In the late 90's I emailed Frank Ford about a Harmony archtop I had. I wasn't counting on hearing back because I was and am a nobody. The same day he emailed me back with detailed information about how to fix the instrument. Great guy.
When i started building guitars i emailed a couple of high end builders and was surprised with the amount of jnfo they were willing to share. Seems the luthier community is a very pleasant and helpful community.
While i am watching while having dinner to have a friendly voice at my empty table. Enjoy your family. And merry Christmas. Don't worry, its nothing too sad.
@@trulybtd5396-I’m dealing with the same thing this year. Wish I could say the same as far as not being too sad, but hey, it could always be worse! Merry Christmas. ✌️🎅🏻👍
@@trulybtd5396 -But Mom passed and the only thing my (ex) siblings were concerned with was and still is, is money. I took care of her for 14 years and pretty much gave up my career. Two of them lived within a block and a half of her and never really saw her.
Wow....just about 6 weeks ago I was down at Gryphon and met him when I had some work being done on a guitar I recently picked up. RIP Frank, you made huge contributions to the guitar community. You'll be sorely missed.
Is it just me, or did that little mahogany box sound 10 times bigger ? The tell-tale small guitar "boxyness" was present, but in a beautiful way. It projected far better than I assumed.
God bless Frank Ford!! I bought an 1895 Washburn steel string parlor guitar from him ~ 1995. The neck had been irreparable but Frank eventually found a substitute neck from a classical guitar and seamlessly put it on. Or visa versa, I forget, maybe it was the Washburn body that had fan bracing. He fixed it, put light strings on it and I'd loved it for 20 years before selling it through famous Stan of Mandolin Bros.. Peace be with you Frank.
RIP Frank Ford - people sharing information for the sake of sharing information are the backbone of the internet. Thank you also, Ted, for doing what you do.
i learned to play on my dads 015 almost 60 yrs ago. now i have about 30 guitars ( including the martin) and its still the most important guitar in th world to me. easy to play and the most cherished tone. when i smell th mahogony, it takes me back to him and the hours and hours of him playing and singing
I appreciate the calmness you have when doing these repairs as it shows a skill level that only comes with experience. This is as good as it gets content wise.
I have a 1941 O-15 and I love it...the sound and the feel are epic. This guitar has been in my family since new....Uncle to my father and ultimately to me. It has been refretted, has a later generation of Martin tuners and a headstock repair but remains a lovely instrument.
Thanx Mr. Ted and marry xmas. While attending vocational school married with family living on side jobs and $410.00 V.A. school check used to visit a small music shop fell in love with a all mahogany acoustic made in Australia 🇦🇺 called a Watson or Walton...it had a voice better than my old beater J-45. Sadly never considered a purchase...it sold before the funds could materialize from holiday gift checks. Thanx for the memory recall. Circa 1974 -75. 4:24
Frank was a wealth of knowledge. I talked with him often when I'd bring my gutar to Gryphon Stringed Instruments. What a real loss to the guitar community. RIP Frank!
It's like watching a dear friend go into a hospital sick. You are worried and then you meet the nice, obviously skilled doctor with impecible bedside mannor. You suddenly feel encouraged and the doctor works his magic and the friend comes out well and happy. The guitars you work on are in very skilled and careful hands. Have a Merry Christmas Ted...... We get the gift of watching true craftsmanship.
I learned how to work on guitars from a little old man who taught guitar for extra $$$ in his retirement. Since he was born and raised without electricity, he did all his work by hand. So, that's what I do. I tried to incorporate power tools but it felt wrong. I did incorporate an upright sander and drill press, but I mostly do it without. What I learned the most was, there are skilled luthiers and there are gifted luthiers. They are not the same animal. I'm a skilled one, Ted here is a gifted one. I can just hear it in his voice. The truely gifted are as calm as all get-out and cool as cucumber salad. A gifted restorer knows when not to encroach on the original build. They just maintain what is there (unless it's unavoidable). Watching Ted is like watching Bob Ross paint... they make it look easy. Merry Christmas and God bless.
