J50 Restoration - Need opinions

Chumpy36 · #1 06-05-2021, 07:07 PM

Hi all,

I came by this guitar (best guess is a 1963) from my wife's uncle. It has been terribly mistreated. It was apparently stored down in a basement for years next to a furnace or radiator and has obviously had a lot of issues because of it. I decided to take a stab out of making it a player because I loved the idea of having a vintage guitar I could actually play. First Luthier I think did a pretty good job. The issues were...

1. Loose bracing

2. Bridge pulling up (see side pics)

3. Remove weird plastic rosette someone had put there to protect from strumming damage

4. Straighten wavy gravy pickguard and reglue
5. Replace bridge with non adjustable bridge and setup
6. Remove janky 1/4" plug someone drilled into side of the guitar

The idea was this would get it to playable condition and it would let me decide whether I wanted to spend more to get it right or just keep it as a heirloom. I've decided I REALLY like the sound of it and want to continue playing it. I decided to keep the custom teenage artwork on the front as a part of the guitar's story even though I don't love it.

Continuing issues.

1. There's a pretty big belly on the guitar. Not sure if this can ever be fixed but the repair guy compensated and the action is awesome. I was warned it might be a good idea to use light strings
2. The rosette still has some structural issues and could prolly be shored up.
3. While replacing the strap button with a straplock button the heel block cracked off (even though I used the same screw). I glued it back but there's a line that looks unsightly (see pics)
4. Considerable fretwear on the first 4 frets
5. Considerable scalloping of the fretboard in the first 4 frets
6. Top continues to crack even though I've been careful to keep it humidified. I'm not sure if it a problem with the belly below the bridge or something else but there's a new crack I diascovered this week
7. The tuners aren't great. I removed the original because several were very stiff and replaced it with a set of allparts aged vintage set which look good but still aren't very accurate, since it's a frankenstein I wonder if plugging the holes and putting Grover or something else on there might make sense?

I guess what I'm asking is WWAGFD? Would you spend the money (if these problems can even be fixed? I don't know that they can be) to get it into stable playing shape? The other option is to just stop and play it occasionally and admire it. I plan to get another J-50 (prolly the 60's original version) to play out with etc. But I'd kind of hate to never play this one again.

Pics are here: The first four are how I received the guitar the rest are post first round of repairs.

https://imgur.com/a/OmK20Jz

Thoughts?

Wade Hampton · #2 06-05-2021, 08:11 PM

Personally, I would get the fretboard and frets taken care of and wait and see on the other issues. I hate inadequate tuners myself, but maybe they’ll loosen up for you after a while.

Hope this helps.

Wade Hampton Miller

roylor4 · #3 06-05-2021, 08:38 PM

If there is considerable wear on the first few frets, a partial refret mat be in order. If not THAT bad, a level and crown may be in order.

If it sounds great, spending the money to make it right is totally justified. If it sounds "okay", thats a different thing. Relics that sound and play good are rare.....

mirwa · #4 06-05-2021, 10:33 PM

Not a hard one to repair, however if during your first round of repairs you have snapped the heel in half, I would possibly consult a local expert and get a price for repair, there is a high chance you may end up destroying the guitar

billyg · #5 06-06-2021, 07:06 AM

I understand your love of the sound. My 1955 J-50 sounds amazing to me. My tech replaced the original bridgeplate with a redesigned one he came up with after consulting some other luthiers. He applied heat to the top to lower the belly. In the end, the belly went down a little, but seems to have fully stabilized. The work so far just made the guitar a little louder and eve better. A neck reset and fret job is in its future, but my tech is just too busy at present. But the sound, man, I love it. It is James Taylor on his early recordings. Not me, but the guitar.

Chumpy36 · #6 06-06-2021, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mirwa

Not a hard one to repair, however if during your first round of repairs you have snapped the heel in half, I would possibly consult a local expert and get a price for repair, there is a high chance you may end up destroying the guitar

A pro did the original round of repairs. I cracked the heel block myself but it appears to be pretty stable.

I do plan to have a pro look at the guitar for second round

Thanks!

Chumpy36 · #7 06-06-2021, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by billyg

I understand your love of the sound. My 1955 J-50 sounds amazing to me. My tech replaced the original bridgeplate with a redesigned one he came up with after consulting some other luthiers. He applied heat to the top to lower the belly. In the end, the belly went down a little, but seems to have fully stabilized. The work so far just made the guitar a little louder and eve better. A neck reset and fret job is in its future, but my tech is just too busy at present. But the sound, man, I love it. It is James Taylor on his early recordings. Not me, but the guitar.

I'm seeing there are some options for removing the belly by using heated clamps. I'm hoping that can be done here as well.

It's a really great sounding guitar and I really want to keep playing it. Thanks for the reply.

D. Churchland · #8 06-11-2021, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chumpy36

I'm seeing there are some options for removing the belly by using heated clamps. I'm hoping that can be done here as well.

It's a really great sounding guitar and I really want to keep playing it. Thanks for the reply.

Do not do anything about flattening the belly. Gibsons of this era were built with a radius to the top that is significantly tighter than Martin (example 15' vs. 28'). If you try too hard to remove the belly you will damage the top and potentially ruin the guitar.

I've had legit dozens of Gibsons come through my repair shop that have had the "belly flattened" only to have suffered damaged bracing and even worse top distortion which led to more cracks and more damage. They are not built to be flat.

If the braces are loose then those need to be repaired first and then you can address the bridge lifting.

If you replace the adjustable bridge and remove all the hardware and replace with a regular drop in saddle the guitar will definitely sound better. also take a look at replacing the bridge plate since the 60s era ones used massively oversized and thick (plywood) bridge plates. Removing that and replacing with a standard sized one that is a good thickness (not 3/16") it will make it sound stronger and better.

redir · #9 06-11-2021, 12:47 PM

Some degree of top belly is normal. Probably nothing to worry about.

Are you saying that the top cracked on the same cracks that were repaired? IF so take it back to the luthier who worked on it. Sometimes the solution to a crack that wants to stay open is to splint it.

Overall it doesn't look to be in bad shape. I think getting it refretted would be well worth it.