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Guitar Making and Repair/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| Ric 4001 Bridge/Tailpiece | 12/31/2011 | paul wilczynski |
| Q: I am restoring a 1979 Ric 4001. It had a badass bridge on it and I am reinstalling the original 4001 ... A: I'm out of the country on holiday at the moment, and II have no access to measure the cavity at this ... | ||
| worn out tuning screw | 12/23/2011 | paul wilczynski |
| Q: The tip of the tuning screw of the big E is a bit worn out. So I have a 'buzz' and the screw can be ... A: Second time, Yves? I can't let you go without giving you an answer! OK, your last sentence just ... | ||
| guitar bridge placement | 10/30/2011 | paul wilczynski |
| Q: I am building a guitar using a Carvin NT neck.. the guitar will have no neck angle and will use a ... A: JR: Yes, you must allow some string compensation when placing the bridge on a new build. On ... | ||
| how can I adjust a single coil ? | 10/23/2011 | paul wilczynski |
| Q: my main axes are strats . some single coils have side-slope ( the right end of pick up , under first ... A: It comes down to how it sounds to the player and listeners. Strat pickups are not mounted to the ... | ||
| Lacquer Crack | 9/15/2011 | paul wilczynski |
| Q: I just purchased a new Breedlove acoustic guitar with a 10" lacquer crack in the top. The advise ... A: Chaz: The reason you got this typical response from a number of different sources is that the ... | ||
| Lacquer Crack | 9/11/2011 | paul wilczynski |
| Q: I just purchased a new Breedlove acoustic guitar with a 10" lacquer crack in the top. The advise ... A: As with almost all luthiery skills, this verbal description bears little relationship to the amount ... | ||
| ground wire | 8/3/2011 | paul wilczynski |
| Q: I am trying to repair an old electric guitar that buzzes. I took it apart and found one loose wire. ... A: Can't tell from your photo which wire you are referring to, but here's a general rule of thumb for ... | ||
| 1978 removing finish on Rickenbacker 4001 | 7/28/2011 | paul wilczynski |
| Q: What is the best way to cleanly remove the midnight blue finish on a 1978 Rickenbacker 4001 bass? I ... A: Michael: Tape off the binding front and sides, using 1/2" masking tape. Also tape off the neck ... | ||
| nut slots | 7/27/2011 | paul wilczynski |
| Q: I am building my first guitar, an electric that steals a few ideas from Gibsons and Fenders. I want ... A: Bill: Commendable attitude in this day and age. Minimizing the angles doesn't really solve ... | ||
| yamaha rgx 112 | 7/14/2011 | paul wilczynski |
| Q: I love the neck on this guitar. I have a massive crack in the body of the guitar so i was wondering ... A: I'd measure the scale lengths and the neck lengths and number of frets on both the neck you like and ... | ||
| quite a large hole . . . | 7/13/2011 | The Luthier Lady! |
| Q: hey, i just got a sweet Ashton acoustic but it has a hole in the side from being hit i think and the ... A: If you repair the hole, you should use the same wood that the side is made of. If you use something ... | ||
| Uneven Strings | 6/12/2011 | The Luthier Lady! |
| Q: I have an electric guitar that had a broken nut. It just split in half and flew off somewhere. I ... A: From your description, I'm not exactly sure what you mean by "not even". I am going to assume you ... | ||
| Guitar Repair | 5/25/2011 | The Luthier Lady! |
| Q: I have an Epiphone Elitist Les Paul. I bought it used and it got damaged while in the shipping ... A: A poly finish can be repaired with super glue but it is not an easy fix. It is very easy to sand ... | ||
| Guitar Repair | 5/25/2011 | paul wilczynski |
| Q: I have an Epiphone Elitist Les Paul. I bought it used and it got damaged while in the shipping ... A: Super glue does work on some of these blems, but it all comes down to how good YOU are with these ... | ||
| glue on guitar | 4/23/2011 | The Luthier Lady! |
| Q: I attempted to repair a crack with crazy glue ,and you gessed it I have made a mess.Any advise at to ... A: You can get the glue residue off with "super glue remover". Although you may not be able to get it ... | ||
