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

Vintage Silverton Parlor Guitar Makeover

Cleveland-based musician Rob Miller brought his new find, a vintage Silvertone parlor guitar, into the shop for some TLC. Here’s how we turned it into a very nice player.

Martin OM crack repair using winch clamps & button cleats.

Side fractures can be challenging to reach and repair. Here’s a detailed video on how I use winch clamps and button cleats to access and repair a crack on a Martin OM.

Jim Kozel, Luthier (Bay Village, Ohio)

Chad Hoffman’s Gibson J-45…34″ of crack repair.

As a Cleveland-based luthier, I see a wide range of instruments needing everything from a basic setup, to minor repairs and involved restoration. Chad Hoffman’s Gibson J-45 presented an unusual challenge. Damaged at a gig, it required 34″ of crack repair. Here’s how it was done.

Harmony Monterey Archtop Crack Repair x 5

As a Cleveland-based luthier doing guitar repair and restoration, I see quite a few instruments requiring crack repair. Instruments are allowed to dry out in the winter months or left in cars during the summer. Car interiors can get to over 115 degrees and down to 14% humidity during the summer months! This Harmony Monterey was an extreme case. Five long cracks that all needed to be knitted back together. Here’s a short video on how the repair was completed.

https://youtu.be/Y7lgtTQio2k

Cleveland luthier, Jim Kozel takes a musical lunch break…

When I’m not repairing, restoring or setting up guitars for local and not-so-local musicians, you can find me playing one of my guitars. Today I took a musical lunch break to relax with one of my compositions, Moonrise.

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.