One Louder Guitar Service

05/02/2026

05/02/2026

05/02/2026

This Yamaha needed some TLC and took me several months to bring back to life.

What started as:
Bridge reglue
Neck Reset
Refret

Ended up needing additional top repairs for the bridge and fingerboard support, repairing the worn pin holes in the bridge, a repair to the block, reshaping the tenon, planing multiple warps out of the fingerboard, reglue fingerboard separation, new nut and saddle.

She sounds warm and plays very smooth now.

04/29/2026

If you notice your tuning slipping during shows, check your tuners. A couple of the tuners were loose and had worn larger mounting holes. Filled and reinstalled the tuners, tightened them, and also found one tuner was missing the plastic collar. Back in action without having to replace the tuners.

06/22/2025

Question of the week (something that comes up quite often):

What nut material do I recommend?

Bone, Tusq, Graphite, Brass, Plastic…there are lots of choices. So which one is right for you?

Most guitars come with plastic nuts. They’re cheap. They work/cut easily. Although it does not have the tonal complexity of bone, it is generally an all purpose choice.

Tusq is a harder composite polymer material. It’s advertised as “like bone” and is a choice to provide a reliable and consistent option for builders and players looking for a sturdy and well-performing nut material. I personally find Tusq harder to work than bone, and it’s typically my choice only if the guitar already had a Tusq nut or a player wants the same replacement.

Black nuts can be plastic, Tusq, or Graphite. Graphite is smooth and known for its self lubricating properties intended to reduce friction and maintain tuning stability.

Bone is my preference. “Bone for tone” as they say. Its hard density allows it to transmit vibrations for more well-balanced tone. It can be a bit more expensive because it involves more labor. I start with a larger blank and customized to size and shape for your guitar. “Bleached vs Unbleached” is in reference to the color. Bleached is white; Unbleached is an off white or yellowed appearance. Unless you have a preference, I’ll use unbleached on vintage or relic’d guitars and white for most others applications.

As with other things, it really comes down to your preference and goal. If you ask my advice, I’m going to recommend bone because its my preference as a player

This pic is a plastic nut that split under the A string, and will be replaced with an unbleached bone nut. Note how the top of this nut has yellowed over time so the unbleached will retain the similar look and also improve the tone.

06/13/2025

Father’s Day Special!

Anyone need strings, accessories, or items from the D’Addario family of products (D’Addario, Evans, Rico, ProMark)?

I plan on placing a restock order next week. Buy 9 sets of strings or more and get 15% off.

Let me know!!

From guitar strings to drumheads, woodwind reeds to orchestral strings, find everything you need to enhance your sound on daddario.com. Shop now >

05/24/2025

Question of the week:

How often should I get my guitar setup?

Just like you take your car in for routine maintenance, or go to the doctor for an annual checkup, you should have your guitar setup at least once a year based on how often you play and seasonal changes where you live.

For example in Tennessee, we get large temperature and humidity changes twice a year in spring and early winter. These changes can contribute to fret buzz, changes in action, cracks or loose braces, and more.

My recommendation is to have your guitar setup at least once a year, or twice a year if you have seasonal impact, and then any time you notice an issue, just like you would care for your car with routine oil changes.

Another thing to understand is when you purchase a new guitar, you will need to have it setup. That guitar has traveled and sat in a warehouse or on a store wall. The primary reason most new guitarr players quit is because their guitars are difficult to play, and “Factory Specs” is just a general setup term that does not mean the only way the guitar should be setup. Guitars should be setup based on your individual playing style and preferences, taking into acount string gauge, playing technique, genre, and more.