Today’s Tips du Jour Mailbag question comes to us from Ohio. “Robert, what is the shelf life for cyanoacrylate glue? Thanks for your videos. – David in Ohio” David, not all CA glues are created equal. I like the Hot Stuff brand made by Satellite City and available from LMI. According to the manufacturer, the…
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Today’s Tips du Jour Mailbag question comes to us from Minnesota. “Robert, I am following your online course and I’m to the point where I glue in the reinforcement strip on the inside of the back. I made a mistake and glued it in the same direction of the back grain instead of perpendicular to…
Read More “Repairing a Cracked Guitar Back – Full Text”

Hi, I’m Robert O’Brien of O’Brien Guitars. Occasionally, I have sets of wood in my shop that are not quite large enough for the size of guitar that I want to build. Normally, in that case, I would od a three piece back. There are several ways of doing this. Let me show you some.…
Read More “Tips and Tricks on Joining a 3-Piece Back – Full Text”

Today’s Tips du Jour Mailbag question comes to us from New York. “Robert, with all the new regulations surrounding Rosewood, has no one come up with a substitute for this wood? – Dave in New York” Actually Dave, someone has. There’s a new product out called Rocklite. Recently, LMI sent me some samples. Let’s go…
Read More “Rocklite Sundari Faux Indian Rosewood – Full Text”

Today’s Tips du Jour Mailbag question comes to us from Washington. “Robert, I am looking for a finish that offers protection and beauty of a glossy lacquer type finish but without the long cure time. Can you offer any suggestions? – Drew in Washington” Well Drew, it sounds like you need a catalyzed version of…
Read More “Royal Lac Post-Catalyzed Finish – Full Text”

Today’s Tips du Jour Mailbag question comes to us from Alabama. “Robert, I’m going to be traveling outside of the US and want to take my Indian Rosewood guitar with me. Do I need to have any permits to satisfy CITES requirements? I would hate to have my guitar confiscated. – Larry in Alabama” Larry,…
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Today’s Tips du Jour Mailbag question comes to us all the way from Brazil. “Robert, is there an easy way to remove small amounts of material from the nut or saddle to get the best action during setup? – Marcos in Brazil” Well Marcos, I find that removing material is the easy part. Just use…
Read More “LMI Nut and Saddle Setup Gauge – Full Text”

Today’s Tips du Jour Mailbag question comes to use from Georgia. “Robert, I’m having trouble with the finish swelling and cracking when wet sanding the finish on the peghead. Is there a way to keep this from happening? – Mike in Georgia” Mike, this is very frustrating. Welcome to my world. What happens is the…
Read More “How to Seal Tuner Holes – Full Text”