| Buzzing Pick-ups | 4/4/2011 | The Luthier Lady! |
| Q: I have a Epiphone Les Paul Standard that buzzes everytime i touch the strings, whether I'm using ... A: Yes, it's probably a bad ground. You'll need to check all the ground wires to make sure they are ... | ||
| low E vibration after string replacement | 4/3/2011 | The Luthier Lady! |
| Q: i have a westfield(same as a gibson sg) i had problems with setting intenation so replaced the ... A: My first question to you would be, did you change the string gauge? If you did, the tension on the ... | ||
| Rickenbacker 330 | 3/28/2011 | paul wilczynski |
| Q: Paul, i have a rickenbacker 330 and would like to add a third pickup. Due to the fact that it is a ... A: G'Day, Rob: Moving the bridge will change the scale length. The Rick will no longer intonate ... | ||
| Cracked guitar body | 3/26/2011 | The Luthier Lady! |
| Q: I am hoping you can help me. My guitar has a crack running around the body. I would love t be able ... A: If the crack doesn't hamper the sound of the guitar, and the guitar isn't otherwise structurally ... | ||
| 1975 Rickenbacker 4001 Bass Truss Rod | 3/7/2011 | paul wilczynski |
| Q: I am the third owner of a 1975 4001 bass, and the truss rods are damaged. I believe they need to be ... A: Billy: You should try shortening the rods before thinking about replacing them. Remove the rods ... | ||
| Strat . Fretboard | 3/6/2011 | paul wilczynski |
| Q: Greetings Paul, I recently ourchased a 1995 American Strat.It is in great shape except for some ... A: Eddie: Simply buy a new neck if you wish to change from maple to rosewood as there's no way to ... | ||
| 1980 Yamaha SA2000S | 2/13/2011 | The Luthier Lady! |
| Q: The above Guitar has a crack running above and below the lead plug. What is the easiest way to ... A: The major cause of cracks like this is lack of humidity. The wood dries out and separates. If the ... | ||
| finish repair | 1/22/2011 | The Luthier Lady! |
| Q: How can you tell what kind of finish was used on an instrument? I have a custom guitar that I am ... A: There are a couple of ways tell, but neither is very easy for someone not familiar with what they ... | ||
| Crack Along Back | 1/18/2011 | The Luthier Lady! |
| Q: I have a Guild 12 string that recently developed a crack along the back of the guitar, starting just ... A: To close a crack in a sound board or back of a guitar, you need to use white wood glue (red lable ... | ||
| my second-hand segovia, has a broken nut | 1/8/2011 | paul wilczynski |
| Q: I just bought a used Segovia classical guitar. I don't know too much about Segovia's but I believe ... A: Well, Magenta, with all due respect, if you don't know the terminology for the way you want a guitar ... | ||
| Bridge Saddles | 1/4/2011 | paul wilczynski |
| Q: Is there a certain way to notch the saddles on a tune a matic bridge for a Gibson SG, just installed ... A: You can notch the saddles with either a thin fret file or a small triangular file. Simply position ... | ||
| Guitar Maintenance ! | 12/19/2010 | paul wilczynski |
| Q: please tell me what's the best oil ( or material ) to clean & refresh ... 1- Solid German Spruce ( ... A: Eric: Cleaning depends upon what sort of finish they have... to clean most types of finishes, use ... | ||
| fixing a bass | 12/1/2010 | The Luthier Lady! |
| Q: One of my friends gave me this bass where the string fret holder is broken and the strap piece is ... A: I am going to assume you are talking about the nut (the white piece of bone or plastic right before ... | ||
| Stock guitar neck doesnt fit on the original guitar | 12/1/2010 | The Luthier Lady! |
| Q: I bought a guitar from a friend of mine and I noticed after buying it that the neck fits but it the ... A: Some guitar necks fit this way. Without seeing what it looks like. I can not give you a definitive ... | ||
| Warped neck on bass | 10/29/2010 | paul wilczynski |
| Q: I have a circa 1965 Vox Cougar Bass. For the most part, the guitar is in great shape. The big ... A: Robert, I don't know about "steaming" the neck, but luthiers will typically use a bar heater to heat ... | ||
| Paint | 10/28/2010 | paul wilczynski |
