It was an honor to get to restore this Bartolini Alvaro model guitar owned by the legendary Hubert Sumlin, guitarist for Howling Wolf working again! Hubert was ranked number 43 in Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”. The guitar is owned by guitar player/musician Dean Shot! It was such a challenge to work with the brittle/delicate acrylic pickguard. I had to set up the pickguard in the milling machine to mill out the truss rod wheel notch and drill two relief holes to raise the electronics level with the pickguard. In the lathe I made a 2024 aircraft aluminum alloy string retainer to add needed pressure behind the nut, back in the day Hubert used a rubber band to act as the retainer. I have lots of 2024 aircraft aluminum in stock from when my Dad (Dr. Phil Petillo) in the 1970’s designed the Kramer aluminum neck models out of the metal alloy and he was also monumental in the construction process of the Travis Bean models as well. The holes were already drilled in the headstock to use for the new string retainer. The last part of the restoration was regluing the loose side edge of the pearloid top to the base of the body by the neck pocket and to secure a loose piece of pearloid plastic near the end of the neck pocket cavity. This guitar has so many unique tones and to work on something played by Hubert was dream! Special thanks to my friend Gary Wright for recommending me to Dean and for Will for letting me use his case to photograph the guitar in!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

•