The Guitar Doctor

The Guitar Doctor Repairs, modifications & Set up services for string instruments. HND Cert. Trained by Patrick Eggle.

Danny Higgins Lakland 5 string bass, Aguilar OBP3 preamp re-install. This came in with no output. Delving inside there w...
09/12/2025

Danny Higgins Lakland 5 string bass, Aguilar OBP3 preamp re-install.

This came in with no output. Delving inside there were broken connections and dry solder joints. Wires ran to the wrong pots and it was just generally a little all over the place. The easiest solution was to strip it out and, clean all the lugs of solder and renew all the connections.

The wiring diagram is actually wrong for this, I found out once I'd wired it in accordingly, but that wasn't too difficult to overcome and rectify thankfully.

Now it works correctly volume, blend, bass boost/cut, mid boost/cut with switchable frequency and treble boost/cut.


08/12/2025

Christmas looms..!!!
There's pretty much just 2 weeks left until you find out which list you're on...

Things that will definitely get you on the Naughty List.

1. Rusty strings
2. Filthy fretboard/guitar
3. Bad action
4. Broken tuning pegs
5. Missing parts
6. Electrical problems
7. Dead batteries
8. Transporting guitar with no bag/case
9. Being Grinchy
10. Putting ExLax in Santa's milk

I can guarantee you a space on the Nice List by tackling these issues for you...all except 10 that is, you're on your own there..

Act fast or you'll run out of time.

08/12/2025

Sorry for the short notice but I'm closed tomorrow, Tuesday and open Wednesday this week in lieu.

Thanks.

Sorry it's short notice but I will be closed tomorrow in addition to Wednesday (my Birthday) as I am desperately looking...
01/12/2025

Sorry it's short notice but I will be closed tomorrow in addition to Wednesday (my Birthday) as I am desperately looking for a vehicle and so far not having much luck....apologies for any inconvenience.

***On another note***

If you're looking to get your guitar setup or repaired for those impending Christmas gigs, then get on it...! I have the space and time currently, but that can change quickly, so don't procrastinate..!!

I should have taken more pre-work photos as the wiring was a bit of a mess. The 3 way switch was also detached from the ...
28/11/2025

I should have taken more pre-work photos as the wiring was a bit of a mess. The 3 way switch was also detached from the scratch plate (from aging), but I didn't, be side as ever I just get stuck in and realise afterwards. There was no sound coming from 2 of the switch positions and the sliding solo switch did nothing. He wanted it completely original as well, which limited what I could do.

Anyway there's a bit of a story with this one and the owner hopes to have it featured in a local newspaper. Long story short, he lost/part exchanged this "made for him" Burns guitar some 50 years ago as he was asked to join a band on bass. Needless to say, this vanished, only to resurface under strange circumstances that can only be described as serendipity. I won't go into it any deeper at this time, but hopefully he's happy now that it once again works properly (bar one tone pot which has failed with age).




If at first you don't succeed, just add more solder....I'm not religious, but Christ on a bike is a fitting adjective.
25/11/2025

If at first you don't succeed, just add more solder....

I'm not religious, but Christ on a bike is a fitting adjective.

Judge: Why did you murder the victim, he was a fellow guitar player...Me: See exhibit A, pictured and notice what he did...
18/11/2025

Judge: Why did you murder the victim, he was a fellow guitar player...

Me: See exhibit A, pictured and notice what he did with the excess string. This was the same on every tuning key.

Judge: Case dismissed...

Remember the PandemEko? Finally sorted. Every step unearthed more issues with it. Wood had split within the neck joint f...
18/11/2025

Remember the PandemEko?

Finally sorted. Every step unearthed more issues with it. Wood had split within the neck joint from the guitar being left in a loft, but it has huge sentimental value so I persevered.

The neck was of course shimmed to cope with the setup going awry over the years and I reinforced the soundboard beneath the fretboard as again it has split with age and temperature changes. I also had to be creative with a tuning key. Pre decimal, this thing has different spacing than anything modern so the chances of finding parts is pretty low. The customer has a limited budget so it's function over fashion, bear that in mind.

It actually plays at least as well as any other 70s 12 string.

Eko 12 string pandemic maker. A vast improvement on yesterday.
07/11/2025

Eko 12 string pandemic maker. A vast improvement on yesterday.

06/11/2025

Thanks to everyone who has accepted my spammy "follow my page" link, even though some of you don't play guitar, so would never need my services.

I try to add a little humour to the sometimes-horrors that appear across my bench, so hopefully it provides a little entertainment amongst your daily feed of FB negativity, if nothing else.

If I come down with some strange illness, this is the cause....Eko 12 string abandoned in a loft. Watch this space, unle...
06/11/2025

If I come down with some strange illness, this is the cause....Eko 12 string abandoned in a loft. Watch this space, unless of course it's my undoing.

Please tell the CDC or whatever it's called, to swab my bench. Bill Gates can use it to create the next pandemic. 😂

A new acquisition and another Levinson Blade for Steve Overland of FM fame. This was an absolute bargain...it's basicall...
06/11/2025

A new acquisition and another Levinson Blade for Steve Overland of FM fame.

This was an absolute bargain...it's basically as new with very little playing evidence upon it.

The action was pretty high but other than a setup with his chosen Elixir 10s in E flat, it was in fine order. The electrics were checked over and it was nice to see the attention to detail the factory gave to these. The 3 way active switching gives everything from glassy single coil tones to humbucker like output.

The white k***s were swapped to black along with the switch tip as requested, to make the Candy Apple "pop".

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Stuart House, 1-4 Arnold Street
Nantwich
CW55QB

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Monday 9am - 6pm
Tuesday 9am - 6pm
Thursday 9am - 7pm
Friday 9am - 6pm

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