Have a guitar coming tomorrow that hasn’t been played in eight years

[Lillis]

So,I have a 2012 Seagull entourage mini jumbo being delivered tomorrow that according to seller was strummed by his daughter twice and then stored away in its case. Still has original strings on it which judging from pics is believable.

My plan is to restring it right away check neck relief and play it. I’ve read a lot of old posts and people seem to like bluegrass guage on these. I ordered some but won’t have until next week so tomorrow I will install Martin Pb lights.

My only concern is not knowing how the neck angle is. The seller really doesn’t know much about guitars. I figure I’ll play it a few weeks then put the tonerite on for a few days or more,change strings again and condition fretboard. Tomorrow i’m Going to play it safe and replace one string at a time.

Looking forward reviving a sleeping beauty.j

[redir]

It would have been ideal if he stored it away with the string tension relaxed but it will probably be ok. It looks like the saddle is tall enough for some action adjustment too. I think using a Tonerite is a great idea to wake up a guitar like this.

[KevinH]

Sounds like a great find - good luck!

[Oldguy64]

I bought a 2006 Alvarez a couple of years back.
It had been stored in the case for a long time.
I believe it was 12 years old when I bought it. And if the strings were any indication, I think it had been a year or ten since it had been played.
The strings were slack when I first laid eyes on it.
But it tuned up. Held tune and was playable.
I bought it,
Got it home and cleaned up, a fresh set of EJ16’s and it’s the first guitar that my wife has ever told me very directly that I should consider keeping.
If you start with a good guitar...you have a good guitar.
I hope yours turns out to be as nice as mine did.

[TBman]

I'd get a sound hole humidifier for it and case it for a couple days before doing any adjustments. Even a guitar with just a solid top needs to be humidified. I'd check to make sure the bridge isn't lifting too.

[Lillis]

Originally Posted by TBman

I'd get a sound hole humidifier for it and case it for a couple days before doing any adjustments. Even a guitar with just a solid top needs to be humidified. I'd check to make sure the bridge isn't lifting too.

Agreed. Besides changing strings I won’t make any adjustments for several days. I have humidipaks for it as well as a dampit if needed. I am a little nervous on what I might find. Probably should of asked more (some) questions but I was afraid someone else would scarf it up. Chances are it will be fine I believe.

Funny thing is I was looking for a beater version of this guitar to have as my leave out on a stand guitar. This one came up and I couldn’t resist. With the soft cedar top I’ll pretty keep it cased like my other guitars when not playing.

[Mbroady]

I do believe Seagull guitars have bolt on neck. So if there is a neck angle issue it won’t be a major fix. I recently picked up a 10 year old new old stock Stonebridge OM33 SR. I knew going into it that the guitar needed the neck angle addressed. Had the work done (bolt on neck) and it it is now one of my most played guitars.

[Charmed Life Picks]

Looks great.

I don't know if it's an old wives tale or superstition, but I've always let a guitar settle in the shipping case for at least 12 hours before I open the box and play it. Just always heard that's the way to do it, but maybe no reason to do it that way.

Enjoy!
Scott

[Monsoon1]

lol, sounds like my electric.

[Cool555]

Congrats! Great-looking guitar!

You can name her Sleeping Beauty! She had 8 years of beauty-sleep....and looking beautiful.

[ChrisE]

Originally Posted by Charmed Life Picks

Looks great.

I don't know if it's an old wives tale or superstition, but I've always let a guitar settle in the shipping case for at least 12 hours before I open the box and play it. Just always heard that's the way to do it, but maybe no reason to do it that way.

Enjoy!
Scott

I think that is probably a good idea for people living in colder climates and shipping guitars in the winter. If your guitar has been outside in the cold for hours and hours and then is subjected to a sudden change in temperature, it could cause finish checking.

[DownUpDave]

Great find, I really like the sunburst it has a nice soft glow to it. Personally I would go easy on the initial rehumidifing routine. If it’s been in a case for all those many years it is stable. Let it naturally adjust to your new environment before adding a lot of humidity back into it. Thats my way of thinking and what I have done in the past FWIW.

[Lillis]

Originally Posted by Mbroady

I do believe Seagull guitars have bolt on neck. So if there is a neck angle issue it won’t be a major fix. I recently picked up a 10 year old new old stock Stonebridge OM33 SR. I knew going into it that the guitar needed the neck angle addressed. Had the work done (bolt on neck) and it it is now one of my most played guitars.

The necks are bolted and epoxied which makes resets a problem. Hopefully non issue though.

I’ll probably do a NUGD this weekend. In hindsight I probably should have just waited to start a thread until then

[Earl49]

Correct on the epoxied neck for Seagulls made in the last few years. (I don't know the exact date when they started using epoxy). The bolts merely hold the neck in position while the epoxy cures. Seagull reportedly will just replace any guitar needing a neck reset under warranty - for the original owner.

The main reason to let a guitar acclimate slowly over 12-24 hours is to let it come to room temperature. That mostly applies if it has been thoroughly cold-soaked, like the back of a UPS truck all day in sub-freezing temperatures. And then it largely is most important with nitrocellulose finishes. Given the finish on a Seagull and UPS Ground delivery this time of year, there really is little reason to wait to open it. In the event it needs playbility help, let it sit in your house and get used to its new environment for two weeks before getting any setup work done.

[Lillis]

Originally Posted by Earl49

Correct on the epoxied neck for Seagulls made in the last few years. (I don't know the exact date when they started using epoxy). The bolts merely hold the neck in position while the epoxy cures. Seagull reportedly will just replace any guitar needing a neck reset under warranty - for the original owner.

The main reason to let a guitar acclimate slowly over 12-24 hours is to let it come to room temperature. That mostly applies if it has been thoroughly cold-soaked, like the back of a UPS truck all day in sub-freezing temperatures. And then it largely is most important with nitrocellulose finishes. Given the finish on a Seagull and UPS Ground delivery this time of year, there really is little reason to wait to open it. In the event it needs playbility help, let it sit in your house and get used to its new environment for two weeks before getting any setup work done.

Right. Other than strings and bridge pins I have on hand I don’t plan on doing anything to it for a couple of weeks. Anxiously awaiting the UPS truck it’s been in my general area for over an hour. You would think I was waiting on a $7000 Santa Cruz. Anyway I’ll probably do NUGD in a few days.