South Park Guitar Works

South Park Guitar Works South Park Guitar Works is where Rick Wilkins, a working musician, makes sure your gear works for you

Players often have issues with a guitar staying in tune. Well, it’s never the tuners/machine heads. It’s always the Nut—...
09/26/2025

Players often have issues with a guitar staying in tune. Well, it’s never the tuners/machine heads. It’s always the Nut—That piece of bone holding the strings in place. Gibson style are famous for problems with the “D” And “G” strings because of their angle. Here I’ve cut a new bone nut for Jerry Raney’s guitar with added attention to those angles. Also the nut has been lowered just for the heck of it. A little smoother in the hand.

Mike Campbell playing a lovely Zemaitis Pearl-front guitar!
06/03/2025

Mike Campbell playing a lovely Zemaitis Pearl-front guitar!

This 1965 Fender Musicmaster got a refin in Fiesta Red!
05/23/2025

This 1965 Fender Musicmaster got a refin in Fiesta Red!

First time installing stainless steel frets! Actually not that tough. The added stiffness made for very consistent radiu...
06/07/2024

First time installing stainless steel frets! Actually not that tough. The added stiffness made for very consistent radiusing and firm seating at the ends. Smooth as silk. Also did general cleanup and fixed divots in fretboard.

This late 30s Gibson is getting new kerfing—the wood strips that hold the back on—as the old stuff was damaged from remo...
10/31/2023

This late 30s Gibson is getting new kerfing—the wood strips that hold the back on—as the old stuff was damaged from removing the back twice. The dark strips of wood are the crack repairs done many years ago. Once it’s dry, I plan on gluing the back on and using the original binding if I can line it up close enough.

This 70s Alvarez Yiari came in needing fret work and a set up. There was plenty of “meat” left so it got a fret dressing...
10/31/2023

This 70s Alvarez Yiari came in needing fret work and a set up. There was plenty of “meat” left so it got a fret dressing and crowns. I shaped the fret crowns wide and biased on the back side for longer life as this guitar gets played by a lot of different players at Flim Flam Review shows. It just didn’t want to play in tune, so I recut a new bone saddle with compensation. New it’s dead-on all the way up the neck!

This late 30s Gibson L-30 came in with a split heel block causing the neck to lift. The back was removing revealing that...
10/31/2023

This late 30s Gibson L-30 came in with a split heel block causing the neck to lift. The back was removing revealing that the back had been off once before to repair cracks in the solid carved spruce top. Heel block successfully glued, now the work of getting back together can start.

This Peavey EXP Generation is very Tele-like with smaller body and humbucker in the neck position. I hotrodded it with h...
07/19/2023

This Peavey EXP Generation is very Tele-like with smaller body and humbucker in the neck position. I hotrodded it with higher output pickups and five position switch for lots of tonal options. See video!

This lovely Custom made FLying V needed a new bone nut. I cut this one with angles toward the tuners.
05/15/2023

This lovely Custom made FLying V needed a new bone nut. I cut this one with angles toward the tuners.

Fixed Flattop Friday! This 1952-ish Gibson CF100 had a broken top brace years ago. Shiny area shows where a piece of duc...
04/08/2022

Fixed Flattop Friday! This 1952-ish Gibson CF100 had a broken top brace years ago. Shiny area shows where a piece of duct tape was on the top for years. I finally decided I’d fix the top brace myself. Now it’s good and solid and the guitar sounds noticeably better!

This beautiful guitar just didn’t sound right and bridge and pickups had to be raised real high because the top was sink...
03/13/2022

This beautiful guitar just didn’t sound right and bridge and pickups had to be raised real high because the top was sinking. I found one of the tone bars was cracked (red circle in second pic). I glued on a strip of spruce and jacked up the top with blocks of wood last week. Tonight I removed the blocks and she sings like a bird! Nice and solid with much improved bass tone. Classic, iconic jazz voice.

Address

San Diego, CA
92102

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+16198893961

Website

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