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So If You Ever Need a Guitar Repaired...


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This thread is an offshoot of the “Make Music – An Affair of the Heart” thread, which talked about how some instruments become an extremely important part of your life. This topic may seem self-serving to Gibson, but I’m presenting it as a public service for those who have also had guitars butchered in the past.

 

After a previous Fender 12-string had been stolen, I bought a Rickenbacker 360 12-string in the late 60s at Manny’s in New York. I played it, along with a Dan Armstrong plexi guitar Dan himself had worked on, during Mandrake’s last gig at Boston’s Hatch Memorial Shell as well as our Carnegie Hall appearance. It was also the guitar used on “Puzzle,” Mandrake’s third and final album. It had a lot of memories and some mental baggage (like how it had gotten damaged in the first place), but with all the recording I’m doing lately, I wanted to bring it back to active duty after 40+ years not just because of the “Ric sound,” but because I felt it was time to make peace with my history.

 

After some bad experiences with supposedly "expert" luthiers, I’m terrified of having anyone touch my guitars. However being at Gibson does have its perqs…I asked Todd at Gibson Repair and Restoration if he knew anyone he trusted to restore my Ric. I was somewhat surprised when he said they’d be happy to do it, which I assumed was a one-off favor but it turns out the Gibson name is kind of misleading – they repair any brand within their expertise.

 

The biggest problem was that the end tailpiece had gotten jammed into the body, which aside from pushing in the wood killed the thread and the end piece couldn’t hold the strap button any more. This also made a less stable “seat” for the tailpiece. The machine heads were problematic for tuning, and I wanted the wiring restored to stock (I had modded it so the pickups went directly to the output for maximum level, but I didn’t recall how it was wired originally and I wanted the “Ric-o-Sound” back). The frets needed cleaning and there were multiple other details/adjustments that needed to be addressed.

 

I asked if they would do any work on the finish, but Todd said although they could, he didn’t recommend it because altering the finish reduced a guitar’s value dramatically.

 

The machine head fix was simple, and now I know why those little holes are in the back of machine heads (I’m a little slow sometimes).

 

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Building up the wood for the strap button to screw in properly was an issue, but when they were done, it looked like nothing had ever been amiss.

 

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They also did a great job polishing the frets and cleaning up the neck.

 

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In addition to restoring the wiring, they also cleaned the contacts.

 

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And here it is…my blond beauty is back in action.

 

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The only remaining issue was the upper pickguard, where a corner had broken off. Rickenbacker couldn’t help; Phil Crabtree, the tech assigned to my guitar, said he could make one but that Pickguardian could give a faster turnaround because they wouldn’t have to find an original or template. $30 + $8 shipping later, I had a new pickguard so kudos to Tony at Pickguardian (who also reassured me I had trusted my guitar to the right people).

 

Phil put about five hours into repairing and restoring it, which at their $75 rate came to $375. I don’t know much about repair costs, but people who do told me that was both reasonable and fair. In any event, bringing my Ric back to life was a big deal for me…I’d forgotten just how good it could sound, and how well it played.

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Nice pics Craig...that Blondie is a beauty....yeah it took me a bit to catch on to the little

lubrication holes in the machine heads on my 2001 360/12...:-)

A guy from my area...Lindenwold , NJ (across the River from Philly....Rick Clayton...from www.pickofthericks.com does twice a year neck adjustments and string changes for me..he usually is at NAMM every year..

I'm a little overdue, missed my Autumn maintenance trip to him. :-(

 

He has a great shop and is an authorized dealer for Ric, Hofner, Vox etc.

 

Here is an old pic of my Fire-Glo his name is Rick E. Rock Hardo.

https://i.imgflip.com/1p7z86.jpg

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A guy from my area...Lindenwold , NJ (across the River from Philly....Rick Clayton...from www.pickofthericks.com does twice a year neck adjustments and string changes for me..he usually is at NAMM every year..

I'm a little overdue, missed my Autumn maintenance trip to him. :-(

 

He has a great shop and is an authorized dealer for Ric, Hofner, Vox etc.

 

Here is an old pic of my Fire-Glo his name is Rick E. Rock Hardo.

https://i.imgflip.com/1p7z86.jpg

 

Nice looking Ric! And thanks for including another potential place to get guitars repaired. The really good shops can be hard to find.

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Both you guys....Bootiful Ricks! Haven't the vocab to express my envy! 'Course I know having one and being able to actually coax the magic from them is probably a hill I am woefully too weak to climb....

AJ...I think you mentioned once you played one and the thin neck and closely stacked strings weren't compatible with your thick fingers.

As far as your talent and guitar skills, I have heard your playing enough to realize you are being way too modest and self deprecating...

 

you absolutely kill on the six strings. :-)

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AJ...I think you mentioned once you played one and the thin neck and closely stacked strings weren't compatible with your thick fingers.

As far as your talent and guitar skills, I have heard your playing enough to realize you are being way too modest and self deprecating...

 

you absolutely kill on the six strings. :-)

 

 

You're too kind Bruddah...But I do have fat fingers. Goes with my fat head.

 

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