1880 Schonbach 7/8ths Double Bass new fingerboard

With patience and care it is possible to remove a fingerboard that’s probably been attached for 150 years resulting in no damage and leaving a good surface to attach the new one.

New fingerboard ready for attachment and final set up with new nut and bridge.

1921 Gibson H4 Mandola

Fretboard level and refret, new bone nut, new bridge top and general care and protective wax to the finish.

1928 Gibson TG L4

This Gibson had been well played. I’m sure it would tell many tales if it could. The body was scratched and holed by screws and previous repairs (see gallery below).

I levelled the fretboard, refretted it and made a new bone nut before working on the finish. Spruce plugs, shellac and traditional tones of die were all that was used. No fillers or modern materials keeps the restoration authentic to the original. I left the cigarette burn for charm and posterity as it was sealed and not going to present a future problem.

Portuguese Guitar

There was a substantial crack in the back of this Lisbon Portuguese guitar and the rose had snapped off and been stuck on with Araldite. I repaired the crack with spruce cleats and grafted a new piece into the finial before recarving and refinishing. It was a high quality instrument made by Antonio Duarte in the ’60’s and once restored sounded absolutely beautiful. I wish I could play it.