About
Moonlightluthiers |
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"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety" Benjamin Franklin.
The MOONLIGHTLUTHIERS email address:
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What I Do
I am a small shop specializing in vintage guitar restorations.
I also buy or accept unplayable or wrecked quality acoustic guitars and make them playable again.
I do not install or repair any electronics. My arena is that heavenly acoustic ring.
I only work on or sell acoustic guitars made in USA.
I do not do cosmetic restorations, though my work is very neat. I leave the original finish intact as much as possible. I may do spot repairs here and there.
My Goals
- Great sound
- Reliability (long term structural and action stability)
- Playability (low action and excellent intonation)
- Low Cost
I do not work on the following Harmony Guitars: H162, H1270, H1233, H168, H1230, H165 or any Stella model
I restore the following Harmony built guitars Suitable for Rebuilding (made between 1958 through 1971)
- Harmony Sovereign H1260
- Harmony Sovereign H1203
- Harmony H1201/H1401 (tenor)
- Harmony Roy Smeck (the mahogany back and sides version)
- Harmony Sovereign H1265 (non-laminated only)
- Harmony Sovereign H1266 (non-laminated only)
- Silvertone S1221 (H1260)
- Silvertone guitars equivalent to the H1203
- Airline 7032 (H1260)
- Airline brand guitars equivalent to the H1203
- Regal brand guitars equivalent to H1260 or H1203
- Barclay brand guitars equivalent to H1260 or H1203
- Holiday brand guitars equivalent to H1260 or H1203
- Fender guitars equivalent to H1260 or H1203
- Other branded guitars equivalent to H1260 or H1203
- I am no longer accepting the 12 string H1270, or H1233 although these have good restoration potential.
Current fee for the following work is $900 shipping to you included.
All numbers in parenthesis throughout this website are stewmac.com part or item numbers.
Standard items included with every X- or V-brace conversion and rebuild:
- Ladder bracing replaced with 100 degree forward shifted X-bracing or V-bracing in premium Sitka spruce.
- New Rosewood pin bridge
- New pin set Ivoroid or Ebony (usually 4965-S).
- New ABS fret board binding.
- All new high crown frets(0155 or 0148)
- New tuners (standard items are 2503 or 2503-N or 4593) (see note 3 below). All replaced tuners include properly fitted solid metal bushings. ()These are not the sheet metal bushings that fall out when you turn the guitar over)
- Neck reset with action at or below 4/64 at 12th fret. If you are a heavy hitter blue grass picker let me know.
- Improved truss rod functionality. I lube, add thrust washer, test.
- Correctly fitted dovetail joint using carefully fitted cherry hard wood shims.
- Martin style threaded insert and neck bolt. This is inside the body and is not visible unless you know where to look. This ensures there will be no neck joint problems but is mainly a device to assist neck reset work. It is not necessary after dovetail fitment is completed.
- Strap pin - Ivoroid or Ebony matching the pin set.
- Additional side bracing. Liner blocks, sides and back are sanded smooth. All glue globs are removed.
- New Rock Maple reinforcing plate. This replaces the original non-functional spruce or birch plate.
- Very minimal top touch up if needed. I leave the top as is as much as possible. Most of my customers love the vintage look. My restored guitars are like the rusty old pickup truck with a new frame, new suspension, new brakes and tires and a corvette engine. R-r-r-r-r!
- Crack repair. Because the back is off, I fix and stabilize all cracks as long as they are not "repaired" with Titebond III or epoxy. Epoxy is the repair tech’s night-mare.
- New back binding.
- Free strap peg installed on request. I only install this on the upper bout. There is no safe place to install a strap peg on the neck heel.
- I always reinstall the original pick guard if it came with the guitar. I can also supply a shop made replacement on request.
- New set of Martin SP light or custom light gauge strings.
- Truss replace add $100
- Top replace add $120
- Optionally, I can return ship the guitar in a nice hard shell case. Add $150 (my cost as of 01/01/2024).
- Shipping back to you is included in the fee. Free return shipping!
Note 3 - Customer may supply tuners as long as they will fit the Sovereign gear head. The fee is reduced $50 in this case.
Many potential customers want to know how good my finishing work is. I rarely strip a guitar unless it is one of my purchased instruments and then only if the original was really terrible. I prefer the original finish even if it is pretty well marked up. I prefer to keep that vintage vibe.
How Do I Charge Such Low Prices?
I do not have a store front. I pay no rent. I have access to amazing stocks of mahogany, rosewood, maple, and other hardwoods. I have all the tools and equipment a luthier could ever need.
Other Acoustic Guitar Work
Mossman Repairs
I now do the Agony of D Feet repair and neck resets on vintage Mossman guitars. $300.
Gurian Repairs
Resets $300 - you pay shipping
I also rehabilitate Martin, Guild (D35, D40, D50),NBN, and other high end made in USA acoustic guitars.
I do not work on any imported guitars, except for the Taylor GS-mini.
My Prices
You may notice that prices are lower on this website than they are on eBay or Reverb. That is because there are no eBay or Reverb fees when buying through this site. However, if you contact me via Reverb, I have to work with you via Reverb. I am an ethical seller.
And I offer an excellent guarantee: Satisfaction or your money back. I support my customers.
List of non ethical dishonest sellers - updated 01-20-2024
Warranty Statement Shipping Details