Beat up old guitar

[Irish Pennant]

I just came into possession of an old guitar that's in bad shape. The neck must have been coming lose because someone put a couple of wood screws into it to pull it back together. The original saddle has been replaced. Whom ever did it got carried away with the glue. I don't know the make of the guitar. On the headstock is a label that reads:

---Musikhaus---
Mario Spagoilla
---Bludenz---

The nut appears to be made out of wood. The frets seem to be in good shape and the action is ok. Where the nut comes into contact with the neck is a fret that the strings bend over, the nut seems to more or less just a string guide for that fret. The body is all wood. The finish is beat to heck. The 12th fret is at the body, parlor size guitar. The head is slotted and the machines all work.

When I google the label I don't get much. When I google Mario Spagoilla I get a couple references to Italian Comando, Alps Division circa mid to late 1930s.

Now what do I do with it? Take the strings off of it and turn it into a tip jar? Restring it with some D'Addario's, put a JJB 330 in it that I have laying around and use it for open mics. Try to remove the modern bridge plate and replace it with something that's relevant to it's time period? what ever that may be.

[Wade Hampton]

Many European-made folk guitars that look to North American eyes like steel string instruments were actually intended for gut or nylon strings, particularly those guitars that were made prior to the 1970’s. I’ve had people argue with me about this because the tuners on those guitars don’t always have the big rollers on them like those we expect to see on classical guitars. But with the cheaper guitars of this type that often didn’t seem to matter to the manufacturers.

From your description, Irish Pennant, it sounds as though this guitar is too far gone to merit any serious investment in time or money. But if you want to tinker with it, I’d suggest you first string it with a set of ball end nylon strings and hear how it sounds. That won’t guarantee that it’ll sound good, of course, but it’s an inexpensive experiment to start with.

Please let us know your progress on this. Posting some photos would be interesting, as well.


Wade Hampton Miller

[Irish Pennant]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

Many European-made folk guitars that look to North American eyes like steel string instruments were actually intended for gut or nylon strings, particularly those guitars that were made prior to the 1970’s. I’ve had people argue with me about this because the tuners on those guitars don’t always have the big rollers on them like those we expect to see on classical guitars. But with the cheaper guitars of this type that often didn’t seem to matter to the manufacturers.

From your description, Irish Pennant, it sounds as though this guitar is too far gone to merit any serious investment in time or money. But if you want to tinker with it, I’d suggest you first string it with a set of ball end nylon strings and hear how it sounds. That won’t guarantee that it’ll sound good, of course, but it’s an inexpensive experiment to start with.

Please let us know your progress on this. Posting some photos would be interesting, as well.


Wade Hampton Miller

Thanks for the information on string choice.

[zmf]

Beat up old guitar? How could anyone resist?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHxOego2Sso

[Fingerpicker23]

Originally Posted by zmf

Beat up old guitar? How could anyone resist?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHxOego2Sso

Such a great song, thanks.