1940 Gibson J-35
I love it when a plan comes together.
This 1940 Gibson J-35 needed the usual repairs to get it up and running perfectly – reset, refret, pickguard reglue, new nut, saddle, pins, etc.
It’s unique feature is that the bridge and fingerboard are made of what looks to be Cuban mahogany rather than rosewood, and I knew it would be hard to match the patina, colour, and wear-patterns if I were to sand the fretboard at all during the refret. Like a maple-board fender, the trick was to do the levelling on the frets instead of the wood. That’s routine work in our shop, but setting the neck without the safety-net of being able to tweak the neck angle with a refret is always a fun challenge.
Some guitars are cooperative, others less so, but this guitar seemed pleased to do its part in helping things go smoothly.
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