1940's Kalamazo Refret

[@MillsGuitars]

I forgot to say it in the video, but the action was .08 in both sides when I finished!

[@BenPrevo]

I reckon that may be prewar ?

[@EbonyPope]

Isn't it better to use a suction cup to work that glue into the crack? This way you could really pump it in.

[@earlsinstrumentsandtunes9732]

That 3rd fret wear was incredible. Somebody picked the splinters out of that guitar! I have done many (well over 100 I know) fret jobs since 1980 and have never seen a fret so completely worn out as this one was. Good job Caleb!

[@r.p.mcmurphy6623]

I hope Jerry is promoting your channel on his channel! Good luck...

[@WryGrass100]

It's great seeing these old-timers brought back! Fine work, Caleb.😏

[@ice9snowflake187]

Great tone from an old archtop. Surprising depth.

[@picksalot1]

What a cool old guitar to get to repair. I enjoy watching guitars get repaired, as it helps me with working on my own guitars. I saw a couple of tips on the Twoodfrd Channel that might come in handy. You can use a suction cup to "push" glue down into a tight crack. Naphtha works well to clean old finishes without removing the finish itself. BUT, you should verify this information with Jerry first to make sure it's correct.

[@I-apologize-in-advance]

I would love to find an old guitar like that and wake it up. I always think about all the joy that it brought someone over the years!!

[@patrickholland8172]

Dang it Caleb! You keep making videos about repairing old guitars and I can't stop watching. I got other stuff I got to do but it all waits so I can finish your videos. I absolutely love the new life you give guitars and the attention to detail you give. Well done young man. Be assured I am watching all of your restoration videos (and many of the others). May end up buying a fret leveling tool from you.

[@wadehampton1534]

What a cool old guitar, Caleb, it's definitely looks well loved! You did a great job bringing her back to playability. I've been playing the guitar for over fifty years, and I have never seen frets worn so badly, that third fret was something else, man oh man was it used up! I think that it sounds good with the phosphor bronze strings. Thank you for bringing us along on this one, I enjoyed watching!

[@gangnamstylegrandpa6352]

Very nice video Caleb ! I especially appreciate that you took consideration on the cost of repairs . I can see where someone might have charged $ 1,000 for all the work you did . Even some repair guys might have just said that it is too worn to repair , and not worth the cost ! It might have belonged to someone's grandpa and had a lot of sentimental value to them . In any event you did a great job on the guitar , repairing some very serious issues ! We need more young people like you to learn the trade , and to be humble and helpful . Again thank you so much for the great job on the video , and for bringing this poor old guitar back to life where it will be played for years to come , and will be somebody's pride and joy ! By the way , I like the tone of the acoustic strings on it , I think it brings out more of the true tone of the guitar !

[@harrypalmer3481]

There's something very beautiful about an instrument that has been played so much, almost to death! You've added another lifetime's worth of playing to it, nice work Sir. The phosphor bronze strings sound great on it.

[@olsonguitars616]

Great video Caleb! It’s nice to see the old classics restored to their former glory. Great job!!

[@j.boogie1646]

Great job !!!! ... the world needs more Luthiers, keep doing what you do .. Thanks'

[@therightisright8276]

Hey Caleb, always love your videos. I have a 1938 model and due to the war era, bad economy and metal drives you can find these guitars without truss rods, which is very weird but the wood still seasons richly giving a deep rich tone and sustain.

[@DaveDurango]

Man, I love watching you work on these old beater guitars. Hopefully you keep doing these!

[@stringpicker5468]

Hey young fella. Soldering iron is used by a few luthiers In follow, They grind a fret shape in the tip of an old bit which makes it easier to use. Good job though. Looks a thousand times better! "Poor boy twangs the rhythm out on his Kalamazoo".

[@rhettbickley9097]

I am absolutely impressed with your maturity and thought process. I’m sure you got a lot Jerry, but you brought a lot.

