Jerry Topinka’s T. W. Doyle (Tommy Thomas Doyle) archtop guitar original fret restoration. A lot of repair guys/techs would recommend a refret due to the deep string dents in the frets. A technique my Father (Dr. Phil Petillo) invented is to reshape the edges with his patented file and bring a flat fret back to its rounded state. After the filing was done I did a micropolishing, another one of my Father’s processes. Micropolishing is also used with his patented Petillo Precision Frets aka “triangle/pyramid frets” and I apply this process to every setup I do. The procedure involves the frets being polished from 400 grit sand paper all the way up to 10,000 grit lens paper (which polishes telescope lenses). The entire idea is to make the surface area so glass-like the metal string can resonate a clear true note with intonation clarity. I always use the example of the wine glass filled with liquid and the player rubs the rim…and the friction of that motion makes a note. You can imagine if the rim was rough, it would not be as reflective to carry the note. That is the principle with polishing the frets to so fine and flawless a gloss…the notes seem to hang in midair. After doing the fret work I added Paua abalone to the Gibson Les Paul black and white speedknobs. I like how the guitar had an abalone and mother of pearl inlay theme. The headstock/fingerboard inside binding has abalone inlay and the block inlays in the fingerboard/tailpiece inlay are white mother of pearl. The area by the electronic controls looked lonely to me so I studied the abalone colors on the guitar and felt Paua abalone would really enhence the look. Gluing abalone to the plastic speedknobs took some thought. In my lathe I ended up rounding the edges of the plastic knobs to level the abalone and give the knobs a contoured perspective. This guitar was masterfully made by Tommy Doyle and it was a pleasure to reshape and save the original frets for Jerry. Tommy is known for his association with Les Paul and making/restoring fine guitars. It was great to have Jerry and Beth Topinka in the shop and glad I had the chance to meet him and his family. Below is a bio write up on Jerry and all should read about his life long contribution to the Jazz guitar. Jerry Topinka’s CD of original compositions called Summer Nights demonstrates his melodic and intricate playing style. The CD’s stellar array of musicians and the songs’ masterful arrangements have garnered rave reviews from around the world. “Superbly crafted and brilliant work…there is no substitute for class.” (John Reid, 102.8 FM, Keith, Banffshire, Scotland) “A truly wonderful, lively album of very cool jazz” (Peter Merrett, PBS 106.7-FM, Melbourne, Australia) Jerry began playing guitar in May 1954, quickly displaying a passion for the instrument. Jerry studied with two of the top guitarists of the time – Al Caiola and Joe Cinderella. At the age of 16, Jerry began playing professionally and in 1964 was a featured jazz guitarist in a Bergen County nightclub. Les Paul stopped by on many Saturday nights to hear Jerry play. Today, Jerry’s venues range from intimate jazz clubs to major corporate fund-raising events, plus special guest appearances with his long-time friend, Les Paul, at the Iridium in NYC. In the 1970s, Jerry toured the country playing alongside stars such as Buddy Rich and Gloria Gaynor. His group performed in the top Las Vegas clubs – the Stardust, Hilton, Aladdin, and Sands. Jerry accompanied Stephanie Mills and recorded a duet of “Danny Boy” with Al Green. He toured extensively with the band Chailo, whose 1978 song “Joanie” received significant radio play leading to an enthusiastic write-up of the band in Billboard magazine. Along with a busy performing schedule, Jerry did studio work in the 1970s for the CBS network with producer Artie Shreck, playing on commercials for Ford Motor Company and Comet Cleanser. Jerry also wrote, produced, and recorded a WABC commercial for Century Hardware. The album “Wind” by Tchin and Yovani features Jerry’s playing on the instrumental “Nostalgia,” nominated in 2000 for a Grammy in the Native American category. Jerry engineered and performed on “Kamban Oru Kannile” by Charan and Devan, a CD that achieved gold-level sales in India. Jerry’s Indian friends sought him out to tour with, hire, and manage musicians for the 2000 U.S. and Canadian tour of A.R. Rahman, the acclaimed Indian performer and composer who won a 2009 Golden Globe and three Academy Awards for his music in Slum Dog Millionaire. A. R. Rahman also previously collaborated with Michael Jackson and Andrew Lloyd Weber. Jerry has performed with world-renowned guitarist Martin Taylor at a variety of venues, including The Strand Theater (May 2013), Chico’s House of Jazz (June 2011), and the Middletown Arts Center (2008 and 2010). Jerry also opened for David Benoit at the Count Basie Theatre in July 2007 and recently returned from well-received performances in St. Martin/St. Maarten at the elegant La Samanna resort and the eclectic beach club Karacter. In addition to performing, Jerry also books world-class jazz acts at the Salt Creek Grille in Princeton, New Jersey.

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