Jim Kozel – Luthier, Musician

Acoustic & Electric Instrument Setup, Repair and Restoration

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Author: Jim Kozel

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.

Jim Kozel March 30, 2018 Setup, Repair & Restoration Read more

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.

Jim Kozel November 5, 2017November 5, 2017 Setup, Repair & Restoration Read more

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

Jim Kozel October 28, 2017 Setup, Repair & Restoration Read more

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.

Jim Kozel October 20, 2017 Setup, Repair & Restoration Read more

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

Jim Kozel September 15, 2017September 15, 2017 Guitar & Ukulele Instruction Read more

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

Jim Kozel September 4, 2017September 4, 2017 Setup, Repair & Restoration Read more

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

Jim Kozel July 22, 2017July 22, 2017 Setup, Repair & Restoration Read more

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

Jim Kozel June 26, 2017 Setup, Repair & Restoration Read more

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

Jim Kozel May 27, 2017 Setup, Repair & Restoration Read more

Jody Getz Classical ~ Broken Saddle & Mystery Buzz Repair

There are many talented performers in the Cleveland and Northeast Ohio area.  Jody Getz is one of them.  Her guitar came into the shop with pickup issues and a mystery intermittent buzz.  Here’s what we did to fix the issues,

Jim Kozel May 20, 2017May 20, 2017 Setup, Repair & Restoration Read more
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Contact Jim:

Contact Jim by email
Phone or Text: 440-570-7373
Bay Village, Ohio

2025 PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

SATURDAY, MAY 31st
630-830pm
SAVORIA BAR & GRILL (inside the Holiday Inn)
7703 Reynolds Road (Rt 306)
Mentor, OH 44060
440-951-7100

SATURDAY, JUNE 14TH
1-4PM
OLD PRAGUE RESTAURANT
5586 Liberty Ave
Vermilion, OH 44089
440-967-7182

TUESDAY, JULY 8TH
6 - 9PM
THE DOGG HOUSE
33475 Lake Rd
Avon Lake, OH 44012
(440) 933-7000

SATURDAY, JULY 19TH
1-4PM
OLD PRAGUE RESTAURANT
5586 Liberty Ave
Vermilion, OH 4408
440-967-7182

SATURDAY, AUGUST 16TH
1-4PM
OLD PRAGUE RESTAURANT
5586 Liberty Ave
Vermilion, OH 4408
440-967-7182

BLOG Topics

  • About Jim (6)
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  • Guitar & Ukulele Instruction (2)
  • Instrument Review (1)
  • Jim's Music (17)
  • Performance Schedule (4)
  • Setup, Repair & Restoration (45)

Recent Posts

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