Guitar re-furbishment

Subject: Guitar re-furbishment
From: GUEST,Andy
Date: 19 Mar 05 - 09:55 AM

There seem to be a lot of experts on guitars out there in Mudcat world, so can anyone offer me some advice on the refurbishment of an old guitar I recently bought from a junk shop?
It's an Eros make which I believe was imported from Japan during the 60's. Is's in pretty crap condition, but I thought that I would have a go at sprucing it up, purely as a project. If it don't turn out right then no problem, nothing lost. If it does, I might have a nice playable guitar. I know it's never going to become a Martin, Gibson, or whatever, but it might be worth a shot! The big problem is, there's quite a twist in the neck which i need to remove (I think). I fancy trying to hold the guitar in some sort of jig, plane off the fingerboard till it's flat again and then replace the fingerboard with a new one, re-fret it and hope my efforts will be worthwhile. Point is, will it work? Can it work? Should I not bother and chuck the thing in the bin now! Any advice please?

Regards,    Andy

Subject: RE: Guitar re-furbishment
From: Peace
Date: 20 Mar 05 - 12:45 AM

Andy,

Most luthiers will look at it and tell you what needs to be done if you ask. Let them know you are new to it and they'll likely be very helpful in terms of telling you haw to do what ya gotta go. I know nothing about it, so I am afraid I can't be of any more help than this--and a refresh of the thread.

Subject: RE: Guitar re-furbishment
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 20 Mar 05 - 03:29 AM

Andy, go to Frets.com there everything you need to know and more.

eric

Subject: RE: Guitar re-furbishment
From: Gypsy
Date: 20 Mar 05 - 08:44 PM

Stewart MacDonald is another good resource.....

Subject: RE: Guitar re-furbishment
From:
Date: 20 Mar 05 - 10:33 PM

Sounds like you need to replace the neck. Ste Mac may have a neck you can alter to match yours but it's probably not worth buying a new neck, but you might be able to make one. You'll need to remove the fret board and take lots of measurements from the old neck and try to reproduce it. Then put your old fretboard on to your new neck and attach to guitar. It's not as easy as it sounds, but I've found lots of info on the internet about this process.

Jon

Subject: RE: Guitar re-furbishment
From: DrWord
Date: 20 Mar 05 - 11:39 PM

frets.com EVERYTHING you need to know
cheers
dennis

Subject: RE: Guitar re-furbishment
From: mooman
Date: 21 Mar 05 - 04:13 AM

Dear Andy,

If it's a project where if it comes out well ...great but if not... no matter, I would go along with your suggestion as above (I have done a fair few years in the past as a guitar repairman and this has been a solution in several similar cases.

I would second taking a look at Frank Ford's excellent frets.com site. It is packed with excellent information and photos of all stages of various procedures.

Good luck with your project and don't hestitate to ask if you have any specific questions.

Peace

moo

Subject: RE: Guitar re-furbishment
From: 12string growler
Date: 21 Mar 05 - 02:55 PM

If as I suspect, the EROS comes out of the same factory as the EKO and SHAFTESBURY ranges, then the neck will be secured to the body by four screws through a metal plate on the back and should be easy to remove for repairs to be carried out, or you maight be able to fit an electric guitar neck as they have no real heal section. All of the above named guitars that I have encountered (limited experience) were made in Recanati, Italy, and use the same construction methods . That's why I think they were all made by the same company.

Chris

Subject: RE: Guitar re-furbishment
From: mooman
Date: 22 Mar 05 - 04:25 AM

I think Chris is right and that the Eko factory also made the Eros range with similar construction.

Peace

moo

Subject: RE: Guitar re-furbishment
From: GUEST,Obie
Date: 22 Mar 05 - 03:31 PM

It's impossible to speculate without seeing it but if you mean that the neck is bowed it could be a trussrod problem, since it seems that you have no dovetail joint. I wouldn't plane off the old fretboard if it can be salvaged. Usually the fretboard can be lifted off with heat and gentle prying. If the trussrod is good, necks can sometimes be straightened by applying heat and clamping the neck using a pivot point to bend it in the opposite direction. When the neck cools it should hold it's shape. I wouldn't try this without accepting that there are risks of other damage. If however, it's home repair or the fireplace, it should be worth a shot. If there is a skew lenthwise in the neck the heat and clamp method will also work but it is more difficult. Be sure to leave a bit of bow in the neck or your strings will buzz. Sometimes minor twists and squews can be fixed by replacing some frets with higher ones and then filing them in line with the strings. If nothing else is gained but knowledge from trying different things it would never be a total loss.
Best of luck!
    Obie