[Question for Gibson LG-1.]

11 hours ago, j45nick said:

Great-looking guitar!

Generally, you can us naphtha to remove the old glue residue from both the back of the pickguard and the top of the guitar.  Do not use more powerful solvents on either one.

Just like the thin cellulose pickguards, the thicker ones like yours curl at the edges as they age and shrink. That one looks pretty good in the pictures.

You're lucky it's off, as it saves you one step.

Those edges may straighten out on installation, if you make a caul from a piece of wood, and clamp that to the pickguard and top of the guitar, with clamps focused on the warped edges, when you re-install. Stewmac may have a video on this process on their website, since it's a common issue.

The original pickguard on the 1950 J-45 I purchased recently is starting to curl at the edges, but I'll leave it alone until the edges come loose.

Removing the old bridge is a 15-minute job with a 7/16" wrench, with most of that time spent in removing the old strings.

The frets and fretboard should clean up nicely with either bronze wool or a Scotchbrite pad. Don't even think of using steel wool.

Save the old bridge, and try not to break it when removing it. That footprint looks pretty much the same as the normal wood bridge footprint. Whoever does the bridge replacement may actually re-install the plastic one and scribe the footprint with an x-acto knife to make it easier to remove the top lacquer under this bridge before gluing on the new one.

All in all, looks like you've found a great little vintage Gibson in a condition not often seen.

Thx for the suggestion!  I think I can get naphtha from stewmac?

[Question for Gibson LG-1.]

I have more pix, but am limited by the forum to upload anymore. ☹

The pickguard has slightly shrunken and warped, but I think that it could he salvaged for sure. 

[Question for Gibson LG-1.]

On 9/15/2019 at 11:29 AM, j45nick said:

Nice find!

The plastic bridge is usually held on with three (or four, I can't remember) small lag screws with hex heads. Unscrew those from inside the guitar, and the bridge should pop off.  Someone here from  the upper Midwest should be able to point you to someone to work on it. Make sure they know what they are doing. Despite the unplayed condition, the guitar should get a close inspection for loose braces, neck angle, etc.

Does the plastic bridge have a fixed saddle, or an adjustable one?

To keep it authentic, you should consider a rosewood replacement bridge, rather than ebony. Most repair specialists keep a variety of small bits of Brazilian around for just this purpose, and can generally match the bridge to the fretboard quite nicely.

Pictures when you get a chance.

 

[Question for Gibson LG-1.]

26 minutes ago, fortyearspickn said:

My '64  had a 1 piece back. I can't say I've ever seen any with 2 piece backs. Does yours have the model #   stamped in ink on the inside visible through the sound hole - in the middle of the back? 

You would either have that "LG1"  stamped there in  1/3 "   print   - or an unfinished strip of bracing wood holding together a 2 piece back, running on the inside from the neck joint to the tailpiece.  Or both. Or, I suppose, neither....?

Correct sir, mine has the ink stamp with LG1 which slightly crosses both halves of the back. There isn't a center spruce strip I would have expected to see on most other 2-piece backs.  

The guitar came from an estate in Livonia Michigan and was probably bought as a Christmas present. The guitar is in new condition with a minimum of super light finish checks that I can barely see and can't feel.  The person that this guitar was intended for obviously never took up playing as there is no fingerboard wear at all, the frets are lightly corroded to green, the pickguard lost adhesion and popped off and the guitar must have been under tension as the plastic bridge is cracked in 2 or 3 spots and it's pulling up on the backside away from the top. The top is in perfect shape and still has a lovely radius to the top.  There are some marks on the back that can likely be buffed out as it sat on top of a mel bay book for many years.  The brown alligator chipboard "case" is in excellent condition and includes a period correct strap and a few picks in the pocket. 

Crazy to think that this guitar lived about 120 miles from where it was built for its whole life.  I just stumbled upon a time capsule. 

I would like to know the best place or person who can carefully remove the warped plastic bridge and install a new ebony one. 

I need someone to carefully remove the glue residue on the pickguard and top and install a new layer of 3m double sided tape (I think I can get Taylor Mullins to help me there) to the original guard. 

After that a complete fret polish and set-up will make this guitar truly NOS.

[Question for Gibson LG-1.]

Re-opening an old thread here...

I believe that I've just purchased a completely unplayed 1964 LG-1!

My only question, as I'm a Martin guy and don't know much, is this:  did all LG-1's have bookmatched backs?