What’s on the Workbench: Custom Upgrades, Fiddle Restorations, and a Vintage Silvertone

Things have been going incredibly well at the shop lately! We’ve been busy tackling a wide variety of custom work and handling repairs across all levels of difficulty. Whether it is a simple fix or a complex structural job, we love getting your instruments back into top playing shape.

Expert Fiddle Restorations & Voicing

Did you know we do complete fiddle restorations? No matter the extent of the damage, we can fix and dramatically improve the sound of your instrument.

Our resident luthier, Budd Greenman, does an incredible job recarving and voicing old German import fiddles. When he is finished with them, they are transformed into truly amazing player’s instruments.

Budd uses a highly precise method taught to him by violin builder Elon Howe (who learned it directly from the renowned acoustical researcher Carleen Hutchins). This technique involves using a tone generator to vibrate the tone plate and measure the frequencies of its fundamental tap tones. From there, Budd carefully and meticulously carves and scrapes the wood to adjust those frequencies, bringing the plates to the perfect desired interval.

The Silvertone Project: Vintage Looks, Modern Tone

Over in the guitar department, we recently started an exciting restoration and modification on a vintage Silvertone acoustic.

For this project, we are pulling out all the original ladder bracing to install a modern X-brace and new tone bars. To accomplish this, we first had to carefully pull the binding and remove the entire back plate. Next, we will install the new braces, voice both the top and the back, reinstall the binding, and meticulously age our work to match the rest of the guitar. To complete the package on this specific Silvertone, it will eventually be getting a K&K pickup system installed as well.

[Insert Picture of the Bracing / Inside the Guitar Here]

If you have an old guitar that you want to keep looking perfectly vintage, but you want it to have modern tone and playability, come see us! This modification process starts at around $500 for guitars. What you end up with is a sweet instrument that maintains its classic, weathered patina, but boasts vastly improved sound and structural stability—all without the high cost of a completely new custom build.

(Please note: While this is an amazing upgrade for old catalog guitars, we do not recommend doing this to an instrument that has serious collectible or historical value!)

Stop by the store to see what else we are working on, or bring your instrument in for an evaluation.