Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Where's the best place in Oz to get serious work done on a guitar?

Is there anybody down here who specializes in Rickenbackers?

Who's the worst?

Who can do a proper refinish?

Is it ever worth sending a body or a neck to the States for work (I can't imagine it would ever be worth shipping a whole guitar both ways, but who knows...)?

What are people's experiences?

Where's the best place in Oz to get serious work done on a guitar?

There's a few but I won't post them here

Is there anybody down here who specializes in Rickenbackers?

Piers Crocker did but doesn't anymore

Who's the worst?

Dr Riki in Perth

Who can do a proper refinish?

Paul W. Anyone down here is an amatuer

Is it ever worth sending a body or a neck to the States for work (I can't imagine it would ever be worth shipping a whole guitar both ways, but who knows...)?

In my case yes. I would send my bass to someone like Dale or Paul because the value of the instrument far outweighs the cost to & from. The danger is damage or loss in transit.

What are people's experiences?

I gave up

James Cargill in Seaford VIC. He changed the nut on my 360/12 to give me wider spacing . $50 ........... then like a moron I sold it

J

Mark,

I have had Frank Grubisa in Sydney refinish my 481 and he did an absolutely sensational job. He has a number of Ricks currently being worked on.

http://www.grubisaguitars.com

Give him a call. I am more than happy to play the middle man if you need me to do any leg work for you.

gellkeller wrote:Mark,

I have had Frank Grubisa in Sydney refinish my 481 and he did an absolutely sensational job. He has a number of Ricks currently being worked on.

http://www.grubisaguitars.com

Give him a call. I am more than happy to play the middle man if you need me to do any leg work for you.

Mark,

I concur with Brett. Frank is the man in Sydney when it comes to refinishes, restorations and repairs. He's restoring a 4001 for me right now, and did a perfect job of repairing guitar stand burn on my 660. If you ever visit Jackson's Rare Guitars, most of the vintage refin Fenders will be Frank's work.

He is, of course, flooded with work, so you may need to be a little patient.

What do you need done?

'77 MusicMan StingRay body refinished so it looks as good as it once did.

It needs some wood work around the edges (extra jack socket on side of body), which I will do myself, then it needs a good sunburst to hide my work, while still showing the nice wood in the middle of the body.

I'm happy to work with wood, but I don't know how anything about spraying. I've always fixed my own guitars, unless they need proper finishing, which is when I get into trouble. Sprayed some varnish in-a-can on my Ovation after some serious work on the soundboard (brace came unglued and sunk the top). The wood work turned out great and the guitar plays fine once again. The finish turned out fairly amateurish by my standards, and I learned my lesson.

Also just a general feeler for what people do with their guitars in Oz. If I couldn't fix them myself, I wouldn't know where to go.I know plenty of shops that claim to do guitar repairs, but often they just hand them off to someone else, so you don't even know who you're dealing with.

I can post some before and afters of my 481 that is 99.999% complete (a long, painful journey).

Has the story of the 481 already been documented on the forum? I'd love to see the pictures - of course personal reccommendations are better because pictures can't show the quality of a finish.

I'm going to try to get an off-cut of ash to plug the hole, before deciding on who is going to refinish the body.

Anybody got a 2" by 2" off-cut of ash approximately 2" long for my MusicMan StingRay?

It would be a tall order to try and buy such a small amount - might just have use a random species of wood I can find around the house if I can't find ash.

I haven't documented the refinish process on the forum. The dramas were more around the locating, purchasing and installation of the set of Rickenbacker humbuckers unique to the 481.

No wood ash at my end.

The quality of the finish is superb. I am very, very pleased with the work that Frank performed.

Is there someone reliable you can recommend in Sydney to do basic setups and adjustments on ric basses? After the move from Perth it would be great to get set up correctly. I have a 4003 and 4004 which need adjustment. I also have a Fender deluxe that has a dodgy pickup, not sure if it is the pickup or the pot. Happy for members to PM me if they dont want to put up business names etc on the forum.

Aussiericlover wrote:After the move from Perth it would be great to get set up correctly. I
need adjustment.

After looking around a bit I found this place you may want to check out.

Hey Jeff,

I think you might be right. Tuning up might be the answer!

I keep getting those emails too. I wonder if they really work?

Brian West @ http://www.fretco.com.au

http://www.grubisaguitars.com

+1 from me as well.

Frank just restored a L/H 4001 Jetglo which needed paint replaced on the back of the neck and body.
He did a 10/10 job; I cant even see where the finish was replaced.
He definitely knows his stuff on all types of guitars.