically yours ~ Jim Kozel

Alvarez Yairi Lifting Bridge Repair by Cleveland Luthier, Jim Kozel

This Alvarez Yairi came into the shop for an installation of my Lil’ Jimmy PA pickup system. But first the badly lifting bridge needed to be removed, re-shaped and re-attached.

1934 Martin OOO-18 Restoration by Cleveland Luthier, Jim Kozel

A 1934 Martin OOO-18 came into my shop for repair and restoration. After several crack repairs and some serious bar fret work, it’s singing again. It doesn’t quite need a neck reset.

Broken Headstock Repair with Butterfly Inlay by Cleveland luthier, Jim Kozel

This 60 year old DiMauro gypsy jazz guitar came into the shop with a previous headstock repair. It had failed. This challenging repair required lot’s of planning. Here’s the long repair process condensed into a 7 minute video.

1965 Gibson B-45 Bridge Repair – “Toni Gets Her Guitar Back!”

As a Cleveland area luthier, it’s a joy to return a repaired or restored instrument to its owner. Sometimes I get lucky and the shop gets filled with music for a bit. That’s exactly what happend when Toni Huff Medley picked up her 1965 Gibson J-45 12-string. This video is less about the repair and more about Toni getting re-acquainted with her old friend, new strings and all.

Cleveland-based luthier, Jim Kozel gives Brent Kirby’s vintage J-45 some repair TLC…

Brent Kirby’s beloved J-45 was due for some repair TLC… complete refret, fractured bridge repar and a loose fractured back brace in a bad location. Here’s how we got after that broken back brace.

Fingerstyle Ukulele by Jim Kozel, Cleveland-area luthier and musician

I will be giving a workshop on fingerstyle ukulele at the Blue Sky Folk Festival (www.neomha.com) in Kirtland, Ohio on Saturday, September 16th. The workshop is from 2 – 2:45pm. Here’s a short video on some of the content that will be covered.

Paul Beard Spider and Cone Upgrade by Cleveland Luthier, Jim Kozel

Beard cones and spiders are considered a high end upgrade for most dobros. Here’s how we did the Beard cone and spider upgrade on Josh Stevens‘s dobro. The first part of the video talks about the difference between dobros and resonators.

Ryan Manthey gets his 000 “Donna” back…

As a Cleveland area luthier, it’s always a pleasure to hear some of the finest local professionals play their instruments after I’ve done a repair or setup for them. I spend time with every customer when they bring me an instrument to ensure that the repair and setup is matched as much as possible to their playing style. Here’s a short clip of Ryan Manthey playing his repaired and setup 000 “Donna”.

Adjusting truss rods for seasonal change in the Great Lakes

The seasonal changes in the Great Lakes region, including the Cleveland area and northeast Ohio, keep my life as a luthier and guitar repair person busy with frequent adjustments to optimize guitar setup. Here’s a video on how truss rod adjustment can address buzzing rattling strings and stiff action.

2011 Martin OM Neck Rest

When local Cleveland area musician, Tony Koussa, brought a recent 2011 Martin OM online purchase into the shop it was clear it had issues. The neck heel had pulled away from the body. The action was so high the guitar was unplayable. Here’s how I resolved the problem with a neck reset.