And so it begins.....F-50R repair/resurrection.

[Stuball48]

A very thorough and intricate article. Think the most detailed article on restoration I have read. You and your luthier stuck with your ideas and just an awesome finished product. The guitar is stunning!!

 

[Opsimath]

Congratulations to you and your luthier. Thank you for allowing us along for the ride. Really enjoyed every step of the process and looking forward to your report when you get to play her. You must be thrilled!

 

[GGJaguar]

Nice! I hope it sounds as good as it looks!

 

[Nokomite]

You know what's especially wonderful about this is that if you hadn't had all this work done and such a good luthier, you'd never have known about the bridge being in the wrong place and you'd have the same intonation issues that previous owners must have suffered. Now that's all fixed!

 

[kostask]

Just thought for the sake of completeness, that I would put up a sound file of the guitar being played for the first time, but it doesn't look like this is possible, unless I need to put it on some neutral site, and link to it. I recorded a short passage of my luthier playing some music bits on it, fingerstyle, but I will have to figure out a way of getting them on here.

The guitar sounds much like its old self, but it is definitely feeling the effects of the extended term of non-play. Bass seems a little lacking, and the treble is not there in the way it was before. It definitely still has the volume it has always had. Most of what I am talking about will disappear with playing time, I am sure, and I think that it will "wake up" again fairly easily. It is now playing in tune.

It will definitely be a wonder once all is working together again. Looks great, too. Despite all the pictures, the dark areas are NOT black, but a very dark brown, which works really well with the reddish inner fading towards the yellow center.

I love this guitar already, and I am sure that will only increase the more I play it.

 

[wileypickett]

I've experienced that phenomenon before -- you take a guitar in for repair and it doesn't sound quite right when you get it back. In one instance I was so deflated at the "meh" sound of a repaired guitar that I just put it back in its case and tried to forget about it.

When I finally pulled it out again a month or two later, I was taken aback by how great it sounded -- and that was with no play time on it to break it back in.

I suspect yours will find its voice again, once it remembers what it's supposed to do.

Keep the faith!

 

[kostask]

All of this just means to me that the guitar needs to be played. This guitar does this everytime it is unplayed for a time, as in anything over a couple of months. No issue for me, I will be playing it regularly for the next month or so.

 

[fronobulax]

Just thought for the sake of completeness, that I would put up a sound file of the guitar being played for the first time, but it doesn't look like this is possible, unless I need to put it on some neutral site, and link to it.

That is pretty much correct. Sometimes using Google Drive works reasonably well if you don't expect to do it a lot and if you can get the sharing permissions correct.

 

[Ross]

Hi Kostas:
Thank you for posting this epic saga. Enjoy playing your "like-new" Guild.

 

[HeyMikey]

Another Guild rescue that will be making great music for decades to come. Well done!

 

[Nokomite]

All of this just means to me that the guitar needs to be played. This guitar does this everytime it is unplayed for a time, as in anything over a couple of months. No issue for me, I will be playing it regularly for the next month or so.

Don't worry, remember a month ago when I got my new-to-me F50R I was underwhelmed with it for the first day or two. I changed the strings on it and played for a couple of days and it really came alive. I'm sure it will respond to your attention now that it's complete and home where it belongs!

 

[Prince of Darkness]

Remember, it's a Guild. "Made to be played"!