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Guitar Restorations: 1935 Martin D18, Part 1: Neck and Bridge World-class guitar experts at Nashville's Gruhn Guitars begin restoration of a classic 1935 Martin guitar. From "Handmade Music" episode DHMM-303

A classic 1935 Martin D18 guitar begins its restoration at Gruhn Guitars in Nashville, Tennessee.

What makes a vintage guitar so special? Time is the secret ingredient. With each passing year a guitar's sound mellows and refines. But with each passing year a guitar's shape declines. That's why George Gruhn of Gruhn Guitars in Nashville puts such value on his staff of highly trained guitar repairmen.

At Gruhn, the restoration experts apply tricks of the trade to revive instruments like a Martin D18 that would be otherwise lost without their help. In this Handmade Music series focusing on guitar restorations and repair, host Jeff Wilson pries trade secrets out of the Gruhn staff, revealing helpful tips from the art of guitar and instrument restoration.

Work gets underway on the Martin D18 with restoration of the neck and bridge.

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Materials:

heat lamp
putty knife
espresso machine
air-pump needle
tooth brush
razor blade
crescent wrench
Phillips head screw driver
modified heat gun
pliers
sandpaper
epoxy
custom saw
band saw
hide glue
clamps
files
sandpaper

"The repairman is invisible." Or at least that's how George Gruhn characterizes his repair staff. This phase of our Martin D18 restoration lays the foundation for the covert repairs to come--that later perhaps nobody except George will ever know that the instrument required. Here's how it all begins:

Martin D18 Guitar: Game Plan and Neck Removal

Steps:

• Shop foreman Sam Calveard and top gun Andy Jellison inspect the vintage 1935 Martin D18 that is due for repair. The list of required repairs will serve as a road map to this guitar's journey back to a presentable instrument.

• Using a heat lamp to soften up the glue, Andy lifts the fret board extension from the guitar's top. He must be careful to wait until the glue releases. Working too fast here will only cause damage to the spruce under the fret board.

• Removing the neck is Andy's next challenge. The dovetail joint that connects the body and neck isn't easy to access. Andy has to inject steam into the joint with a custom rig. The steam will eventually melt away the glue around the dovetail joint. When it does, the neck should lift out of the body without much trouble (figures A and B).

  Figure A

  Figure B

  
  

  	Figure C
  	Figure D
  	Figure E

As Andy Jellison continues the repairs to a Martin D18, he explains that for him reviving a great "sounding" guitar is much more exciting than reviving a great pedigreed guitar.

Steps:

• With a tooth brush and razor blade Andy cleans the glue and residue from the dovetail joint (figure C).

• The (unoriginal) tuners are removed from the headstock with a crescent wrench and Phillips head screwdriver.

• Using a modified heat gun Andy "zaps" each fret to loosen the glue holding the frets to the fret board, and with pliers he removes each.

• Now that the neck is stripped clean it's time to begin restoring it to its original condition. Andy begins by cleaning the up the joint between the fret board extension and the dovetail (figure D). Sandpaper is all that's required to remove the old glue remnants.

• Epoxy is applied to the top of the dovetail and the fingerboard extension is glued in place (figure E).

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