I’m sorry for the loss of your friend and Mentor. Memory Eternal Frank Ford, I’m sure many Guitar enthusiasts are welcoming you at Heaven’s Gate and praising your Luthier Skills and all the Guitars you have saved and restored.
In 1998-99, we had a terrible storm come through east Mesa, AZ. and hail took out a window in my bedroom. My 1964 Vox Lynx was sitting there and got water logged. I immediately gutted the electronics and dried it out in a aquarium i built in my glass shop. Then came the panic, the nitro started to craze like mad. I called 2 luthiers I knew in the Phoenix area and got Frank Fords information from both of them. I figured if he's that respected by them, he's way too good for me. He was the most professional, kind man I've met in the trade ! He taught me how to stop the cracking in 15 minutes, and how to correct the worst of it for the future. Since he took no money, I felt guilty. So I asked him if he could finish an ES-175 basket-case I recently bought and he agreed. It took 8 months (I told him it wasn't an emergency) and what I got back was THE BAR I set for all other hollow/semi-hollow restoration projects over the years... and he didn't Jesse James my wallet at all. He wasn't a personal friend, but the care he took endeared him to me forever. He went on to do 4 other restorations for myself and a friend.I never failed to forward his information to dozens of others in need of delicate repairs. I'll be sending a prayer this Christmas to him, and wish a Merry Christmas to all he endeared himself to over the years. God Bless.
I believe I met Frank just a few weeks ago, I went to Gryphon for some old style parts for a banjo project. He was a lovely man who told me to take the handful of small parts with his blessing "nobody else wants them"
I want to thank you very much for your videos. You are very informative in your videos. I have learned so much from you. I watch your videos every week. And I watch and listen very carefully to everything you say. Maybe one day when I decided to build my own guitar I will remember everything that you taught me. So thank you very much.
0-15 is my absolut favourite guitar of all time, but I couldn’t afford one, so I build one. Never played an actual Martin but I tell my self that I got away with it okay.
Merry Christmas, Ted! My condolences on the passing of your colleague. I saved your video to be watched on Christmas evening because they are always a calming experience.
This righteous content you share is truly therapeutic in these uncertain times, your processes and respect for your craft makes us forget the above mentioned uncertain times....😂🙏Thanks
You explain the sound and the string response perfectly. You put the sound into words. I had an all mahogany Martin and I used to explain it like it had a built-in compressor
Something about those Mahogany bodies just attracts me so much. And I love that you share the mistakes you make with us, too, though I'm sorry about the extra work it's gonna cost you. Happy Christmas.
Condolences for the loss of your friend, Frank Ford. I have an all-mahogany 00 - 12 fret - slot head that I'm quite fond of. As you say, it has a very even response between the strings and registers. Happy Holidays to you and yours, Ted!
Please accept my deepest condolences for the loss of your friend and mentor. Merry Christmas to you and your family. Long may you continue repairing and improving instruments. Thank you for all you do.
RIP Frank! Btw I got the tshirt delivered. It came from Poland even though I am in the US. Anyway the main goal was to show support so I really do hope you can get your money from them. Thanks for the videos. Happy Holidays to all of you!
Waking up to this first thing on Christmas day morning, what a treat. So sad to hear about the passing of Frank Ford, he was such an innovator, and influenced virtually everyone in guitar repair. Thank you Ted, for a year of exceptional content, hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful Christmas.🎄
I Love the Love that You Give to these Harmony Models! I remember a three-parter on another one with no binding and it was inspiringly impressive. So I know you are gonna fix the bridge saddles. Happy XMas and Boxers or whatnot.
Thanks for another year’s worth of stellar repair work and videos. I look forward to many more in the new year. Merry Christmas Ted,to you and all your loved ones. All the best.
