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Rennovating Old Guitars


Steve Haynie

Question

Posted

Seeing the work done on maxschrek's Greco to Hamer B4S conversion reminds me of a conversation with hardheartedbill earlier this year.

We have seen threads here in which a repairman has plugged holes and filled trem routes. Headstocks get rebuilt. Bodies get new veneers. Every now and then body bevels are added. Bridges are changed.

So, is there any kind of future for someone to take old guitars and make drastic "corrections" to get them to play as well as some of the boutique brands?

We know that boutique builders have been extremely choosey about wood selected for their instruments, but some old Japanese guitars were made with good wood at the time. Every now and then an old neck will have some nice looking rosewood, but the shape is not quite right. Repairmen and talented do-it-yourselfers are reworking guitars with new parts and even reshaping the wood. If I recall correctly, one of Randy Rhoads' guitars was made with a neck scavenged from another guitar.

A lot of work (time) goes into the projects we see, but is there a point at which someone can actually make something like this work as a sideline business? I know what I have paid for repair work, so there is no expectation of cheap prices. The conversation Bill and I had centered on finding some really great sounding used guitars with good wood that could have been better with a little work.

5 answers to this question

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Posted

I think it would depend on what you were starting with. Most people will balk at a high price tag for a (perceived) lower value brand, even if it plays magically and sounds like angels.

Posted

I don't see the process as a feasible business venture so much as a means of getting utilitarian instruments at a reasonable cost.

(Until very recently) that was why I found older Hamers to be so appealing! But Hamer prices seem to be moving upward of late.

Posted

I think something like the greco to Hamer conversion is what we were discussing. I have a great old Kent that looks to be Honduran Mahogany w Brazilian board. Could be turned into a great guitar, wheres my sander lol

Posted

If cheap guitars from the 60's and 70's had Brazillian rosewood fretboards, should they be salvaged to make better guitars? That is part of what I want to discuss here.

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