DIY guitar restoration

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The guitar is the most popular musical instrument today. The fact is that learning guitar chords is not difficult, and the sound of the instrument is very pleasant. There are many varieties of guitars, from high pitched ukuleles to low range basses.

Unfortunately, all musical instruments have low durability, especially if they are constantly used and taken with you. Any chip or wear can eventually develop into a serious threat to the tool. After all, almost any musical instrument consists mainly of wood, which resonates better. This article is dedicated to such a difficult task as guitar restoration.

Instrument evaluation

Any defective tool must be evaluated before repair. Is it advisable to take on the restoration of a guitar if it is inexpensive? After all, a guitar can have, for example, a fretboard, and its restoration will cost quite a lot. If the instrument itselftraining and relatively cheap, it will be easier to buy a new one.

At the same time, it may happen that you have a very expensive copy in your hands. Restoration of the guitar in this case would be the right decision.

The first thing to do is to find out the cause of the malfunction. It could be a small local chip or abrasion, or it could be a really serious problem like a torn off headstock or electric guitar horn.

Cosmetic restoration

If you decide to make a guitar yourself or you already have an instrument that does not suit you with its appearance, then you need to carry out a cosmetic restoration of the guitar. This method affects only layers of top coats of paint or the simplest fittings (in the case of an electric guitar). In order not to affect the "organs" of the guitar, which are important for playing, it will be necessary to remove the strings and additional fittings. In the case of an electric guitar, before starting work, the pickups should be unsoldered if the restoration of the guitar touches the body.

Processing tools

Musical instrument stores sell many types of polishes and varnishes for inconspicuous cosmetic treatment of chips and scuffs. Custom-shaped guitars often have chips at their sharpest ends. Guitar repair and restoration can be done at home if you have the skin and the appropriate polish. If the guitar has a standard "wooden" body color, then polishyou won't need it, instead buy varnish and carefully cover the scratches - scuffing after processing will almost never be noticed.

When it comes to the fretboard, the facelift comes down to sanding the entire length of the fretboard and applying a special oil. The neck material is mostly polysander or ebony. When you play an instrument a lot, you leave sweat and bits of leather on the fretboard. The skin and oil will clean the neck and bring it to perfect condition.

Restoration of medium difficulty

Simply and frivolous breakdowns are related to DIY guitar restoration - they can also be done at home without much difficulty. Such problems include replacing electronics or changing saddles and peg mechanism.

Electric guitars often change pickups. Contrary to the opinion that this cannot be done at home, the answer is this: if you know how to solder, you can change a set of pickups in less than an hour. In addition, when buying new sensors, installation instructions are usually attached to them.

To change the peg mechanism, you will need to unscrew the old pegs (of course, having removed the strings before that) and screw in new ones on the screws. The holes for the pins are a standard size, and if you have ever held a screwdriver in your hands, then there should be no difficulties.

Sills are replaced without any additional tools at all. It may seem that the old nuts are glued into the neck, but this impression is created only at first glance. In fact, the nuts are simply inserted into the neck. Taking off one sillset the new one in its place and deepen it to the level of the previous one so that it does not ring when you pluck the strings. Over time, the nut will be strongly pressed against the neck - no adhesives can be used. Acoustic guitars use softer saddles than electric guitars or basses, keep that in mind.

Serious restoration and complete renovation

Strap neck, numerous deep chips, or hardware failure are all among the most serious problems. Most likely, in this case, you will have to hand over the instrument to the guitar master. Unfortunately, not all malfunctions can be repaired at home, and even deep external damage cannot be repaired with paint or sanded. The guitar resonates through the wood, and any deep damage to the body or neck can result in poor picking. It doesn't matter if it's acoustic or electric.

Failed fittings also adversely affect the general condition of the instrument, and you will not be able to change it qualitatively, like a real master. For example, the bridge setting is calculated with an accuracy of millimeters, because crookedly installed string saddles will disable the guitar, and it will no longer be possible to play such an instrument.

If you have a neck, then you can’t do anything at home either - the calculation and accuracy of landing the neck in the opposite place is important. You cannot determine the scale length without special equipment.

In case of serious damage, the only correct solution is to takeguitar master. Fortunately, in large cities of Russia, for example, in Moscow, many workshops are engaged in the repair and restoration of guitars.

Conclusion

Professional musicians are right when it comes to taking care of your guitar the way you take care of a girl. If you follow all the recommendations and properly care for the instrument, you will not need to restore it. There are a lot of unrestored guitars from the 50s and 60s at auctions on the Internet, many of them look perfect! And all because of proper care and careful use.

We wish you good luck in your work!