hjfoofy Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Hi, I'm Heather and just recently joined this forum so I could learn more about my guitar, it's care, and value. I'm not looking to sell, but would like to know about how much to insure it for. So about the guitar, I have a 1962 Ft-45 Cortez that my dad bought new in the 60s for around $125. He never learned how to play it, so when I started lessons around 15 years ago it still had its original strings (since replaced), the soft case it was bought in, and the little booklet that gives information about the guitar. I still have the soft case (but there's a bit of wear) and the booklet. I miiiight have a few of the original strings if that means anything. As for the guitar, there's a few dings and scratches on the front and back (still looks nice though). I was told at a local music shop that the neck is bent forward ever so slightly and it would need to be sent away and "steam pressed" to straighten it (is this safe for a vintage guitar??). I don't notice the difficulty in play anymore because I'm used to it. I really love this guitar and want it to be at its best! Any recommendations on what to use to clean and care for it? I look forward to any info about this guitar! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el capitan Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 The guitar is probably worth 10 times what your Dad paid for it.More if in perfect playing order & good/excellent condition. You need to find a good,honest luthier/repairman to put it right & then you keep it -it was your Dad's after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hjfoofy Posted May 15, 2015 Author Share Posted May 15, 2015 If anyone needs to see the guitar here's a link to my Flickr. I tried to include the dings and scratches in the photos as well. Any thoughts about the condition of the guitar? The case? I used linseed oil on the bridge, which was recommended to me by a man in a guitar store. Then I just used a guitar polish and a clean cotton rag and q-tips for the rest of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hjfoofy Posted May 15, 2015 Author Share Posted May 15, 2015 The guitar is probably worth 10 times what your Dad paid for it.More if in perfect playing order & good/excellent condition. You need to find a good,honest luthier/repairman to put it right & then you keep it -it was your Dad's after all. You're right! It was his. It means a lot to have something of his. Even without the history of the guitar, it has a ton of sentimental value that means something to me. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 I'd echo what has already been said. Find a good luthier/repair shop in your area and take it in to see what, if anything, the guitar needs. It will be worth it. Not sure what the repairman meant by "steam pressed." A neck can be heat-set if things get too bad. It involves using heating pads to heat the neck and soften the glue between the neck and the fretboard, then using special clamps to straighten the neck while it cools and the glue dries. Obviously, don't try this at home.... Repair shops use steam when doing a full neck reset -- in which the neck is actually removed from the guitar and re-glued at the proper angle -- but that is a repair of last resort. It is also pricey. (The steam is injected into the body-neck joint to weaken the glue.) I would suggest taking a look at Frank Ford's website: http://frets.com/FretsPages/pagelist.html He is a world-class repairman and his website has TONS of useful information on guitar care and repair. Lots of helpful stuff for a beginner, and you can learn a lot about guitar construction, repair and upkeep there. As for the case, yeah, a modern case would be a big improvement. You've got a valuable guitar, so you should take care of it as best you can. The trick might be finding a case that fits. I'm a big fan of Gator polyfoam cases. They offer good protection and they are lightweight, and with the shoulder strap, you can just sling it over your shoulder. AVOID GIG BAGS. Yeah, gig bags are light and cover the guitar, but they offer close to zero protection. Check this out: http://www.gatorcases.com/p/16117-316/gl-classic Also, I've no idea where you live, but make sure you keep the guitar properly humidified. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 If anyone needs to see the guitar here's a link to my Flickr. I tried to include the dings and scratches in the photos as well. Any thoughts about the condition of the guitar? Hey Heather, welcome to the board. Nice guitar! There's not much to do about the dings and scratches beyond polishing. Around here, we say they just add to the guitar's mojo. :) The case? Throw it away! Get a new hardshell case (or the one dhanners suggests). Should be ~ $100. I had a similar case with my dad's 1939 Zenith. It probably harmed the guitar more than protected it. Your guitar's apparently worth $1,000-1,500 (per reverb.com). My dad's still living (at 93), btw, now playing a Gibson Les Paul Studio. Epiwiki says the Cortez has an adjustable truss rod, so a little adjustment on that might straighten the neck out. Best thing to do is do a little research and find a local guitar tech or luthier with good reviews for a setup and new strings (that's what I do). If