Dan, even if I never have use for what your show us, I gotta say these videos are just a joy to watch. Nothing better then seeing someone good at their job!
I agree! I use "modern paints" because I dont have a big shop so and a week hang time is a lot of off gassing fumes in my basement... but I do enjoy watching a master craftsman using different techniques.
Why am I filled with an irresistible urge to quit my job, sell all my possessions, and go live in Dan's shop to be his flunky, even if I have to subsist on Ramen noodles and Vienna Sausages. All just for the chance to watch and soak in the joy of seeing a true "master at his craft" in action. What a perfectionist. Thanks for sharing your knowledge Dan!!!
I've been an amateur guitar maker ever since my Dad and I built a guitar at 15 when he was laid off work due to illness. It was the most perfect time of my life and I found my passion early. I have now built over 50 guitars still an amateur and everyone is special better than the last, hell if I'd had access to your insights and help I'd have made a 1000 by now!. Such a joy to watch Dan and I never get tired of turning timber into an instrument and learning from a great master like you.
I look forward to watching all of the stewmac videos as they are always useful and informative, but I especially enjoy watching Dan Erlewine’s lessons. He reminds me of an old uncle of mine; just gobs and gobs of experience, knowledge and wisdom. Truly a master at his craft, and clearly a mentor to younger generations of guitar luthiers and craftsman.
I mixed a flash coat today and did the final coat on a Tele that I'm rebuilding, and to say that this is the best result I have ever gotten out of a spray session would be an understatement. It's really going to minimize the amount of wet sanding and polishing I need to do, which is normally where I screw up at finishing have to start over again. This was an excellent tip and I really do appreciate it
I would LOVE to do this kind of work for a living (or in retirement)! I've learned so much from Mr. Erlewine to make my own repairs and modifications that have ALL worked out very nicely! Thank you!!!
Love this guy! I'm 60, been making acoustic guitars since my 30's, and I still keep learning from masters like this. If you think you know everything about any trade, you're either stupid, dead, or in heaven :)
Dan the Man! I've learned a lot from your videos. I'm even inspired by the stuff that's over my head because it's made me realize that, with the right approach and tool(s), there's almost always a way to fix any problem. Also, watching your advanced repairs has made my more basic repairs seem much easier. As weird as it sounds, just watching your videos has made me better and more confident at guitar repairs and mods. God bless you for sharing your expertise with all of us.
Dan I wish I had a brother like you I could get guidance from. Sadly Spain and your every day items are hard to come by here. Having said that you have enabled me to take on so many new jobs looking after my many bass guitars and Uks: This is a great inheritance your laying down for the future! ThanksPal!
I love my grandpa's. But I wish your were too lol. I would have loved to grow up running around your shop and absorb your knowledge. If I ever have kids, they'll hopefully appreciate music and what it means to take pride in one's effort. Thank you. Now, can we please have a vid with updates on these jobs we don't get to see finished!?
For real, those plugs were invisible!! I wanna get some beaters and try my hand at some of these repairs. I dabbled once at refinishing a friends guitar to a natural style from black. Faked my whole.way through. End result was ok, and he was happy. But I defintely want to try new (to me) things on my own gear. I'm informed a bit with wood working. But got to work on my precision.
Dan Ive followed your finishing guide since my first guitar in 1989.I had the finishing guide in vhs and wore it out ,wish you had it available on dvd,i know tech marches on but I like what you did on that tape.Ive used the flash and retarder trick many times with great success.never been brave enough to use prevail i use the 3m spray hvlp system its so easy to use,slightly costly to get started though ,and i like air brush for small shading or touch up thanks for your many years of great tips and great guidance.
Dude, awesome job. You really are an incredibly talented individual. It's inspirational and an example to others; you share your experience freely. I'm planning on building a few electrics in the new year and watching your videos and reading some of your books have gave me confidence and a glimmer of understanding of what is necessary to do it. The flash coat instructions are great, straight to the point and clear. Seriously man, you're awesome. Thanks for the video on this.
