After Lomax convinced authorities to release Leadbelly from prison, Leadbelly bought himself a new Stella 12 String. These guitars were usually tuned down to a D or C tuning, and had a remarkable rumbling tone.

I have a 1971 Epiphone F150 acoustic POS that has had catastrophic events. After watching twoodford vids for awhile I repaired it and the old gal is playable with acceptable action and intonation. This guitar was almost in the trash and I am indebted to my video mentor, thank you.

I received a Stella from my mother on Christmas of 1963, I was 9 years old at the time. Mine had a tail piece and a movable bridge that slid back and forth to intonate it. I learned on this and a few other Lechmere Sales guitars and 60 years later I'm still playing. Oh, I forgot to mention that it had a tobacco sunburst finish. It had light steel string on it. My cousin found one of these at an estate sale, don't know what he paid for it but i picked it up and I was transported back to 1963, oh the memories.

It cost me $1000 bucks to give my hundred and some year old Stella a neck reset and replace an old mustachio bridge. Play it every day, at home. It took a very special luthier, who like you, appreciates the vintage

Stella out here pioneering the multi scale guitar movement. True forward thinkers. 😊

I've never seen checking like that on the Stella...the aligatoring looks quiiiite nice!

I've had good luck working glue into tight cracks by drilling holes in the pallet knife, I feel like it carries more glue along with it

Somehow these seem to just keep getting better. Our friend twoodford is a delight!

Great work! Thank you for reanimating that lovely antique voice!

I really enjoy your providing a background on the company that made this guitar. Most of us learned to play a guitar on a used Stella. When I was learning to play the summer I was a dish washer for a Christian summer camp back in 1954, I’m sure it was a Stella in my hands. It had steel strings and a high action. My fingers became very painful because they were softened from dishwashing. Intonation, didn’t know anything about that but the high action was a challenge. I did lean to play. When I went home at the end of the summer,I picked up my dad’s 1945 Martin D-18 guitar and could not believe the tone.I never forgot that moment as to the difference between guitars and always played my dad’s guitar in public. Shows one the difference between a mass produced guitar and what the Martin Company was producing at the end of WW 11. What a time to learn and soon we were into the folk revival and guitars were the kings on the show!

Stella are legendary! Iconic of the blues.

I love luthiery, especially to your standard ... I could watch it for hours! Well done sir!

I love this Guitar.

My first guitar was a $23 Stella in 1956

Thanks for another enjoyable video. I have to comment on your use of a suction cup to force glue into a crack. As I am sure with your experience you are getting good results I can't help but wonder if there would be a worthwhile improvement if there was a hole through the center of the suction cup similar to the rubber primer "button" on a small engine. When pushing on it your finger would seal the hole and force glue into the crack. Releasing your finger would eliminate any suction that would pull glue out of the crack. This is probably not necessary but I think of it every time I see you do it and I just couldn't keep it to myself any longer.

Absolutely loved the little ditty you played at the end! Thanks for another awesome, and very informative video sensei! 🙇‍♂️

Simply beautiful work. Love the "make sure it plays like you want it before you lay down the money" honest great advice and absolutely true. Been there Thank you for the dissertation,

I love your crushy thing with its pointy bit and its dimple. I'm heading straight to my workshop to make my own crushy thing!

Lovely looking guitar and masterfully restored 🎵🎶

That’s one sweet Stella! ❤️❤️❤️

Leadbelly was from around here. We have a bronze statue of him playing his guitar in Downtown Shreveport. Possibly even the Stella. It's been there for quite a while. He's also buried here and his burial location has some stuff there, too. Around the corner is another statue of Elvis and then we also have a statue of James Burton near there, out in front of his Foundation, IIRC. Or maybe the Municipal Auditorium? I don't remember exactly. I'd have to look it up to be sure. But being that James is from here, also, he is highly respected amongst everyone in this area that knows who he is.

Simply the best , thanks for a 1/2 hour of instruction.

You, Sir, are an education. Wonderful to see and hear. Thank you. 👍🎸❤️

Wow, that old Stella sounds great! I am surprised, thanks Ted you made me smile.

I love when two odd rod does not have to do a neck reset. I love when you carry on about other ways to repair or instrument care. I don’t even do guitar repair but this man makes my Sunday. Like Luther church. And no canuckistani kopeks spent. Best gang ever Ted.

Thank God artists/ craftsmen as yourself exist.

Once again… Bravo! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Thanks again for the lesson, always so much to learn. Neat stuff as usual.🤘🏼

I appreciate your willingness to go the extra mile for the benefit of the guitar itself. I performed body repair and veneer refinishing to piano's back on the 80's and sometimes it's hard to stop and say that's it, I'm finished. Cheers!