it needs more than that, he/she'll let you know. Keep us updated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 Just an FYI: Based on the serial number, the guitar was manufactured in 1966. The headstock in '62 had a wider shape, while yours is consistent with '66. Also, your guitar has a plastic bridge, so no need to use oil on it. The plastic bridge is likewise consistent with Cortez production in '66 (for treating the rosewood fretboard, Guitar Honey or Fret Doctor are two frequently recommended products). The tuners are not the typically seen three-on-a-plate Klusons, but instead appear to be a design that was commonly imported at the time. I've seen the exact same tuners on another mid-'60s Cortez, so possibly Gibson installed them as original equipment on some instruments, as I do not see any screw holes for the three-on-a-plate on your guitar. I currently have a '66 Cortez, and have previously owned a '64 Cortez, as well as a '65 Gibson B-25 clone, so I'm rather familiar with this particular model. Many of them can have a highly satisfying tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hjfoofy Posted May 16, 2015 Author Share Posted May 16, 2015 !!! Oh my gosh! You're so right about the year! I misread the numbers on this website when I was dating it: http://www.guitarhq.com/epiphone.html Thanks so much for clarifying that for me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el capitan Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 Original case & tags! All adds value-do not throw away!Case is more than adequate for home use - I'd use it to gig with as long as you don't leave it in a car in extreme climates.From what the photos show it looks fine as is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuestionMark Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 Somewhere on the Gibson website is a list of authorized Gibson/Epiphone repair persons. Hopefully there is one by you and you can contact the repairperson directly. Your guitar was made in Kalamazoo, Michigan side by side Ion the GibsonEpiphone factory in the 60's. USA made Epihones from that era have comparable vintage guitar pricing and collectability to.Gobsons from that era. Post 70's Epiphones were no longer made side by side with Gibsons in the U.S. except for rare special occasions. Regarding, heat pressing a neck, an authorized Gibson repair person who had a heat press machine had to heat press the neck of one of my vintage Gibsons about 20 years ago. He described that the wood on the neck had twisted which can be a natural occurrence of wood. He said he laid the guitar down in the machine with the neck in the heat section that was shaped in the shape of the neck that it should be and once was. He said doing so re shaped the neck back to its original shape without the twist in it. He advised that in a year, either the neck would remember the twist it had and revert back to it or remain I the shape it was re shaped to from then on. It's been 20 years and it's remained in the heat pressed corrected shape. He did not remove the neck during the process. The guitar's action improved when it was heat pressed back to its shape. One drawback was a bit of the neck's finish and shine on the vackside of the neck got a bit worn off during the process. Still had its stain on the spot, but that spot is non- gloss. As it was an old guitar, no big deal as many older guitars loss a bit of gloss over the years on the neck from that period. I have clue if what he told me is what actually occurred or if that is what the repair person you spoke with meant. 😄 But he fixed it fine. I recommend you try and have an authorized Gibson/Epiphone repair person fix your vintage guitar. It help its value by being able to describe and have receipts showing an authorized Gibson/Epiphone repair person repaired your guitar if it needs repair. Kind of equivalent to sending it back to the factory for a factory repair...which is how Gibson/Epiphone uses its repair people rather having owners return the guitar to the actual factory. Don't get me wrong. A non-authorized Givson/Epiphone repair person who does a great repair also preserves the guitar's value. A guitar that is properly repaired...whatever that may be, is always worth more than an unrepaired guitar that needs repair or one that was not properly repaired. Going to an authorized G/E repair person will help to assure it was decently assessed and repaired as Gibson sets repairperson criteria and reviews them for approval to be authorized. Your guitar is considered hand made. Modern day Epiphones are machine made usually overseas. Gibsons remain what is considered handmade now in their factory on Montana. The Kalamazoo plant is long gone as being a Gibson/Epiphone facility. People can argue ad-fin whether a machine made guitar is the same as a hand made one...but the fact is the collectable market place considers handmade (even with its loose definition) of greater value to a guitar in the collector marketplace. Is what it is . I recommend you also call Gruhn Guitars in Nashville,TN. George Gruhn and his store are considered the experts in vintage guitars. If you call there they will give you the lowdown and price range as well as collectability of your fine guitar. Just thought I would share my experience and