"The guitar belonged to my father, the neck is broken, and that's why it's in the attic now.... I remember him playing it so well!"
Every repaired guitar has its own story, and that's what I love so much about instruments. The history of a guitar and the joy it gives someone in their life... Instruments are a valuable possession.
This Egmond guitar in my workshop is an heirloom and is no longer being played. I look at the guitar and see that it's actually an easy repair. The neck can be detached, and then I can glue and re-lacquer it.
Calmly, I detach the neck and repair it. It is a very clean break and luckily no one had tried to repair it themselves yet. A good blob of glue on it and into the clamps.
I take the body of the guitar to my paint shop, because I need the exact right paint to lacquer it later. When the neck is dry, I spray it and then you can't see the break anymore. The neck is beautifully restored, and I put it back on the body.
I play a tune on the guitar, and I must say the guitar plays nicely and sounds fun! It's always great to restore an older guitar to its former glory.
The owner of the guitar is super happy. "It looks so beautiful again! Maybe I'll take guitar lessons, because now it can be played again. I even bought a nice stand for the guitar, so it can be in the living room!" And that always makes me very happy. A guitar that was collecting dust in the attic becomes the showpiece of the living room... I'm glad I was able to contribute to that!
Ramon Riemersma
Luthier