Your pickin' practice is starting to show harmonious results!

Yes!! A Ted Video!!

Thanks for keeping me company as I drink monk beer and develop isolation psychosis, Ted, it's a blast having you here in my house.

Holy moly! What a beautiful instrument! Just looking at it through the tubes gives me feels up my spine!

Fantastic video. Thanks so much.

Lots of old guitars got the vinegar+steel wool dye treatment, and it does make for a brittle surface on some woods.

Ted, The guitar sounds Awesome with your cross style picking, You've been practicing (huge smile). Thank You for all you do!

I have a McKenzie and Marr Canadian sold guitar with an Anthem system factory installed, easily my favorite acoustic pick up system !!!

That is a nice OS Stella model. Nice save. Position marker at 10 and reverse gear tuners strongly point to 1920’s. I assume the back and sides are birch?…….but the quick side view given in the video wasn’t conclusive. Definitely some of the best sounding ladder-braced guitars in existence. Playable spruce topped models are certainly not common these days. The guitar is definitely worthy of a proper neck reset. Thanks for keeping it playing !

You have quite a respectable right-hand groove there on that Travis style picking! Nice work as always, sir!!

Bluesy oh! Yes, strings dirtyed up a wee bit. Great job thanks for sharing. Respect to you mate. 🙃🙃

Oscar Schmidt died at his factory in Karlsbad, Czechoslovakia on a visit and later, the company was sold to John Carner in 1935 and he traded as Fretted Instrument Manufacturers, Inc but in 1939 he sold the brand names of Stella and Sovereign to Harmony- along with various bits and pieces including completed instruments. Carner then appears to have founded United of New Jersey shortly afterwards and that firm traded into the 60s or the 70s.

Great sounding guitar ! Well done

Bluesy indeed Ted. Love that delta tone.

Sweet! A buddy had an ol' Stella back in 1964. All Black body with the white plastic ring inset in sound hole. Always figured it was plywood. Used to bang around on it when visiting.

I have found that India Ink is a good fingerboard dye. It works especially well for players who complain about streaks or spots in their ebony boards. Personally, I like streaky ebony.

I appreciate the realistic approach to this repair. Owners need to assess each old guitar and determine if it is worth spending a ton of money on. Not every guitar is.

Just wanted to say I truly love and enjoy all your vids... I wish you wasn't so far away... (picturesque Koreatown, Los Angeles... wishing for folks to jam (with)...)

i feel that the endgrain gluing "myth" is largely due to the fact that boards are cut along the grain, so endgrain joints tend to have less surface area - which IMO is the real important part of a lasting joint.

Great work Ted

Man you do good work! Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Much love sir

I really enjoy your tender sensibility when it comes to expounding on your repairs. I find myself in agreement with you more than not. I like common sense alot!

Just to add to the trivia knowledge, Doc Watson said that his first guitar was a Stella.

All right! I’ve been jonesing for another of your videos!

That was amazing and honest! A thousand US money is a deal for inherited instruments or people who loves that guitar. My Uncle Tom loved Stella's but he loved most was his D-28 Martin 1973 now mine. Near the end of his medical problem he did a traded his Martin 1978, 00028 from Norm's rare guitars for an OM-18, with a twisted neck, no intonation and no way it won't stay in tuned. He died about 2 month's later. It took me 2 or 3 months to figured out what happened. Maybe collectors like Trogly's Gibson. I'm almost done 2. So hopefully 3 for 2023? A lot of work and body pain and arthritis but I'm enjoying the results, might be worth the pain?

Wisdom, grace, and skill. Nice combo sir.

This one sounds great actually, very nice job :)

You're back!

This Stella has a nice tone. You did a lot of work on it to get it there. Good job Ted!

There's a video(that Ted has seen 🤣👌) here on KZfaq of a guy testing glue up myths. He does end grain to end grain and a few other things. The results are not what you expect, IIRC. I haven't seen it for a bit so I forget what the results were exactly.

Just saw a KZfaq video called "How to ebonize wood with steel wool and vinegar. How to turn wood black. Aging wood." Looks like a simple, inexpensive and effective method. Thanks for reminding me about the strength of a butt joint. I did see the video you mentioned where different types of joints were tested, and the butt joint did surprisingly well. It was interesting to learn that it has been used on guitars. I have an old Classical Guitar that years ago, the Airlines dropped and broke off the headstock, which I fixed. I tried the fingerboard heated blanket trick on it about 6 months ago to see if that could fix the high action on it, only to discover when it didn't work because the airlines had also managed to crack the neck at the body joint too. Since a neck reset would likely be futile, I think cutting off the heel so I can get glue into the neck cracks, and making a new heel to glue with a butt joint may be the best solution. Thanks

I don't fix guitars, I can barely get one to make something that sounds vaguely like music. But I look forward to Sundays for these videos.

