Federal Strings

Federal Strings Guitars (and other fretted things) repaired, restored and built in the Byron hinterland. Authorised Maton Guitars Repair Centre.

I recently had the pleasure of working on two gorgeous guitars built by late Australian luthier Jim Williams. Jim was kn...
26/08/2026

I recently had the pleasure of working on two gorgeous guitars built by late Australian luthier Jim Williams. Jim was known and admired in Australia and internationally for his exquisite instruments, his seminal 1987 book “A Guitar Maker’s Manual” and his writings in GAL publications.

These two instruments represent two distinct eras of his career, an authoritative cedar-topped jumbo from his earliest years, and a refined finger-style instrument with a gorgeous redwood top, one of the last to leave his workshop. Both superb sounding and playing guitars that I felt very privileged to work on.

Cc: The Looth Group

whatsonyourbench

Another fun parts build out the door - this one a walnut thinline with a fat, clear Lollar Pickups CC neck pickup, and a...
02/07/2026

Another fun parts build out the door - this one a walnut thinline with a fat, clear Lollar Pickups CC neck pickup, and an extra chunky 50s-style neck.

Need to take your Squier higher?A Firebird pickup and a pair of TrueVelvets in a custom Tortoise guard gave this humbl...
22/01/2026

Need to take your Squier higher?

A Firebird pickup and a pair of TrueVelvets in a custom Tortoise guard gave this humble Squier Strat a sizeable injection of mojo. You can visit my website to book in if you’d like to reimagine one of your axes.

From Mat-off to Mat-on 😎 Another beautiful vintage CW80 back in action and displaying the thunderous low register typica...
19/01/2026

From Mat-off to Mat-on 😎

Another beautiful vintage CW80 back in action and displaying the thunderous low register typical of the era.

Federal Strings is your local authorised Maton repair centre and I stand ready to give your Aussie classics the love they deserve.

Some quick housekeeping - the workshop will now be open Monday to Friday, instead of the Tuesday to Saturday schedule I’...
18/01/2026

Some quick housekeeping - the workshop will now be open Monday to Friday, instead of the Tuesday to Saturday schedule I’ve kept the last few years.

As always, an appointment is required and the fastest way to book is online at www.federalstrings.com

For those who find it tricky to make it to the workshop during business hours, there are still weekend drop-off / pick-up points available - get in touch to find out more.

A gentle reminder that transformative things are possible in 2026.
17/01/2026

A gentle reminder that transformative things are possible in 2026.

Jazzblastering 💥 ⚡️ to ring in the new year. It was a busy end to 2025, and I closed out the year by helping a pair of J...
01/01/2026

Jazzblastering 💥 ⚡️ to ring in the new year.

It was a busy end to 2025, and I closed out the year by helping a pair of Jazzmasters to shed the trappings of the quiet life and evolve into out-and-out rock machines.

Sending my thanks to all my amazing customers - it was a busy, rewarding and fulfilling year and I honestly can’t wait to do it all again in 2026.

The workshop opens in a few days but you can book in right now via my website (link in bio). Happy new year!

Merry Christmas 🍻 I hope you all have the opportunity to relax and spend time with family and friends. The workshop is...
24/12/2025

Merry Christmas 🍻

I hope you all have the opportunity to relax and spend time with family and friends.

The workshop is now closed while I take a short break. I’ll be back at the bench in early January and you can book your appointment right now at www.federalstrings.com for all repairs, restorations, modifications and setup work.

Cheers!

This Takamine was a very nice-sounding dreadnought but was challenging to play due to having one of the chunkiest necks ...
03/12/2025

This Takamine was a very nice-sounding dreadnought but was challenging to play due to having one of the chunkiest necks I’ve encountered on a modern instrument. Rather than move on from it, its owner asked me to re-carve the neck.

Although a reasonably slim profile at the nut, the neck tapered up to almost 28mm thick by the 9th fret. After a little math to calculate how much material needed to retained, I carved it to a slimmer, modern C-shape profile, with a straight shaft from the nut to the heel transition.

Some colour and fresh satin nitrocellulose lacquer finished the job.

cc:

Address

11 Teak Road
Federal, NSW
2480

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 10am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 10am - 4:30pm
Thursday 10am - 4:30pm
Friday 10am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+61447955237

Website

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