Dried-out Fret Level :: Gitane DG-455 [4.0 lbs]

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Dried-out Fret Level :: Gitane DG-455 [4.0 lbs]

This past winter took it's toll on this thinline gypsy jazz guitar.  The guitar had dried out to the point of the strings touching the frets, along with top cracks along the fingerboard extension.  The fingerboard also developed cracks where the frets were pushing out the ends of the board.  The cracks were all glued and the sharp / raised frets were leveled and dressed.

Leveling Frets :: Gitane DG-455

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Leveling Frets :: Gitane DG-455

This guy had a rough winter.  Along with uneven frets, the top dried out so much that the strings were touching the frets when it came in.  A few weeks in a humidified shop has brought the action up significantly.

Gitane DG-455 thinline acoustic-electric :: set up, fingerboard crack and fingerboard extension crack in the top along the bass side

Gitane DG-455 thinline acoustic-electric :: set up, fingerboard crack and fingerboard extension crack in the top along the bass side.

This has a Fishman Aura pickup built into the bridge, so raising the action involved disconnecting the pickup lead from the side mounted preamp.  Then Indian rosewood shims were glued and trimmed to the bridge foot, dyed black and fit to the top.  The pickup was reconnected after the action was set.  Putty was used to originally affix the bridge wings, so they were removed, better fit to the top and attached with pickguard adhesive.  I have worked on gypsy jazz guitars before, but the bridge-integrated pickup certainly complicates minor action adjustments.  Super fun guitar to play though!