*I didn't take a good picture of the headstock face, but here's my archive picture.

Love the inlays.

Quote from: hammer on May 18, 2026, 01:58:22 PMLove the inlays.

I was digging through my folder looking for a Style 1 Gibson headstock pattern today, and sure enough, here are my original pencil sketches for the inlay. This piece of paper is 30-some years old. I have drawings in there of everything from 1990 forward. That was about the time it got into me to start writing stuff down.

*what I hadn't realized yet (duh) was that drawing them this way didn't really portray the inlays like they would appear on a black background. I also understood the concept of using negative space, but didn't apply it to sketching. It still bugs me to see one where a pattern appears too 'heavy' in certain areas.

My, that's luscious!  Makes me wish Ed McMahon would hurry up & knock, so I can order my Honeytone banjitar!

Peter

The Virzi Tone Producer came up on another thread. It's been a buncha' years since I thought about them, but there's a project coming up in my shop that might be just right for a revisit.

This video made the rounds a while back on another discussion forum where I lurk around. Explains them better than I could.

The store I do repair work for (well, the main one...) took in an old S.L. Mossman 'Flint Hill' dreadnought last week. I haven't seen one in years... so many years that I remember the last one in detail. It was a botched refinish that I stripped and re-did. I remember being so happy that the neck was bolted on... and so much easier to remove.

I'm closed down for a little bit, but here's a story about Stuart Mossman if you never heard of or saw one.
https://www.vintageguitar.com/1922/mossman-guitars/amp/

I'll post some pictures of this one in-progress, since it belongs to the store instead of a private customer. And because it's cool and unusual.

The collector friend I mentioned in another thread has actually stopped bringing a different instrument to every gig.
And he sold all his Martins.
Why?
He got a Mossman.  Sorry, I don't know the model.
I have always wanted one.

Peter

What a hot mess. I could fall hard for this one, very, very quickly... 🥰

I just cut the few strings it had off, and tried to triage what all I'm in for on this job. 

1.) The bridge is lifted, but that's okay, it needs to come off anyway. (check out the extra-long scale... that was a Stuart Mossman thing) This is the dirtiest guitar I've worked on in a while... inside and out. The finish is intact underneath the grime. It'll get scrubbed, wet-sanded if needed with ultra-fine paper, then buffed up. (when was my last tetanus shot...?)

2.) It has at least three loose back braces and one cracked top brace. That's just glue and clamp work. Note in the inside pictures, the serial number is stamped into the tailblock, way down at the end. Note also, the buttressed neck joint... super strong. And keep in mind this box is 50 years old.

3.) I'll have to make a pickguard for it, and clean the glue off. Easy, and fun. No idea what it had, so I'll probably make it either tortoise celluloid or black. Possibly wood. 

4.) Probably replace the first 5-7 frets and dress the rest.

5.) I'll either replace the Schaller M-6's with a correct set of Grovers, or at the very least clean these up before reinstalling. I have an original set of Rotomatics that would go right on here. Either way, I've got six screw holes to plug and touch-up. Up to the boss on that one. Nothing wrong with German Schallers, but I'd rather put it back.

6.) This guitar had some kind of pickup at some point in it's life, and they drilled the jackhole in the lower bout rather than an endpin jack. So I'll be plugging that with a grain-matched piece of rosewood.

7.) Just for luck. 🍀...check out the rope purfling. 

Here's the 'before' pics...

Quote from: edwardofhuncote on May 29, 2026, 03:22:35 PM3.) I'll have to make a pickguard for it, and clean the glue off. Easy, and fun. No idea what it had, so I'll probably make it either tortoise celluloid or black.

Here's what has been on every (yeah, right, "every" - as if it's been hundreds instead maybe 10.......) Mossman I've ever seen (this one is actually another Flint Hills, so dead on).

Quote from: edwardofhuncote on May 29, 2026, 03:22:35 PM6.) This guitar had some kind of pickup at some point in it's life, and they drilled the jackhole in the lower bout rather than an endpin jack. So I'll be plugging that with a grain-matched piece of rosewood.

Stew-Mac sells an expanding endpin just to converting interfered-with acoustics back to the path of truth and righteousness: https://www.stewmac.com/parts-and-hardware/endpins-and-bridge-pins/nojak-endpin?queryid=581543b53a6e81094f86e843a4a21047

Peter

Quote from: cozmik_cowboy on May 29, 2026, 10:29:36 PM

Quote from: edwardofhuncote on May 29, 2026, 03:22:35 PM3.) I'll have to make a pickguard for it, and clean the glue off. Easy, and fun. No idea what it had, so I'll probably make it either tortoise celluloid or black.

