Epiphone FT-150

[GuitarManBob]

I have decided to start to learn to play and have an old Epiphone FT-150 ...is this a decent guitar? I have no idea on what this guitar is worth or if it is a real beginner model or not and should I be looking to get a better guitar to start with.

 

It is in really good shape! I may re-string it and see what it sounds like...not sure...looking for input.

 

thanks,

~Bob

[GuitarManBob]

Found this information when I posted it on another forum...looks like there isn't much activity here but I thought I'd post it for others for reference...

 

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The reviews on this guitar for it's category (starter/low price) are pretty good.

 

If the guitar is dry it can easily be rehydrated with either damp-its or a planet waves humidifier. It's a solid spruce top acoustic. A quick way of determining if it is severely dehydrated is to run your fingers along the outer edges of the neck. If you hit frets that are sticking out from the edge then the guitar is dehydrated and needs to be rehydrated.

 

Believe it or not, because the FT-150 is a lower end instrument, it (for the most part) should have a greater tolerance to vast shifts in humidity level than high end instruments. That's because the back & sides of the lower end instruments are made of laminated wood with a veneer covering.

 

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~Bob

[deflepfan]

Hello! Restring her up and play her to your heart's content. She may not be a top of the line guitar, but she is a very nice guitar. Long after you have learned to play, and long after you have started collecting other guitars, you will still find that you love to play her!

 

Before you put the new strings on, give the guitar a good cleaning and put some lemon oil on the fretboard. Make sure you wipe all excess lemon oil off, you don't want to get it on your strings. Get a "just damp" cloth and wipe out the inside going through the sound hole of any dirt, dust, cobwebs!

 

Enjoy! And congratulations on your future as a guitar player!

Sheila

[GuitarManBob]

Hi Sheila,

 

Thanks for the post. I have taken the strings off and gave her a good cleaning. It is snowing here so I decided to google "How to Clean a Guitar" while I was stuck in the house and found that I can use some pretty standard household items to use instead of buying a cleaning kit.

 

I took some white vinegar and cleaned the frets and neckboard real well and allowed that to dry then I used an ever so slight amount of olive oil on the neck and frets and wiped them down then removed any excess from it and allowed that to dry.

 

I inspected the inside as best I could to see if any braces might be loose or unattached...everything was well intact!

 

I also checked the bridge to see if there were any gaps and that looked good also. The neck did NOT have any frets sticking out so I think the humidity has been very kind to this ole girl and she has weathered real well for the last 30+ years!

 

Then I re-strung the guitar and tuned it with an electronic tuner.

 

I am now ready to get started learning to play.

 

~Bob

[highvibrational]

Hello, I've just been gifted with one of these and was wondering which strings to get for it.  Thank you.

[Gralst]

I have this guitar but mine was a Christmas present in 1971 and one of the first Matsumoku-made Japanese imports so its model number is 6830E. It's down in my basement and hasn't been played in a very long time but remains an object of sentimentality. Strings-wise you might try some Martins or Ernie Ball Earthwoods in 12-53 gauge. Ernie Ball makes what they call "custom lights" with are 11-53 (I think). The lighter gauge/less tension might be kinder on your guitar since these do have a proclivity to having the neck pocket collapse from drying out after years of being subjected to changing environmental conditions. Good luck.

Edited January 18, 2020 by Gralst