Andy Eagle ( Guitar repair tech for 30 years )

Jarick said:
Loved reading through your build threads over on the Fractal forums!

Have you ever found that a guitar really comes alive after new frets and a new nut? Or is it just fixing some tuning/buzzing issues?
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Thanks.
Yes a fret job and the things you can correct with it are the transformations. A new nut is only really a setup component unless it is horrible.
A lot of the time a good set up if things are all off by a bit can make a huge difference.
 
DrewJD82 said:
Billy Howedel’s main Les Paul is probably a great example of this with it’s f*cked up headstock repair with the total wrong neck angle, IIRR, it’s a mutt of two different LP’s from two different headstock breaks but Billy made it work.

Or maybe a lesser example would be the re-fret I saw on Gilmour’s Red Strat where it doesn’t look like the frets are seated 100% in the slots-

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In fairness they probably are but the slots are slightly deeper than they need to be so you get a look at the end like it is not fully down.. That and the refret was done leaving the finish on the fingerboard and I know who did it. The only gap to worry about wound be under the bead on the fingerboard. The tang being short of the slot bed is helpful in making sure the bead is properly seated.
 
Eagle said:
In fairness they probably are but the slots are slightly deeper than they need to be so you get a look at the end like it is not fully down.. That and the refret was done leaving the finish on the fingerboard and I know who did it. The only gap to worry about wound be under the bead on the fingerboard. The tang being short of the slot bed is helpful in making sure the bead is properly seated.
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I know it was Chandler’s but don’t know the guy’s name (Charlie?). There’s a bunch of Gilmour nuts hitting him up to do work on their Strats to do it “just like you did to Gilmour’s” :rofl
 
DrewJD82 said:
I know it was Chandler’s but don’t know the guy’s name (Charlie?). There’s a bunch of Gilmour nuts hitting him up to do work on their Strats to do it “just like you did to Gilmour’s” :rofl
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Yes Charlie , one of the best. Before I got in to this I used to go to his shop after work and ask him lots of questions. He also did my repairs before me.
 
Eagle said:
Yes Charlie , one of the best. Before I got in to this I used to go to his shop after work and ask him lots of questions. He also did my repairs before me.
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He’s got a blog post about how he was called out to work on Gilmour’s guitars in the middle of the ‘88 tour and if I remember right, I saw a few Chandler’s stickers on the backs of a few of Gilmour’s guitars at the auction.
 
DrewJD82 said:
He’s got a blog post about how he was called out to work on Gilmour’s guitars in the middle of the ‘88 tour and if I remember right, I saw a few Chandler’s stickers on the backs of a few of Gilmour’s guitars at the auction.
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Yes Charlie put the Black Strat together after they got it back from the Hard Rock Cafe it was in a state. I saw it in the shop at the time.
 
I've got a bunch of questions!
  1. What's the most difficult repair you've had to do?
  2. What's your preferred method of putting strings on the tuners? E.g some will wrap over/under the wound strings, add kinks etc. with the idea of holding the string better than just winding it on.
  3. Are there any common guitar repair "do it like this" tips you find to be just plain bad advice or "it doesn't do anything" stuff?
  4. Is there a repair you don't like doing? I have given up on fret replacements and leveling (especially after I lost my fret file) because I find it very tedious work to the point I'd rather pay someone to do it and do easier repairs myself.
  5. How is authenticating gear done? Like someone brings you a guitar, how do you make sure it's the real deal or was played by a rock star?
  6. What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?
 
laxu said:
What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?
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Austin Powers Movie GIF
 
laxu said:
I've got a bunch of questions!
  1. What's the most difficult repair you've had to do?
  2. What's your preferred method of putting strings on the tuners? E.g some will wrap over/under the wound strings, add kinks etc. with the idea of holding the string better than just winding it on.
  3. Are there any common guitar repair "do it like this" tips you find to be just plain bad advice or "it doesn't do anything" stuff?
  4. Is there a repair you don't like doing? I have given up on fret replacements and leveling (especially after I lost my fret file) because I find it very tedious work to the point I'd rather pay someone to do it and do easier repairs myself.
  5. How is authenticating gear done? Like someone brings you a guitar, how do you make sure it's the real deal or was played by a rock star?
  6. What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?
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1. No repair, when it is entirely the fault of the player and you need to tell them that it's not the guitar.
2. Mesure a distance past the tuner that equates to about 2/3 wraps around the peg, put in a sharp 90 degree bend and cut the string. Then place the short angled piece through the tuner and wind down with no overlaps and the wrap in full proper contact with the peg. Only wind up on a Gibson with a 17degree head and a tuning problem..
3. Either stringing up with a loop knot or masses of screening foil.
4. Refinishing in bling new 2k. I send them to a guy I trust and just do nitro relic and NOS nitro thin vintage style.
5. Partly the visuals from the best available pictures and it must have provenance and a story that you can trace every step back to the famous owner. Without this you can still do some if the wood grain is visible on hi res undisputed pictures. Wood grain is a fingerprint but it has to be 100% identical.
6. See my other answer.
 
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Andy as a tech do you believe that most tuning issues are due to the Nut, either cheap plastic or often times not cut right?
thing is I always hear that tuning is problematic due to a 3x3 headstock, but my Godin Summit Classic CT stays in tune and almost never drops out of tune :idk
 
@laxu, I came across this vid a little while ago that discusses authenticating vintage stuff. Some pretty cool info in there for vintage fans.

 
Stone said:
Andy as a tech do you believe that most tuning issues are due to the Nut, either cheap plastic or often times not cut right?
thing is I always hear that tuning is problematic due to a 3x3 headstock, but my Godin Summit Classic CT stays in tune and almost never drops out of tune :idk
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99% of tuning issues are how people put their strings on and tune. The 3x3 head is only an issue on Gibson because of the 17 degree angle on the head.
 
DrewJD82 said:
@laxu, I came across this vid a little while ago that discusses authenticating vintage stuff. Some pretty cool info in there for vintage fans.

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Black light is a useful tool but you can fool it in a full on top fake ( I'm not going to say how ). It's best for showing up touch ups. If you were building a fake that you wanted to pass off there are harder things to get past than a black light test. Me for one. The general look and smell of a real vintage guitar is very hard to fake and that is if you can get ALL the measurable things right.
 
Eagle said:
99% of tuning issues are how people put their strings on and tune. The 3x3 head is only an issue on Gibson because of the 17 degree angle on the head.
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Ever since I started using lube (thanks @la szum) in the slots, I have no tuning issues at all. I can even go crazy with the trem and the guitar still stays in tune. I spread it onto anything the string contacts outside the fretboard, other than the tuner post itself.
 
TSJMajesty said:
Ever since I started using lube (thanks @la szum) in the slots, I have no tuning issues at all. I can even go crazy with the trem and the guitar still stays in tune. I spread it onto anything the string contacts outside the fretboard, other than the tuner post itself.
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You can always identify a sticky nut by if it stays flat after a bend. This makes for an easy fix. Polish the slot check for binding and then lube. Not to be overlooked on a trem guitar unless you have a graphite nut.
 
Eagle said:
Thanks.
Yes a fret job and the things you can correct with it are the transformations. A new nut is only really a setup component unless it is horrible.
A lot of the time a good set up if things are all off by a bit can make a huge difference.
Click to expand...

Any thoughts on the most feasible mod/adjustment most people could make on a guitar that would have
the greatest impact? Generally speaking. :idk
 
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