The Guitar Repairers

The Guitar Repairers This is what we do at The GR and I really hope you enjoy our posts....please call and make a time ...

We specialize in restoring vintage stringed instruments and repairing the workhorses of our Brisbane musicians. Be it a banjolin, mandolin, banjo, guitar or bass we aren't biased, we'll fix em all. So come on in, have a look around, play some of our guitars and stay for a coffee

As some of you would know I just arrived back from Sydney having attended and played at the wedding of my Nephew Joe and...
16/09/2026

As some of you would know I just arrived back from Sydney having attended and played at the wedding of my Nephew Joe and new Niece Rihoko's wedding..... The Trusty 1897 BayState parlor did the business as always.... no pick up needed... I did however forget to take a capo and improvised with a reshaped pencil and rubber bands..... it was awesome..... I've also included a few extras of family, friends and the happy newlyweds.....

16/09/2026

It seems that 12 string guitars keep turning for work... This Rickenbacker 360 (George Harrison) is just amazing!

10/09/2026

I'm calling this pretty improv. piece "incidental musings in the key of F".... StingRay MacGregor shows wonderful restraint that gives the piece air. He says he lost his MoJo once the camera was on but I think it added to it....I also realised in playback that Daniel Stingray and I both playing USA made instruments that both date in the '1937/8 period... Dan is playing the RickenBacker Silver Hawiian (2500.00 inc case) whilst moi is playing an Andre Restored Harmony "Moonlight and Palm trees" with an LR Baggs Element (1750.00 inc case)....

07/09/2026

OK now that I have your attention,.... here is Andre playing a special song on a special guitar (Alan's Martin D45) uploaded a second time by someone with special needs.....

It would seem perfectly normal for me to post pics of a guitar, however this booodiful and original '72 Balladeer belong...
06/09/2026

It would seem perfectly normal for me to post pics of a guitar, however this booodiful and original '72 Balladeer belonging to legend of Country Music, Wayne Horsburgh is a bit different.... Bought new in '72 and then travelled world for years after, it's the case and it's contents that really fascinated me..... All the original paperwork and just look at those stickers and gaff..... Kaman Industries, who make Ovation are best known for Helicopter electronics and parts... They plainly also knew a lot about building protective "skin" for these hi-tech bits... This case is a testament to that.... Thank you Terry and Tracey Horsburgh for trusting us with the restoration of Wayne's favourite guitar ..it has been an honour....

Thank you all for your concerns re the "For Sale" sign out front of our little hovel ....The Guitar Repairers are not go...
04/09/2026

Thank you all for your concerns re the "For Sale" sign out front of our little hovel ....The Guitar Repairers are not going anyway at this point. The owner of the building is attempting to sell three buildings including ours. We may in the future have to find new digs but the idea that Andre and I would consider ending The Guitar Repairers as a business is not on the cards.... hell! I just returned from Tasmania having celebrated my dad's 90th birthday. I'm not about to "retire" . I turn 63 next month and my passion for what we do and create just grows stronger.....We may have to relocate but at this stage, havimng been in this building for 20 years, we are part of the sales incentive....

04/09/2026

The man in this clip is Matty "Nubah" Newton. To say I've known this dude half my life is no exaggeration. Matty was one of my earliest clients when he was still in High School shorts. He has since gone on to become a beloved part of the Brisbane music scene; first as a Sales guy in some of the best guitar shops in Brisbane and now as a rep for the distributors of Engl Amps ( Alex Lifeson is an user/ endorsees....say no more) Reverend and Suhr Guitars. Separate to all of this, I've watched him grow up from school boy to mature man. With more than equal input frpm his lifelong love, partner and wife, Melanie, he's raised kidlios and gone through some seriously tough times. All this said.... Matty is my kind of person....A " glass is half full" kind of person. He playing reflects this.... by the time we recorded this clip, neither of us knew what tuning we were in, but as always, Matthew made the best of a difficult situation.....We need more love and acceptance in this world and for me. Matthew is the perfect embodiement of all those things...... Please watch coz it's a whole lotta fun.

01/09/2026

I love watching Andre do his magic.... especially when it's a 1935 Gibson Century restoration......

here's a montague of those last two beauties
31/08/2026

here's a montague of those last two beauties

31/08/2026

Not be eclipsed by my last post..... this is equally brilliant.... This is a Bohemian made Jazz guitar by Isana...... Now many of you vintage freaks will be thinking "it looks like a Framus"..... not so. A smaller manufacturer with similar influences...... We've retro fitted a Kent Armstrong pick up and reproduced the missing scratchplate.... Andre has done his magic yet again and after a neck re set and re fret, not mention a new bridge, she plays like silk and anyone wanting a true piece of post war German ingenuity will understand that quality of build and tone is what this baby is all about..... 2300.00 inc fitted case...... what's stopping you?