Thanks Dan & Stewmac for the great advice videos - fine skills that take yrs to master. Having worked with lacquers for 30 yrs I would just like to mention the dangers involved in working with SOLVENT based products. The chemical name for these type of solvents is iso-cyanates - yes they contain cyanide. I always thought one day I would get throat or lung cancer - but a diagnosis of ( a very aggressive) bladder cancer about 18 months ago came as quite a surprise. Luckily in my case due to early diagnosis I had a good outcome , just having 1 yr all clear. I now use water based finishes (new work) which have finally been developed to a very high standard. The safest way to use these chemicals (solvents) is with filtered air pumped into a facemask - basically a professional setup. Hope I have helped enhance a few lives. note:I would not repair lacquer with w/b finish. happy jammin', Dean
Well I was thinking I would be able to touch up the finish on my classical that I mistakenly used acetone on to remove the tape from an arm rest. You're a master and I would not even attempt what you did even if I could afford all the gear necessary. Still nice to watch a pro work. Great job, brother.
Dan is one of the very best there is at what he does. I'm not a bad guitar tech/lluthier/repairman myself, but when he's talking, I shut up, listen, and learn.
I love StewMac and have nothing but respect for them. Every employee i have seen is friendly, super helpful and great for the overall community......but i REALLY don't understand their prices. The stuff isn't just twice as expensive, sometimes it's 3-4 more than the rest of the market. High quality for sure but even Apple doesn't gouge that hard, lol.
I understand how the stencil prevents overdarkening the new plugs, but what about the surrounding wood that got nearl bare from sanding? How do you apply this gradient area while not overdarkening? I'm about to have to take this old Harmony top down to bare wood and start over! Thanks for excellent help, Dan.
Dan, great videos. Have you ever seen milky blushing in a modern poly type guitar finish? I have this problem with my PRS. Do you have any tips or tricks for removing the blush effect? I can only seem to find solutions for lacquer finished guitars. Many thanks and keep making these great videos.
I’ve got a 1930’s Harmony Supertone Archtop with the original lacquer chipping in several areas. We love the look but want to seal it in and wondered if using a thinner mixed in the lacquer would help melt the old liquor into the new. Any other recommendations?
Hi Dan, great video, am subscribed and get your guys email. Love the stuff! Now I have a tip for you! I have used Prevals for 20+ years too for my business(gel coat, vinyl dyes,automotive paints) and have had a couple come apart in the middle of a job. Where the alum power pack fits into the plastic piece that screws onto the bottle it is just pressed in. I put a piece of masking tape on every one to be safe. There is nothing worse that the jar coming off and hitting what your working on and spill the contents. Take care!
Man this guy is so awesome and so precise and i wish I could send him my Gibson sg to set up and make it rock again because it needs a Stewart Mcdonald fret adjustment and truss rod adjustment and basically and adjustment he would do lol Hollar back at me Stewart
In a world that has turned to praising mediocrity, it humbles me to see a master of their craft at work. I love watching Dan's videos. Everything Dan says makes sense but you know its because of years of tried and trusted experience. His delivery is great.
Almost speechless. This makes me wanna start building guitars! Thanks for all the vids, they're very helpful, or should I say interesting cos I doubt I'll ever be able to do half of this stuff myself lol.
Dan you're an inspiration! I would also love to see an after pic like the before one at 2:52. The end zoom at 6:23 looks a lot darker around the f-hole, but that might be lighting. I am very curious how you got the whole sanded-down area to blend with the lighter part of the surrounding sunburst. That seems like a huge amount of try-and-see.
I have Mohawk instrument lacquer and want to use this method with Preval to spot repair a Gibson. Does the Mohawk nitro need to be thinned? If so, what ratio? Will mix flash coat 1:4 but do I need to cut the lacquer coat too?
In your other video about flash coats you mixed half thinner and half retarder with a little lacquer, how much retarder do you generally recommend for flash coats?
We do not recommend applying a flash coat over cracked or checked finish. There is gonna be too much dirt trapped in there to effectively remove. That, and those small cracks can be real difficult for finish to get into. You would likely just want seal in those finish cracks.
Dan, thank you for the information video.. All of them help us all.. I wish that i had your knowledge of guitars.. I wish i knew what you have Forgotten, if you have forgot anything in your lifetime, and i don't think that you have, Thanks Again, Cousin Figel
I have a question Years ago Les Paul signed my Guitars two Les paul. I sprayed goth of them the Custom stayed fairly nice but I notice the junior looks like If I rub it it will rub off. what should I do to lock it ? ThanksDan. c];-)
Dan, even if I never have use for what your show us, I gotta say these videos are just a joy to watch. Nothing better then seeing someone good at their job!
I agree! I use "modern paints" because I dont have a big shop so and a week hang time is a lot of off gassing fumes in my basement... but I do enjoy watching a master craftsman using different techniques.
