We're after some rest on the workshop to tackle an important thing: maintenance. Yes, all things last when you take care of them. It's true for our bodies! So it is for our instruments. Embla has had some rough luck during the last years and since my usage of my own instrument only goes up in hours, it was clear it would need some maintenance soon.
It's been almost 5 years since I made this one. I reckon it was high time to change frets and give it another coat of finish. Of course, being my own instrument and having no pressure for this work, this will take some time.
But let's jump right to the first steps: getting stuff off!
Out with the old!
My Embla has endured ours of practice and over 50+ recorded covers. That alone is more playtime that must instruments see in their life. So as the varnish started to deteriorate, I had to take care of it. That's why my last project was an instrument for myself. I needed a back up to keep studying and playing while doing this work. Frets have almost down to the fretboard (I didn't know I played that much). The strum guard has lots of marks. The coats of finish are a bit crack and weathered in other places. That's reason enough to start the work.
The first step is removing the strings. With the winder, it's easy to roll the tuning machines until the strings have no tension. I'm saving the treble from these ones since the other strings are really old already. That one goes back into the pack with the rest of the playset and we can throw away the other ones that were already shedding their red color.
Next, come the tuning machines. These work. However, I can decided whether I want to change them for new ones or not. The screws are not salvageable. Some of them lost part of their heads while trying to take them out. So, even if the tuners are not replaced, they'll need new screws. Also, they need a clean up. This salty, hot and humid weather is not metal-friendly.
The last part of this operation is to remove the frets. This one is a delicate thing. I'm changing these for shorter ones. Also, they are made of a stronger alloy. So they'll have a longer playlife than these old ones. One thing to keep in mind is that I wasn't cleaning my instrument after playing. Need to address that and by a cloth for that purpose. My instrument wipe. Anyways, there's a lot of gunk on the fretboard. It's a good thing all the varnish and sealant is coming off from this thing. There are also some cracks around the sides that need some glue and filler to seal them.
The project will be interesting. Watching at the bridge and the damage strings have done on it, I'll need to add a reinforcement on top of the the knotting area. It will work as an ornament. Luckily, the saddle and nut are in perfect shape. These pieces will only need some polishing.
As I finished removing these things, I did a first sanding that was all messy and annoying. That one didn't get any photos, but the rest of the process will. Stay tune for more updates.
My Embla will come back looking as beautiful as the day I finished building it. It might even look better. I'm excited about this prospect!
Thanks for reading. Until next time!
Fotos/Photos 📷: taken by me (Redmi Note 13)
Portada/Thumbnail 🖼️: by me, created with Canva.
Edición/Editing 🎬: by me, made with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.
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If you'd like to help the workshop grow, you can make a donation here. You can find me at discord as bertrayo#1763