Guitar Restorations
Mandolin Restoration and Ukulele Restoration
A Restoration is when extensive work is done over many months or even years to bring a typically expensive or rare instrument back to structural stability and playability. A restoration can also mean in some cases of very old, delicate instruments to get an instrument back to what appears to be (but isn’t) a playable state for a museum etc. “Playable state” means the instrument is able to withstand string tension without imploding.
A Restoration project always requires days, weeks or months of thinking the entire problem through before work is started on the instrument. Each instrument is unique, as are all of its collective problems working against time and me. Such is a restoration. I don’t give completion dates for restorations. It is done after taking the time it takes.
The cost of a restoration has too many factors to list here, but imagine handing me a blank check and being happy doing so.

Kalamazoo Mandolin restoration

Kalamazoo Mandolin restoration

Kalamazoo Mandolin restoration

Lyon & Healy Oak parlor Before

Searching for a wood/grain match for the missing back wood (oak)

Back graft After Lyon & Healy Oak parlor

Back graft After Lyon & Healy Oak parlor
Lyon & Healy Oak parlor guitar Back Before

Back before- many cracks, missing wood and about 6 brass screws holding some braces on!
Lyon & Healy Oak parlor Guitar Back Before
Lyon & Healy parlor restoration New Back braces Before
Lyon & Healy parlor restoration Cleats and new braces shaped Before
Lyon & Healy parlor restoration Cleats After
Lyon & Healy parlor restoration New Back braces and cleats reliced after

Adding a splint of new wood to a back crack.

Extensive Side cracks and end block crack

Multiple side cracks