1965 Mosrite Archtop Model

This is one of the original Celebrity model Mosrite archtop guitars. Number A0374 to be exact.

The guitar needed the obvious fretwork and binding repair. I also took care of a big ugly ding on the neck as well as fixed damaged bridge post holes and neck joint.

Semi Mosley of Mosrite is a legend just as great as any of the other big names in my mind. These instruments come with some quirks but once they’re fixed up and good to go they’ve got all the personality and charm I love in a six stringed electric guitar.

New Shop Location In Armory Park

After five years and change working out of a casita in Rincon Heights I have secured a new spot in the historic Armory Park neighborhood of Tucson, Arizona which I am quite thrilled about.

I will be finishing up jobs at the old Rincon Heights location then making renovations to the new space before accepting work again but expect a heightened experience bringing your instruments to me when that time comes.

Thank you to the folks out there who have been cool as well as gracious and approached me as a working professional at this kinda weird (but hopefully charming in its own right) casita shop space during this crazy blip in history.

Oahu 68k Pyramid Bridge

Here’s a bridge I crafted for a 1930’s Oahu 68k. This one came in with a non-original Martin style bridge that was cracking and lifting a bit off the top. After a discussion with the owner it was decided a period correct replacement was in order.

‘72 ES-335 RestoRation

The finish on this 70’s Gibson was flaking off and delaminating in various areas. The owner inherited the guitar from their uncle who, as you can see from the fret wear, loved it and played the hell out of it which is always cool to see. To address the issues with the finish I melted down the problem areas with butyl cellosolve and touched up a few ugly dings to preserve the instrument for another 50+ years. It also got new frets and a few other odds & ends to bring it back up to speed. Judging from the state of the old frets I’m guessing the guitar hasn’t played this well in some time!

I am still here & thanks

Just wanted to say thanks to the folks bringing me cool jobs and keeping me busy. A lot of thought and energy goes into every job I take on so it makes me happy when I hear y’all are appreciating the work. Peace, bB

‘78 ES-175D RestoratiOn

This one came to me with severe water damage. Finish flaking off, pressed top delaminating, mold inside, the back block was coming unglued, the neck was pulling up, etc… I gave it a bit of everything to give it a new lease on life. Turned out great.

1930’s kay Kraft

These 1930’s Kay Kraft guitars are odd ducks and I love ‘em. This one had some ‘interesting’ work done prior that needed a bit of cleaning up plus a bow in the neck that required a refret with compression fretting to fix.

Above: Bow in the neck without string tension before the refret and no bow in the neck after the refret with string tension.

Below: Cleaning up some sloppy work with a simple patch with matching grain lines. It was decided to leave the fret dot at the 10th position out of respect for the French.

And another satisfied customer with a cool guitar never gets old for me. Thanks George!

Gibson SJ-200

No big news to report here. Just another Custom Shop Gibson that needed a bit of TLC to get it in top working order. This one got a fret level and setup.

IX

9 string guitar with Fender shapes in the works. Bottom 3 strings will be singles and top 6 will be in courses much like your standard 12 string. Further explorations working with aluminum on this one featuring a hand cut (with a palm router) Tele style string through bridge.

No. 7

My business mostly deals with repair & restoration work for musical stringed instruments but I do occasionally build one. This is number 7. Hand built from scratch in my little shop here in Tucson, Arizona. Finished the day after 2021 summer solstice. Granadillo back, sides and fretboard. Alaskan spruce top, mahogany neck, kingwood whale tail bridge and mother of pearl, abalone, ebony and reconstituted stone decorative inlays.

Also, I’ve learned how to keep garden vegetables alive in 115F.

Cheers,

bB

Box closed / rosette

I went with a double X bracing pattern and sealed the inside with shellac before closing up the box.

Also, pics of the rosette. Black & white purfling, padauk and dyed green maple.

Custom Acoustic 6

I’m about ready to close the box on this custom steel string acoustic guitar. It is one of 3 custom build orders I have in que at the moment.

bB

Currently Not taking in repairS

Again, I’ve got to catch up on a backlog of repair work and custom build projects that will easily take me into June and possibly July. I appreciate folks keeping me busy and will give an update when I get back to taking in repairs.

Booked through November

I’m taking the month of November to catch up on a backlog of repair work and loose ends. I have been very grateful that folks in and around Tucson have been finding my shop and keeping me afloat during all this craziness but right now I need a month to catch up, clean out some cobwebs and shift my focus to building commissions that I’ll otherwise never have the time to get to. If you have a project you would like to bring to my shop feel free to contact me now about setting up an appointment for the beginning of December.

Peace,

bB

Now offering case repairs

I’ve shied away from case repairs until recently. In Minneapolis I would refer folks to a cobbler for this stuff but seeing more and more case issues come into the shop here in Tucson I’ve decided that these are jobs worth tackling. So here I am, now offering case repairs on a case by case basis!

Cheers,

bB

Tucson neck resets

Here are some recent traditional dovetail acoustic guitar neck resets from my shop. I took the “after” photos outside in daylight in an attempt to capture detail in the work. Please note that these guitars were outside only for a quick moment to snap a photo. Do not leave your guitars in the sun.

1952 Silvertone 1354 / AristocraT

A straightforward neck reset on a sweet oldie from vintage Sears catalog.

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1980 Guild 12 String

The neck block on this one had cracked resulting in failure of the glue joint where the sides meet the block. I glued the block and sides back with West System epoxy and proceeded with the traditional dovetail neck joint reset procedure with hide glue. I also made an intonated 12 string saddle from bleached cow bone:

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1950’s Harmony H65 Archtop Guitar

This one had an amateur repair performed once upon a time with a wood screw driven through the heel and into the dovetail which damaged the dovetail. I was able to rebuild the dovetail, clean everything up and get this one playing better than ever for another lifetime:

- bB

Luthier in TUCSON, AZ

Hello. It's been a while since I’ve posted here but I thought it's about time to bring anyone curious up to speed. Since my last post I moved to Tucson, Arizona and setup my workshop in the Rincon Heights neighborhood where I have been taking in repairs for about the last year. I still have my (612) area code digits but please note I am all setup and working in Tucson, Arizona now which is where I will be indefinitely. If you are in the Tucson area and looking for a luthier I would be happy to meet you.

Peace,

Benjamin

1920's Regal Tenor Restoration

A neck reset and refret for this pre-war Regal tenor guitar. A new ebony nut and solid ebony bridge along with some crack repairs will ensure this beaut gets another lifetime of play.

Travis Bean #53

This one came into the shop after the non-original fretless fingerboard had popped off from an amatuer repair / glue job. Because of the poor fit of the old board, it was decided that the neck needed a new one. After sifting through my collection of hardwoods a 50+ year old ultra dense rosewood species floorboard was chosen.

Customer wanted to keep it fretless. I also made a brass nut and added classic clay side dots. The top of the fingerboard was left plain to keep things simple and showcase the beauty of the wood. Strung up with D'Addario Chromes 50-70-85-105.

60's Gibson LG-1 Pickup Installation

Here's a beautiful 60's Gibson LG-1. It's owner wanted a pickup installed. We went with the L.R. Baggs Element Active System and it turned out great. With a new hand carved nut and setup plus pickguard reglue.