Here's what has been on every (yeah, right, "every" - as if it's been hundreds instead maybe 10.......) Mossman I've ever seen (this one is actually another Flint Hills, so dead on).

Quote from: edwardofhuncote on May 29, 2026, 03:22:35 PM6.) This guitar had some kind of pickup at some point in it's life, and they drilled the jackhole in the lower bout rather than an endpin jack. So I'll be plugging that with a grain-matched piece of rosewood.

Stew-Mac sells an expanding endpin just to converting interfered-with acoustics back to the path of truth and righteousness: https://www.stewmac.com/parts-and-hardware/endpins-and-bridge-pins/nojak-endpin?queryid=581543b53a6e81094f86e843a4a21047

Peter

I think I can actually make a paper template from the 'UV shadow' of the pickguard left behind. It'll be darn close. For sure I can cover the footprint. And I'll be using 3M sheets of pickguard adhesive rather than glue for the new install.

Yeah, I've used those NoJack endpins. They're a great fix, but a pain to put in and take out. This one though, (and maybe my pic wasn't clear) has a dead jack mounted in the lower side of the body. The clipped wire is just hanging loose inside the guitar. I see glue on the bridgeplate where maybe something was? There was no undersaddle pickup. No idea what it had. Anyway... I gotta' plug a 1/2" hole in the rosewood, and try to make it inconspicuous. I've done them before... the tricky part is finding a scrap of rosewood the right color and with a very close grain pattern. 😉

Quote from: edwardofhuncote on May 30, 2026, 05:46:12 AMYeah, I've used those NoJack endpins. They're a great fix, but a pain to put in and take out. This one though, (and maybe my pic wasn't clear) has a dead jack mounted in the lower side of the body. The clipped wire is just hanging loose inside the guitar. I see glue on the bridgeplate where maybe something was? There was no undersaddle pickup. No idea what it had. Anyway... I gotta' plug a 1/2" hole in the rosewood, and try to make it inconspicuous. I've done them before... the tricky part is finding a scrap of rosewood the right color and with a very close grain pattern. 😉

"Oh - that's very different.
Never mind."
Emily LaTella

Peter

I've been outta' the shop for a while, but I shuffled back in here for a while yesterday to kill a few hours. I restrung a bass that was done, and got started on that Mossman. I couldn't resist.

First was just stripping the hardware off, tuners first, strap buttons, I fished that junky jack out, and a bunch of old string ball-ends.  Since it was already lifted, I put the shield on and heat-lamped the ebony bridge for a few minutes... I slipped the knife underneath and it slid right in. It was so easy that frankly, it scared me. I stopped and reassessed. All good - applied more heat, and I eased it the rest of the way off. Hardly a splinter came with it. That'll be a perfect repair. I'll plug the worn bridgeplate too, while there's easy access.

Once the bridge was off, I set about getting the heavier grime off. Naptha on t-shirt rags did the most good. Then some 1500-grit sandpaper, and a mild wet-sanding. I'll rub this one back out by hand to just a bit of satin gloss. The finish is solid but deeply checked. It's actually beautifully aged. I cleaned up the fingerboard too, and after another look I believe the frets are dress-able.

I took a damp cloth to clean the inside. It was pretty bad in there, but I needed to clean it up to glue up all these braces. Don't want any lint and gunk in my glue. The first to get fixed was the main beam of the X-brace. It was cracked from right at the cross and ran out all the way to the bridgeplate. This was an easy one. Glue in, wipe, and clamp. Next came some loose back braces. I'm doing them two at a time here... using my scissor-jack and a flat caul with a little wedge-shaped piece so the jack applies pressure straight down. Note there's a cam camp and cauls on the outside of the guitar so the jack has something to press against. That little thing can apply a LOT of force.

Annnnd, as you can see here, I've got plenty more loose back braces to glue-up. I'll do these two next.

I had to take a couple pictures outside in the sun so you can see this one in natural light.

that brace jack is so cool, I want one...

Quote from: peoplechipper on June 01, 2026, 08:44:20 PMthat brace jack is so cool, I want one...

If you seriously want one, wait until Stew-Mac runs a sale. They're typically $200, but they mark them down about half price every so often. Between Ward and me, we've bought three of them while on sale. He has a much busier shop, and two apprentices. If I need an extra for a job (like now...), I just grab an extra one when I'm up there.

Here's another Stew-Mac hack... if they have a catalog item you want, look for it in their ebay store. It's guaranteed to be cheaper, and usually free shipping too. (I just checked... that same scissor-jack is $206 from their catalog and $162 on ebay. Go figure.) 

https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-and-supplies/types-of-tools/clamps/scissor-jack/?queryid=4609af5fce568941a7b3dda970d0c455

Thanks!