Filbert Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 About a year or so ago, I had an itch that I had to scratch regarding buying a vintage guitar and lo, I ended up buying a 1939 L30. However, there were some issues - it looked every single one of its ~80 years, it needed new frets, the tuners and bushings were in a state, it was very buzzy and rattly and the varnish was in a bit of a state as well. It got put to the back burner for a while but at the beginning of this month, I found a local luthier and decided to get it the TLC it deserved. I picked it up today and my God, it is incredible! The neck feels absolutely fantastic; it's a V profile that I thought would be horribly uncomfortable but the reverse is true; it's super playable. He managed to bring out a good shine on it and even out the finish (there was a horrible shiny patch where the pickguard had been). Anyway, judge for thyself: Other stuff done: New Stew Mac tuner bushings to replace the old ill-fitted ones New bone nut Refret and dress Bridge adjustment and intonation Reglued some braces that were lifting Evened out and buffed up the finish Both he and I were keen to keep the originality of the finish as much as possible - although it looks well worn and it really is, it wears the years well. It's definitely a survivor, this guitar. Here's to another 80 years! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 Looks really nice. Congratulations. I'd be curious to see a "before" picture of that top to understand exactly what he did for the cosmetics. It is very tricky to buff or polish a badly checked and flaking finish. Virtuoso says not to use their products on checked or damaged finishes, as the polish residue is impossible to remove from finish cracks. I can vouch for the truth in that claim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Filbert Posted October 30, 2019 Author Share Posted October 30, 2019 I did have a 'before' thread in the Restoration section from some months back but sadly, the place where I hosted the pics has got rid of them. What I can say is he has done a cracking job of restoring the finish and as far as I am aware, all he really did was give it a light polish - he definitely said he didn't want to be abrasive or damage the lacquer in any way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly campbell Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 Nice...Congrats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 Very cool! Would be a great country blues guitar, I can tell looking at it! Well done! Better go play my black special L50.😳 BluesKing777. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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