Levin Acoustic
Size: 10 Images
This Levin acoustic arrived in a very sorry state. A right handed guitar, it had been strung as a ‘lefty’ for 40 years or more – the frets were worn out, the fingerboard was lifting, the machineheads were useless, the bridge was split, and a ‘repair’ had been done on the body with a piece of plywood (30 odd years old) to name but a few issues. This guitar needed some serious TLC.
Peter Cook Bass
Size: 9 Images
This Peter Cook bass had been stored for over a year in a metal transport container in the searing heat and temperature extremes of Saudi Arabia. Having been left strung to full tension, not surprisingly, the neck was severely twisted and was more like an archer\'s bow than an expensive pro custom bass guitar!
Conn Baritone Saxophone
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This one was quite badly dammaged in transit - not a pleasant or easy job by any means but successfully completed nonetheless. Full description to follow.
Grafton Saxophone
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Not too many of these around these days – quite a challenging instrument to service due not least to the unique key design. Also, as the body is made of acrylic it is very prone to damage and wear of the body lugs that hold the key stacks in place.
Clarinet Service
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A full strip down service is generally recommended on instruments over three years old. This allows full access so that all parts of the instrument can be properly cleaned and overhauled. You will notice the rust build up on many of the springs on this instrument - which is not uncommon, and one of the many reasons that regular professional servicing is recommended. As one customer noted; \"I can say that a proper overhaul has definitely been worth every penny. I\'ve just been having a practice and, although I thought it was OK before, it is so, so much better now.\"
Selmer Super 80
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One could wonder why both manufacturers and repairers recommend servicing every 12 to 18 months – that is until you strip down the instrument to reveal the heavy build up on pads, the rusted springs and the rest! This customer was astounded at how much easier to play this saxophone was after it\'s service, and how much better it sounded!
Guitar Re Fret
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This is something we do regularly at the workshop and have been doing for almost 20 years. Never taken lightly though as a good re fret can improve an instrument immeasurably, conversley poorly done re frets can be expensive to rectify. We take the utmost care over pre re fret preparation of the fingerboard and fret slots to ensure the best possible outcome. There are a number of fret heights, widths and profiles available, which all have differing effects on the tone, sustain and \'feel\' of the instrument.
Sitar Repair
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This sitar is fitted with a Tumba (extra gourd). Not found on all sitars, the joint between the tumba and the neck is an area of weakness on the instrument. It only takes a slight knock to rip the fixing screws out and for the fragile hollow neck to shatter and splinter.
Selmer MK6 Tenor Sax Repad
Size: 7 Images
No matter how many of these I do I always feel privileged to work on vintage instruments; and to get the opportunity to restore such a beautiful instrument as this is a real pleasure - not that they don\'t come without their issues and headaches, for sure they do! I was astounded how playable this saxophone was prior to restoration, given that, amongst all the many other issues, some of the pads were almost completely rotted away.
Neck Scallop
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Not something we see too much of and a good, interesting job to do. Not as difficult to play on as you may think either; although it feels a little strange at first, as your fingers have no contact with the fingerboard whatsoever.