Hi Everyone,

my shop is back open!!

I will be open again my usual shop hours from Tuesday 12th April.

The shop is still empty, but I will be re-building the counter, racks and benches over the next week or so and when we get the power back on (!) it will begin to get back to normal. 

Still no phone either. But things are slowly edging their way back to how they were.

Because there is no power yet, there is also no alarm and security system in place, so I can't leave anything at the shop. If you have a completed repair with me then please contact me via email to arrange a time for collection. We'll make a firm appointment and I'll make sure your instrument is on board the trusty station wagon that day!

If you have a new repair that you'd like me to do, then please drop by during my "open" hours, or contact me to make another arrangement.

I'm still taking work in via Byron Music and Valiant Music (Brunswick Heads), and will do so via Planet Music and Russell's Music when they also re-open.

Ok, thanks for reading this. And rest assured that my "flood-plan" (which has worked very well so far) will continue to be refined and improved. Thankfully, guitars are portable items and I can move them to higher ground relatively easily.

Best wishes to you all, and hopefully we'll see each other soon.

Andrew

 

Hi Everyone,

here's a post about guitars for a change!!

I've seen quite a few flood-damaged guitars - some are fixable and will be fine, and some won't.

But there is another issue with prolonged wet weather, and that is that some guitars will get moldy.

It's a weird thing - for example I have about 10 guitars stored in a wardrobe, all are in their cases, and some are covered in mold and others are totally clean. They are all old guitars that are finished in lacquer. I have no idea why some would get moldy and others wouldn't. I can only be something about previous handling or storage.

Most guitars these days are finished in either polyester or polyurethane, both of which are inert and will simply wipe clean.

Older, or higher quality, guitars are usually finished in lacquer (usually nitro-cellulose) and although it is a better finish in most respects it is also volatile and will react to most things that it come into contact with.

Mold is one of these things. If you have a lacquer finished-guitar (such as a Gibson, Martin , Guild etc.) and it is covered in mold, you will notice that the mold has marked the finish slightly. This won't wipe off, but can be cut-and-polished away.

The best gentle cutting compound that I've ever found for nitro-cellulose lacquer is, believe it or not, Brasso!!! I have used it for years (decades) to cut and polish the finish on guitars that I have made or restored using nitro-cellulose. It also cleans away mold discolouration (and it has a tiny bit of ammonia in the solution, which should kill the mold spores. It has NO negative affect on the lacquer.

So that's hopefully a decent tip for some of you!

If you have a guitar that HAS been flood-damaged then please call me about it. Some will be fixable, and there is no charge for assessment and quote.

Back soon!!!

Andrew