I guess I'm quite randomly asking but does anybody know a good place to watch newly released movies online?
@Hayden Enrique i watch on FlixZone. Just google for it :)
@Hayden Enrique i use FlixZone. Just search on google for it =)
Sir, I cannot express how much help this clip was - you have my complete gratitude and thanks. Adam.
Why am I filled with an irresistible urge to quit my job, sell all my possessions, and go live in Dan's shop to be his flunky, even if I have to subsist on Ramen noodles and Vienna Sausages. All just for the chance to watch and soak in the joy of seeing a true "master at his craft" in action. What a perfectionist. Thanks for sharing your knowledge Dan!!!
Ahhh. No thanks I will continue to stay with my soulful wife who is my partner and soulmate .But will never miss an episode of this master.
cnniz fakenewz Whipped! Sorry, I know that’s mean but it was too easy.
I've been an amateur guitar maker ever since my Dad and I built a guitar at 15 when he was laid off work due to illness. It was the most perfect time of my life and I found my passion early. I have now built over 50 guitars still an amateur and everyone is special better than the last, hell if I'd had access to your insights and help I'd have made a 1000 by now!. Such a joy to watch Dan and I never get tired of turning timber into an instrument and learning from a great master like you.
That's one heck of a job, I'd also like to see it after its buffed and finished, love to see a tighter shot of the repaired area.
Incredible level of skill - a real master at work.
I look forward to watching all of the stewmac videos as they are always useful and informative, but I especially enjoy watching Dan Erlewine’s lessons. He reminds me of an old uncle of mine; just gobs and gobs of experience, knowledge and wisdom. Truly a master at his craft, and clearly a mentor to younger generations of guitar luthiers and craftsman.
stewartmacdonald
Sir its truly wonderful to watch you work with so much care and love for each guitar
you're definitely a wizard at fixing guitars, amazing results.
I mixed a flash coat today and did the final coat on a Tele that I'm rebuilding, and to say that this is the best result I have ever gotten out of a spray session would be an understatement. It's really going to minimize the amount of wet sanding and polishing I need to do, which is normally where I screw up at finishing have to start over again. This was an excellent tip and I really do appreciate it
I heard about you from the Lost Mountain Restoration channel. Simply amazing work!!!!!!!!
Dan you are such a master. I just love watching your videos and seeing your incredible attention to detail and practical problem solving approach.
Thanks Dan. Always a pleasure to learn from a master of his craft.
Dan is a complete and utter beast. this guy has some of the most simple tricks that are so damn effective.
I would LOVE to do this kind of work for a living (or in retirement)! I've learned so much from Mr. Erlewine to make my own repairs and modifications that have ALL worked out very nicely! Thank you!!!
I could watch these videos all day. You are very talented.
Love this guy! I'm 60, been making acoustic guitars since my 30's, and I still keep learning from masters like this. If you think you know everything about any trade, you're either stupid, dead, or in heaven :)
Dan the Man! I've learned a lot from your videos. I'm even inspired by the stuff that's over my head because it's made me realize that, with the right approach and tool(s), there's almost always a way to fix any problem. Also, watching your advanced repairs has made my more basic repairs seem much easier. As weird as it sounds, just watching your videos has made me better and more confident at guitar repairs and mods. God bless you for sharing your expertise with all of us.
Love this it's where I'm at now. I need those, well everything, ha ha hope StewMac has them.
Absolute mastery. You are an artist in your own right. A joy to watch
Dan I wish I had a brother like you I could get guidance from. Sadly Spain and your every day items are hard to come by here. Having said that you have enabled me to take on so many new jobs looking after my many bass guitars and Uks: This is a great inheritance your laying down for the future! ThanksPal!
I love my grandpa's. But I wish your were too lol. I would have loved to grow up running around your shop and absorb your knowledge. If I ever have kids, they'll hopefully appreciate music and what it means to take pride in one's effort. Thank you. Now, can we please have a vid with updates on these jobs we don't get to see finished!?
You are an Artist my friend. Beautiful work.
he's just a total master. its incredible how he turned the mess he originally received into what we saw at the end
shame we never saw the end
acmullane..You saw enough to get the idea.
For real, those plugs were invisible!! I wanna get some beaters and try my hand at some of these repairs. I dabbled once at refinishing a friends guitar to a natural style from black. Faked my whole.way through. End result was ok, and he was happy. But I defintely want to try new (to me) things on my own gear. I'm informed a bit with wood working. But got to work on my precision.
