'67 F30 SB Rescue...Yeek ***Update 11/20***
Let me start by saying that I know better. But knowing better still doesn't stop me from doing stupid things sometimes.
I saw a local Craigslist ad for an original '67 F30 SB in very good condition. The reality was far from that but the guy selling the guitar explained that he was given the pics by someone else and didn't actually have the guitar in hand when he posted the ad.
The "story" was that this guy was selling a guitar for an older friend of a friend who had experienced a debilitating stroke. The guitar had sat unplayed for quite some time (the strings are indeed ancient and gummy) and now the owner's things were being gone through to tidy up in preparation for moving into assisted care. Whether true or not, I choose to believe stories like this because I choose to be an optimist in life and to look for the good in people. Doesn't mean a person shouldn't be wise in their dealings, but like I said, I choose to believe people without evidence to the contrary.
Now, the guitar.
The bad: SEVERELY dehydrated...I live in Arizona and it's dry here. This guitar's top was so sunken between the bridge and sound hole...the actual sound hole was distorted and angled downwards. The neck took a dive after reaching the body. The top seam had separated from the lower bout edge to the sound hole. The saddle, while still having good height, was also canting toward the neck and I spied some small cracking in the bridge between the pin holes. Finally, the original tuners (3 on a plates) were replaced with Grovers. Bleh. Oh, original case (which isn't going to protect anything it's so thin but it's original and I found a ton of stuff in the case compartment that I'm sure the guy I met didn't check but was a nice surprise - some kind of a mouth flute thing with 5 or 6 tubes plus other stuff).
The good: It's a pretty burst...lol. The pics are too red and it's more brownish in person. Frets are good, neck is straight (I mean without twist, but it does dive at the body), it's in fairly unmolested condition other than what I mentioned with some finish checking and scratches. Plus the dang guit is LIGHT.
3 things then conspired against me. 1) It's my birth year. Dumb, I know, but I'd by lying if I said it wasn't a factor. 2) I played it for a bit as much as I dared, and the bass for that small guitar was most impressive and even as hurt as it was, it RANG. 3) I quickly did a tally of what I thought it might cost to fix with the BIG supposition that humidifying it would even help it because I've never seen a guitar that bad before. I tallied in my head and came up with a price less than what I thought I'd be ok spending to make it right thinking he'd say no and I would leave, but after hemming and hawing he accepted and I left with this emaciated guitar.
I went home, loosened the strings, and stuck it in a closet with a humidifier set at 50%. These pics are 5 days later. The doggone guit is making a recovery. :tongue-new: The top has risen drastically, I really can't believe how much it's changed. The crack is closing tighter and tighter as well. When viewed from the side, it doesn't look nearly as concave. Such a dramatic difference.
I plan on humidifying it at 50% for another couple of weeks, then it's heading to a new luthier that a forum member recommended in the Phoenix area to tell me what the general health of the guitar is and what needs to be done. For sure it needs the center seam cleated and glued, and a new bridge installed as well. I'm hoping the braces are good...I tapped everywhere and didn't hear anything loose but I'm no luthier.
I'd like to find a set of original tuners for it...the grovers are too heavy for that light box and the 3 on a plates will cover up the holes from the Grovers just fine.
So that's my long story of a sucker that knew better but went ahead and bought a husk of a guitar. I hope it continues to come back...it's about 85% back already.
Let me start by saying that I know better. But knowing better still doesn't stop me from doing stupid things sometimes.
I saw a local Craigslist ad for an original '67 F30 SB in very good condition. The reality was far from that but the guy selling the guitar explained that he was given the pics by someone else and didn't actually have the guitar in hand when he posted the ad.
The "story" was that this guy was selling a guitar for an older friend of a friend who had experienced a debilitating stroke. The guitar had sat unplayed for quite some time (the strings are indeed ancient and gummy) and now the owner's things were being gone through to tidy up in preparation for moving into assisted care. Whether true or not, I choose to believe stories like this because I choose to be an optimist in life and to look for the good in people. Doesn't mean a person shouldn't be wise in their dealings, but like I said, I choose to believe people without evidence to the contrary.
Now, the guitar.
The bad: SEVERELY dehydrated...I live in Arizona and it's dry here. This guitar's top was so sunken between the bridge and sound hole...the actual sound hole was distorted and angled downwards. The neck took a dive after reaching the body. The top seam had separated from the lower bout edge to the sound hole. The saddle, while still having good height, was also canting toward the neck and I spied some small cracking in the bridge between the pin holes. Finally, the original tuners (3 on a plates) were replaced with Grovers. Bleh. Oh, original case (which isn't going to protect anything it's so thin but it's original and I found a ton of stuff in the case compartment that I'm sure the guy I met didn't check but was a nice surprise - some kind of a mouth flute thing with 5 or 6 tubes plus other stuff).
The good: It's a pretty burst...lol. The pics are too red and it's more brownish in person. Frets are good, neck is straight (I mean without twist, but it does dive at the body), it's in fairly unmolested condition other than what I mentioned with some finish checking and scratches. Plus the dang guit is LIGHT.
3 things then conspired against me. 1) It's my birth year. Dumb, I know, but I'd by lying if I said it wasn't a factor. 2) I played it for a bit as much as I dared, and the bass for that small guitar was most impressive and even as hurt as it was, it RANG. 3) I quickly did a tally of what I thought it might cost to fix with the BIG supposition that humidifying it would even help it because I've never seen a guitar that bad before. I tallied in my head and came up with a price less than what I thought I'd be ok spending to make it right thinking he'd say no and I would leave, but after hemming and hawing he accepted and I left with this emaciated guitar.
I went home, loosened the strings, and stuck it in a closet with a humidifier set at 50%. These pics are 5 days later. The doggone guit is making a recovery. :tongue-new: The top has risen drastically, I really can't believe how much it's changed. The crack is closing tighter and tighter as well. When viewed from the side, it doesn't look nearly as concave. Such a dramatic difference.
I plan on humidifying it at 50% for another couple of weeks, then it's heading to a new luthier that a forum member recommended in the Phoenix area to tell me what the general health of the guitar is and what needs to be done. For sure it needs the center seam cleated and glued, and a new bridge installed as well. I'm hoping the braces are good...I tapped everywhere and didn't hear anything loose but I'm no luthier.
I'd like to find a set of original tuners for it...the grovers are too heavy for that light box and the 3 on a plates will cover up the holes from the Grovers just fine.
So that's my long story of a sucker that knew better but went ahead and bought a husk of a guitar. I hope it continues to come back...it's about 85% back already.
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