MIMF

A bolt-on has no disadvantages and several real advantages. It’s easier to build and adjust the neck angle. It makes finishing easier. And it makes future adjustments (like a neck reset) MUCH easier. Any tonal benefits to a dovetail iare largely urban myth.

Nice. Feel free to ask questions if you get hung up on something.

Karl, if you are interested in repair work check out Ferree’s Tools Inc. They are the Stew Mac of band instrument repair. Here are a few pics of some dent removal. I DIY’d my own version of Ferree’s dent machine. One of the basic principles of dent removal is you can push a dent out from the inside ...

Why stop here. This is my daily player. A Holton TR-150. Got the same treatment as the others. It’s got a rose-brass bell. One of the coolest things is that a brass instrument only needs one coat of lacquer and no post sanding of buffing. Who needs pore filler? Not me.

Bryan, I am having a blast. I’ve been doing guitars so long that it is getting a bit stale, so mixing in the brass instruments has breathed new life into my shop. Here is another instrument that I refinished. It’s a marching trombone.

Most joints are with normal 60/40 or 50/50 solder which is just like sweating copper tubing. But there are a few joints that are brazed with silver solder. I have learned a lot about soldering and working brass. One of the first tools I bought was a Smith Little Torch that burns propane and oxygen. ...

One more pic of finished horn and also one in progress photo showing parts after disassembly. One thing that is cool about brass instrument work is you can quickly take things apart and solder them back together quickly and as many times as you want.

Here are some “afters”.

About a year ago I started playing the trombone again after a layoff of 53 years. I am in a community band and also a small jazz band. Really enjoying it. And of course, as soon as I started playing I had to start repairing them. It was like I had no choice in the matter. But there is a lot of new t...

Your drawings show something much greater than a 5 degree angle.

Why can’t you raise the saddle a bit?

I made some for a steel string guitar about 40 years ago but I didn’t like the tone of the open strings. It took away a lot of brightness in the tone.

I seal bare wood with a couple of thin coats of lacquer and then apply colored paste wood pore filler. Kind of consistent with the process described above except for the specific products used.

Yes, spray a little lacquer thinner on the blush and that should disappear. May take a couple of applications a few minutes apart to get down to the affected layer. In regards to the order of steps, I do think it matters much. Nitro fill would be better than CA if you are sure it’s a nitro finish. T...

Electric guitars are usually setup issues or maybe a loose output jack. Acoustic guitars are usually setup and bridge issues and maybe a neck reset. Of course both types of guitars often need new frets. Cracks are not that common of a repair down here near Houston, but is likely much more common whe...

Very nice! And welcome to the MIMF, Steve.

I have tried all the new stuff and still prefer old fashioned paste wood pore filler.

I picked up the trombone after a hiatus of 53 years. I joined a small jazz ensemble and also a community band. Am having a blast. And not unexpectedly, I started repairing and restoring old beat up trombones. Here is a recent project; a marching trombone. I removed a bunch of dents. Also, refinished...

Just about anything is fixable given sufficient time and skill. It will take a lot of both to bring it back into playable condition. The main problem will be gluing the bowl back together. This might require removal of the top and construction of a bowl mold.

Welcome to the forum.

Answering these type of questions is what this forum is designed for.