I recently got an old mahogany guitar for a crazy nice deal, but part of that deal was predicated on the two issues with the guitar: the bridge was either replaced or reglued (it looks relatively original), and the finish has some issues.
Given that it's structurally sound, I had no problem with buying the guitar; I'm more of a player than a collector. Nonetheless, I would like to restore it back to a more charming state, but I'm not sure what that all entails.
There are essentially three problems with it:
- There's a light overspray that's a bit uneven looks cloudy in spots.
- The area around the bridge shows some light cross-grain sanding that is really apparent at certain angles. (Seriously, what a weird, rookie movie to be able to reglue the bridge but not know to sand the area properly.)
- It's a little hard to tell because of the lacquer blushing, but it looks like the wood stain is faded on the upper bout on the low-E side of the guitar.
That said, what are my best options for restoration? I'm worried about sanding down any of the overspray because, even with that extra coat, the finish is real thin. I'd also like to get rid of the blotchy area where the stain seems to have faded. I'm assuming that there's no easy way of darkening it without stripping the nitro finish or adding a thin tinted overcoat, but I would like to keep the finish nice and thin.
I'll probably take it to a tech somewhere here in town, but I want to get an understanding of what needs to be done, first. (I've always felt like going to a tech without an understanding of the nuances of the job leaves a little too much room for interpretation.) Anyone have experiences with this kind of thing?
I'll post some pictures of it when I'm back in town tomorrow.