Re-finishing a guitar top.

[Andling]

Thanks everyone, lots to think about.

[mirwa]

Its a small world, I actually have in my work que a 814 that I have to replace the top on and refinish it, with a fewside cracks as well

[desertrat59]

Looking at questions about re-finishing. I have the above mentioned guitar. I took it into Guitar Center and they adjusted the neck as I was experiencing a nasty jangle in 2nd fret high E. The repairman said it looked pretty good for it's age and I agree but would like to make it really shine again. It cost about 500 new (bought it for my dad in 77). Any thoughts? Worth it? Let it go? How much do you think it would cost? (those in the know), etc. I'm learning to play and bought a Taylor but I got this back from a relation and it just feels good.

[redir]

Originally Posted by desertrat59

Looking at questions about re-finishing. I have the above mentioned guitar. I took it into Guitar Center and they adjusted the neck as I was experiencing a nasty jangle in 2nd fret high E. The repairman said it looked pretty good for it's age and I agree but would like to make it really shine again. It cost about 500 new (bought it for my dad in 77). Any thoughts? Worth it? Let it go? How much do you think it would cost? (those in the know), etc. I'm learning to play and bought a Taylor but I got this back from a relation and it just feels good.

If it's a Taylor from the American Dream days I would suggest leaving the top alone. By all accounts that's a vintage guitar now and refinishing the top would most likely harm it's value.

[desertrat59]

The guitar isn't a Taylor. It's a 76 alvarez yairi dy74s

[Jim85IROC]

If the scratches don't go down to the wood, then there's a darn good chance that the finish can be saved, or at least vastly improved upon, without resorting to a refinish.

Get the right sand papers and sand with the grain until the existing scratches are gone, or at least to an acceptable level, then gradually work your way down to 2000 or 2500 grit paper, then transition to rubbing compound to bring back some gloss. If at any point you discover that you've gone too far and you're into wood, then you are facing a refinish, but to me, it makes more sense to try that (or have a pro do it if you're not comfortable) instead of just going right to the refinish from the beginning. My gut tells me that if you sand with the grain with 1000 grit paper until the scratches are significantly reduced, you'll end up with a guitar that looks substantially better than what you have right now, and if you're OK with the satin finish it leaves, you can stop right there and not worry about the subsequent sanding steps that may or may not cause you to go through the finish.

[phavriluk]

Before OP takes any irreversible stuff to his heirloom guitar, I suggest a visit to someone qualified to do guitar finish repair and refresh. There may be several options that will improve the appearance. But I discourage an inexperienced person from experimenting with the finish.