What a living legend . Tnx for sharing the knowledge in the best possible way to be passed on to the begginers . God bless
A true master at work....I will never be able to do this but I so enjoy watching and learning!
Please will you show the guitar after the buffing. Looks like a really good job. Thanks for posting this.
Absolutely amazing, wow. That's artistry at its finest.
This is why it takes years to learn a trade and thank goodness he is sharing it.
Dan Ive followed your finishing guide since my first guitar in 1989.I had the finishing guide in vhs and wore it out ,wish you had it available on dvd,i know tech marches on but I like what you did on that tape.Ive used the flash and retarder trick many times with great success.never been brave enough to use prevail i use the 3m spray hvlp system its so easy to use,slightly costly to get started though ,and i like air brush for small shading or touch up thanks for your many years of great tips and great guidance.
Dude, awesome job. You really are an incredibly talented individual. It's inspirational and an example to others; you share your experience freely.
I'm planning on building a few electrics in the new year and watching your videos and reading some of your books have gave me confidence and a glimmer of understanding of what is necessary to do it.
The flash coat instructions are great, straight to the point and clear.
Seriously man, you're awesome. Thanks for the video on this.
A pleasure, always, to watch a genus teach!
Genius or MASTER guitar finisher...brilliant ideas. God bless you more for sharing your knowledge...and Thanks
A true master at work...
Long may it continue Dan 😎👍
Thanks Dan & Stewmac for the great advice videos - fine skills that take yrs to master. Having worked with lacquers for 30 yrs I would just like to mention the dangers involved in working with SOLVENT based products. The chemical name for these type of solvents is iso-cyanates - yes they contain cyanide. I always thought one day I would get throat or lung cancer - but a diagnosis of ( a very aggressive) bladder cancer about 18 months ago came as quite a surprise. Luckily in my case due to early diagnosis I had a good outcome , just having 1 yr all clear.
I now use water based finishes (new work) which have finally been developed to a very high standard.
The safest way to use these chemicals (solvents) is with filtered air pumped into a facemask - basically a professional setup. Hope I have helped enhance a few lives.
note:I would not repair lacquer with w/b finish.
happy jammin',
Dean
Dan ..you make guitar repair look easy.. i feel as tho i could do most of these repairs myself. thank you
I can't even see where those holes were, amazing work Dan!
I wish I had someone like Dan around growing up !
Excellent work Sir. And likewise to the other comments I too would like to see a close up of the finished repair.
Gee, I hope you filmed the repair of those plugs, Dan! Great spray tip.
Wow, just an unbelievably good job with that. Damn.
Lovely to see a master at work thanks you Stewart
Well I was thinking I would be able to touch up the finish on my classical that I mistakenly used acetone on to remove the tape from an arm rest. You're a master and I would not even attempt what you did even if I could afford all the gear necessary. Still nice to watch a pro work. Great job, brother.
Dan is one of the very best there is at what he does. I'm not a bad guitar tech/lluthier/repairman myself, but when he's talking, I shut up, listen, and learn.
Excellent repair results!
This man is an artist.
You sir, are an artist.
we wanna se the guitar results !!, great work !
Wish I could watch you do the whole repair from start to finish!
Who would think " I know just what this gibbo needs, large holes for control knobs!" Thank the Lord you restored some sanity. Excellent job sir.
I wouldn't attempt anything Dan does, but the videos are amazing and fun to watch!
Dan another amazing repair. The mask idea is genius
Your videos are always very interesting and neat
Can we see a video on how you did the plugs? I have an acoustic that got some extra ventilation that way.
I love StewMac and have nothing but respect for them. Every employee i have seen is friendly, super helpful and great for the overall community......but i REALLY don't understand their prices. The stuff isn't just twice as expensive, sometimes it's 3-4 more than the rest of the market. High quality for sure but even Apple doesn't gouge that hard, lol.
Your work is really amazing, thanks for all the great videos. I would definetely trust you with my vintage '62 Strat...if I had one
This guy is awesome
Always good to watch, and instructive.Thanks Dan
You’re an absolute wizard!
I understand how the stencil prevents overdarkening the new plugs, but what about the surrounding wood that got nearl bare from sanding? How do you apply this gradient area while not overdarkening? I'm about to have to take this old Harmony top down to bare wood and start over! Thanks for excellent help, Dan.
WOW!!!! Always awesome Dan!!!!
