Off the bench
Six recent jobs, with the weeks they really took.
Nothing here is identified by maker or owner. Instruments are described by what they are, which is the part that decides the work anyway.
Carved archtop, 1950s
Two seam cracks, cleated and touched in
5 weeks
Arrived with a repair from the seventies that had to come out first. That was three of the five weeks.
Flat-top six string, 1940s
Neck reset
4 weeks
Steamed, reset, and refretted while it was apart. The action came down by nearly three millimetres.
Five string banjo
Refret and new head
3 weeks
Owner wanted the original frets kept in a bag, which is a request we get more often than you would think.
Upright bass, plywood
Fingerboard dress and soundpost
2 weeks
School instrument. Half the job was the setup that had never been done.
F-style mandolin
Bridge fit and setup
1 week
Bridge had never been fitted to the top. Twenty minutes of work and a week of waiting for the bench.
Solid body, 1960s offset
Rewire, refret, new nut
3 weeks
Original pots kept and cleaned rather than replaced, at the owner's request and against my advice.