Cost to restore properly???

[moej45]

Ok...so as some saw I bought a 1951 Gibson Southern Jumbo a couple of weeks ago...and it sounds? Glorious. Everything I ever wanted in a guitar sound....I cant get enough of it.

 

I will post some pics tomorrow but its been PLAYED hard in its life. Structurally its in good shape...some cracks in the sides were professionally restored. The top and all of it was definitely stripped I think and maybe refinished? I am not sure but it lacks the cracked look most have BUT its worn hard so I definitely don't think the top was replaced. The bridge looks to be lifting a bit so I know that will have to be addressed next month when I take it in for work.

 

Question is this..what would it cost to get this thing like...re-nitrod and really finished up nice? Any ideas?

[j45nick]

Ok...so as some saw I bought a 1951 Gibson Southern Jumbo a couple of weeks ago...and it sounds? Glorious. Everything I ever wanted in a guitar sound....I cant get enough of it.

 

Question is this..what would it cost to get this thing like...re-nitrod and really finished up nice? Any ideas?

 

 

Pictures, man, pictures.

 

If the finish on it is original or a good, very old re-finish, I wouldn't touch it. Once we see photos, we might make some suggestions.

 

Generally speaking, you don't want to re-finish an old guitar like this. Besides having a negative impact on its value, you will compromise its mojo.

 

A couple of years ago, I had the top of my old J-45 re-finished, stripping off the clear nitro that I sprayed on it in 1970 after stripping the 1968 cherryburst top finish. (That's a long story, so don't ask)

 

Ross Tiegen, the skilled luthier who works on my guitars (and a Martin and Gibson restoration specialist), did a nice job of reproducing the original 1948-1950 sunburst from an old b&w photo I had, as well as a color photo of an identical guitar in "Fabulous Flat-Tops". The top re-finish cost about $600, but that was part of a major job (neck re-set, new bridge, re-glued braces, etc) that cost about $1800, so I don't know if the $600 would be realistic for a top re-finish alone. My top, by the way, was in near-perfect condition, since I had played the guitar very little for the last 35 years, and the top was new in 1968.

 

Reproducing a Gibson sunburst is not an undertaking for anyone who has not done it successfully before, and I would want to see pictures of other jobs he had done before even considering it. We've seen some truly horrible attempts here. Remember that the guy spraying it in the factory might have been doing 25-50 guitars every day.

 

As I said, though, there really have to be extenuating circumstances to consider doing this. Not generally recommended. If the finish is really unstable--like peeling or flaking off-- I would take it to someone with a known reputation for doing this kind of work, and see what might be done to stabilize it. If the finish is original, I'm not sure I would even do that.

[zombywoof]

MoeJ45 posted pics of this guitar a few weeks ago and if I recall the general consensus was that it was fully refinished.

 

Unless it is to the point enough finish is missing that the wood is not protected I would not worry about a refinish. I would just think about a bit of overspray or something over those areas. A good refinish is expensive as it is and as has been noted getting that Gibson burst just right ain't the easiest thing in the world.

 

My two cents - just treat the guitar as a player. I would not wait too long on the bridge though and while you are at it it would probably be a good idea to have the bridge plate and bracing checked out.