Happy holidays Ted! Thanks for all the great videos and instructions! Here's to another year full of great content from the website most beloved luthier!! Cheers
Thanks Ted. Another great video. Even though you have done these types of things before, there is always a new wrinkle to work through. Great education for the rest of us.
Saved this for Xmas morning watching.. I would like to wish you a very happy Xmas. Thank you for all the wonderful output this year. You really to add to my life in a very positive way. 🙂
People that weren't lucky enough to know Mr. Frank Ford personally, had at least heard of him. He will be sadly missed. On another note, I just want to tell you again how much I enjoy your videos and content. Take care, and Merry Christmas!
RIP Frank! He very kindly gave me a thorough tour of his shop at Gryphon Strings when I was starting to make guitars. Very generous man! While I would never ask you to police anybody, there are a couple of us I think who would be interested in your take on Ben Crowe’s recent neck reset on a rare old Gretsch. Looked like a sturdy job, but a few of us thought he went overboard and may have made future resets more difficult. Merry Christmas! Looking forward to another year of learning from you!
In the late 90's I emailed Frank Ford about a Harmony archtop I had. I wasn't counting on hearing back because I was and am a nobody. The same day he emailed me back with detailed information about how to fix the instrument. Great guy.
Youre not a nobody. You are loved and special to someone
You are a very enlightened nobody with a knack for honoring others. Many thanks for that!
Frank Ford was my guitar repair guy since 1974. A huge loss. He had a great sense of humor too. RIP Frank. He will be sorely missed.
Absolutely loved by many!@@kdm_entertainment
When i started building guitars i emailed a couple of high end builders and was surprised with the amount of jnfo they were willing to share. Seems the luthier community is a very pleasant and helpful community.
Sorry to hear about Frank Ford Passing away. About a year ago he did some work on my 53 year old Martin D28.
...for some reason I have this scent of rich mahogany in my head
Frank Ford. RIP.
Ah, 18 minutes of peace before I go deal with extended family having too much to drink. Merry Christmas all!
RIP Frank.
While i am watching while having dinner to have a friendly voice at my empty table. Enjoy your family. And merry Christmas.
Don't worry, its nothing too sad.
@@trulybtd5396-I’m dealing with the same thing this year. Wish I could say the same as far as not being too sad, but hey, it could always be worse! Merry Christmas. ✌️🎅🏻👍
@@marions.120 it's sad, but not unexpected or unnatural, so it's just life.
@@trulybtd5396 -But Mom passed and the only thing my (ex) siblings were concerned with was and still is, is money. I took care of her for 14 years and pretty much gave up my career. Two of them lived within a block and a half of her and never really saw her.
@@marions.120 very similar to my situation, and she was my last parent. Luckily my siblings are supportive, but they all live far away.
Wow....just about 6 weeks ago I was down at Gryphon and met him when I had some work being done on a guitar I recently picked up. RIP Frank, you made huge contributions to the guitar community. You'll be sorely missed.
There’s something great about all mahogany guitars. Such charm. Love em! R.I.P Frank.
Is it just me, or did that little mahogany box sound 10 times bigger ? The tell-tale small guitar "boxyness" was present, but in a beautiful way. It projected far better than I assumed.
Merry Christmas to all.
Billy Dee Williams and Diana Ross love this guitar.
RIP Frank. My wife and I got heavily into ukes in the early 2000s and we used to love reading Frank's forum.
Nothing more relaxing than watching Ted work on a guitar.
God bless Frank Ford!! I bought an 1895 Washburn steel string parlor guitar from him ~ 1995. The neck had been irreparable but Frank eventually found a substitute neck from a classical guitar and seamlessly put it on. Or visa versa, I forget, maybe it was the Washburn body that had fan bracing. He fixed it, put light strings on it and I'd loved it for 20 years before selling it through famous Stan of Mandolin Bros.. Peace be with you Frank.
RIP Frank Ford - people sharing information for the sake of sharing information are the backbone of the internet. Thank you also, Ted, for doing what you do.
