Dr. Guitar

It has been quite sometime since the last time I went to meet up with a guitar Doctor. Guitars, like many other instruments, will experience wear and tear in addition to alignment and set ups that need to be tuned periodically to keep it optimized.

Located at Danau Kota, Setapak, Yeop Fadhil has been working with guitars and basses for quite a long time and his expertise is well known among guitarist, bassist as well as retailers who want to repair or set up their instrument to its best.

His workshop is just a small room and he wouldn’t mind my presence while getting his job done. So one day I decided to hang around and kept him company.

Guitars that need major works and some are waiting for the parts to arrive from abroad.

E-5 + ZD 12-60mm
Monotone | Low key gradation
f/5.6 | ISO 1600 | 1/10s | ahmadjaa

Lubricating the fasteners and the truss rod before re-adjusting the neck and relief which had a minor twist of alignment.

E-5 + ZD 12-60mm
Monotone | Low key gradation
f/4.0 | ISO 1600 | 1/60s | ahmadjaa

The work space

E-5 + ZD 12-60mm
Monotone | Low key gradation
f/4.0 | ISO 1600 | 1/80s | ahmadjaa

E-5 + ZD 12-60mm
Monotone | Low key gradation
f/5.6 | ISO 1600 | 1/40s | ahmadjaa

Measuring and understanding the fretboard curvature radius prior to repair.

E-5 + ZD 12-60mm
Monotone | Low key gradation
f/4.0 | ISO 1600 | 1/50s | ahmadjaa

Fretworks – filing the frets

E-5 + ZD 12-60mm
Monotone | Low key gradation
f/4.0 | ISO 800 | 1/80s | ahmadjaa

E-5 + ZD 12-60mm
Monotone | Low key gradation
f/5.6 | ISO 1600 | 1/40s | ahmadjaa

E-5 + ZD 12-60mm
Monotone | Low key gradation
f/4.0 | ISO 1600 | 1/40s | ahmadjaa

E-5 + ZD 12-60mm
Monotone | Low key gradation
f/4.0 | ISO 1600 | 1/50s | ahmadjaa

E-5 + ZD 12-60mm
Monotone | Low key gradation
f/5.6 | ISO 1600 | 1/60s | ahmadjaa

E-5 + ZD 12-60mm
Monotone | Low key gradation
f/5.6 | ISO 1600 | 1/30s | ahmadjaa

Checking the straightness and relief of the frets and neck.

E-5 + ZD 12-60mm
Monotone | Low key gradation
f/5.6 | ISO 1600 | 1/25s | ahmadjaa

New strings

E-5 + ZD 12-60mm
Monotone | Low key gradation
f/5.6 | ISO 1600 | 1/40s | ahmadjaa

E-5 + ZD 12-60mm
Monotone | Low key gradation
f/5.6 | ISO 1600 | 1/25s | ahmadjaa

E-5 + ZD 12-60mm
Monotone | Low key gradation
f/5.6 | ISO 1250 | 1/60s | ahmadjaa

Grinding the saddles string slots for better string placement

E-5 + ZD 12-60mm
Monotone | Low key gradation
f/5.6 | ISO 1600 | 1/15s | ahmadjaa

Getting the feel of the guitar and testing before proceed for the intonation works

E-5 + ZD 12-60mm
Monotone | Low key gradation
f/5.6 | ISO 1600 | 1/25s | ahmadjaa

E-5 + ZD 12-60mm
Monotone | Low key gradation
f/5.6 | ISO 1600 | 1/60s | ahmadjaa

E-5 + ZD 12-60mm
Monotone | Low key gradation
f/5.6 | ISO 1600 | 1/15s | ahmadjaa

Intonation set ups – guitar plugged in to a tuner while adjusting

E-5 + ZD 12-60mm
Monotone | Low key gradation
f/5.6 | ISO 1600 | 1/40s | ahmadjaa

E-5 + ZD 12-60mm
Monotone | Low key gradation
f/5.6 | ISO 1600 | 1/30s | ahmadjaa

E-5 + ZD 12-60mm
Monotone | Low key gradation
f/5.6 | ISO 1600 | 1/60s | ahmadjaa

Adjusting the pole pieces of the pickups and sound testing.

E-5 + ZD 12-60mm
Monotone | Low key gradation
f/3.4 | ISO 1600 | 1/13s | ahmadjaa

Yeop Fadhil – Work done!

E-5 + ZD 12-60mm
Monotone | Low key gradation
f/2.8 | ISO 1600 | 1/20s | ahmadjaa

While watching him working, I can sense his passion and sincerity to make each set up to be the best. There was no cutting corner. He did it carefully and thoroughly, checking each one to ensure his customers will be happy and enjoy playing their instruments. He said that “all guitars are precious to him” yet even if the guitar is a cheap one he still take it seriously.

This reflects photography in a way where there are times the shot that we took doesn’t comply to the technical aspects or rules but we found that the picture is so precious that we simply cherish the frozen moment taken. So, be truthful to yourself- if you like those shots just keep them and whether they will be showcased or not is a different story. Keep on enjoying photography. Have fun and happy shooting!

Tags: ahmad jaa, doctor, guitar, instrument, Malaysia, music, repair, zuikoholics