Omaha, Nebraska
Structural repair, era-correct refretting, neck resets, and faithful rebuilds for pre-war, vintage American, and collectible instruments. We keep old guitars out of the wrong hands, and away from a player-grade fate. Every quote includes return shipping.
The Standard
"Restore the instrument's history. Don't erase it."
Which glue, which wire, which finish approach: every decision is made with the instrument's age, value, and character in mind. The goal is always playability without compromise to originality.
Turnaround
Most restorations completed in under a week. Complex structural work may take longer, and we'll give you an honest timeline when you call.
The Approach
Preservation over transformation.
Vintage instruments are documents. They record how things were built, what materials were used, and how a specific player and a specific era left their mark. A careless repair can erase that permanently.
We approach every vintage instrument with the understanding that our job is stewardship first, repair second. That means using the right adhesives, sourcing period-correct materials where appropriate, and knowing when a repair is too invasive, and saying so.
Luthier Aryeh East has over 20 years of experience working on vintage electric and acoustic instruments, including pre-war archtops, pre-CBS Fenders, vintage Gibsons, and Japanese vintage guitars. The work shown below represents the standard we hold ourselves to.
Past Work
Extensive restorations.
A selection of complete rebuilds: structural repair, era-correct refretting, and faithful re-creation of original components.
Acoustic Rebuild
1960s Gibson Hummingbird
Neck carefully removed to correct geometry. Every contact point rebuilt with era-correct materials, fitted precisely around the natural wear of the fingerboard.
- Neck removal and geometry correction
- New hand-fitted bridge
- Compensated bone saddle
- Bone bridge pins
- Era-correct refretting
- Hand-cut bone nut
Archtop Rebuild
1930s Epiphone Archtop
A ground-up rebuild of a pre-war archtop, returned to playing condition with its character and patina intact.
- Neck reset
- Full refret
- Bone nut
- Binding replacement with finish work and matched patina
- Bridge and tailpiece restoration
Electric Restoration
1974 Fender Stratocaster
A well-played vintage Strat brought back to playing condition, with sympathetic work that respects what decades of use leave behind.
- Full fret level, crown, and polish
- Bone nut replacement
- Complete setup and intonation
- Electronics cleaning and inspection
Instruments
1958 Fender Stratocaster
Restoration and fretwork carried out around the instrument’s original finish and fingerboard.
Everything with strings.
We work on all vintage electric and acoustic instruments. No instrument is too obscure. If it has a history worth preserving, we'll give it the care it deserves.
Vintage American Electrics
Pre-CBS Fenders, vintage Gibsons, Gretsches, Rickenbackers, Guilds. Instruments where originality matters and the wrong repair permanently affects value.
Acoustic & Archtop
Pre-war and vintage acoustic guitars, archtops, and flattops. Neck resets, bridge repairs, structural work, and era-correct material selection.
Japanese & European Vintage
Vintage Japanese electrics, British guitars, and European instruments. The origin doesn't change how an instrument deserves to be treated.