The Fret Shack

Harmony Restoration Part 1 (of what will likely be many)
I recently got this 50s-60s Harmony archtop for an absolute "steal", you'll see in the photos why.
These guitars were, at the time, student level instruments and sold in the Sears catalog. Harmony built many guitars under different brand names. The big three being Harmony, Silvertone, and Kay.
When I first started out doing guitar repair I was apprenticing under John Orlick at Hy-way Music in East Brunswick, NJ. Many of the first guitars I worked on were these Sears guitars. Most of these guitars, due to age and being on the affordable end of instruments, needed a lot more work to get playing perfectly. Truss rods that haven't been adjusted in years, electronics failing, serious fret wear or uneven frets, were common place on these guitars. Each of these repairs taught me a lot as a young repair tech. Because of my history with these guitars I've developed a love for playing and working on them, and when I saw this guitar for sale I couldn't pass the opportunity to restore and make it playable again.

This is just a side project in the shop and progress will likely be slow. But here is the start.

First post for the new workshop!
It's been super busy setting up the new shop and removing the wait list.
Here's a bunch of photos of some of the projects that have come through these past couple of weeks!

Tech Tip Tuesday: What to do when - not "if" - your 2000s era Gibson hardshell case's tubed vinyl handle unravels and then breaks off completely.
If you Google or Amazon shop "replacement guitar case handle," your decent options range from about $35 to $55.
BUT if you search Amazon for "replacement kayak handles," you can get not one but TWO handles you can link together that are not only lighter in weight and more durable, they are also (obviously) not compromised should they constantly get wet.
And the kayak handles are $9 per pair. 😁

This poster is from 1977 and has hung in the shop since almost day 1. He is an idol and inspiration not only to us but to so many of our clientele. He will be duly missed. Rest Easy Ace