Dan, great videos. Have you ever seen milky blushing in a modern poly type guitar finish? I have this problem with my PRS. Do you have any tips or tricks for removing the blush effect? I can only seem to find solutions for lacquer finished guitars. Many thanks and keep making these great videos.
You have a wonderful skill.
Prevals are the best I painted my whole guitar with them it took about 3 and it looks amazing and it’s my own custom color.
Beautiful job!
this guy is an absolute magician!!!!!
Your info and videos are awesome
I’ve got a 1930’s Harmony Supertone Archtop with the original lacquer chipping in several areas. We love the look but want to seal it in and wondered if using a thinner mixed in the lacquer would help melt the old liquor into the new. Any other recommendations?
Hi Dan, great video, am subscribed and get your guys email. Love the stuff!
Now I have a tip for you! I have used Prevals for 20+ years too for my business(gel coat, vinyl dyes,automotive paints) and have had a couple come apart in the middle of a job. Where the alum power pack fits into the plastic piece that screws onto the bottle it is just pressed in. I put a piece of masking tape on every one to be safe. There is nothing worse that the jar coming off and hitting what your working on and spill the contents.
Take care!
Man this guy is so awesome and so precise and i wish I could send him my Gibson sg to set up and make it rock again because it needs a Stewart Mcdonald fret adjustment and truss rod adjustment and basically and adjustment he would do lol Hollar back at me Stewart
Dan is simply the master at this. I trust he has passed on his knowledge 😮✅👍🎸
Dan the man!
In a world that has turned to praising mediocrity, it humbles me to see a master of their craft at work. I love watching Dan's videos. Everything Dan says makes sense but you know its because of years of tried and trusted experience. His delivery is great.
Almost speechless. This makes me wanna start building guitars! Thanks for all the vids, they're very helpful, or should I say interesting cos I doubt I'll ever be able to do half of this stuff myself lol.
Dan is The Man.
I've used the prevail sprayer to spray color (stain) for sunburst tops too
Impressive. Excellent video. You are the man!
Dan you are a legend!!
Hell of a job!, fantastic
Dan you're an inspiration!
I would also love to see an after pic like the before one at 2:52. The end zoom at 6:23 looks a lot darker around the f-hole, but that might be lighting. I am very curious how you got the whole sanded-down area to blend with the lighter part of the surrounding sunburst. That seems like a huge amount of try-and-see.
Dan is the man!
I honestly would never have thought those results were possible. Before this video, I would have thought that guitar was ruined beyond any hope.
I have Mohawk instrument lacquer and want to use this method with Preval to spot repair a Gibson. Does the Mohawk nitro need to be thinned? If so, what ratio? Will mix flash coat 1:4 but do I need to cut the lacquer coat too?
In your other video about flash coats you mixed half thinner and half retarder with a little lacquer, how much retarder do you generally recommend for flash coats?
Great stuff as always.
Fantastic job 👏👍
Amazing, really cool tips.
This is an excellent channel, thanks. How do you proceed if the vintage finish is checked/cracked? Do you apply a clear coat on top of that?
We do not recommend applying a flash coat over cracked or checked finish. There is gonna be too much dirt trapped in there to effectively remove. That, and those small cracks can be real difficult for finish to get into. You would likely just want seal in those finish cracks.
@@stewmac That's the first straight forward answer I get on this issue. Thanks for replying!
Dan, thank you for the information video.. All of them help us all.. I wish that i had your knowledge of guitars.. I wish i knew what you have Forgotten, if you have forgot anything in your lifetime, and i don't think that you have, Thanks Again, Cousin Figel
Great video. Thanks for posting.
You're a magician Dan! :-)
This is ART!
The whole time watching this I am thinking...I would never attempt this shit. I would botch it for sure. Dan you are a guitar repair god!!
That.is. incredible. Thank you
I like the small sprayer on bottle. Where can I get one?
They're available here: www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-and-supplies/tools-by-job/tools-for-finishing/spraying/preval-spray-unit/.
I have a question Years ago Les Paul signed my Guitars two Les paul. I sprayed goth of them the Custom stayed fairly nice but I notice the junior looks like If I rub it it will rub off. what should I do to lock it ? ThanksDan. c];-)
Holy shit you can’t see the plugs all.
Awesome job. Amazing
I just got stationed in Ohio, where is the shop at?
How do the heck Dan Erlewine make it look so easy?
So similar to final finish for pristine Autos, I go your same pathway 👌🏻