Every guitar player has a certain guitar they dream about owning. Whether it's a Gibson Black Beauty or a 1961 Stratocaster. However, the problem of finance often gets in the way. One solution to this problem is to buy a damaged guitar and work on restoring it. As well as being a way to get your hands on your dream guitar at a reasonable price, it is also a very satisfying project to undertake.
This article will give you a few pointers on how to get started.
Locating Spare Parts
This used to be the hardest part of restoring a guitar. Before the web, you had to get very lucky in order to find the right parts. Nowadays, a quick search on Google will often turn up exactly the part you need. It doesn't matter how obscure it is - there's a good chance someone, somewhere will be selling it.
Repairing the Body
The body of the guitar often gets chipped and scratched over time. You may want to strip the original finish off the guitar an refinish it. Don't. The finish itself is valuable. The big guitar makers go to great lengths to perfect their finishes. It's unlikely you'll be able to reach the same quality as the original. A guitar with the original finish, even scratched and chipped, is worth more than a refinished guitar.
Repairing The Neck
It is possible to fix a guitar neck that is cracked and warped. Guitar necks often start to crack at the where the headstock meets the neck. One quick solution is to pour hot glue into the crack. However, this is not the best long term solution. Breaking off the headstock altogether, although very nerve-wracking, does allow you to ensure that the glue fully gets into the crack and the problem will not reoccur.
The neck will usually be the dirtiest part of the guitar. Give it a good clean with a toothbrush and wood cleaner. Allowing it to soak in boiling linseed oil will really add a shine to the neck.
Other Parts
Again, you may be tempted to replace worn knobs, frets, tuning pegs etc. with new ones. It is not always advisable to do this. If you are able to restore the originals to reasonable condition - do this. If not - try to replace them with parts from the same make and model of guitar from the same era.
Adding Parts
When restoring an old guitar, some people are tempted to customize it with new features e.g. a whammy bar. How advisable this is depends on why you are restoring the guitar. If you are restoring it solely for your own enjoyment - then go for it. If you intend to sell it at any point, making modifications will reduce the value of the guitar.
Restoring a classic guitar is a very rewarding pursuit. I hope this article has set you off on the right foot.
Al Wood has a resource for finding spare parts for Fender guitars, spare parts for Gibson guitars and low priced guitars.
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