[@michaelb.42112]

Hey there from The People's Republic of California. What a great skill to have at your age, or ANY age ! I converted a fretted bass into a fretless with a soldering iron and some wood putty. Refretting is a skill I haven't discovered, yet.

[@lorenturner4838]

Another great fix on a well used instrument. No criticism from me. Everyone has their own methods and solutions. I appreciate not showing 20 minutes of replacing every fret, sanding etc as some luthiers do which is boring. Keep up the good work.

[@stevemercure902]

Got to say that old girl sounds pretty sweet, especially when you were finger picking. Nice work!

[@nicolen.9642]

The blues...fascinating guitar. I love your work, even more on those old guitars. Thanks for sharing Caleb 🎶🎶🎶

[@jenniferwhitewolf3784]

I have never seen frets worn that far... So nice to see it have a chance at a new musical life. Thanks for sharing this Caleb👍.

[@jefferp]

Looks nice! I like the very old look. I’m sure the owner will love it. You saved it from becoming a wall hanger.

[@bandicoot5412]

Looks and sounds great.

[@raymyhill2]

Well done Caleb.

[@philluck1956]

WOOOOW!!!! Thats an intimidating job!! That guitar has been played so damn much, i dont think ive ever seen a fretboard that worn out!!! You did a great job on this one Caleb, you literally brought this guitar back from the dead!!

[@ponchlove2393]

Great job ,Caleb..!!!!!!

[@Cyclops1973]

Well done sir I enjoyed watching.

[@greylocke100]

When I was a kid, there were two older gentlemen at the church I attended when visiting family who were Deacons and they played their guitars at the services every week. After the service they would each pull a small brown bottle from their cases and a piece of flannel and wipe down their guitars. I asked once what it was and they said it was boiled linseed oil with a few drops of mineral spirits. They were cleaning their oils from their hands plus any dirt off and putting some oil back in the wood. They told me their great grandfathers who were brothers bought the guitars and matching ukuleles in 1903. And they had been handed down in the family. The said that boiled linseed oil by itself over time leaves a tacky/sticky feeling on the guitars so they put a few drops of mineral spirits in so it dries quicker and penetrates the wood better.

[@denboe2894]

OMG. Never seen that fret wear before. Amazing. My guess is there were many of those made and few survived rainy porches, damage from falls, drops, and launches down steps. Great video. Nice sounding, and looking guitar.

[@georgeboyd9514]

well done for saving this guitar.

[@theguitarprofessionals8584]

Great Video Great JOB!!!!!!!!!

[@dennisstafford5865]

I've done a few similar guitars that had some serious fret wear , but nothing that extreme , our repair process is a bit different but the end result is what counts , awesome work ! 😎👍

[@lanceriffle4841]

Sounds great to me. Very nice job. 👍

[@mccypr]

I’ve thought about beginning (in earnest) my Violin & Guitar repair hobby with a guitar like this. It’s cool to see something that is basically not playable turn into a great sounding keeper. Thanks! ✌️😎🌞🎻

[@RandySchartiger]

wow that's a cool ole guitar!

[@tommymills326]

Umm.... I thought my Frets were bad... hahaha! Fantastic Job, beautiful old guitar.

[@peterbryan3081]

Wetting down the frets seems to work fairly well. Another trick is to run an Exacto or scalpel blade against the frets to aid in chip-out.

[@emersonsrandomvideos248]

Sounds great!! ❤️

[@costrio]

I love old guitars. Every scar is a story.

[@eddyj3862]

Fabulous Job as always Caleb!!!!!!

[@allancopland1768]

Caleb, use a cheap plastic suction cup to work Titebond into the cracks. Wipe Titebond along the crack and work it in through the crack using a suction cup then clamp and wipe off the excess. You'll get better penetration of the glue that way.

[@stu-j]

Get yourself some small suction cups to force glue into the micro cracks and its amazing how much more glue you can force in with them. Car waterless polish works well also for removing crap off old finishes and its designed to actually trap the dirt in the cloth. Just spray a little on a shop towel and it works wonders and you use less than you would water. Great job and a fantastic looking old archtop

[@MartinSBrown-tp9ji]

You did a great job on that old guitar and it sounds very good. Sound is more important then looks.