RIP to Frank Ford. Merry Christmas, Ted, and everyone who watches. All the best.
Instead of giving you a thumbs up i decided to say thank you and a Merry Christmas to you and your family as well....
@@stealingtomorrowband Thanks!
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and God Bless. Ted has the nicest viewers on YT.
i learned to play on my dads 015 almost 60 yrs ago. now i have about 30 guitars ( including the martin) and its still the most important guitar in th world to me. easy to play and the most cherished tone. when i smell th mahogony, it takes me back to him and the hours and hours of him playing and singing
I love this. Thanks for sharing that!
Merry Xmas, everybody!
Rest well, Frank. Best wishes for all of you there, Ted.
I appreciate the calmness you have when doing these repairs as it shows a skill level that only comes with experience. This is as good as it gets content wise.
These guitars are forever connected to Leslie Feist for me. Love her sound and playing.
I have a 1941 O-15 and I love it...the sound and the feel are epic. This guitar has been in my family since new....Uncle to my father and ultimately to me. It has been refretted, has a later generation of Martin tuners and a headstock repair but remains a lovely instrument.
RIP Mr Ford. Condolences to his family and friends.
Thanx Mr. Ted and marry xmas.
While attending vocational school married with family living on side jobs and $410.00 V.A. school check used to visit a small music shop fell in love with a all mahogany acoustic made in Australia 🇦🇺 called a Watson or Walton...it had a voice better than my old beater J-45. Sadly never considered a purchase...it sold before the funds could materialize from holiday gift checks. Thanx for the memory recall. Circa 1974 -75. 4:24
sorry to hear of the sad passing of your friend
Happy holidays everyone!
Frank was a wealth of knowledge. I talked with him often when I'd bring my gutar to Gryphon Stringed Instruments. What a real loss to the guitar community. RIP Frank!
I'm no Martin expert but the little Martin Marty Robbins played was definitely smaller than an O-15
It's like watching a dear friend go into a hospital sick. You are worried and then you meet the nice, obviously skilled doctor with impecible bedside mannor. You suddenly feel encouraged and the doctor works his magic and the friend comes out well and happy. The guitars you work on are in very skilled and careful hands. Have a Merry Christmas Ted...... We get the gift of watching true craftsmanship.
I learned how to work on guitars from a little old man who taught guitar for extra $$$ in his retirement. Since he was born and raised without electricity, he did all his work by hand. So, that's what I do. I tried to incorporate power tools but it felt wrong. I did incorporate an upright sander and drill press, but I mostly do it without. What I learned the most was, there are skilled luthiers and there are gifted luthiers. They are not the same animal. I'm a skilled one, Ted here is a gifted one. I can just hear it in his voice. The truely gifted are as calm as all get-out and cool as cucumber salad. A gifted restorer knows when not to encroach on the original build. They just maintain what is there (unless it's unavoidable). Watching Ted is like watching Bob Ross paint... they make it look easy. Merry Christmas and God bless.
R.i.p. Frank. took a refret workshop from him 20 years back. been to his shop. amazing place and interesting cat. big loss.
Yeah!
I’m sorry for the loss of your friend and Mentor. Memory Eternal Frank Ford, I’m sure many Guitar enthusiasts are welcoming you at Heaven’s Gate and praising your Luthier Skills and all the Guitars you have saved and restored.
My early Xmas gift
Another great repair. Never gets old for me.
