Marketplace Guitar Rescue: Mystery Project Guitar - Body Work | The Little JAM Guitar Rescue

In today’s episode of Ted Talks Guitars and Life, we are diving deep into the "Little JAM"—a weird, experimental speaker-in-body guitar from the late 70s/early 80s found on Facebook Marketplace. We’ve officially ditched the original cut-up neck for a spare, so today is all about guitar body reconstruction. Watch as I attempt to fill a massive speaker hole and a battery compartment using a "found" board from my shed, a Japanese handsaw, and my new spindle sander. It’s not all smooth sailing—there’s wood splitting, "humpalicious" gaps, and a little user error at the workbench. But that’s the beauty of the journey! Should I use Bondo, wood filler, or epoxy to finish the job? Let me know your advice in the comments! Check out the Little JAM Journey so far: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMhTW3lOIKQ3Q4r0RSTZTwCZ2OfixMYVk Shoutouts to the Crew: @j-mansgearcave (J-man) J-man's "Un-scar My Scarred Guitar" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_yxhN_g1tg&pp=ygURai1tYW4ncyBnZWFyIGNhdmXSBwkJ2QoBhyohjO8%3D @sparkyguitars971 (Sparky) Timestamps 0:00 - Guitars and Life: Intro to the Little JAM 0:57 - Why we’re ditching the original neck 1:45 - The mystery of the speaker guitar origin 2:58 - The Plan: Filling the speaker & battery holes 4:05 - Sourcing "shed wood" for the patch 5:48 - The woodworking strategy (Coping saws & Glue) 7:33 - Option A vs. Option B: How to fill a 4mm gap? 9:05 - Rewiring thoughts: Humbuckers and coil splits? 10:28 - First cuts: "I clearly can't cut straight" 11:14 - Safety first! Masking up for the spindle sander 13:11 - Disaster strikes: The wood split! 14:32 - The "Flush" struggle: Seeking Sparky’s advice 15:51 - The current state: "Groovy" sander accidents 18:45 - Viewer Poll: Bondo, Epoxy, or Wood Filler? 21:11 - Final thoughts and Rocking on! ____ Checkout our playlist page for more series and journeys https://www.youtube.com/@TedTalksGuitars/playlists Special Thanks to our channel members "The Jacks" Want to support the channel? Feel free to explore Channel membership options: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBr6kaWeOvldTHvntB3tnMg/join Ted Talks Guitars & Life Merch Store: https://tedtalksguitars-shop.fourthwall.com/ Amazon Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/3W3PZox *If you click on this link to shop at Amazon the channel will receive a modest financial commission from your purchases. Guyker Referral Link: https://www.guyker.com/?ref=tedtalksguitars If you use the link you will save 15% at Guyker Use the coupon code: TEDSMITH #GuitarRepair #GuitarRestoration #DIYGuitar #Luthier #MarketplaceFinds #TedTalksGuitars #GuitarBodyWork #Woodworking #GuitarProject #TheLittleJAM