[@margueritemitchell1829]

Hello from British Columbia Canada 🇨🇦👋👍❤️creeping crud😜lol

[@bobl2995]

Thanks Caleb great repair 👍

[@maxradford5089]

Have you thought about using suction cups to help get the glue into the seam. I have seen other luthiers use them for this purpose.

[@camilo1455]

The scallops looked oddly beautiful.

[@jipes]

Nice restoration, looks and play much better

[@bruceducker2029]

Love it. Reminds me of my old guitar. Wish I still had it to give it the attention it needed knowing what I know now. Thanks for the content Caleb

[@TortugaUruguaya]

Nice video Caleb!

[@briandixon2700]

That's a great result. As you said it still has all of the character of an old guitar but with playability too now. Well done.

[@alaricpaley6865]

When you can't get the glue into the crack super easy, if you used a suction cup to push it, it will usually force more in.

[@loyddussaultsr4181]

I did some crack repairs and a refinish of an attempt at a refinish done sometime in the past on an old Gibson Kalamazoo. It played and sounded great if it had not been my friends dad's guitar and had sentamentel value we could have made a deal and I would have an arch top guitar.

[@activese]

Great job Caleb, Take care.

[@leelossi1257]

Nice job! You brought it back to life!

[@1244taylor]

Sounds great. Good job

[@set3777]

Well done.

[@In_MT]

Sounds great now. Good work!

[@MattCaffell]

EVERYTHINGS A HAMMER, Jerry really taught you well, lol Perhaps you could try a tri-cornered file on the slots, just chamfers the edges, helps the frets go in, and it helps stop chip out for the next person who has to re-fret it.

[@cmsheth09]

Well done

[@willmorrison1022]

Holy Moly, I've got hundred year old instruments and have been playing for over 50 years, and I've NEVER seen frets THAT worn! It's clear that this person never bent strings, there is NO way they COULD have. That is amazing. My Martin D18 is 50 years old this year, and she doesn't look anything like that. Guess I play easier than whoever owned this poor thing. I'm sure that Kalamazoo appreciates the TLC.

[@1980bwc]

They had to get aggressive with this archtop to get any volume out of it. Lol

[@willmorrison1022]

@@1980bwc I guess, but I would think it was on the OTHER end that the aggression was needed. Kind of how it shows on the top right above the fretboard. Scraped clean. But those frets, Good Lord!

[@joetaverna5264]

Great job Caleb

[@1980bwc]

Wow! That fretboard is nearly as bad as that Gibson A mandolin that Jerry fixed a couple or so years back. Good job Caleb.

[@JC-11111]

I sure do hear a little Allman Brothers Band in that intro! 👌 I feel like I might have already left this comment, though lol

[@johnnieboi]

You did good!! 👍

[@alfrede.newmen3024]

good job !

[@gymnoboi]

hey Caleb, look for something called murphys wood oil soap.. this soap is specially formulated to use on wood.. it's been around forever. it will clean all the old crud off.. as long as you dont drown the guitar you will be happy with the result.. then follow it up with oil. finally use the rennisance wax

[@ErnieB]

Thanks for posting, Caleb. Lots of people would have tossed that old beauty. Lots of mojo in that guitar. Nice to hear it playing again.

[@willmorrison1022]

Next time you see one of those people aiming one, point them towards Colorado! I'll pick it up where ever it lands out here.

[@WillyKidd]

Nice job, Caleb. I believe that's a late 30s Kalamazoo KG-31. They made a few different archtop models. That one has certainly seen its share of cowboy chords!

[@rakentrail]

Caleb, I always over-radius the frets. If the board is say 12" I radius the frets to 9"-10". Tap the ends in first then drive the middle home. You'll get less fret end lift that way.

[@MillsGuitars]

I agree with you on the over radius, I didn't do these though, as I don't have a fret wire bender yet.

