Hi Everyone,

Here is a great, in-depth video series featuring Keith Holland demonstrating how to change strings on a guitar, hosted by our good friends over at TotallyGuitars.com

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Watch below as Keith Holland of keith Holland Guitars who services the Bay Area, San Jose, Los Gatos and San Francisco area repairs an “acoustic-guitar-crack” that has traveled along the body sides.This video highlights the need to repair an “acoustic-guitar-crack” as soon as possible. Cracks can start out as tiny little annoyances, but can quickly grow out of hand, rendering a guitar unplayable.

The sooner you can get a crack repaired, the better.  A harmless looking crack in an otherwise aesthetic area can easily spread and threaten the structural integrity of the instrument. And if that’s not enough, as time passes the exposed wood in the crack oxidizes, which means that the repair will be more noticeable the longer you wait.

For best results, Keith recommends all “acoustic-guitar-crack” problems be brought in for repair within 24 hours whenever possible.

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Cracked Acoustic Guitar Repair Video

Keith Holland repairs Archtop Bridge on a 60’s Gretch 6124 Archtop Vintage  Guitar.

In this video, Keith shows a Gretsch 6124 that is undergoing a restoration. When new, this 6124 originally came with an Archtop style bridge that rested on the top of the body. Somewhere in this guitar’s history it had holes drilled into the top for a Tune-O-Matic bridge to be installed.  Keith’s first step was to fill the holes with Maple dowel rod.

The next step was to shape the bottom of the bridge so that it makes a matching fit with the top of the Archtop. This is a little tricky, and Keith decided to make a video so you can see how its done in order to make a solid contact with the top.

Can a Gibson EBO Truss Rod be Replaced?
The subject of this neck-saving procedure is an amazing Early 60’s Gibson EBO Bass!….

Its not too difficult to find a guitar tech that will answer this question with a simple “no” and nothing else. For most instruments, the de’facto method of dealing with a damaged truss rod is to install a new neck. But there are some greatly cherished instruments that deserve to keep their necks. And for these lucky instruments the real answer is YES, a truss rod CAN be replaced. In this video series, we get to see what’s involved as Keith goes under the fingerboard.

Here we reattach binding that has shrunken over time

Once back onto guitar, a gap is visible

No more gap, all done!

Old Guitars without Adjustable Truss Rods really benefit from Compression Refret.

Frets off, and start to level the fretboard…

Fretboard now leveled and ready for frets…

Frets installed, neck is looking nice and straight…

Sometimes your guitar will start playing different.

It may not be a major problem, but something is not quite right with it. Perhaps it has a small buzz or rattle. You know something does not feel right but the problem is so small it is hard to figure out just what the problem is.
Major problems should be taken to a professional guitar repairman.

Here’s a very quick rundown:

Start at your tuning keys and check to make sure they are tight. If the screws are loose or missing the tuning keys may move slightly and cause you to have problems keeping your guitar in tune.

Make sure they turn smoothly and are not too tight or too loose. You may want to replace your tuners with a better set if you are having any problems keeping your guitar in tune. You may want to turn your attention to the nut at the top of your fingerboard next. Take a look and see if the strings are sitting in the groves. They should all be about the same height and there should not be any part of the nut broken off. Sometimes a string may shift slightly out of the nut and cause a buzz or rattle when you play.

Take a look at the fingerboard and frets next. The fingerboard should not show any severe signs of wear or uneven spots. There may be some normal wear in this area but you should be fine here as long as you do not spot any extreme wear. The frets are another story as they will wear and cause you all kinds of playing problems. Look for any uneven wear or sharp edges. A fret job is really a job for a guitar repair professional and is not something the average player will want to take on.

Take a look at the bridge and see if everything looks all right. You want to check for gaps between the top of the guitar and the bottom of the bridge. Make sure you do not see any cracks in the wood and the saddle is sitting in the bridge straight. Once again if you need the bridge worked on it is usually best to leave this to a pro.