31/08/2026

One of our latest restorations is just a thing of beauty that punches well above her weight.... May I introduce you to "Sarah" the 1893 acoustic from the Baystate Company of Boston...... Words can't describe this guitar so I'll let the clip do the talking...... 2800.00 inc fitted case.... BTW I personally own an 1897 example of the same guitar and it will next be used for my Nephew Joe's Wedding on the 12th in Sydney........ and believe me when I say that I will be playing to 30 people without amplification.... these little cannons punch way above their weight

OK it's geek time again, anyone who is familiar with a potentiometer will love this... This is what a volume pot looked ...
30/08/2026

OK it's geek time again, anyone who is familiar with a potentiometer will love this... This is what a volume pot looked like back in the 1930's....no cover, just a simple variable resistor. I was pulling apart our 30's Rickenbacker lap steel and it revealed this....an open plan pot that is still fully functioning after nearly 100 years!....what does this tell you about modern electronic components?... I replace maybe 20 plus guitar based electrical components every week and while this is good for the Guitar Repairers bottom line there's something to be said for the olden days... this pot will definitely be going back in..... when did such simple items become so disposable?....

26/08/2026

I don't excited about pick ups much these days until I fitted this Roswell "Charlie Christian" Style pick up to my T type and OMG! Bang for buck this is the best thing I've heard in a long time.... Weirdly, I've fitted these to several of my custom builds but it was only today I fitted one to my own guitar....... OMG! it's a tonal revelation..... Made in Korea and 220.00 inc fitting.... (270.00 for S types) this pick up will change your life....and it's a single coil!/..big shoutout to Australasian Music Supplies for having the good sense to bring Roswell to Australia

Lap Steel guitars are a niche that belongs to the same kind of folk who love banjo's.... and I am a lap steel tragic.......
25/08/2026

Lap Steel guitars are a niche that belongs to the same kind of folk who love banjo's.... and I am a lap steel tragic..... today I bought a 1940's Rickenbacker and a late 20's Dobro Resonator lap steel... both have had water ingress but you know what?.... for where I stand, it's just a part of their long lives....... I'm so grateful that I get to buy, sell and sometimes keep these beautiful works of art......

Andre started with me as a school based apprentice... he was 15 at the time. I may not be the greatest luthier but I thi...
25/08/2026

Andre started with me as a school based apprentice... he was 15 at the time. I may not be the greatest luthier but I think I have an eye for those who are....... it's been 16 years since and I've watched my little boy grow up to become a husband, father and mortgage holder and in all that time, either of us would tear out ouR own tongues before we would ever say a harsh word to the other. Today he brought Alice in to say hello before picking up some work and disappearing again to beaver away in his own workshop on your precious restorations... Do I feel proud?..... Like Duh! ...yes

Now I don't mind that this is strictly for the guitar Nerds.... Nick P was experiencing electric shock when he plugged i...
23/08/2026

Now I don't mind that this is strictly for the guitar Nerds.... Nick P was experiencing electric shock when he plugged in this booodiful Penguin..... maybe static electricity.... I don't really know, however the answer I felt was to shield the guitar in such a way that the earth wire was redundant, that said, how do you shield a guitar that is essentially a semi acoustic that is by most accounts " unshieldable"?.... after weeks of deliberation, this is what I came up with and I must admit... It's a bit clever......bottom line here is thus..... if you disconnect the player from the amplifier via the earth, you'll get huge amounts of hum, however if you can isolate yourself from the earth, your affectively isolating yourself from any danger of being fried by your gear..... sounds complicated but in actual fact it's simple...... I'll be ringing Nick tomorrow to whether it worked..... if he doesn't answer I'll know...........

18/08/2026

I have a lot of history with Jack Murphy. Back in the 80’s I worked in Auto electrical spare parts and Jack’s Dad and Mum, Dave and Pam were my clients. Jack was born profoundly blind however he has never “seen” that as a handicap. Conversely, He relishes in things that you would think alien to his condition. I have described him in previous posts as “ the cheekiest little bastard I’ve ever met” Nothing stands in his way; whether it be tooling on a motorcycle, cutting timber with a drop saw or working out in the gym… there’s no experience that is off limits to this force of nature that is Jack. He’s also an accomplished guitarist and that is how we met all those years ago. Our mutual love of the guitar and a mutual love of sending up his old man has formed a bond we both look forward to….. I’ve told him on countless occasions that his last name should be “Russell” because that is exactly what he is. Today he brought in his new Maton EBG808 for a quick service and set up….Man oh Man!, Hats off to Maton… this baby is a CANNON!.. and thank you to Manny’s for providing this baby to Jack….. Now … Here’s the question…… Tell us both the title of this song Jack is playing?... JM can’t remember and it sounds familiar to me but I can’t quite get there either…. Answers are welcome……

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208 Musgrave Road
Brisbane, QLD
4059

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