| Q: I've always wanted to have a hand in building a guitar from scratch. Instead of taking an already ... A: Glad to help, John! When you're done, you'll have something that the two of you did together, too. ... | ||
| Inlaying abalam | 10/25/2010 | paul wilczynski |
| Q: I posted this question yesterday, but can't find it. I want to ring my bubinga rosette with ... A: Ron: Abalam is not the strongest stuff...and it is absolutely rigid in the direction you'll want it ... | ||
| Inlaying abalam | 10/24/2010 | The Luthier Lady! |
| Q: LMI describes their abalam product as follows: Abalam curved donkey shell, .063”/1.6mm thick. Curved ... A: 1. Yes, it will work but you'll have to break the pieces in the rosette groove to make it work. This ... | ||
| light scratches, fog on a 2000 RIC 620.12 Mid | 10/12/2010 | paul wilczynski |
| Q: I just purchased a used Midnight blue 2000 RIC 620.12 which has light scratches/swirl on the top. ... A: [b]Well, considering that I'm the guy who originally came up with the Scratch-X/Zymol treatment for ... | ||
| abalone inlays | 9/9/2010 | The Luthier Lady! |
| Q: I replaced the neck on my Mexi strat and I'd like to replace the dots with abalone ones ala American ... A: You can sand the abalone just like wood. Where you will get the gloss is by using different grades ... | ||
| Stainless Steel Guitar | 9/9/2010 | paul wilczynski |
| Q: I want to make a stainless steel guitar. I have a decent amount of experiance with stainless. But ... A: Nobody says the fret board has to be wood, but it does make it easier to mount the frets. Lots of ... | ||
| Cracked 6 string bass body. | 9/3/2010 | paul wilczynski |
| Q: I recently bought a Chinese 6 string bass guitar on the yahoo auctions in Japan where I live. I knew ... A: Forget about the glue and wood dust solution. I'd get a large case clamp (bar clamp), put some ... | ||
| Fine inlay | 9/1/2010 | The Luthier Lady! |
| Q: I have seen examples of a peacock inlay and was wondering how they get the very very fine lines of ... A: The thin lines you see are scribe lines. They are the same thing as scrimshaw on horn or bone knife ... | ||
| Spec.'s for Rick. flat top & jumbo guitars | 8/23/2010 | paul wilczynski |
| Q: I tried researching the Rickenbacker website for the acoustic guitar specifications, but they've ... A: Wes. I can custom-build any spec neck, if you're interested, as every guitar is handbuilt to order. ... | ||
| Finish Repair | 8/1/2010 | The Luthier Lady! |
| Q: I own an older Yamaha acoustic guitar FG-365SII (I think it was late 70s or 80s) that has a scratch ... A: Personally, if the scratch doesn't affect the tone or playability, I'd leave it alone. Trying to fix ... | ||
paul wilczynski
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
Anything concerning building, tuning, theory of construction. Specialist in finishing (40 years' experience); extensive knowledge of Rickenbacker instruments of all vintages. Rickenbacker factory connection on personal level; ONLY licensed Rickenbacker luthier in the world.
Experience
Extensive. I build and restore electric and acoustic guitars (steel string and nylon classicals). I build all of Rickenbacker's acoustic instruments in my own shops in San Francisco and Healdsburg, CA.
I write two online columns with a total of over 15,000 posts since January, 2005.
Google my name or my screen name, "jingle_jangle".
Organizations
American Guild of Luthiers.
Publications
Mostly automotive and hobby (in the past).
Education/Credentials
Manage the University Department workshops(Industrial Design) in SF, also have taught and written design and fabrication classes for almost a decade. Have produced online classes, written curricula, syllabi, etc. Run an online forum for my students (500 in number).
Awards and Honors
Awards won for product, vehicle, and preschool toy design in the past.
Past/Present Clients
Rickenbacker International Corporation, Waterstone Guitars LLC, many Fortune 500 companies before I worked in guitars (I ran a design studio for 22 years). I have hundreds of individual--private party--customers.
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