Helm Custom Guitars and Repair
2412 Lawrencetown Road B2Z 1L6 Halifax, NS, Canada

Built in the 20's and restored in the 20's. In for its hundred year check up this old parlor of @rogerwnelson and @mcqueensmachine.

@willhansologtr Ms. DeVille was in for some modifications. Changed the fret dots to pink, the side dots to white, swapped the volume pot and refinished the pink nitro, in the quest for a super thin finish we went a little to thin the first time around.

Finished up this custom build for @jockhiltz. Basswood double bound offset tele style body with a gold hex flake finish. Maple/rosewood neck with 22 SS frets 9.5" radius and a spoke wheel heel adjust two way rod. Two handwound slugbuckers with A3 magnets and nickel covers, emerson pro pots, 3 way toggle and a sprague orange drop tone cap. Gotoh vintage style tuners and a Dusenberg tremelo. Named Leroy after his late grandfather. Rock on!!!

Finished off the Hof' back in its rightful hands @sergesamson

It's a colorful mess.

What I assumed was just an uptick in business has become the new norm. The "to do" pile just isn't getting any smaller. Big thanks to everyone who has put there confidence in my work. Speaking of work......

Taking care of the fretboard on @jockhiltz custom build. Installed 6mm mother of pearl fret dots, sanded the 12" radius in the fretboard, pressed in 22 Jescar medium jumbo stainless steel frets and cleaned the surface with mineral spirits.

Spraying the gold hex flake onto @jockhiltz custom built guitar.

Cleaning the hardware on this Gibson ES-339.

Clearing a cracked top on a Gibson J-45, reducing the belly hump and resetting the bridge on a Gibson Songwriter.

Putting the templates to use, @jockhiltz custom guitar. Just about ready for the binding and inlays.

Whipped up another uke, walnut back, sides and neck with Sitka spruce top and bracing. I'm using roasted maple stained black for the fretboard and bridge.

Made the templates for @jockhiltz custom build, this guitar is going to be awesome, wait until you see the finish!!!

Lumber milled for another build.

Fixed a few cracks in Jimmy Rankins Gibson Gospel and whipped up a new bone nut and fixed a split back brace on his Gibson Starburst.

Life is what you make it and in this case it's a carnival.

Making a plug to fit the bridge cavity on @luke_dabassman27. It's getting the old bridge swapped out with a Badass II.

Testing out the pickups.

Rebuilt the pickups for this late 50's silvertone 1458. Super simple design two fibreboard plates glued to a rough cast magnet with 4000 wraps each. Tiny but mighty.

Glued the crack in the Duesenberg, built the surface level and sanded it flush, mixed up some color matched lacquer and air brushed it on and sealed it with some clear. Still needs a bit more clear before it's buffed but it's more or less seamless.

What's under your upright?

Removing a lifted bridge on an Epiphone 12-string.

Swapped the pickups back to the originals and now fixing a crack at the Jack on this beautiful Duesenberg Fullerton TV.

Finished @bennrossmusic old harmony. Installed a two way rod, reset the neck angle, moved the bridge up 1/4" so it could be properly intonated, reslotted the saddle channel, new bone saddle and a fret dressing, plays like a dream now.

New frets and bone nut for this '75 hardtail strat.

Finished with @rickyjones82 custom built strat. Two piece alder body with seafoam burst top. Roasted birdseye maple neck with an oil finish. 22 Stainless jumbo frets with 9.5" radius fretboard. Tortoloid binding, pickguard and back plate.... Vintage tuners and deluxe trem. Helm wound Formvar pickups with a push/pull for series/parallel switching of the humbucker with another push/pull to engage the neck pickup for a total of 10 pickup configurations. Electrosocket sidemount Jack. See more

6 pickups to build, two to rebuild, two to wax pot, two to swap and two pickguards to assemble, I'll be at my soldering bench for most of today.

Had a visit from @doolang_guitar_repair , gave him a hand removing the neck on @mattandersenmusic Lakewood so he could swap out the pickup embedded into the end of the fretboard.

Reslotted the truss channel and installed the rod on @bennrossmusic Harmony.

Neck is reset on @sergesamson Hofner to the proper angle and the neck heel has been restored back to the original, just needs some new frets a few drop fills and a clear coat.

Removing the fretboard on @bennrossmusic old Harmony, going to install a two way rod and reset the neck angle.

Finished up @mackenzielawless old Regal resonator. I've the 25 more guitars to fix blues.

This Martin need a bit if work to close up these cracks. Cleated, replaced the missing piece of kerfing in the inside, cut a replacement piece for the piece of missing side, color matched and lacquered. It's not seamless but its solid.

