BSAKing Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 Hi all - I have a LP Jr. that I have had since I was a kid, many moons ago. Through a comedy of errors (some my doing, and some before I got the guitar in about 1964) the thing is a disaster. I have put together a brief synopsis with pictures here (if I have done this link thing correctly...) Gibby.pdf I have a couple of questions : The first does anyone have any idea of relative value of this thing? I am wondering how much time and effort it is worth putting into it. The second is - after peeking at the document, what do you think as viable options are? (short of a gallon of gas and a match)... TIA, BSA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Hi there! The guitar LOOKS to be in good shape except for the whole that the beaver chewed in the top. I go for option 3.. A competant woodworker/luthier could make a clean route and fill with some nice mahogany. The repaired area could be refinished to blend in close. It won,t be perfect, but it will be a damn sight better than it is now! Get a refret or dressing as needed and you will have a nice axe again. If you are planning on selling, it would bring much better offers also. Rod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobB Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 You could have it appraised by a vintage dealer like www.gruhn.com and then get a quote from a skilled guitar tech to see if the cost of restoration would be worth the investment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfox14 Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Hard to say what the value would be with the huge hole in the top. I would half of book value or around $1200-1500. It's never going to look quite right if you rout out the hole anf fill it with mahogany and retouch the paint. I would leave it as is and just enjoy playing it for what it is. IMHO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Hi all - I have a LP Jr. that I have had since I was a kid, many moons ago. Through a comedy of errors (some my doing, and some before I got the guitar in about 1964) the thing is a disaster. I have put together a brief synopsis with pictures here (if I have done this link thing correctly...) Gibby.pdf I have a couple of questions : The first does anyone have any idea of relative value of this thing? I am wondering how much time and effort it is worth putting into it. The second is - after peeking at the document, what do you think as viable options are? (short of a gallon of gas and a match)... TIA, BSA Hey BSAKING, After reviewing the photos again, I still feel strongly that it is far from the gas and match scenario. On the other hand, after seeing your routework and the subsequent attachment of the plate with silicone goop (instead of screws). I suggest that you not attempt any further repairs on this guitar yourself... and seek out a competant repair person. Somehow, I think you know that also. Rod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Hard to say what the value would be with the huge hole in the top. I would half of book value or around $1200-1500. It's never going to look quite right if you rout out the hole anf fill it with mahogany and retouch the paint. I would leave it as is and just enjoy playing it for what it is. IMHO Hell Paul! I can,t believe your words. The damn thing doesn't look right ...NOW! I dare say, that a competant repair-person such as Dan Earelewine could execute a fill-in repair that would be almost invisible....IMHO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSAKing Posted February 12, 2012 Author Share Posted February 12, 2012 Hey BSAKING, After reviewing the photos again, I still feel strongly that it is far from the gas and match scenario. On the other hand, after seeing your routework and the subsequent attachment of the plate with silicone goop (instead of screws). I suggest that you not attempt any further repairs on this guitar yourself... and seek out a competant repair person. Somehow, I think you know that also. Rod Hey - thanks for the useful comments and feedback folks! Actually I did not do the routework - it was there when I bought it as a kid in about 1963 or so.... The plate was obviously just stuck on with silicon because silicon comes off - more screw holes is just one more thing to repair in the long run..... I refinned my strat some time ago and it turned out to be acceptable. I don't profess to be a pro at all of course, it's a hobby thing... The Stratocaster I am tending towards #3 myself with a reranch kit and overhaul it all (whenever I have time - right after my '67 BSA Lightning. lol). I'm not prepared to sink a ton of $$ into it, but for sure it would look better than it does now.... If people are telling me it is worth maybe $1500, then I would not put more than about $400 into it. Sort of my thoughts now on it. But for $400 (if I do it myself) I can do all the repairs, refret, and do a nice touch up and buff job on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 BSA, Since you have some re-finishing experience, you must know that silicone is your enemy when doing refin repairs. I don,t know from experience, but that seems to be the general consensus with repair people. Thus the reason for not using cleaners/polishes with silicone content. Just a heads up I further believe that refinishing the entire guitar devalues it even more than just the repaired area. I have done a ground-up nitro finish on my Retrorod Tele build using the ReRanch products. Great products and very helpfull folks to deal with! Ultimately its your guitar and your decisions! I still stick with my advice in the previous reply. Good Luck with the