OK, not possible. That's EXACTLY why.
But if you LIKE the channel's Facebook page you'll see things as they happen. It might be interesting.
 |
| This might be better than being in the basement. Might. |
https://www.facebook.com/RattlecanGuitarRestorations
Monday, April 24, 2017
Details...details....
It's is entirely possible I have been distracted lately......by the possibility of having a new workshop location.
OK, not possible. That's EXACTLY why.
But if you LIKE the channel's Facebook page you'll see things as they happen. It might be interesting.
RATTLECAN GUITAR RESTORATIONS on FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/RattlecanGuitarRestorations
OK, not possible. That's EXACTLY why.
But if you LIKE the channel's Facebook page you'll see things as they happen. It might be interesting.
https://www.facebook.com/RattlecanGuitarRestorations
Saturday, February 18, 2017
What goes around...
Yesterday I was very much caught off guard. Occasionally I will get mail from viewers and it is always a great surprise to see what is inside. I know what a pain it can be to go to the Post Office and if you're overseas to have to fill out a customs form. I get it. I APPRECIATE it. So, no matter the contents, I'm appreciative to get mail. Aside from that, people often send me items because I've mentioned a particular problem or lack of a part/tool that has me frustrated, or they notice I have a cart covered in aviation stickers.
So imagine how gob-smacked I was when I opened a box from a viewer whom I had done some guitar work for and found inside a new video camera.
A NEW VIDEO CAMERA!!!!
I've been limping along with one particular JVC camera that was the subject of me repairing it (mostly) on camera and, as thanks for doing what I do, he sent this to me saying (paraphrased) "I hope this does what you need it to do".
Yes. Yes it does.
I almost cried. When I work on a guitar for someone I ask, in lieu of payment, that they get me something. The "something" is never defined. I never make a specific request nor have any expectations. I only want them to put some time into the "something" as I put a good amount of time and energy into their instrument. So for this person to have seen the parts of videos where I say "sorry about the weird angle today, we're having camera issues" and to pick a camera of the same brand was pretty remarkable to me.
Now to put thisa into perspective I offer this. Some years ago we were stationed on a small island off the coast of Portugal called Terceira Island in the Azores island chain. I was always looking for ways to keep busy and be a blessing to others when I was approached to lead a field trip for a group of kids at the youth center and to teach about photography. Each child was given a disposable camera (anyone remember those?) and 24 exposures and we drove around the island and took pictures of buildings and statues and what seemed to be a LOT of pictures of the ground. It was kinf of like herding cats: lots of effort and not a lot of the desired result, but we had fun.
The next day I was given a stack of 5x9 index cards where each child had drawn a picture of written a short note thanking me for the day. If I'm having a crappy day, I open my desk drawer and look through those and suddenly the doom and gloom magically vanishes. I have a dozen stacks of cards like that from talking to classes or homeschool groups and they're wonderful treasures that bring back fond memories.
And so it is when I'm sent an item: a box of proper UK tea bags, or a home made string ferrule insertion tool. I look at each item and think about how a person saw a need, then took the time out of their day to fill that need. Inconsequential as it may seen, we ALL can have that type of influence in the lives of the people around us as well as across the globe. How amazing could the world be if we followed where our hearts lead us when we see something like that?
Cheers,
James
So imagine how gob-smacked I was when I opened a box from a viewer whom I had done some guitar work for and found inside a new video camera.
A NEW VIDEO CAMERA!!!!
 |
| Surely this holds something other than what it says. |
 |
| It didn't. It held what it said it held. |
I've been limping along with one particular JVC camera that was the subject of me repairing it (mostly) on camera and, as thanks for doing what I do, he sent this to me saying (paraphrased) "I hope this does what you need it to do".
Yes. Yes it does.
I almost cried. When I work on a guitar for someone I ask, in lieu of payment, that they get me something. The "something" is never defined. I never make a specific request nor have any expectations. I only want them to put some time into the "something" as I put a good amount of time and energy into their instrument. So for this person to have seen the parts of videos where I say "sorry about the weird angle today, we're having camera issues" and to pick a camera of the same brand was pretty remarkable to me.
Now to put thisa into perspective I offer this. Some years ago we were stationed on a small island off the coast of Portugal called Terceira Island in the Azores island chain. I was always looking for ways to keep busy and be a blessing to others when I was approached to lead a field trip for a group of kids at the youth center and to teach about photography. Each child was given a disposable camera (anyone remember those?) and 24 exposures and we drove around the island and took pictures of buildings and statues and what seemed to be a LOT of pictures of the ground. It was kinf of like herding cats: lots of effort and not a lot of the desired result, but we had fun.
The next day I was given a stack of 5x9 index cards where each child had drawn a picture of written a short note thanking me for the day. If I'm having a crappy day, I open my desk drawer and look through those and suddenly the doom and gloom magically vanishes. I have a dozen stacks of cards like that from talking to classes or homeschool groups and they're wonderful treasures that bring back fond memories.