In 1998-99, we had a terrible storm come through east Mesa, AZ. and hail took out a window in my bedroom. My 1964 Vox Lynx was sitting there and got water logged. I immediately gutted the electronics and dried it out in a aquarium i built in my glass shop. Then came the panic, the nitro started to craze like mad. I called 2 luthiers I knew in the Phoenix area and got Frank Fords information from both of them. I figured if he's that respected by them, he's way too good for me. He was the most professional, kind man I've met in the trade ! He taught me how to stop the cracking in 15 minutes, and how to correct the worst of it for the future. Since he took no money, I felt guilty. So I asked him if he could finish an ES-175 basket-case I recently bought and he agreed. It took 8 months (I told him it wasn't an emergency) and what I got back was THE BAR I set for all other hollow/semi-hollow restoration projects over the years... and he didn't Jesse James my wallet at all. He wasn't a personal friend, but the care he took endeared him to me forever. He went on to do 4 other restorations for myself and a friend.I never failed to forward his information to dozens of others in need of delicate repairs. I'll be sending a prayer this Christmas to him, and wish a Merry Christmas to all he endeared himself to over the years. God Bless.
Such a beautiful warm tone from that old Martin. I've always liked mahogany top, back and sides just because of their nice warm tone.
I believe I met Frank just a few weeks ago, I went to Gryphon for some old style parts for a banjo project. He was a lovely man who told me to take the handful of small parts with his blessing "nobody else wants them"
Thank you for all that you have brought to us throughout the year. Best wishes for the holidays.
Love your videos! Thanks man!
I want to thank you very much for your videos. You are very informative in your videos. I have learned so much from you. I watch your videos every week. And I watch and listen very carefully to everything you say. Maybe one day when I decided to build my own guitar I will remember everything that you taught me. So thank you very much.
0-15 is my absolut favourite guitar of all time, but I couldn’t afford one, so I build one. Never played an actual Martin but I tell my self that I got away with it okay.
Good stuff!
This thing requires a strap made of nothing less than fine Corinthian leather.
Sounds amazing! Great job! Wow, I want one. Mahogany is the most under rated tone wood ever.
I’m so sorry for your loss, Ted. Sending warmth and good vibes!
Thanks, Ted. Merry Christmas!🎄
Thanks Ted. Happy holidays to you and yours as well.
Merry Christmas, Ted! My condolences on the passing of your colleague.
I saved your video to be watched on Christmas evening because they are always a calming experience.
Thanks for posting, and merry Christmas to you, Ted!
Who is rich mahogany and why does he smell
I'm sorry to hear of Frank's passing. Happy holidays, Ted, I really enjoy your channel. thanks for taking the time .
Sorry for your loss but also Merry Christmas to all of you at Woodford Instruments.
Merry Christmas mate!
Beautiful guitar! Love the mahogany look and sound !
This righteous content you share is truly therapeutic in these uncertain times, your processes and respect for your craft makes us forget the above mentioned uncertain times....😂🙏Thanks
Thanks for sharing your memories of Frank and for sharing your experiences with us Ted. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 🥳
Didn't expect a video this close to Christmas, pleasant surprise. Thank you Ted, and Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas Ted and all other viewers. Thank you for all your quality work and dry sense of humour! Best channel on CZcams. Love from Scotland 👍
Thank you so much for your videos!
You explain the sound and the string response perfectly. You put the sound into words. I had an all mahogany Martin and I used to explain it like it had a built-in compressor
Thanks Ted. Merry Christmas to you and yours
Something about those Mahogany bodies just attracts me so much. And I love that you share the mistakes you make with us, too, though I'm sorry about the extra work it's gonna cost you.
Happy Christmas.
Condolences for the loss of your friend, Frank Ford.
I have an all-mahogany 00 - 12 fret - slot head that I'm quite fond of. As you say, it has a very even response between the strings and registers.
Happy Holidays to you and yours, Ted!
Please accept my deepest condolences for the loss of your friend and mentor. Merry Christmas to you and your family. Long may you continue repairing and improving instruments. Thank you for all you do.
Beautiful guitar!
Happy Christmas to you and ALL on this channel.May all of your 2024 be filled with sweet music. Doc BC
RIP Frank!
Btw I got the tshirt delivered. It came from Poland even though I am in the US. Anyway the main goal was to show support so I really do hope you can get your money from them.
Thanks for the videos. Happy Holidays to all of you!
