jeff.beck Posted June 17, 2013 Share Posted June 17, 2013 This 1965 Gibson Firebird II belonged to a co-worker's father. It's been sitting in it's case under a bed since her father died in 1975! She told me about it and I offered to clean it up for her. So, she brought it in to work...wow. This is what it looked like when she brought it in: And look what I found in the case: Is that cool stuff or what? Initially I thought I would replace the pickguard (which was sticking up over the body by about 2" on the upper "horn" area and covered in mildew, and source a replacement knob since one of them is clearly not original. I was also planning on removing all the hardware and polishing it (and the frets) until it looked brand new. Plus, the guitar was dead as a hammer - plug it in and nothing happened - so I figured I'd root around in the electrics and see what was up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff.beck Posted June 17, 2013 Author Share Posted June 17, 2013 Then I got hold of myself and calmed down. I was wondering if by doing these things I was actually going to be harming it instead of helping it. So, I wussed out and just cleaned it up a little bit. I didn't even change out the strings - I thought maybe the more I left it alone the more favors I would be doing it. So, here's what I wound up with: I did clean up the pickguard and got it a little bit flatter. Put some oil on the fretboard and cleaned the body up some. Plus, I realized that the problem with the electronics was the switch. I blew it out a little and got it "sort of" working. Here you go: Still plenty of string munge left because I left the string in place and opted not to clean the metal. And I guess, this firebird is a true phoenix because the old girl can still sing! [video=youtube] I know that sucked, but those are some dead, moldy, crusty old strings. Plus, I can't play my way out of a paper bag. They were literally so gross they were grabbing my fingers and stopping me from moving up and down the fretboard! But, I took it back to the owner and she was thrilled that it's working now, and a little bit cleaner than it was. Also, I should point out that I couldn't find the video camera so I wound up using my iPhone. Not really top notch quality sound or video-wise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvguit Posted June 17, 2013 Share Posted June 17, 2013 She'e gorgeous!!!! I think you made the right call just cleaning it. I always try to err on the side of not messing it up. Nice find! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon S. Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Very nice!! Tons of mojo on that one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Nice! You probably did the right amount of cleaning without getting to invasive. Once you find out what her 'ultimate goal' is for the guitar you could possibly do more. I know it has a lot of sentimental value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NHTom Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Wow, that one looks like it has some stories to tell........very cool! I love to see these old "finds" that are still out there waiting to spread their mojo. NHTom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff.beck Posted June 19, 2013 Author Share Posted June 19, 2013 Yeah, this old bird was definitely a "player" as is evidenced by the buckle rash on the back. Looks like it got ridden pretty hard. It's still a beautiful guitar, though. It has that glorious sort of inner glow that you see on pieces of old, fine furniture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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