Routine Maintenance on a Gibson SG Reissue
The truss-rod nut still had finish on it. A careful setup brought this SG’s big neck down to 0.004 inch of relief.
Bench Diaries
Every guitar that comes across the bench has a story, and most of them are more interesting than “it needed a setup.” A neck that moved because the owner switched string gauges. A crackling volume pot that turned out to be a cold solder joint from the factory. A single fret lifting a few thousandths of an inch and buzzing the whole instrument.
These are the write-ups: what came in, what was actually wrong with it, and how it got fixed. Photos from the bench, in the order the work happened. If you are trying to work out whether your own guitar needs the same thing, these should tell you more than a price list can.
Fixing a Bad 4-Way Rewire on an American Telecaster
A previous rewire left this Tele’s new 4-way switch dead. A Mojotone prewired harness gave it a clean start.
When a Guitar Gets Too Dry: Why Humidity Matters for Playability and Long-Term Health
A 2015 Eastman E20 OO with high action, raised inlays and a loose saddle: one problem was neck relief, the others were dryness.
Giving a Well-Used Guitar a Second Life: Deep Cleaning, a Custom-Fit Pickguard, and a Proper Tele Jack
A well-used Squier gets a deep cleanup, a black pickguard custom-fitted to its humbuckers, and a proper Telecaster-style output jack.
A Loose Guitar Output Jack: A Small Problem That Can Turn Into a Bigger Repair
Tighten a loose jack nut the wrong way and the wiring inside twists with it. Here’s how to hold the jack still.
When a Guitar Just Doesn’t Feel Right: A Loose Fret on an Alvarez Acoustic
It buzzed and felt high. The cause was a single lifted fret — and the fix brought the action down 1.7 mm.