project, Rod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSAKing Posted February 12, 2012 Author Share Posted February 12, 2012 BSA, Since you have some re-finishing experience, you must know that silicone is your enemy when doing refin repairs. I don,t know from experience, but that seems to be the general consensus with repair people. Thus the reason for not using cleaners/polishes with silicone content. Just a heads up I further believe that refinishing the entire guitar devalues it even more than just the repaired area. I have done a ground-up nitro finish on my Retrorod Tele build using the ReRanch products. Great products and very helpfull folks to deal with! Ultimately its your guitar and your decisions! I still stick with my advice in the previous reply. Good Luck with the project, Rod Hey - thanks for the advice. That's a great job on yours - looks wonderful! That's a really good point that I was not aware of. Based upon that, plan A would be to see if I can tidy up and inlay a matching piece of mahogany, and blend in a finish just in that area. As you can tell, there are a few extra holes (presumably from the trem assembly that must have been in there at one time), so there is a fair bit to be done. There are a few dings in other areas to be addressed, and like I said - a refret job. I don't really have a lot to lose except a bit of time. But, I'm not ready to get rid of it as it would be a great little player if redone. On the other hand, it is not worth putting $1-1.5K or so for a luthier to do it IMHO. I look at it this way - almost anything I do cannot be worse than the way it is now....! That's the way I felt with my strat as well. If I can resurrect it so it is playable and presentable so I can enjoy it for $3-400, it's well worth it. lol. At the very worst, I'll be back where I started from, but will have learned something in the process. If and when I get to it, I'll drop back here for more sage advice! Your comments are most appreciated to try formulate a plan of attack for this one.... Thanks guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 I am wondering if there is a trem available that might hide most of the damage, (not to mention what trem was on in the first place). I don't think it makes any sense to compare any value of resale. Fact is, even a repair done well that looks invisible will still not age the same and become visible over time, and the guitar will still not ever be restored to 'collectable' value. I would try and see that as an advantage: now you can really mod the guitar any way you want without any thoughts of what you might do to the 'value'. Any bridge, any refin, any pups, seem to be fair game now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 I am wondering if there is a trem available that might hide most of the damage, (not to mention what trem was on in the first place). I don't think it makes any sense to compare any value of resale. Fact is, even a repair done well that looks invisible will still not age the same and become visible over time, and the guitar will still not ever be restored to 'collectable' value. I would try and see that as an advantage: now you can really mod the guitar any way you want without any thoughts of what you might do to the 'value'. Any bridge, any refin, any pups, seem to be fair game now. I hear ya Stein! Oh well,As you say.....And I am 'forever' the 'perfectionist/optomist'! I really like those guitars. Oh well...another '61 LP Jr bites the dust..... to 'more'....amateur repair and restoration work. Can't ya at least.. "feel my pain"...??? Oh Yeah!...I,m gonna FIX it this time..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSAKing Posted February 12, 2012 Author Share Posted February 12, 2012 I hear ya Stein! Oh well,As you say.....And I am 'forever' the 'perfectionist/optomist'! I really like those guitars. Oh well...another '61 LP Jr bites the dust..... to 'more'....amateur repair and restoration work. Can't ya at least.. "feel my pain"...??? Oh Yeah!...I,m gonna FIX it this time..... I had already started considering that option as well of course. It had the Al plate on it when I got it, so I never saw the trem, but by the vintage and a quick look at the cavity, I suspect it is a good chance it is a Floyd Rose. How well it was installed was anyone's guess of course...and whether I can get something to match is another 'who knows?' at this point in time. Try not to suffer in your pain too, too much! lol. I will consider any and all inputs as I get aroud to this.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Doesn't look like any Floyd unit I have ever seen. Did Floyd have one in '64? I am wondering if was an attempt at a Fender type that are on the Jag/Jazzmaster? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Doesn't look like any Floyd unit I have ever seen. Did Floyd have one in '64? I am wondering if was an attempt at a Fender type that are on the Jag/Jazzmaster? I doubt it! At least another decade ..."saved"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 It almost looks like an attempt to take a Jag type trem, and install it using the pieces of the trem-without the top plate. I think one clue is the stain or coloring on the back part of the hack/rout. That may mean this part was exposed. The other think, is although the route is not a typical trem route for this type of trem, the depth and location seem to match the internal parts of a Jag/Jazzmaster trem. I am guessing, that perhaps the parts of a Jag trem were removed from the baseplate, and installed on the guitar separate. Just a guess here^^. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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