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.
Author: Jim Kozel
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.
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, solve the mystery.
Martin D-16 GT Fractured Side and Back Repair
A local Cleveland musician had a bad accident with his beloved Martin D-16 GT. Here’s how we brought what was at first considered an unrepairable guitar back to life.
1973 Telecaster Restoration
This 1973 tele had been judged DOA almost 30 years ago because of a badly back-bowed neck. Here’s how I brought it back to life in my Cleveland, Ohio shop.