NGD - 1961 Emerald Star II

[Jeff Haddad]

Looks like outstanding work! Congrats on the fine restoration!

 

[BradHK]

I have finally started to tackle the last item to restore (I got sidetracked on other guitar projects). Originally the guitar would have had a chesterfield. Sometime in the past the chesterfield and plastic overlay was removed along with the thin wood veneer that runs underneath. From what I could tell I think somebody might have broke off the tip of the truss rod and removed the headstock overlays to fix the truss rod. A previous owner just painted the face of the headstock black and put on a Guild water slide decal. It just didn't look right without the chesterfield and metal truss rod cover.

this is what it looked like:



I found an old chesterfield headstock overlay from the 1950‘s or early 1960’s as it had the early headstock shape. The black plastic was trashed but the chesterfield inlay was in good condition (one crack in the chesterfield part but it should look good once installed) and I like that it is an original Guild part from the same time period as the guitar. I carefully removed the chesterfield inlays (that was a pain in the rear!) without breaking anything. It is amazing how uneven the original inlays were from the factory in this time period. Nothing is straight or even! Definitely hand made. Here are the inlays removed and ready to use:



I purchased some black pickguard material the same thickness as the inlays and then tried my hand at removing material to match the inlays. This was my first time doing any inlay work and I am sure it took me ten times longer than somebody who knows what they are doing! I just put on some music and spent way too many hours working slowly with a dremel tool and an assortment of x-acto knives. I am happy with the results but I set my expectations really low! I have shaped the wood veneer to match the headstock and the next steps are to start putting everything together.

overlay with original inlays ready to use:

 

[Oleo]

Amazing work. Thanks for sharing this project, and it’s so interesting to see the work on the inlay!

 

[teleharmonium]

Lovely, and in my opinion a treasure for utilitarian reasons with that nut width.

 

[BradHK]

Some more progress made today. All I can say is, if you have a good luthier who does inlay work, TIP THEM WELL!! This is a PITA.

Inlay and plastic overlay have been glued to the wood veneer and shaped to match the headstock. Small gaps between the inlay and black plastic were filled with black superglue and then everything was sanded flat.

update photo:

 

[Ixtlan]

Some more progress made today. All I can say is, if you have a good luthier who does inlay work, TIP THEM WELL!! This is a PITA.

Inlay and plastic overlay have been glued to the wood veneer and shaped to match the headstock. Small gaps between the inlay and black plastic were filled with black superglue and then everything was sanded flat.

update photo:

Wow!

 

[jp]

Excellent work! Looking forward to the finishing touches!

 

[Uke]

I'm amazed (and very envious) of you folks who have the knowledge and skill to do this stuff!

 

[DrumBob]

Looks great.

 

[BradHK]

Thanks everybody for the kind words and encouragement!

Just providing another update. The headstock has been sanded to remove the black paint and to get it flat, the cutout for the truss rod access has been completed in the overlay, holes are drilled for the TRC, and it has been 95% shaped to the headstock. I am doing the majority of the shaping before I glue it on as I don’t want to run the risk of damaging the original green finish on the sides of the headstock. Slow but progress is being made! Hopefully I will be applying nitro this weekend if all goes as planned.

headstock prepped:



Test fitment with new bone nut:

 

[BradHK]

First, I would like to apologize for the many (Too many?) update post and photos! I thought my next post would be a post of the completed headstock but it has gone a little slower than expected. Shaping the headstock on the guitar while not touching the green finish was a PITA. I essentially scraped it down like binding using a razor blade. Everything is done and ready for a final sanding then on to applying the finish. I have already mixed the dark green nitro that matches the finish and I will apply that to the wood veneer visible on the sides between the headstock and the plastic overlay then will clear everything. Getting close

 

[chazmo]

Looks really good, BradHK! I love how you preserved the old inlay! Nice work.

 

[HeyMikey]

Great job on the inlay and headstock. Everything is really taking shape. This is a great thread.

 

[gilded]

Very nice project. Congrats.

Tell me about the existing pickups. Where do they come from? How do they sound compared to vintage Hum Buckers?
Tell me about the pickup set with 12 screws for each pickup? Thanks, and at your convenience. gilded

 

[BradHK]

Very nice project. Congrats.

Tell me about the existing pickups. Where do they come from? How do they sound compared to vintage Hum Buckers?
Tell me about the pickup set with 12 screws for each pickup? Thanks, and at your convenience. gilded

the aftermarket pickups that came in the guitar prior to putting in the HB-1s?

 

[gilded]

I guess

You had talked about one pickup being less chime-y, and I just wondered if that might have been what I now know to be an aftermarket product (that means I was too tired to go through all of the posts).

Again, very nice product.

 

[BradHK]

Great job on the inlay and headstock. Everything is really taking shape. This is a great thread.

Thanks! I am just happy the inlays ended up being straight and centered on the headstock! I was nervous that when I drilled the holes they would show that the inlay was slightly to one side. i mapped everything out on a template but sometimes it’s also nice to be lucky!

 

[BradHK]

I guess

You had talked about one pickup being less chime-y, and I just wondered if that might have been what I now know to be an aftermarket product (that means I was too tired to go through all of the posts).

Again, very nice product.

I was comparing the HB-1s I put in it versus my 1960’s Starfire III with anti-hum pickups. The HB-1s in this guitar are less chime-y but thicker with more growl when needed. I can’t really give an honest review of the pickups I removed as I knew I was pulling them out and just tested the guitar before taking it apart. The original wiring was also horrible and a few wires just came off of pots when I removed the wiring and that could have influenced the sound.

 

[gilded]

Thanks, got it

 

[Oleo]

Great thread Brad, and really enjoying the updates. Truly impressive work, and must be very satisfying!