And so it is when I'm sent an item: a box of proper UK tea bags, or a home made string ferrule insertion tool. I look at each item and think about how a person saw a need, then took the time out of their day to fill that need. Inconsequential as it may seen, we ALL can have that type of influence in the lives of the people around us as well as across the globe. How amazing could the world be if we followed where our hearts lead us when we see something like that?
Cheers,
James
Friday, January 27, 2017
Today we learned...
...that some instruments never stop surprising you.
I have a 1950s COLLEGIATE A-style mandolin that I've been working on now and again and today seemed like a good day to get a little bench time with it. I was working on getting the neck to properly sit into the neck cavity and realized that the fingerboard extension was not aligned properly. After a bit of examination I decided the proper thing to do was to remove it, clean up the joint and re-glue it to make the neck assembly more stable.
I was using a very thin kerf micro saw to clean out the open joint space and felt a metallic sensation, if only briefly. When I was able to finally remove the wood I noticed that there were not one but two nail heads in it. The neck had been premoved prior to me owning the instrument and someone had sawn through those nails. Were they factory nails? Who knows. But now I know that on inexpensive mandolins from the 1940-50s there just might be a surprise waiting in the most unlikely places.
 |
| Yes, those are nail heads. *sigh* |
You can view the entire playlist for that particular instrument HERE.
Cheers,
James
Blades of Gory
Not a typo....and actually it isn't gory unless you feel strongly about not cutting things in half....like guitars.
Just a quick link to the video of me cutting the Peavey Clarksdale acoustic guitar in half on the band saw. COULD it have been fixed? Probably so. SHOULD it have been fixed? Well, that will be a debatable subject. Had it been repaired it would have been a low-value instrument that could have brought joy to someone's life and possibly those around then. As it is now, it will be used as a visual/teaching aid in future videos that will (possibly/hopefully/likely) be seen by many and help them to make good decisions when they are buying/building/repairing/buying an instrument.
Enjoy and let me know what you think (be nice, my Mom & kids reads this).
Just a quick link to the video of me cutting the Peavey Clarksdale acoustic guitar in half on the band saw. COULD it have been fixed? Probably so. SHOULD it have been fixed? Well, that will be a debatable subject. Had it been repaired it would have been a low-value instrument that could have brought joy to someone's life and possibly those around then. As it is now, it will be used as a visual/teaching aid in future videos that will (possibly/hopefully/likely) be seen by many and help them to make good decisions when they are buying/building/repairing/buying an instrument.
BLADES OF GORY
Enjoy and let me know what you think (be nice, my Mom & kids reads this).
Monday, January 23, 2017
The Customer is Always Right
I've had a number of jobs in a wide variety of industries: food service, manufacturing, high-tech, medicine, etc. Something that I quickly realized thanks to my small business owner Dad was that you do whatever it takes to make your customer* happy. Make them feel special. It doesn't matter if you're trying to sell them a hamburger or a very expensive photographic print: make them feel special, make them feel valued.
You would think that's common sense but, as the saying goes, common sense ain't so common anymore.
You also have to make your customer* comfortable with their decision to choose you. Sometimes they bring you an instrument that needs the full-meal-deal frame-off restoration...in your mind. But they may only be comfortable with the kid's-meal version. Do you push them out of their comfort zone (which they may already be out of) in order for you to do what YOU think is right? Or do you lay out all the options and their associated risks/benefits and let me go with what they "feel" is the right thing to do?
I can't tell you that, each situation is different, a dynamic exchange only you and your client are having. But I've learned to present my clients* with everything from the "change the strings" option to the "tear is all apart and start from there" approach and to be satisfied with their decision. You see if I've done my job right, I've taught them a little about the magic that is a stringed instrument and the care that I will give it no matter the task. People have an emotional bond with their instruments and it isn't a relationship I enter into lightly. Throw into that the likelihood of unknown financial conditions and family dynamics and when they say "Let's do X" instead of your great and grand "X Y Z P D and Q" plan, you're OK with it. You're the skilled craftsman they are utilizing to exercise a decision they have to make.
Carry on my friends.
*At the time of this blog post I am NOT operating as a business. The use of the terms "customer" and "client" are used to describe people who bring me instruments to fix as a hobby.
You would think that's common sense but, as the saying goes, common sense ain't so common anymore.
 |
| Common sense says Air Force markings don't go on Navy Tomcats. |
You also have to make your customer* comfortable with their decision to choose you. Sometimes they bring you an instrument that needs the full-meal-deal frame-off restoration...in your mind. But they may only be comfortable with the kid's-meal version. Do you push them out of their comfort zone (which they may already be out of) in order for you to do what YOU think is right? Or do you lay out all the options and their associated risks/benefits and let me go with what they "feel" is the right thing to do?
