Federal Strings

Federal Strings Guitars (and other fretted things) repaired, restored and built in the Byron hinterland. Authorised Maton Guitars Repair Centre.

Need to take your Squier higher?A Firebird pickup and a pair of TrueVelvets in a custom Tortoise guard gave this humbl...
22/01/2026

Need to take your Squier higher?

A Firebird pickup and a pair of TrueVelvets in a custom Tortoise guard gave this humble Squier Strat a sizeable injection of mojo. You can visit my website to book in if you’d like to reimagine one of your axes.

From Mat-off to Mat-on 😎 Another beautiful vintage CW80 back in action and displaying the thunderous low register typica...
19/01/2026

From Mat-off to Mat-on 😎

Another beautiful vintage CW80 back in action and displaying the thunderous low register typical of the era.

Federal Strings is your local authorised Maton repair centre and I stand ready to give your Aussie classics the love they deserve.

Some quick housekeeping - the workshop will now be open Monday to Friday, instead of the Tuesday to Saturday schedule I’...
18/01/2026

Some quick housekeeping - the workshop will now be open Monday to Friday, instead of the Tuesday to Saturday schedule I’ve kept the last few years.

As always, an appointment is required and the fastest way to book is online at www.federalstrings.com

For those who find it tricky to make it to the workshop during business hours, there are still weekend drop-off / pick-up points available - get in touch to find out more.

A gentle reminder that transformative things are possible in 2026.
17/01/2026

A gentle reminder that transformative things are possible in 2026.

Jazzblastering 💥 ⚡️ to ring in the new year. It was a busy end to 2025, and I closed out the year by helping a pair of J...
01/01/2026

Jazzblastering 💥 ⚡️ to ring in the new year.

It was a busy end to 2025, and I closed out the year by helping a pair of Jazzmasters to shed the trappings of the quiet life and evolve into out-and-out rock machines.

Sending my thanks to all my amazing customers - it was a busy, rewarding and fulfilling year and I honestly can’t wait to do it all again in 2026.

The workshop opens in a few days but you can book in right now via my website (link in bio). Happy new year!

Merry Christmas 🍻 I hope you all have the opportunity to relax and spend time with family and friends. The workshop is...
24/12/2025

Merry Christmas 🍻

I hope you all have the opportunity to relax and spend time with family and friends.

The workshop is now closed while I take a short break. I’ll be back at the bench in early January and you can book your appointment right now at www.federalstrings.com for all repairs, restorations, modifications and setup work.

Cheers!

This Takamine was a very nice-sounding dreadnought but was challenging to play due to having one of the chunkiest necks ...
03/12/2025

This Takamine was a very nice-sounding dreadnought but was challenging to play due to having one of the chunkiest necks I’ve encountered on a modern instrument. Rather than move on from it, its owner asked me to re-carve the neck.

Although a reasonably slim profile at the nut, the neck tapered up to almost 28mm thick by the 9th fret. After a little math to calculate how much material needed to retained, I carved it to a slimmer, modern C-shape profile, with a straight shaft from the nut to the heel transition.

Some colour and fresh satin nitrocellulose lacquer finished the job.

cc:

This unusual, gorgeous 12-string passed through the workshop recently. Built by legendary French luthier Jacques Favino ...
21/11/2025

This unusual, gorgeous 12-string passed through the workshop recently. Built by legendary French luthier Jacques Favino in the mid 1960s, this is a substantial instrument with a 17” lower bout and body depth of around 5”. Real IYKYK stuff here.

A rare guitar. And I hear it is currently for sale - if you’re interested in owning a classic European instrument like this, reach out and I’ll put you in touch with the current owner.

The extremely worn frets and gorgeous patina of this Guild S90 were a dead giveaway that it was a special axe. But by th...
23/07/2025

The extremely worn frets and gorgeous patina of this Guild S90 were a dead giveaway that it was a special axe. But by the time it arrived in the shop it needed a little help recapture its glory days. A gap at the neck heel and screaming high action, even with the bridge at its lowest adjustment, meant it was time for a neck reset.

Heat and a little moisture loosened the neck, revealing one chonky dovetail. I recut the neck heel to restore the right angle, and refitted it with a little wedge of fresh mahogany under the fretboard extension to keep everything tight and tidy. The old frets were worn down to nothing, so after a refret it was time to de-crud the tuning machines, cut a new nut and get this thing set up for its next zillion gigs.

The neck on these Guilds is slim and slinky, and the HB-1 humbuckers are really something else, man.



Cc:

Rescuing a Maton trussrod that had been pushed a little past its limits. Boring 😜 job. With the neck functional once mo...
03/07/2025

Rescuing a Maton trussrod that had been pushed a little past its limits. Boring 😜 job. With the neck functional once more, there’s interesting things in store for this old 12-string - watch this space…



cc:

Address

11 Teak Road
Federal, NSW
2480

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 10am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 10am - 4:30pm
Thursday 10am - 4:30pm
Friday 10am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+61447955237

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Federal Strings posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Federal Strings:

Shortcuts

Share

Category