Who can argue with the looks of this cool tricone resonator?

There’s limited options when it comes to amplifying resophonic guitars and even fewer when it comes to the tricone style. There’s three resonator cones underneath the “T” bridge cover and a separate pickup for each would be tricky to pull off. We looked into three possibilities and settled on the Lace-designed Slimline humbucker by National Guitars. Installation was very straightforward and the sound was rich and warm, while still translating the unique metallic quality of resophonics. Thumbs up on the National Slimline and thumbs up on this cool Recording King guitar.

A word that has crept into the guitar player lexicon: but what is it?

We get phone calls from time to time asking if we have a Plek machine. The answer is that no, we don’t (They are extremely expensive pieces of equipment that we simply couldn’t afford even if we wanted one.) And we’ll be the first to admit that none of us have operated or really had close experience with one directly. We have, however, had experience with guitars that have been “Plek’d” and have researched them to better understand what they do. There’s lots of information out there, so if you’re interested in more reading just Google away. So that said, here’s our thoughts. Continue »

This is a striking example of Gretsch’s famous Chet Atkins Model 6120 that we brought back to life.

You’ve seen Chet Atkins, Brian Setzer, Eddie Cochran, Duane Eddy, Pete Townshend, and many others with this classic guitar. It’s a 1960 Gretsch 6120 in that familiar orange. It arrived in pretty rough shape, with the neck very loose in the pocket and several missing pieces of hardware. The hardware was easy, but take a look at the neck reset portion of the repair. Continue »

How do you know when a speaker is blown?

The owner of this GK 1001 RB 210 combo, was getting a flabby, distorted output from his amp – particularly at loud volumes. He tried running the external speaker output to a separate speaker cabinet and found that it worked fine that way. There could be a problem with the output jacks or with something deeper inside the amp. But Pat suspected it was a blown speaker. He needed it fixed in time for a recording session in just a few days; could it be fixed in time?

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It’s in for a re-fret and wins the coveted “interesting guitar of the day award.”

Can’t wait to get this one up and running! Check it out.

This one is the real deal. A gorgeous “unbound” 1958 Gibson ES335. Take a closer look.

This guitar was once part of Richard Gere’s collection that was auctioned off in October 2011. It’s a very early example of a 1958 Gibson ES335. The earliest ones from that year had unbound fretboards and this one is in terrific shape. A few parts needed to be replaced and spruced up, and when we were all done we got to enjoy the rich tones of some of the earliest P.A.F. humbuckers. It was a pleasure to get it up and running. Read on for some more pics! Continue »

Here’s a Gibson Les Paul Jr. that suffered a bad headstock break and a repair that was probably worse than the break itself!  It took undoing much of those old repairs, but we made it look right again.

A client of ours spotted this TV yellow 1959 Les Paul Jr for sale at a pretty nice price. The body looks great with all sorts of natural wear and lacquer checking and it sounds terrific. But the back of the neck and headstock are another story. The headstock snapped at some point – not an unusual occurance for Gibsons – and was glued back together. Unfortunately, the repairman decided to strip the entire neck, refinish it in a greenish yellow that didn’t match the body, and then stamp a serial number into the back of the headstock. As guitars of this period had only an ink serial number applied with a rubber stamp, not only were the cosmetics all wrong, there was a new crack that had formed next to the old one.

Our goal was to ensure that the neck was completely stable and looked correct for its age. Here’s how we did it. Continue »

A very interesting twist on a classic design.

We’ve known about Trussant guitars for a while here and have seen them played by the likes of James Hatfield, Joe Walsh, Jack White, Steve Earl, Tom Morello, and even Bob Dylan. But this Steelcaster was the first time any of us at Fret Works had a chance to see one up close and actually try it out. The sound is rich and solid – not metallic or tinny. Very impressive sounding but lets face it, it’s the way they look that turns heads. Click continue to take a look at some close-ups. Continue »

This Ampeg bass amp needed to get back on the road quick. Here’s how we did it.

We got a Friday morning phone call recently from a band that was passing through Chicago when the bass player’s Ampeg SVT Classic head started malfunctioning. There was all sorts of non-bass noise coming from it and they wondered if it was possible to get it back up and running for their gig at Lincoln Hall in Chicago the following night. Another technician had recently changed the tubes and the owner thought perhaps he was sold a bad set. He prepared himself to spend another $200+ on tubes. Pat has years of experience working on Ampegs and was not convinced that the tubes were the problem.  Continue »

We’ve been carrying Souldier guitar straps practically since the day we opened our doors. We love that they’re each handmade by our friends here in Chicago, often using remnant and recycled materials. But mostly we love them because they look so great.

Worn by members of Wilco, Aerosmith, Phish, and many many others, Souldier guitar straps make a great gift for the musician in your life or for yourself! They’re locally made, comfortable, and available in tons of eye-popping colors and patters. We love looking at them and pairing them with our customers’ special instruments. 10% OFF UNTIL JANUARY 15, 2012!