ksdaddy Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Ever go to the animal shelter and there's a cat with one runny eye, half an ear bitten off, and a hacking cough? And you know you shouldn't adopt it, and you probably don't.... but it always nags at you.... that poor little cat didn't deserve the life it was dealt. Or Charlie Brown's Christmas tree. Or a 1969 Gibson C-L. Stuff like this will be the death of me, I swear. There's no profit potential here at all, ever. But it needs me. I am compelled to do my duty. There will be no magic transformation here. A new bridge will either be procured or made from scratch, the sanded lacquer around the "new" bridge will be airbrushed with clear lacquer and blended in the hopes of disguising the abuse. The patina, dings, scratches, war wounds, will all remain.... only the transgressions brought about by some ignorant person (God bless them anyway) will be rectified. I shall leave a trail of bread crumbs on my way in. Gibson equivalent of a sick animal shelter cat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Allen Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 You know what, Ksdaddy, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. If you don't save it, who will? When you get her strings and such on her, post a pic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Awwwwww... Scott, it's just so gosh-darned CUTE! Show us when you've rehabilitated it. Gonna start calling you 'The Guitar Whisperer'. Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyK Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 ...only the transgressions brought about by some ignorant person (God bless them anyway) will be rectified..... Don't look at it as abuse. Just someone doing the best he could to patch it up and keep the little begger playing until a better surgeon becomes available. Call them 'field medics.' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-200 Koa Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 There will be no magic transformation here. A new bridge will either be procured or made from scratch, the sanded lacquer around the "new" bridge will be airbrushed with clear lacquer and blended in the hopes of disguising the abuse. The patina, dings, scratches, war wounds, will all remain.... only the transgressions brought about by some ignorant person (God bless them anyway) will be rectified. Ksdaddy always reminds of the car wreck scene in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High": "Relax, alright? My old man is a television repairman. He's go this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it! Jeff Spicoli Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted February 4, 2009 Author Share Posted February 4, 2009 Ta-dah! It's still ugly but at least now it won't be called the John Merrick Model. Not so sad anymore Gibson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thabesh Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 very nice ksdaddy!! What started out looking to be a complete lost cause now has the look of an old and loved workhorse. Nicely done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWilson Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 You're the MAN Scott!! If I was an orphaned guitar I'd head for your doorstep. Great job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor Player Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 Awesome transformation Scott! Love the look of it. Congrats. Nice to have you back again too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G u e s t Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 Awesome repair work, never have believed it if'n I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. And a kinda cute lil' guitar too. Lovely honey color. Nice work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 Very cool. Glad to know I ain't the only easy touch when it comes to unwanted and much abused geetars. My most recent is a mid-1950s Epiphone FT-79. Want to get it gig worthy and will worry about the cosmetics later on. It is a good feeling taking one of these once beautiful guitars and bringing it back to do what it was designed and built to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyK Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Figured maple bridge... Looks beautiful. Who'da thunk it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLiveSoundGuy Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grampa Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 This is truly a heart warming story. I have a soft spot for repaired guitars. They seem to sound better and I think that is because they were "rescued" and are grateful and thus sound better. My F-25 was in kind of sad shape when I got it - not like the C-L - but the top had been poorly refinished with some kind of acrylic finish which I left. It had signs of other abuse but after some caressing and soothing it has rewarded me by being just about the finest sounding guitar I have ever heard. That C-L sounds fantastic I would guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted February 5, 2009 Author Share Posted February 5, 2009 I wish I could say that. It sounds okay, not fantastic. It is ladder braced like an LG so it's not as responsive with nylon strings (real classicals are fan braced and very lightly at that!). The bass strings sustain forever but the trebles make it sound like a kid's guitar. I'm tempted to put silk & steel strings on it. The worst that would happen is the bridge wouldn't hold... the top is braced for steel and the neck shouldn't move in spite of lack of truss rod....