I should say from the start that I have next to no woodworking skills, and my luthiery knowledge is about the same (I did resurrect a dead mandolin a couple of years ago, with help from some kind folks on Mandolin Cafe!) But I wanted to get a vintage parlour, and thought it might be fun to buy one that needs some work, and use it as a learning experience. On the plus side, I'm aware of my ignorance and I am good at listening and taking advice, so I'll be grateful for any guidance and support anyone would care to offer
My project parlour is a little beauty that I picked up via e-bay for around the price of a fairly average/cheap hard case. It needs quite a lot of work, but it is very pretty! I love the shape of the fretboard end and the purfling rosette:
From that pic, you might spot something significant that's missing - frets! I'm told that taking the frets out is a horrible job, so the good news is that I don't have to do that.
Here's a pic of the stunning flame maple back:
The more observant viewers may have noticed something else that's missing - tuners! The seller did provide them, but with the recommendation that it will need new ones. The old ones are lovely, but they just look a bit worn, so I can see why I might be better replacing them. Here they are:
A couple of other things that are missing: bridge and tailpiece. The seller reckoned the top is cedar - what do you folks think?
More pics to follow!
Fliss