The professional luthiers in the Guitar Service Department here at N Stuff Music are experts at addressing the needs of every instrument that comes through our door, whether its that exquisite vintage guitar tucked away in the attic, the beginner musician’s first six string, or the weekend warrior’s reliable money maker. Authenticity and quality are the goals we constantly strive for here in the shop.
This beautiful Gretsch Synchromatic archtop guitar from the 1950s came into the store a while ago. The old celluloid binding around the headstock had almost completely shrunk and crumbled away, so it was time to replace the binding and purfling on this guitars headstock to match the old binding.
We strive to only use period-correct and authentic replacement parts and materials when working on vintage instruments. After carefully using a heat gun to meld the binding and purfling into the correct shape on this instrument, we glued it into place.
With the top pieces of binding and purfling precisely cut and mitered into place, we glued the last few pieces in and let it dry. After a little bit of wet sanding and buffing, this repair turned out beautifully. It’s a well executed repair using authentic materials and featuring the well honed craftsmanship necessary to perform quality repairs on vintage instruments.
With a new set of strings installed and a setup performed, this old timer is looking and sounding better than it has in decades. Think your guitar is beyond repair? Let the pros at N Stuff Music decide!
-Chad Gerbe, Luthier, Guitar Service Department