I can't tell you that, each situation is different, a dynamic exchange only you and your client are having. But I've learned to present my clients* with everything from the "change the strings" option to the "tear is all apart and start from there" approach and to be satisfied with their decision. You see if I've done my job right, I've taught them a little about the magic that is a stringed instrument and the care that I will give it no matter the task. People have an emotional bond with their instruments and it isn't a relationship I enter into lightly. Throw into that the likelihood of unknown financial conditions and family dynamics and when they say "Let's do X" instead of your great and grand "X Y Z P D and Q" plan, you're OK with it. You're the skilled craftsman they are utilizing to exercise a decision they have to make.
 |
| This boy loved his guitar. |
Carry on my friends.
*At the time of this blog post I am NOT operating as a business. The use of the terms "customer" and "client" are used to describe people who bring me instruments to fix as a hobby.
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
Who's your pusher?
 |
| Looking for your suppliers of luthier tools and supplies. |
Where do you get your luthier tools and supplies? The more and more I search for the things I need to construct, repair and restore stringed instruments them more I start to discover that the best value might not be found by the top results in a search of the Interwebs.Sometimes they come from a retailer that doesn't sell luthier-related items at all. Sometimes you can easily adapt existing tool to become a luthier tool, tailor-made for a specific task (modifying sheetmetal nibblers to clip fret tangs comes to mind).
If you have a favorite supplier that offers a great combination of price and customer service then post them down in the comment below to share with the RATTLECAN community if you don't mind. As your comments come in here, on the YouTube channel, as well as the Patreon discussion board I'll collate the results and share them so we can be good stewards of the money we have.
Monday, January 2, 2017
Sometimes you have to be mean to 'em.
What an amazing world we live in today. Staggeringly huge amounts of data are at our fingertips (literally) through a computer or a mobile phone (the magic box) you carry in your pocket. I'm still waiting for my jet car and robot maid but being able to get into a concert venue by someone scanning a pattern on my phone or watch is just....astonishing.
Gone are the days of rifling through the card catalog and schlepping from shelf to shelf to dig through a book to read half of a page and scribble a measurement for a part I'm building. Gone are the days of paging through your own Encyclopedia Britannica (and the every-growing number of update books). Part of me misses it (a small part) but my projects often come to a complete halt while I'm looking for that golden nugget of information. In the old days, if I thought I had an amazing idea or I figured out how to fix something, I could tell a friend or two and that's pretty much the extent of where that went.
How things have changed. I have learned much of what I know about building and fixing guitars from watching videos and reading articles on...the Interwebs. I was truly blessed to learn guitar building under Al Calderone at ARC Guitars in Winters, California as well, but the bulk of my knowledge comes from people sharing what they know through the great beast of the 'Net. Today if I want to share something, I pull my magig box out of my pocket and hit the LIVE STREAM button and just like that I'm sharing what is happening on my workbench with a huge chunk of humanity.
And so it goes. Today I did something mean. I cut a guitar in half on my bandsaw. It had been used as a weapon or to keep a car from rolling down a hill or some other such ill-advised task and was, at least for me, beyond repair. So I decided to part it down the middle to use it as an educational tool. And because of the power of the Interwebs, I was able to show the result to the world. You can even see it if you visit the RGR Facebook page.
I'm a firm believer that everyone is really, really smart about something. EVERYBODY. The power of the Interwebs might just be the way for you to communicate what you're really really smart about to the world. Give it a shot. Someone out there is looking to learn what you know, and you never know where that may lead.
Gone are the days of rifling through the card catalog and schlepping from shelf to shelf to dig through a book to read half of a page and scribble a measurement for a part I'm building. Gone are the days of paging through your own Encyclopedia Britannica (and the every-growing number of update books). Part of me misses it (a small part) but my projects often come to a complete halt while I'm looking for that golden nugget of information. In the old days, if I thought I had an amazing idea or I figured out how to fix something, I could tell a friend or two and that's pretty much the extent of where that went.
How things have changed. I have learned much of what I know about building and fixing guitars from watching videos and reading articles on...the Interwebs. I was truly blessed to learn guitar building under Al Calderone at ARC Guitars in Winters, California as well, but the bulk of my knowledge comes from people sharing what they know through the great beast of the 'Net. Today if I want to share something, I pull my magig box out of my pocket and hit the LIVE STREAM button and just like that I'm sharing what is happening on my workbench with a huge chunk of humanity.
And so it goes. Today I did something mean. I cut a guitar in half on my bandsaw. It had been used as a weapon or to keep a car from rolling down a hill or some other such ill-advised task and was, at least for me, beyond repair. So I decided to part it down the middle to use it as an educational tool. And because of the power of the Interwebs, I was able to show the result to the world. You can even see it if you visit the RGR Facebook page.
 |
| Peavey Clarksdale is broken but not useless. |
I'm a firm believer that everyone is really, really smart about something. EVERYBODY. The power of the Interwebs might just be the way for you to communicate what you're really really smart about to the world. Give it a shot. Someone out there is looking to learn what you know, and you never know where that may lead.
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