Martin binding replacement

So, I love Martins (who doesn't?), and one of the things I like best is how systematic the failures can be. One such serial affliction is the shrunken binding phenomenon. The plastic material used on many middle-high range Martins has a tendency to contract with age and pull free along the waist. Some people will try and stretch it back with pressure and glue, while others will cut and splice in a short length. My preferred method is to remove the entire binding and replace it with a continuous longer piece. That way it will be as if brand new, no tension and no ugly seams.

First, as I say, the binding must be removed and the channel carefully cleaned. Any debris could be disastrous for the factory clean look to which we aspire. The old binding is measured with a caliper so as to machine a perfect match. Binding is always installed slightly large and then scraped down when the instrument is in its "in the white," or unfinished state. With shiny lacquer on every surrounding surface we will not have the luxury of much scraping, so the binding must be pre machined for a close fit.

Since no supplier was going to stock white binding in the exact thickness needed, a thicker piece was fed through a drum sander to bring it down to spec. Here the piece is being checked between passes.

After the binding is sized very close to the original, it is glued around the instrument. The best glues for this job dry fairly quickly, so you have to be all set up and ready once the bottle is open.

Here the end is carefully fit to the side of the neck heel. Working very slowly, we can ensure a clean appearance. No gaps allowed.

And voila! The completed binding, near indistinguishable from the original.

Bartolini J-Bass pickup and preamp

Another fun project came through a couple weeks back. A great old lawsuit-era fretless Ibanez P-Bass copy to have a Bartolini Jazz bass pickup and preamp installed. First we take measurements and set the template...

Here's the pocket routed for the pickup...

A low-angle hole must be drilled for the pickup wire.

Because all of the controls and wires fit so snugly under the pickguard, we opted for a back mounted battery compartment. This will save loads of frustration over the years.

Here it is, before and after. New pickup and preamp with individual volume controls and 2-band eq. This unit also functions passively, an option engaged by pulling up on the neck pickup volume knob.