During the fall of 2020, I was contacted by a guitar collector, Dan Bain, to renovate a small guitar that was to be gifted to Melissa Etheridge. He learned of me from a Melissa Etheridge Cruise we had both been on earlier. Dan hired me to renovate a 1969 Stella by Harmony acoustic guitar that was a very close match to Melissa’s first guitar. It was to be delivered to her sometime in Spring of 2021.
This thing was in very poor condition. The top was warped and had several long cracks, scratches everywhere and years of grime on all the hardware and frets. I questioned whether or not this could actually be repaired! I removed strings, tail piece, tuning pegs, floating bridge and pick guard. They all needed to be thoroughly cleaned and polished.
The top had to be removed by applying heat and separating it from the sides with a spatula. This softened the old glue enough to gently remove it without causing further damage. I began by sandwiching the top between moistened newsprint and adding weights on top for a week in order for the wood to re-hydrate and reduce the warpage. It worked!
The original bracing had fallen off or were broken, so I removed them and created new ones. The old glue had to be scraped off to allow the new ones to adhere properly. The cracks had to be squeezed back together and glued. Later they would have thin spruce patches glued to the inside along the crack line for added strength. The back and sides were in good condition and didn’t need any structural repair. After the cracks were repaired, the bracing was installed and shaped for optimal sound, the top had to be glued back on.
While all this glue was drying, I got to work on the hardware. Wow, they were a mess! the metal parts cleaned up nicely and their shine was restored. The pick guard was cleaned and buffed with a plastic compound and turned out better than expected. The fret board and frets had so much dirt and grime it was a challenge to clean them and not remove the stain and painted on inlays. The entire guitar got a good cleaning as well. Once the top was back on, the painted-on binding had to be replicated. When that task was completed, I sprayed to top with a clear finish. Now, all the hardware could be reinstalled and new strings put on to try it out. It sounded amazing and looked nearly brand new.
During 2021, the COVID Pandemic prevented everyone from socializing and doing much of anything. I drove to western Massachusetts to meet Dan in an open air parking lot in order to deliver the finished guitar. He was thrilled with the results! Melissa Etheridge had renovated her garage into a music studio where she and her wife, Lida Wallem, would broadcast live performances, talk shows and history nights. On April 5, 2021, Linda presented Melissa with the renovated guitar on the live show. Needless to say, Melissa was impressed!
In 2023, Melissa starred in her own Broadway show, “My Window”, in New York City, and entered the stage with the Stella. I sat in the front row and couldn’t be prouder of the task I had been given and was able to be part of this historical moment in some way. Thank you, Dan, for this great opportunity!
