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Montana Lutherie

Repair Rehabilitate Overhaul
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  1. Finally Available

    Just a note to let you know Bruce is building parts again. Whew! That move got more and more involved. Involved times, right?

    Some may ask what kind of parts...
    Original Traditional Bridge, pickguards, armrests, harmonic suppressors, truss rod covers...
    Got something weird in mind? Go to our website to check them out, or to get contact info.

    Of course he is continuing repair and customization, as usual.

    Thanks for your patience!!
  2. Mandolin Bridges

    I just saw this blog post we did- it's been a year (!) but the info is always timely.

    Any of the bridge issues below will rob your instrument of tone and volume and are responsible for more players going on a new string brand or gauge hunt because their instrument just doesn’t sound like it used to.

    I know I’ve posted on this topic a few times before, however recently Bruce has gotten quite a few instruments in for miscellaneous work and noticed almost all had bridge ...
  3. Custom Armrest

    I'm posting a couple of pics of an extra long armrest for a Gibson, I believe. The player picked his inlay design and it turned out great! However my photography skills (or lack of) didn't catch the pretty abalone colors all that well.
    Click image for larger version. 

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  4. I Love My Mandolin But...

    No reason to not to love it completely...
    Many players who have sent their instrument in for tweaking, a refret, (or more) say they are so happy their irritant is taken care of. Contact Bruce and talk it over.

    My 1990 Gibson A5-L has been with me since new, and for those 27 years I liked it (once it opened up, anyway), but never loved it. Until Bruce got ahold of it, that is.

    The problem was the uncomfortably sharp V-profile of the neck. Other luthiers told me
    ...
  5. Is Happiness Enough?

    We usually concentrate on our own business but the following is so outrageous (but indicative of some of the repair stories we get) that we want to warn: Let the Player Beware.

    Bruce’s story:
    I was contacted recently by the repair guy of a not-too-small music store asking me how the truss rod worked in a mandolin. I asked him if it had a nut on the end of the truss rod, or could it be adjusted by with an allen wrench. He said it had a nut and I told him it’s a single action ...
  6. Bridge Flips

    Bruce estimates that 20% of the instruments he receives for repair
    have the bridge base flipped around- treble for bass.


    If you notice a decline in tone/volume after a string change, check the bridge. If the base is flipped the bridge doesn't fit well and sometimes can even cause a hum between the bridge base and the soundboard (top).

    Click image for larger version. 

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    A simple precaution is to mark the bottom of the bridge base with a T and B when ...
  7. Personalize

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

    Click image for larger version. 

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  8. Home Sweet Shop

    'They' say it's our last night of 15 below...
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