My man! Starting the four-day weekend off right! I apologize for my insensitivity to my non American friends Concerning the holiday weekend.😁

Many thanks. Something new to learn with each video.

I come for the repairs,I stay for Teds musical stylings at the end.

Always a treat. Thanks!

My very first guitar was a Stella which I bought at my local flea market for I think $10 back in the early 90’s.

Great sound! Nice playing ♫ My first guitar was a Stella with trapeze tailpiece and action you could drive a mack truck under. It was good for building the grip or playing slide ;)

there are special people in this world.................. you are on that list thank you

I love your gentle informative way of making videos. I'm also intrigued by your use of metric and imperial measurements. Its very handy living in Australia where we only use metric and all the talk of 64ths and thousandths leave me perplexed

Gorgeous and totally worthy repair.

Used a Time Machine to watch the whole video.

Great video as always. Keeping the voices alive. Thanks for your TLC and for sharing your knowledge sifu.

Thanks Ted, this was a very interesting post. I learned a lot.

Great work on this antique

I had a sovereign, in fact, that is where I learned to play chords, got my callouses. Legendary action height. Glad to solidify my Stella roots. Had another Stella before or after that, that I never really played.

Never ceases to amaze me.

I love it when ya do the old ones!

Fantastic work and history lesson as always!

You are the master. So hard to wait for the end . When I hear and see your handy work. Can you create without a fine instrument. Yes. But a 1910 or20 or 30 Might be that TONE THAT INSPIRED MOMENT. You are the master I love your videos But your work opens up possibilities beyond words. A masterpiece should be created on a masterpiece of a instrument. Not always but tone is the shit. Your work makes it happen. 🙋‍♂️🙋‍♂️🙋‍♂️🤔🤔🤔😜😜😜🐒🐒🐒😎😎😎

I had a black Stella with the orange faux stripes in the center and the action at the 12th fret was 1/4" ! I learned to play slide on it. You could finger chords to the 4th fret...in pain after 10 minutes. No truss rod, love to have it back. Memories...

Crisp and clear camera. Thanks. Good job.

Leadbelly's influence cannot be understated. Your favorite band was either directly influenced or secondarily from another that was. I'm not kidding.

I'm kinda doing guitar-repair-inception - listening to you while I'm working on guitars, myself. You're the best.

I got a 1969 Harmony Stella that had some water damage on the body, but I did an ok repair job, could be better. The bridge had popped off, but I had a real luthier put it back on. The neck, frets, tuners, look almost brand new, barely played. The luthier played it when finished and thought it had a great sound considering it was a Harmony Stella. The neck however, is like a 2x4, no truss rod of course, and wide for classical style. But I really like the sound. Not bad for getting it for free.

I built my first guitar from the book you mentioned ( The steel string guitar design and construction ) back in 1983 when I was at school. Neck to body joint is a butt joint with PVA. I haven’t had to touch that joint since.

Sharpie in the light is purple. I could always tell in pinball play field repairs when they had been used.

Very nice work. Very nice description. Thanks

The Sneaky Spider at 15:00 xD

Your fingers look like they’ve been through a war. I guess they have! Great work. I really enjoy your videos

THANK YOU! So I've watched enough of your videos to know I'm not a luthier, BUT I have a 1930s Kay mandolin POS that I bought for $50 with a $30 gig bag... The neck was separating and I was thinking of attempting a full reset. I used your strap clamp technique and it's as good as new.,.😂 Not saying much but you can no longer see daylight between the neck and the body.

There’s a video on KZfaq of Jimi Hendrix playing a down tuned Stella 12 string. I noticed there appeared to be a crack in the side at the upper bout near the neck. Did you fix that? Another great video thanks Ted.

I was briefly in a semi-acoustic power trio called Blanche DuBois.

ughhh the frets on my fav strat neck have gone a lil further than twenty thousand tall and ive gotten used to how it feels..its seen its last level and re crown that's for sure. and that guitar you just fixed sounds pretty amazing! sounds fantastic to me.

Brilliant as always great video

I just heard an old interview with Mama Maybelle Carter, and she stated that her first recordings were done on a Stella. If it were not for the Stella brand there might be no classic country or delta blues!

It coulda been a Contender... but it's a Stella.

Im on the edge on my seat seeing a gentle giant carfuly and masterfully fix delicate old guitars. This show is all about being human and interacting with humans through an object, amazing.

I had a Stella back in the 70s.

Love it, great work as usual. I was really hoping you were just going to stick a #2 robbie throught the neck block ;)

That fret tang expander is awesome. Sometimes (most of the time) the best tools are the ones we make ourselves.