Official Luthiers Forum!

I'm so jazzed -- I'm starting a repair and restoration apprenticeship with my friend James Condino, and the first project I'm observing/assisting on is a major overhaul of Wayne Henderson's #3, as well as a sweet 1930 Martin, not sure of the model. I'm hoping I can take some photos. Woo-hoo!

Ken

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Mountain Song Guitars www.mountainsongguitars.com

Awesome. I for one look forward to seeing some pics of Waynes #3. Read the book Claptons Guitar 3 times!

Wow, congrats. Pictures and some "lessons learned" would be great.

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Always remember you are unique......just like everyone else.

Yeah, coincidentally, I just finished reading Clapton's Guitar yesterday.

More than anything, though, I'm so excited to learn as much as I can from James -- he's such a gifted luthier. And a kindred spirit.

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Mountain Song Guitars www.mountainsongguitars.com

Congrats Ken and I am sure that you will be a much better Luthier for having had this opportunity!!

It also sounds like you are working on some very cool projects too!!!

Congrats!!!

What I do not understand about "restoration" is that most folks seem to say that the guitar is worth more in its current state. So why restore?

Mike

Wow - what a fantastic opportunity!

Please share pictures when the time is right!!

Mike, my understanding is that restoration of vintage guitars is often necessary in order to bring them to a playable state (and if you can't play it because neck angle, cracks, worn frets, and other signs of good heavy use - what's the point, right?)

I don't know James Condino, but responsible restorers of vintage guitars will bring them back from an unplayable state, by using traditional materials and techniques, implementing reversible approaches wherever possible, and respecting the heritage of the instrument (as opposed to putting a nice new shiny finish on that old guitar! )

Yep, the Henderson is apparently in pretty bad shape, in need of a new bridge plate, and has a split down the back. James, while not much of a traditionalist in his own designs, strictly follows traditional repair technique. In his own builds, he uses nothing but hide glue and french polish finishes, so I'm looking forward to developing my technique in both those regards. On that note, I'm curious to see what adhesive he uses on the Henderson, as Wayne is a Titebonder.

I'm also curious to see how a teen/young adult WH fared on his third attempt...

I recognize what an amazing opportunity this is, and I feel I'm about to embark on a journey that could very well be life-changing -- if only in my approach to building, though maybe in more ways than I now realize.

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Mountain Song Guitars www.mountainsongguitars.com