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  #1  
Old 01-19-2018, 02:31 PM
wade63 wade63 is offline
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Default 70s Mansfield 12 string, what to do?

This walked into my shop yesterday from a guy who only wants to put a few dollars into it to make it play someone tried to convert it into some kind of sitar type of instrument. I could locate the saddle slot and make it playable but I'm thinking it's a shame for this solid wood guitar with the type of Rosewood it looks really nice so I'm thinking I may offer a few dollars for it or trade for this Epiphone 12-string I have that's worth a few hundred bucks or so. I can do the work. Structurally good. Comments please. A Canadian Ibanez with at least a solid top.
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Old 01-19-2018, 02:36 PM
Athens Athens is offline
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Default 12 string

Wow, interesting looking project.

I've always liked zero frets. What is the fill in the bridge pin holes? They could have color matched a bit better when they added the tailpiece.

i have to admit that i'm not familiar with the name "Mansfield". Was it one of the many 1970's entry level MIJ guitars?
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Old 01-19-2018, 02:37 PM
wade63 wade63 is offline
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Sometimes I'm not very clear on what I'm asking in my posts, wanting comments about this particular guitar and is it worth it to invest a lot of time into it?
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Old 01-19-2018, 02:40 PM
Tony Done Tony Done is offline
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What is the neck angle like?
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Old 01-19-2018, 02:45 PM
Athens Athens is offline
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Default Mansfield 12 string

OK, found this,

http://www.guitarsite.com/discussion...es/20462.shtml

It's not much, again, looks like one of the many entry level MIJ's from that time.

I'm not sure what to tell you on value.
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Old 01-19-2018, 02:48 PM
Brucebubs Brucebubs is offline
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I'd want to hear it before I'd do anything.
A lot of those era 12-strings sound pretty thin.
The Epiphone you're thinking of trading may even be the better guitar.
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Old 01-19-2018, 03:11 PM
wade63 wade63 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tony Done View Post
What is the neck angle like?
Not bad, hits just below top of bridge. I'm sure not original bridge or trapeze. Although my 70s epi 12 has trapeze tail piece exactly like it never seen that on Ibanez and bridge has no saddle slot, weird.
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Old 01-19-2018, 03:15 PM
wade63 wade63 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Athens View Post
OK, found this,

http://www.guitarsite.com/discussion...es/20462.shtml

It's not much, again, looks like one of the many entry level MIJ's from that time.

I'm not sure what to tell you on value.
With the wood inlay on the rosette, solid top, its no entry level guitar
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  #9  
Old 01-19-2018, 03:17 PM
wade63 wade63 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Athens View Post
Wow, interesting looking project.

I've always liked zero frets. What is the fill in the bridge pin holes? They could have color matched a bit better when they added the tailpiece.

i have to admit that i'm not familiar with the name "Mansfield". Was it one of the many 1970's entry level MIJ guitars?
Looking at the underside pic I provided you can see they "corked" it with wood, that bridge has to go.
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  #10  
Old 01-19-2018, 03:19 PM
wade63 wade63 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brucebubs View Post
I'd want to hear it before I'd do anything.
A lot of those era 12-strings sound pretty thin.
The Epiphone you're thinking of trading may even be the better guitar.
That epi is awesome even all laminate. I'd have to redo everything to hear what it sounds like
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  #11  
Old 01-19-2018, 03:37 PM
Tony Done Tony Done is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wade63 View Post
Not bad, hits just below top of bridge. I'm sure not original bridge or trapeze. Although my 70s epi 12 has trapeze tail piece exactly like it never seen that on Ibanez and bridge has no saddle slot, weird.
If the neck angle is OK, I would see it as a very good candidate for fixing up.

Yeah, that bridge/tailpiece arrangement looks like some kind of belt and braces mod. My Gibson 12-25 was made like that, fixed bridge and tailpiece, and my old Gibson L-00 looks like it had a tailpiece added for part of its life. I've wondered if, on a 12 string, you could at lest partly solve the string tension/neck angle problem (the bridge belly contribution) by having half the strings going to the bridge and the other half to the tailpiece. I would be strongly tempted to try it on that.
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  #12  
Old 01-19-2018, 04:03 PM
wade63 wade63 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tony Done View Post
If the neck angle is OK, I would see it as a very good candidate for fixing up.

Yeah, that bridge/tailpiece arrangement looks like some kind of belt and braces mod. My Gibson 12-25 was made like that, fixed bridge and tailpiece, and my old Gibson L-00 looks like it had a tailpiece added for part of its life. I've wondered if, on a 12 string, you could at lest partly solve the string tension/neck angle problem (the bridge belly contribution) by having half the strings going to the bridge and the other half to the tailpiece. I would be strongly tempted to try it on that.
Ha, interesting, I may consider a bridge doctor though, I've got a few lying around. Where's the saddle slot? What's going on here?
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  #13  
Old 01-19-2018, 04:22 PM
Tony Done Tony Done is offline
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I've used a flying brace a few times, but mine are home-made and much lighter build than the JLD. The dowel stick is made from a piece of thin wall aluminium tube as used by aircraft model makers. I have one in my old L-00, it hasn't had a adverse affect on the tone, and seems to have stabilised the belly bulge, which was getting worse, 20-odd years after a rebrace. A flying race could provide a tonal benefit is a 12-string, by "tightening" the sound.

It looks to me as if the original saddle slot was filled, possibly with the intention of recutting it. - For better intonation? I would be thinking about using some kind of temporary saddle and stringing up from the tailpiece to check intonation before cutting a new slot.
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  #14  
Old 01-19-2018, 04:38 PM
wade63 wade63 is offline
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Wow, you are right Tony, it has been filled. Had to put my magnifiers on to see that. Now, question is, is this original set up? I'll try to post some better internal bracing pics because the bracing will tell if it was meant to have a tail piece.
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  #15  
Old 01-19-2018, 04:58 PM
wade63 wade63 is offline
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Hard to get a good pic
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