[@rakentrail]

@@MillsGuitars A little trick you can do is grab the end of the tang from underneath with your fret removal pliers and you can coax a little more radius in the frets with your other hand.

[@tomkirk6942]

Good work Caleb!

[@jasonaustin3270]

Great job on a cool guitar, only thing I'd done differently is to tape off the body, and pull the inlays, and went down just a tad further to take just a touch more of the finger grooves out. But that's just a personal taste type of things. Oh and it appears on video to have a crack in the fretboard on the first few frets?

[@bluesingmusic3443]

Great choice with the Boiled Linseed Oil. I read that long ago, it was used to finish wood. I know my Granddaughter's little 3/4 electric, I bought, had an unfinished neck. Gave it a quick rub down, with the Boiled Linseed Oil. That thing is slicker & faster than any of my guitars. Just a tip, I've got a little plastic container I put water in, I soak my used Linseed oil paper towels in that after I use them. Good job on a truly well used instrument. Johnny Shines said Robert Johnson's favorite guitars were Kalamazoo. (Who knows if that's actually true, but he did say that.)

[@jamesakers1175]

I remember having one of those in similar condition and I traded it to a Fred Bear crossbow. We both thought we got the better deal. Lol 😆

[@livy1962]

Really nice job man!!

[@rbcphoto]

Nice job Caleb

[@1bacq1]

Ya did Good!

[@johnkennedy4408]

good work

[@Eddy63]

Awesome job 👍👍👍

[@jeromebishsr.1394]

? Caleb can you get the measurements for that Gipson arch top f hole, I want to build one

[@gillamb8669]

Great work 👍🤘

[@imannonymous7707]

Aww i want one , nice ax man

[@Ricobass0]

Any reason why you didn't fix that crack which went all the way down the fingerboard? It looks really bad on camera. Why not CA the dust while radius sanding?

[@MillsGuitars]

The black line was a grain line. I spent a lot of time looking at it, thinking it was a crack.

[@Ricobass0]

There you go. Mystery solved.

[@7thString84]

That's great, Caleb! I'm glad to see your channel getting started quite well! And man, Jerry really hooked you up with a lot of stuff, right? :D Nice work!

[@weavweaver569]

Nice job 👍

[@weavweaver569]

Nice job

[@finbah5706]

love the video. you never showed the results of the glue cracks?? did you humidify the guitar at all?

[@1eviledy]

I am going to ask a stupid question because I do not really know. But would Murphy's oil soap be any better or worse than just the hot water that was used to clean the top?

[@tonywampler6588]

very good

[@jeanlawson9133]

Almost scalloped... AIN'T IT JUST AIN'T IT 😜 lols... you said it as I was typing my comments... I like this one....My first guitar was Martin that looked like this....

[@terrywebb5380]

Would have been nice to show frets being installed in the tongue area over the body.

[@MrZippitydo]

Stew Mac sells a product called fret dam you stick it in the fret slot before gluing and won’t let ca blue in.

[@doctoribanez]

Super cool guitar

[@Olivil]

Hey Caleb, wouldn't adding warm water to the fret area swell the wood and thus make the frets harder to pull? Thanks for the walkthrough :)

[@MillsGuitars]

Wood doesn't really swell that direction, length of the grain. It really swells, and shrinks, in the width of the grain.

[@58Tommy]

Hi Caleb, I have the exact same guitar, with very similar cracks! My fret board is also scalped, but my frets are not overly warn... My guess is the boards are a bit soft. The back of mine also has a few scalups... I assumed they were all from too long finger nails. Also, I don't have bindings, wish I did....

[@redbed1604]

You need to use a suction cup to force glue into the cracks.

[@tonyk1amt806]

Great job Caleb! Glad you're doing well and bringing some instruments back to life. Any plans to build acoustic guitars?

[@TheGeniuschrist]

Great vid! A cheap little suction cup will push that glue through the cracks

[@binnawan]

As the boss said, everything is a hammer.