Merry Christmas. Thanks for all of your fine videos. Here’s wishing you a great new year of many more!
I would have never expected a video on Christmas weekend. Awesome of course and a joy to watch, as always. Wish you a merry Christmas!
Thanks for the great Christmas present of this video Ted. Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas Ted and thank you for all the fabulous videos.
Take care and Keep safe.
Excellent job! You always do it right and i love it
Rest In Peace Frank 🙏
Wonderful video and the guitar sounds awesome!
Waking up to this first thing on Christmas day morning, what a treat. So sad to hear about the passing of Frank Ford, he was such an innovator, and influenced virtually everyone in guitar repair.
Thank you Ted, for a year of exceptional content, hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful Christmas.🎄
Happy Holidays! Thanks for another year of great content!
Always such a pleasure seeing your work. Thanks so much for sharing, best wishes for the new year.
I Love the Love that You Give to these Harmony Models!
I remember a three-parter on another one with no binding and it was inspiringly impressive. So I know you are gonna fix the bridge saddles.
Happy XMas and Boxers or whatnot.
Thanks for another year’s worth of stellar repair work and videos. I look forward to many more in the new year.
Merry Christmas Ted,to you and all your loved ones. All the best.
I really appreciate your work, and the tremendous amount of technical knowledge you share. Thank you!!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you, Ted.
Happy holidays Ted! Thanks for all the great videos and instructions! Here's to another year full of great content from the website most beloved luthier!! Cheers
Merry Christmas Ted, thank you for the great Content and all the Best from Germany!
Thanks Ted. Another great video. Even though you have done these types of things before, there is always a new wrinkle to work through. Great education for the rest of us.
Beautiful sound.
Beautiful and warm sounding guitar. It's not an all the time sound for me, but do like the boxiness that the smaller bodied guitars have.
I love mahogany guitars. I have an 80's Alvrarez Yairi that has a wonderfully warm tone. As usual Ted, your work is outstanding.
"From all of me at Woodford Instruments"!!! 🤣 Happy Christmas Ted, RIP Frank.
Happy holidays, Ted. Thanks for the continually excellent content.
Thank you as always much appreciated
RIP Mr. Ford. His good work has touched and influence many, many people.
Saved this for Xmas morning watching.. I would like to wish you a very happy Xmas. Thank you for all the wonderful output this year. You really to add to my life in a very positive way. 🙂
Great job as always !! Sounds nice !!
Great vid as always, RIP Frank Ford.
Happy Christmas or holiday or whatever Boss. I have never so much as touched a guitar but have not missed an episode. I like to learn, and you teach.
I just had one of these in the shop for a neck reset, a 1962 model...beautiful little guitar!
Thank you Fred and Merry Christmas 🎅👍🎸
Thanks for a great year In guitar repair instruction!
Best of luck in 2024.
People that weren't lucky enough to know Mr. Frank Ford personally, had at least heard of him. He will be sadly missed. On another note, I just want to tell you again how much I enjoy your videos and content. Take care, and Merry Christmas!
Happy Xmas and a peaceful New Year from a wet England. Thank you for all these video's, so much to look forward to see in each task.
Superb work as always Ted. A very merry Christmas to you and yours from here in the UK. Thank you for your content, I look forward to it every time.
Merry Christmas mr. Woodford. Nice video as usual. 👍
I'm fortunate to own a number of guitars and my favorite is my 1958 00-17. It still has that sweet scent of mahogany.
Merry Christmas Ted, to you and yours, and thanks for another great year of great videos, and common sense………
RIP Frank! He very kindly gave me a thorough tour of his shop at Gryphon Strings when I was starting to make guitars. Very generous man!
While I would never ask you to police anybody, there are a couple of us I think who would be interested in your take on Ben Crowe’s recent neck reset on a rare old Gretsch. Looked like a sturdy job, but a few of us thought he went overboard and may have made future resets more difficult.
Merry Christmas! Looking forward to another year of learning from you!