NGD: Brothers Music D-28 Shade Top Conversion

aintitthelife98 · #1 09-24-2018, 07:36 AM

On Friday I brought home a magnificent D-28 conversion from Brothers Music. I can't say enough how fantastic Dave and Rich are. I spent several hours playing guitars as well as visiting with them and knew I had to bring this guitar home. I'm the guitars second owner. It is the perfect compliment to my 000-45 conversion that Brothers did for me. Here are the pics:

Conversion family pic

Colt45 · #2 09-24-2018, 08:00 AM

Congrats on that purchase. I played your guitar awhile back when they were doing work on my Gibson LG-2.
Great instrument and equally great guys to do business with.

stormin1155 · #3 09-24-2018, 08:01 AM

Spectacular!

DCCougar · #4 09-24-2018, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aintitthelife98

...Shade Top Conversion...

I'm assuming you mean they refinished the top with a sunburst? I do like me a nice burst!

tomiv9 · #5 09-24-2018, 08:23 AM

looks great, curious what was converted?

aintitthelife98 · #6 09-24-2018, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DCCougar

I'm assuming you mean they refinished the top with a sunburst? I do like me a nice burst!

No, it's a brand new red spruce top that was braced as close to pre-war specs as possible. In a conversion, generally, the only surviving parts of the donor guitar are the back, sides and neck block. For most conversions, the donor guitars have a damaged top that needs to be replaced which is why they are perfect candidates.

aintitthelife98 · #7 09-24-2018, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomiv9

looks great, curious what was converted?

It was a 1960 D-28. I'm not the original owner who commissioned the conversion so I don't know much about the donor guitar. I know though that Dave and Rich won't do a conversion on a donor guitar where the top isn't in fairly bad shape.

DCCougar · #8 09-24-2018, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aintitthelife98

No, it's a brand new red spruce top that was braced as close to pre-war specs as possible....

Ah, thanks, Chris. This reference to "conversion" was none too clear.

aintitthelife98 · #9 09-24-2018, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DCCougar

Ah, thanks, Chris. This reference to "conversion" was none too clear.

Apologies, thought the term was fairly well known. Here is an article that talks about the practice: http://onemanz.com/guitar/reviews/ac...n-conversions/

pickitPaul · #10 09-24-2018, 09:48 AM

Very nice. Do Dave & Rich also do the finish and sunburst the top too? Is the neck original? The volute is nice and long, not so fat as some are.

PiousDevil · #11 09-24-2018, 09:49 AM

Dogfishead. I approve.

My cat chewed up my guitar stand, too.

Beautiful guitar(s).

aintitthelife98 · #12 09-24-2018, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pickitPaul

Very nice. Do Dave & Rich also do the finish and sunburst the top too?

Yes, all work including the bracing, rosette, sunburst and finish were done in house by Dave and Rich. Rich's thin nitro finish is a real work of art.

aintitthelife98 · #13 09-24-2018, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PiousDevil

Dogfishead. I approve.

My cat chewed up my guitar stand, too.

Beautiful guitar(s).

Ha, thanks.

The stands aren't actually chewed up. My wife made cotton sleeves for the arms of the stands as I didn't trust that the material of the stands wouldn't react with the nitro finishes on my Martin's.

frankmcr · #14 09-24-2018, 11:44 AM

Seems the guitar was what I have only ever heard called "retopped".

"Conversion" in guitars tends to mean changing it from one kind of guitar to another. Most common example is changing a Hawaiian guitar to a standard, as with the Roy Smeck Stage Deluxe conversions Jackson Browne has popularized:

https://trcrandall.com/blogs/news/19...uxe-conversion

aintitthelife98 · #15 09-25-2018, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankmcr

Seems the guitar was what I have only ever heard called "retopped".

"Conversion" in guitars tends to mean changing it from one kind of guitar to another. Most common example is changing a Hawaiian guitar to a standard, as with the Roy Smeck Stage Deluxe conversions Jackson Browne has popularized:

https://trcrandall.com/blogs/news/19...uxe-conversion

Fair enough, in other parts of the guitar internet these are termed as conversions but I think it's semantics. I would view it as more than a retop as the neck is brand new, the back and sides were sanded down thinner to the thickness they would have been for a guitar in the 30's, a new backstrip was installed and then a brand new thin nitro finish was applied.

Either way, it's an incredible guitar. It has power for days and just an incredible bass thump to go along with very articulate high notes and just a ton of "natural reverb" for lack of a better term. I feel very lucky to own it. Thanks for all the kind words in the thread.