Repairing an old beat up box.

[printer2]

I would use any suitable wood, oak, cherry and maple are lower cost woods that can be used. The question is what do you have available to you and can you resaw? At worse you can get a 3/4" piece and split it on a table saw, cutting the depth as far as possible and then finishing off with a hand saw. Then thickness it with a plane, or if you do not have one but have a router, use a sled to take the pieces down to a workable height. Double sided tape to the work surface.

[Howard Klepper]

OK, blunt reality check time, and, trust me, intended only for your own good:

You are talking about doing the kind of complex restoration that is not likely to be accomplished with success by anyone who is not an experienced professional in this field. To answer the how do I do this? question would require books to be written. And that would not get you the years of experience.

And you are talking about doing this on a bottom-of-the-line (for a low end company), absolutely cheapest materials and construction, barely playable when new, near-toy that sold in a record store in a mall in the 1950s or 60s for about $20 and could be picked up in great condition now for well under $100. The upside is that there is no value there to destroy beyond what it is worth as kindling. The remarkable thing about this thread is that people are answering you with straight faces.

If it has sentimental value, hang it upside the wall as is, or put a potted plant in it.

[Rodger Knox]

I agree with Mr. Klepper, but there is also the perspective that the journey is more important than the destination. A professional cannot afford to take that perspective, but IMHO it's appropriate for a beginner.
That's why this craft is so addictive, it's always an incredible journey, and sometimes the destination is also wonderful.

[Truckjohn]

So.. Yes - a straight face....

The prices are going up. The older guys don't understand it because these were the junk student guitars in their day because their setps were absolutely terrible. But they haven't been made for 40 years now. They are all solid wood. And when they are well setup - they aren't junk. They are a lot of fun.

I think the same thing when I see the prices of beat up used cars and pick up trucks. Especially how people are starting to treat late '80's vehicles as collectors..... Crazy! A $1,000 car is now an $8,000 car.... And the same new car is $40,000 instead of $8,000....

In the condition it's in right now - I see these on EBay for $100-200. Maybe less.. Maybe more.. I bought one that's in WAY worse shape than this one - missing all the hardware - for $60.00.

Fully playable - with a great setup... These run $500-600 and it's going up - not down. I get that a lot of folks think this is crazy because they hated them when they were new.. But there's nothing in the market that sounds like these for certain types of music till you get up to luthier built $3,000+ instruments. And there are maybe 3 luthiers that I know of building stuff like this.

If you want a cheap classical to cut up - there are $40 flea market specials all over the place. Check the many junk/ "antique" malls

keep all that in mind with your decision about what to do.

[Howard Klepper]

Originally Posted by Truckjohn

So.. Yes - a straight face....

The prices are going up. The older guys don't understand it because these were the junk student guitars in their day because their setps were absolutely terrible. But they haven't been made for 40 years now. They are all solid wood. And when they are well setup - they aren't junk. They are a lot of fun.

In the condition it's in right now - I see these on EBay for $100-200. Maybe less.... I bought one that's in WAY worse shape than this one - missing all the hardware - for $60.00.

Fully playable - with a great setup... These run $500-600 and it's going up - not down. I get that a lot of folks think this is crazy because they hated them when they were new.. But there's nothing in the market that sounds like these for certain types of music till you get up to luthier built $3,000+ instruments. And there are maybe 3 luthiers that I know of building stuff like this.

If you want a cheap classical to cut up - there are $40 flea market specials all over the place. Check the many junk/ "antique" malls

keep all that in mind with your decision about what to do.

Well, we are living in the post-fact era. I haven't heard that polished turds are being worn as jewelry yet, but it may be happening. Of course, these would be 50-year-old turds, made special by the passage of years and the madness of turd collectors.

It's not the setup. It's being the worst of the cheap--everything from the paint "binding" and "rosette" and "curly grain" to the soft, flexible, narrow and poorly shaped poplar neck and flat, soft, dyed fretboard and brass frets, to the stamped metal tailpiece and bridge that slides around when strummed, to the unusable tuners, to the glue that doesn't hold the ill-fitted pieces together.

No luthier is building replicas of these. Harmony made some very decent guitars. These aren't them.

[redir]

Sentimental value carries a lot of weight and value though. I've had to practically beg people to not pay me to fix some guitars like this who's value is way under the work that needs to go into it. But who am I to argue over what's worth it to them or not? Plus I get paid and they are happy to strum old grand dad's guitar.

[mirwa]

Originally Posted by redir

I've had to practically beg people to not pay me to fix some guitars like this who's value is way under the work that needs to go into it.

Agreed.

I was once asked to repair a cort guitar it's shelf value was $350 it was not even 10 years old, the cost of the repair was $1250. I did my best to explain the economics of the adventure, but customer wanted it done.

So I did the repair, that's what I am being paid to do.

Steve

[adaw2821]

Yea guys look I realize the guitar is not worth the time and money to put into it. I could easily hang it on the wall and forget about it. But I would much rather get my feet wet in building something that I'm not worried about damaging.

Honestly it would probably be easier to just start from scratch with building a guitar out of cheap would but I would rather fix this one.

Anybody ever take something apart as a kid just to see how it worked and then put it back together?

[mirwa]

Originally Posted by adaw2821

Honestly it would probably be easier to just start from scratch with building a guitar out of cheap would but I would rather fix this one?

Everyone has to start somewhere.

Those of us that have been doing it for a while forget the concept of doing something for the sake of learning or fun, that's the joys of running a commercial business, we view things as economically viable or not.

If you want to do it, then go for it, you need no ones permission, ask away.

Steve

[printer2]

I see no problem wasting your time doing it. Whatever it takes to hook you into building.

Originally Posted by Howard Klepper

It's not the setup. It's being the worst of the cheap--everything from the paint "binding" and "rosette" and "curly grain" to the soft, flexible, narrow and poorly shaped poplar neck and flat, soft, dyed fretboard and brass frets, to the stamped metal tailpiece and bridge that slides around when strummed, to the unusable tuners, to the glue that doesn't hold the ill-fitted pieces together.

Hey, sounds like you have played my guitar. I am still unsure what to do with it. Maybe put a pickup in it and play slide?