(?) no adjustable rod anyway, no idea if it's reinforced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grampa Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Gibson classicals weren't all that great. I had a C-0 and even with the fan bracing the sound was OK but not spectacular. The thing I liked best about it was that it could be played fairly hard without too much problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLiveSoundGuy Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Maybe leave the nylon (cat-gut) on the bass side, and go with a real light set of steel on the treble side? ...and then again, maybe it'll just brighten up the nylon strings a bit when the bone comes in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted February 5, 2009 Author Share Posted February 5, 2009 I think that's pretty much what silk&steel are. Been 100 years since I had a set, but that's how I recall them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted February 17, 2009 Author Share Posted February 17, 2009 Well, it's gone now. All is fixed, it has a clean bill of health, it will last another 40 years. It's off to Ireland and I used the money to buy a '69 Ovation 12 string. Gotta spread the love, ya know. Refugee from Glen's Goodtime Hour They talk Pre-CBS Fenders, Pre-Norlin Gibson, pre-war Martin.... this one is the Ovation version of "pre" as it had the hand laid fiberglass bowl, not tupperware like the newer ones. Woo-hoo! Vintage fiberglass! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albertjohn Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Is that like Brazilian fibreglass? Cool. Err...........where are the bridge pins to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted February 18, 2009 Author Share Posted February 18, 2009 Gibson copied Ovation's design for the pinless bridge and used them on the J-40. Ovation sued Gibson and the J40 has now attained status as a 'lawsuit' model and has therefore tripled in ebay value. To J-40 sellers: You're Welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyK Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Well' date=' it's gone now. All is fixed, it has a clean bill of health, it will last another 40 years. It's off to Ireland and I used the money to buy a '69 Ovation 12 string. Gotta spread the love, ya know. Refugee from Glen's Goodtime Hour They talk Pre-CBS Fenders, Pre-Norlin Gibson, pre-war Martin.... this one is the Ovation version of "pre" as it had the hand laid fiberglass bowl, not tupperware like the newer ones. Woo-hoo! Vintage fiberglass! So by now it ought to have 'opened up.' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyK Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 You been over to the Ovationfanclub..com? They might be able to help you rationalize the purchase. Be sure to wash and polish your Volvo and Birkenstocks before venturing over there. Just to be sure, wear your IZOD polo. Blue is nice this time of year. Too early for white you know. Too, Spock ears and Federation apparel might be appropot. They keep talkin' about the "Mother Ship" kindy gives me the creeps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted February 18, 2009 Author Share Posted February 18, 2009 (cough) I am a member over there too. I don't spend a lot of time over there. No animosity, just.... I dunno, I'm not "one of the guys". My biggest reason to own an old Ovation is just nostalgia I guess, what with me being eight or nine and impressionable when Glen Campbell and John Hartford jammed severely every week (Wednesday night was it??). That and the Great Ovation Panic of 1980 when you could NOT turn on the freakin' TV without seeing Tom T Hall, Larry Gatlin, The Statler Brothers, Mac Davis, Eddie Rabbit and pile of others all playing them. I suppose it was a fad just like anything else. I feel sorry for them in a way, getting swallowed up by FMIC and all.... not what Charlie Kaman envisioned I'm sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyK Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 I am a card carr... I mean Card in the sock drawer member over there as well. I joined to get information about my 'Ovulation' - Applause. Talk about a red-haired step-child. Askin' or talkin' about an Applause amongst the Ovulation crowd is worse than talkin' C.F.Mutton guit tars on the Gibson Pages: My "O": Her Name is Otilda. Named after my great Aunt Otilda. I call her Tillie for short. She's an AE-33. Not much info out there about this model. May have come by way of Australia as there was some Australian guit tar shop papers in the tool box. She was a junque shop rescue. The owner's brother had a $180.00 price tag on her. I pointed out the lifted bridge and busted brace. I think we settled on $75.00. Whomever strung her up last used steels and got the strings all mixed up on the tuners. I don't think he had any of them right. I think it's got a wood neck, or darn good wood fakery applied to the ubiuitous aluminium necks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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