Cleaning up a 1963 00-18

[KenL]

I removed a bunch of sticky residue this morning using lighter fluid. It worked well. And I've polished the entire guitar with Dunlop 65. I'll polish it a couple more times, using different brands of polish. I've found that works well on a dirty guitar.

I also used the lighter fluid on the neck, which has some weird bubbling of the finish. The owner had place a block of foam underneath the neck in the case, which had been unopened for 25 years. I think the foam off-gassed and caused the finish to bubble up. The same kind of damage is on the upper back of the guitar, which would have been in close proximity to the foam.

20180721_100646.jpg

And check out the saddle. It's obviously a replacement, and doesn't fill the entire slot.

20180721_100513.jpg

[Ozark]

Does your friend have other guitars or is the Martin his only one? Judging by the frets he looked to be a serious player who played very often. I can't imagine playing the guitar so much then just side lining it for 25 years.

[Wade Hampton]

Ken wrote:

Originally Posted by KenL

I removed a bunch of sticky residue this morning using lighter fluid. It worked well. And I've polished the entire guitar with Dunlop 65. I'll polish it a couple more times, using different brands of polish. I've found that works well on a dirty guitar.

Good.

Originally Posted by KenL

I also used the lighter fluid on the neck, which has some weird bubbling of the finish. The owner had place a block of foam underneath the neck in the case, which had been unopened for 25 years. I think the foam off-gassed and caused the finish to bubble up. The same kind of damage is on the upper back of the guitar, which would have been in close proximity to the foam.

Yikes!

I couldn't get your photo to show in my response here, but I suspect you're right about the finish bubbling because of the foam that had been (foolishly) left inside the case for 25 years.

It kind of looks like acne scars, doesn't it?

Then Ozark wrote:

Originally Posted by Ozark

Does your friend have other guitars or is the Martin his only one? Judging by the frets he looked to be a serious player who played very often. I can't imagine playing the guitar so much then just side lining it for 25 years.

You know, sometimes people's lives just change. I have a hard time understanding how anyone can do that, too, but not everyone's lives play out the same way. I'll give you an example from my own life: I had a musical partner in an Irish music duo who was a very fine musician and multi-instrumentalist; he played mandolin, guitar, bodhran, mandola, mandocello and many related instruments besides. When we were roommates he took a much more disciplined approach to practicing than I did, and was very serious about it.

After not speaking with each for more than thirty years, a couple of years ago he got in touch with me via email, and we had a brief exchange. While I have never stopped playing multiple instruments (and never stopped making money from music, either,) when the group he started after he and I went our separate ways folded, he quite simply stopped playing music for more than twenty years. Never took his instruments out of the cases other than to make sure they were still in good condition and properly humidified. At that point he was treating them mainly as investments, not as tools for making music.

He had only recently started playing again, but strictly as a hobbyist, not with the intensity and sense of purpose he once had. This was a guy who had been INTENSE about it, and very skilled. Yet his life went in a completely different direction.

So it can happen. Not to me, obviously, and probably not to you either, Ozark. But plenty of people play guitar in some discrete segments of their lives, but not in others.

Hope that makes sense.


Wade Hampton Miller

[KenL]

Well, it's polished up and put back together. Just played it for a few minutes to get the new strings to settle in. Might have a bad G string buzz, will have to sort that out. And the tuners are shot, a few of them were reluctant to turn; I put my powered string winder down and turned them by hand, afraid that all that torque would cause something to snap.

Anyway, it certainly looks and feels 100% better. Here's some more photos. I'll play it for an hour or two tonight and report back.

20180721_162025.jpg
20180721_162044.jpg
20180721_162030.jpg
20180721_162052.jpg
20180721_162059.jpg

[Mycroft]

Originally Posted by KenL

I removed a bunch of sticky residue this morning using lighter fluid. It worked well. And I've polished the entire guitar with Dunlop 65. I'll polish it a couple more times, using different brands of polish. I've found that works well on a dirty guitar.

I also used the lighter fluid on the neck, which has some weird bubbling of the finish. The owner had place a block of foam underneath the neck in the case, which had been unopened for 25 years. I think the foam off-gassed and caused the finish to bubble up. The same kind of damage is on the upper back of the guitar, which would have been in close proximity to the foam.

Attachment 11088

And check out the saddle. It's obviously a replacement, and doesn't fill the entire slot.