knowledge. What I don't know is if Gibson/Epihone considers your guitar still under lifetime warrantee to its owner as you inherited the guitar from your father. An authorized Gibson/Epuphone repair person should be able to advise you on that. Keep all paperwork you have Lon the guitar handy when you enquire. Jazzman Jeff aka QM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuestionMark Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 I was at a vintage guitar show this morning and played a 1966 FT Cortez. It was selling for $1450 although the seller said he'd be willing to negotiate. The guitar' played really nice and had a good vibe to it. (Wasn't looking to buy anything at the show, just to try different guitars.). The FT Cortez was the same as the Gibson B25 (which is the same as the Gibson LG2)...a small concert size guitar. The only difference I could tell between the Gibson B25/LG2 and the Epiphone Cortez is the Gibson B25/LG2 and the Epiphone Cortez is the Gibson version is a short scale neck and the Epiphone version is a long scale neck. The neck shapes are the same (typical Gibson/Epiphone D (or is it C) shape from the mid-60's. Nice sunburst on the guitar and nice sounding instrument. Jazzman Jeff aka QM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 the Epiphone version is a long scale neck Jeff - I'd be very surprised if that is the case. Both the B25 & Cortez from '66 should have a 24.75" scale length. Next time I pull out my '66 Cortez, I'll check & report back (have to move seven other instruments to get to it!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuestionMark Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 I stand corrected...just looked it up on Epi-Wikipedia., and you are correct that the FT45 Cortez is a short scale 24.75"" also. Not sure why I thought it was a long scale. Thanks for catching the correction. You may not have to move those cases now...but you still may want to, to play the thing again. It's a really nice guitar. Jazzman Jeff aka QM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 You may not have to move those cases now...but you still may want to, to play the thing again. It's a really nice guitar. It does see the light of day at least once a week, and yes, it's a very nice guitar. I've played a few that were just dead as a doornail, but when you find a good one, they're really good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrRogerFisher Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 First guitar I ever bought was a '63 Cortez, and I'm still playing it regularly. It aged beautifully in tone and appearance, and it always gets compliments. Congrats on recognizing the value there. But regarding the case, my original was cardboard (with fake alligator skin) with a very cheap and unreliable clasp, so you might want to save the case for future sale to collector (I also have that little booklet) but I wouldn't trust that case at all; your Cortez is worth investing $100 for a hard shell case. I loved it so much I bought 2 more along the way (used for alternate tunings). Original is on the right in the photo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted May 23, 2015 Share Posted May 23, 2015 These guitars are not that old or lightly built that I would think any care over what you extend to any newish instrument is needed - wipe them down occasionally with cheesecloth slightly dampened with distilled water, make sure they are properly humidified, and such. A decent case is always recommended - especially if you leave the house with it or have dogs and kids around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrRogerFisher Posted May 23, 2015 Share Posted May 23, 2015 ... wipe them down occasionally with cheesecloth slightly dampened with distilled water ... I'd be careful with water. I learned the hard way that Epiphone used some kind of special lacquer finish back then that doesn't respond well to water. After I did a lot of damage, a luthier showed me the only safe cleaning fluid he trusts not to damage this kind of finish: Meguiar's Mirror Glaze #7 (used for show cars). Gibson Guitar Polish is also safe. It took a lot of Meguiar's and elbow grease to repair the damage I did with water on a cloth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted May 23, 2015 Share Posted May 23, 2015 Original case & tags! All adds value-do not throw away!... Yes, I stand corrected too, thanks. I was a little exuberant in my suggestion about what to do with the case. But mine is like Dr.Roger's, who described it so well: "...my original was cardboard (with fake alligator skin) with a very cheap and unreliable clasp... I wouldn't trust that case at all..." Yeah, it's essentially an open-air case - no "shield" against exterior changes in temperature & humidity. So I strongly concur with Dr.Roger's suggestion: ...so you might want to save the case for future sale to collector (I also have that little booklet) but your Cortez is worth investing $100 for a hard shell case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockaphilly Posted October 6, 2019 Share Posted October 6, 2019 Kalamazoo Epiphone Cortez Ft 45N serial number 365424... what year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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