Filling and routing the bridge slot in @rogerwnelson '75 D-28. It need to come back about a 16th of an inch to get the proper intonation.

Finished up my uke. "All alone, or in two's The ones who really love you Walk up and down outside the wall... Some hand in hand And some gathered together in bands The bleeding hearts and the artists Make their stand And when they've given you their all Some stagger and fall, after all it's not easy Banging your heart against some mad bugger's wall"

Grafted a piece of purfling and binding to match the missing pieces, filled the open wood, and drop filled the crack on this old Regal for @mackenzielawless.

Removed the neck from @sergesamson '66 Hofner. Someone did a number on the last neck reset, the plastic plate on the back was more or less the only thing keeping it together. They routed the dovetail cavity into a square and glued shims to the dovetail. Filled all the holes and cut a slot in the neck heel for the missing piece of purfling, it's going to get capped with binding on the heel like the original, the last person just painted over their work with black lacquer. Sprayed the burst on the top to match the back, just need to drop fill a few plugs and I'm ready to glue the neck back into its proper position.

Plugging the Jack hole in @rogerwnelson '75 Martin, beauty of a guitar.

The shop will be closed till next week, unfortunately the water has only receded to here, which is better than the one foot of water that was in it. It smells like the harbour in here, I'm still waiting to find a fish. Also if you have a guitar with me it's fine, everything important was placed well above the floor.

Going to be reseting the neck and respraying the original burst back on @sergesamson '66 Hofner, will have to fix a few cracks and holes as well.

Trying to catch up with Jade on my uke build, she's playing hers already.

This is Jade. She's been working at the shop all summer and she built herself a uke from scratch!!! I milled the pieces to thickness and she did the rest. She did an amazing job. I've known Jade since she was a few days old and was absolutely thrilled when she asked to come work at the shop, she definitely has the builders bug.

Satisfying. @rickyjones custom strat.

Resurrecting a set of '79 T-tops.

Testing out the pickups, 42 gauge formvar wire, alnico V staggered pole pieces, wound 6.5k neck, 6.75k middle and 7.1k bridge.

That's a wrap, well 25600 to be exact.

Building a level surface on two bodies before I spray the color coats. Profiling the back of this roasted birds eye neck. Winding a set of single coils and assembling a pickguard for the '79 Strat. Setting up a J-Bass. Patching the Jack hole in this Martin acoustic and moving the Jack to the heel block.

Just about ready to assemble the '79 Strat refinish.

Bound and inlayed, @rickyjones82 customized strat.

Reset the neck angle on this late 30's/early 40's Oahu. The action was much to high with the saddle at its lowest position. Resetting the angle gives me enough height at the bridge to add the thumb wheels to the bridge assembly. It now has enough adjustability to achieve whatever action desired.

Removed the Bigsby and plugged the snake bites on this Gibson ES-339.

Resetting the bridge on this Canadian made Garrison, these guitars sported carbon fiber frames.

Some progress on @rickyjones82 Strat, I really like the workability of alder, cuts and sands easily and smells awesome when you cut into it, unlike swamp ash which has a disgusting sour smell.

Couple of T-tops in for a rewind, these rusty old things are the same age as me!!

Now that's a pickup!!!!

@rickyjones82 liked his tele so much that now he wants a matching strat. A matching strat he shall have.

Fitted a P-bass neck on this Jag bass and installed a set of EMG PJ pickups.

Modifying the bridge plate on a Mexican Tele and installing a Bigsby B5.

Another classic color, '79 strat refinished in Sonic blue.

All cleaned up and ready for color!!!

Blasting the sealer coats on the '79 strat refinish.

Some new frets for Ryan Stanley's Silvertone.

Drop filling another vintage fender neck with some color matched lacquer.

Replacing the electronics in this Yamaha Pacifica. Had to route the cavity for the split blade. Three @fralinpickupsofficial, 5 way switch, orange drop caps with treble bleed circuit and a push/pull tone to engage the nick pickup. Rippin', also today is its birthday.

Fixing a crack in the fretboard on @patrickedmonds '67 J-bass. The truss nut worked it's way into the truss cavity splitting the fretboard at the 18th fret which was causing the frets before it to fret out. I cut a spacer from an old truss nut to give the rod some more travel. Removed the last 5 frets and packed the crack with rosewood dust and worked it back into the radius with a razor file. Cleaned it up and replaced the last few frets. Now I just need to replace the old nut.

Fixed the top on this Big Baby Taylor for @bween. Added some kerfing to support the newly grafted piece after clearing the cracks. Color matched a little stain and sealed it with vinyl sealer. It lives again.

Cavities are filled and routed, now it's time to strip the remaining finish from this '79 Strat.