Attachment 11089

Ah, THERE in the bottom photo are a couple of cracks, which may need to be attended to. If ye were me, I'd stop polishing the guitar at this point and speak with your friend about taking the guitar in for a skilled restorer to look over. Polish that you put on now will have to be stripped completely if the finish gets work. The nice thing about the naptha as a cleaning agent is that it leaves no residue. It is obvious that it is going to need professional work. Finish. Cracks. Frets, Fretboard. Possibly a neck reset.

Shame about the neck finish. The rest of the finish did not look to bad. But I would take it in for a once-over, which will cost nothing.

Where approx. in the Rockies are you? Someone might have a recommendation for a tech somewhere near you.

TW

[KenL]

TW, I am two hours west of Denver in the High Rockies. Any recommendations for a shop to do the work would be appreciated and passed on.

Here's what it needs, in my amateur opinion:

1) Neck reset
2) Tuners
3) Saddle and nut
4) Refret
5) Plane the finger board
6) Refinish the back of the neck while it's off the guitar
7) Repair various cracks on lower front, between bridge and pick guard, and lower back.
8) Replace pick guard
9) Replace bridge pins


The good news is that the cracks are very much fixable, the bridge is tight, and the best part is that she sounds great from what I can tell from the little bit of playing I did.

Any ballpark estimates to have all that work done?

[Mycroft]

Originally Posted by KenL

TW, I am two hours west of Denver in the High Rockies. Any recommendations for a shop to do the work would be appreciated and passed on.

Here's what it needs, in my amateur opinion:

1) Neck reset
2) Tuners
3) Saddle and nut
4) Refret
5) Plane the finger board
6) Refinish the back of the neck while it's off the guitar
7) Repair various cracks on lower front, between bridge and pick guard, and lower back.
8) Replace pick guard
9) Replace bridge pins


The good news is that the cracks are very much fixable, the bridge is tight, and the best part is that she sounds great from what I can tell from the little bit of playing I did.

Any ballpark estimates to have all that work done?

That is a petty pragmatic list. You might want to start another thread asking about someone around Denver well versed in old guitar repair. Any cost estimate I give would be a guess.

[KenL]

That's okay, TW, I'd like to hear your guess.

Mine is $1000, give or take?

[KenL]

And don't call my list "petty". I worked hard on it!

[KenL]

I sat down and played this old girl for an hour last night and she sounds fantastic! A very warm and resonate tone, excellent sustain, and great depth and volume. The kind of tone that fills the whole room all the way to the corners of the ceiling.

The beat-up neck didn't bother me, but the worn frets did- it was not easy forming a barre chord.

And the divots in the fret board are now far less noticeable since I treated the fret board with F-One oil.

I love these LaBella Silk & Steel Light Strings on a small guitar. Such nice tone and sustain.

I take her back to her owner on Tuesday, but will play her as much as I can until then. I'll give him a list of things that still need attention, as listed above.

[rampix]

Great job cleaning up a nice old Martin Ken! I love seeing that kind of play wear and would only do what's necessary to keep her in playing condition if she were mine. I hope the owner gets hyped up for another round of musical adventures with her.

I think I'd contact Brian Kimsey in Albuquerque regarding the repairs needed. He specializes in just that on old Martins and has quite a good reputation over on the Martin site. Just a 2 day road trip for us in the Colorado Rockies and some nice fishing along the back roads...just sayin'

[KenL]

Thanks, rampix, and I like your road trip plan to Mr. Kimsey's place. If this guitar were mine I would certainly consider it!

I think that list of things would be the way to go. That would give this old girl another 25 years of life.

[Don54]

Great thread. Great guitar. Thanks for posting.

[Photojeep]

I was amazed at how much the fretboard had changed in the photos. I thought you photographed a different guitar! I'm wondering how much of the discoloration in your first photos was actual divots vs. worn or dried out wood.

Anyway, great job and I'm sure the owner will be thrilled!

Best,
PJ

[Howard Emerson]

Originally Posted by KenL

Thanks, rampix, and I like your road trip plan to Mr. Kimsey's place. If this guitar were mine I would certainly consider it!

I think that list of things would be the way to go. That would give this old girl another 25 years of life.

Ken,
It would not surprise me if that is the original saddle, except that the action had been lowered via the saddle being cut down from the bottom, which will, in turn, will make it appear to get shorter in length.

I owned a pair of 00-18's ('54 & '56) and they're wonderful instruments.

Regards,
Howard Emerson