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Montana Lutherie

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  1. Always Insure

    Re-top on a 2012 Gallatin F that was damaged in shipping. Always a good idea to insure, even though it doesn't happen often.

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  2. The Cost of Mandolin Repair

    “Peel away the hopeful interpretations, and the ‘vintage’ stands revealed as simply ‘old’...
    The gap between my private logbook and the service ticket is the space
    where the ethics of repairing motorcycles gets worked out.”

    Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into the Value of Work


    The topic of repair charges (though most may say the topic is ‘why does it cost so much?’) can provide an interesting discussion. I’ve been quoting from Shop Class as Soulcraft ...
  3. Weber Instruments 20th Anniversary!

    We often wonder where many of the instruments we made over the years are right now. We see a picture of a custom instrument on our computer and think, I remember that one! For instance there were three red, white and blue mandolins (VERY distinctive) that were made, bought, shipped and never heard from again and we wonder (although while I was writing this Bruce heard from somebody on another issue and they have one of these- weird world). Bruce and Junior will hear a serial number and often remember ...
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  4. 1994 Flatiron Big Horn Banjo

    Just kind of fun to see this instrument (signed by Eric Lange) even tho it suffered a common banjo injury. It belongs to a friend so don't be telling anyone that MtLutherie does banjo repair!
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    Pretty Peghead!
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    Hey- what's that in the background : )
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    Signed by Earl Scruggs. Cool.
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    Shop dog taking Saturday off, obviously
  5. Paint Your Face Blue and Adjust the Truss Rod

    Preventable Repair #2 The neck on your instrument is curved because the truss rod has been neglected.

    There is a lot of fear involved in adjusting your instrument’s truss rod on your own even by those who think nothing of sky diving or playing their mando in front of a huge crowd. When adjusting the rod the neck often makes snap, crackle and popping noises then you start to sweat while thinking, ‘what have I done!’. Some of this fear is generated by a few horror stories that make ...
  6. This Shows a Great Dentist

    I laughed when I found this pick on my desk- Bruce was using it yesterday while working on his new project...
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  7. Personalize

    Truss Rod Covers are fun and an easy way to personalize:

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  8. Mando Mayhem

    This one is older than 20 years- yikes!
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  9. Combining Addictions

    Ice is almost off and I was thinking about fishing...
    Personalize your mando.
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  10. Ahhh- New Frets!!

    Happy Player:

    Well Done Bruce!! My mando arrived on Tuesday evening and I pulled it out last night after work and couldn't put it down. I absolutely love it. Just being able to swing away and not click is going to help me so much. Speed neck is a big improvement as well. I kinda thought it would be but never felt like trying to scrap it down myself. Also, the nut and frets are super nice. What are those frets? they kinda shimmer like brass or something. I've never had new ...
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