ksdaddy Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 Well, it's bought and being shipped, NGD but not New Guitar ARRIVED day. 1948 Epiphone Triumph in sad shape. Obviously picked for parts. The guy sold the DeArmond monkey on a stick pickup for like $400 on a separate auction. I hate those things anyway. Not sure what happened to the bridge, tailpiece and tuners. It's not something I want to 'restore' in the traditional sense. My plan is to just use an aftermarket bridge and tailpiece. There are several original sets of tuners on ebay but they are too pricey for me. I hope to match something up hole-wise. The neck 'bracket' will be undone of course and if the neck truly is loose, then that's a fine time for a reset. Fret job too. Obviously go over it as far as structural stability but I want to leave as much of the funk and patina alone. I will hit it with the buffer to make the best of what's there but no touchup or refinishing. One strip of neck binding will have to be replaced and I will use cream instead of white so it doesn't stick out as bad. Kinda miffed about the chunk taken out of the guard. Doubt I could graft a piece in but I've been known to do foolish stuff like that in the past. Not sure about the massive hole in the heel... I expect a big ol' screw driven down into the headblock. I can either plug it and sorta hide it with a strap button or.... who knows. While the neck is out I may excise pieces of those center strips and wedge new ones in. I'm getting ahead of myself though. Goal - high functioning old basic archtop that is not a hothouse flower. And I said I wasn't going to do any more repairs. I lie so bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 OOOHHHH!.......I Like That Very Much, ksd! Even without an 'all-original' restoration she'll still turn out to be a beauty when you've finished. Are you going to keep her as a full-acoustic or are you considering try to find another floating p'up? Looking forward to 'In Progress' pictures! P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Namvet Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 Cheers on your find. Can't wait to see the finished product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 That looks like a fun one to work on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 I actually had really good luck with one of those "monkey on a stick" pups in the olden days. Neat project, though, if you have the skills. You might wanna consider one of the pup/pickguard combos or ... http://www.archtop.com/index.html Lotza great info there. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 . Cool find. . You just can't resist those old charmers. I definitely want to see how this one turns out. . B) . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackWater Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 1378397051[/url]' post='1421535']. Cool find. . You just can't resist those old charmers. I definitely want to see how this one turns out. . B) . Ditto on that -its a potential beauty.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonzoboy Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 Congrats on getting such a great find.Despite its basket case looks,all the important bits that affect the tone most are still in tact.Back in the big band era Epi archtops were very popular because of their great tone and volume but at a lower price than the Strombergs and D'Angelicos.With a bit of elbow grease and some careful setting up,you should have a great sounding,funky looking classic.Lots of luck with the restoration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted September 10, 2013 Author Share Posted September 10, 2013 It came in today and I am VERY happy with the husk. Yes there are some repaired cracks in the top. Yes most of the binding is gone off one side of the neck. The top still has a good arch, the neck is mostly straight, no twists or humps, the body isn't popping apart, etc. The neck was held on with a brass plate, wood screws, and a hint of old hide glue from '48. A sharp rap with a brass hammer against a lock of wood held against the heel and the neck and body parted with a vengeance. I was a little disappointed when I saw the top, back of the neck, and fingerboard was SLATHERED with varnish(?), complete with thick runs and dust. I say varnish, I have no idea. Maybe it's orange shellac. I figured I'd have to thin it down by wet sanding or something. In a capricious moment I wet a washcloth with lacquer thinner and dabbed it onto the area under the fingerboard extension that actually had the original finish. The lacquer thinner did NOTHING. It didn't soften or wash away the original finish. However it DID melt the glooped on varnish. See the spot I cleaned just to the right of the fingerboard extension area: It's a little lighter than the 'old' area and I'm not going to ask why, but the fact (the joyous fact) is that the glop can be washed off. Ditto for the neck. Note the bass side, which has been "cleansed". Note the runs on the treble side. That's what I'm up against. The sides and back appear to have escaped the varnish/shellac brush. Frets are shot. Toast. Gone. Ick. Too small anyway. The inlays are intact and the board isn't rutted bad, so I'll sand it with a radius block and refret it. A little nervous about the neck set, only because I've only done a few. It definitely needs it though; the existing set only allowed for about a 3/4" bridge height. Speaking of which, I rounded up a nice gold ES style raised diamond tailpiece that has been in a junk box, and then I went hunting in a guitar case for SOMETHING, no idea what, and there was a brand new Gibson-esque compensated rosewood archtop bridge in the case pocket! So between the two, I saved $50 or so. More updates as the occur. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 KS... Is the neck as decent as it appears to be, no twists? m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 Unless you got it "REAL CHEAP"....you may have got 'skanked' on this one? ....But sometimes...."polishing turds R US'....i LOVE A CHALLENGE, ALSO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted September 11, 2013 Author Share Posted September 11, 2013 I think I paid $367 for it. Intact Triumphs are a lot more. Milod, the neck looks great. It's very close to 100% straight as is. I haven't tried the truss rod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender 4 Life Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 a little love & a lotta' elbow grease, will make that a real winner KSD ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonzoboy Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 I was looking at our local Kijiji online ads this evening and came across a 1967-68 Harmony Sovereign that appears to be near mint judging from his pix. HE only wants $350 for it and I'm seriously considering hitting up the plastic for a cash advance.I have to keep in mind that if I come home dragging yet another guitar behind me in less than a week, the missus will go into nuclear meltdown mode.I could buy it and keep it at my buddy's house for a while I guess.These funky old guitars are starting to climb up a fair bit more every year so it makes sense to buy it now.This particular is the double pickguard model along the lines of the Everly Bros. Gibson except the Harmony Guards are much smaller.They only made this model Sovereign in either 1967 or 1968 and they sound huge with their jumbo body like a J-200 huge sound. Decisions decisions!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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