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UNPLANNED DOWNTIME: 12th Oct 23:45

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ICBMICBM Frets: 69426
edited July 2016 in Acoustics
New Ten Pound Guitar Day

:D

I was passing my local Oxfam this morning and saw a guitar in the window for £9.99. Usually, charity shop guitars these days are overpriced, knackered or just uninteresting (or more than one of those things) - but this one looked much better. It was filthy and fitted with a set of totally knackered nylon strings, although it is meant to be a steel-string (easy mistake to make, and luckily the right way round), but I couldn't seen anything terminally wrong with it, and it even sounded OK when I got it as close to in tune as I could in the shop with the machineheads almost un-turnable and the action about half an inch high. The nut was broken at one side but it's no more than a string guide on these since they have a zero fret and the strings don't even touch the bottoms of the grooves.

An hour or so of taking it all apart, cleaning it, oiling the tuners, a second hand nut from my box of scrap ones which happened to fit with no work, planing 3mm off the bottom of the bridge, and a new set of strings, and it looks like this…



It's a 'Lignatone' from Czechoslovakia, almost certainly from the 60s, and is surprisingly nice. The neck isn't as much like half a tree as they usually are, the frets are not too worn - in fact it's in really quite decent condition overall - and it sounds perfectly good for what it is - a beginner's plywood guitar which probably cost less new fifty years ago than I paid for it today.

I had been thinking about one of those new Gretsch Jim Dandy models, but this is probably about three-quarters as good… for more than a hundred pounds less!

"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

"Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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Comments

  • DannyPDannyP Frets: 1521
    Brilliant, looks great!
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  • DulcetJonesDulcetJones Frets: 515
    Nice rescue!

    “Theory is something that is written down after the music has been made so we can explain it to others”– Levi Clay


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  • Dave_McDave_Mc Frets: 2022
    :)) Nice :D
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  • equalsqlequalsql Frets: 5849
    You jammy sod!  ;)
    That's quite a find... my local charity shops had naff all when I checked this morning..
    (pronounced: equal-sequel)   "I suffered for my art.. now it's your turn"
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  • vizviz Frets: 10211
    Did you take a pic of it in its original state? That would be great to see
    Paul_C said: People never read the signature bit.
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  • ThePrettyDamnedThePrettyDamned Frets: 7416
    Nice, looks like a real fingerpicker :)

    Actually, it's not an ugly guitar at all.  Just purposeful.  I like.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 69426
    edited June 2014
    viz said:
    Did you take a pic of it in its original state? That would be great to see
    No, sorry - I possibly should have done. It's not too hard to imagine though - it's the same thing but covered in dust and with badly-tied-on ancient nylon strings :).

    Apart from the dirt it wasn't too bad at all, which is why I bought it. I do always look whenever I see one, but it's more usually a B&M classical (entry level version with the flat neck joint) with steel strings fitted and the bridge coming off for £29.99 or something like that…

    ThePrettyDamned said:
    Nice, looks like a real fingerpicker :)
    Yes - it's a bit trashy-sounding for strumming. Although that's partly my fault - in order to get the action playable I may have slightly over-reduced the bridge height, now that the steel strings have made the top sink a bit more than when I measured it. There's a slight buzz on a couple of strings at the second/third fret when you hit it hard. (Obviously where it's been played most of the time!) Hopefully the neck will bow forward a bit too - it's currently dead straight, having sat for probably 30+ years with nylon strings on - and give it some relief. If not I can put a new saddle in it - which it probably needs anyway since the bridge is 'dished' meaning the middle strings are lower than the outer ones, which feels a bit odd.
    ThePrettyDamned said:
    Actually, it's not an ugly guitar at all.  Just purposeful.  I like.
    I think it would look great with a 60s-style girl decal on too… if I keep it I might find one :).

    I'm under no illusions that it's worth a fortune - a shop would probably put it up for £49 or around that, and in terms of my usual hourly rate it's cost me just more than that - but it was certainly worth rescuing given that I don't charge myself for my time ;), and I'll probably have a bit of fun with it over the summer and then sell it on.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • strtdvstrtdv Frets: 2230
    Can't argue with that for a tenner!
    Nice job
    Robot Lords of Tokyo, SMILE TASTE KITTENS!
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  • OctahedronOctahedron Frets: 400
    ICBM said:
    I had been thinking about one of those new Gretsch Jim Dandy models, but this is probably about three-quarters as good… for more than a hundred pounds less!
    And looks way cooler too, cos it's kinda beat up!
    Music the great communicator, use two sticks to make it in the nature - a music reviews blog: http://usetwosticks.wordpress.com/
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  • Phil_aka_PipPhil_aka_Pip Frets: 9793
    @ICBM enjoy it! :)
    "Working" software has only unobserved bugs. (Parroty Error: Pieces of Nine! Pieces of Nine!)
    Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
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  • richardhomerrichardhomer Frets: 24339
    That looks remarkably like my first guitar which my parents bought for me from Mazels (a sort of electronics/junk shop) in Manchester. It was strung left-handed and cost £5.00 in 1972.

    I never realised they'd become so valuable!
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  • thermionicthermionic Frets: 8909
    You gotta love a top that is thick enough to have a pickguard attached with 3 screws!
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 69426
    thermionic said:
    You gotta love a top that is thick enough to have a pickguard attached with 3 screws!
    Actually it isn't - it's 3mm ply - the originals were all stripped and sort-of held in place with bits of matchstick, but it was loose and buzzed. I've replaced them with small bolts (same head type to keep it looking the same) with nuts on the inside.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • DrJazzTapDrJazzTap Frets: 2008
    Hats off to you, I need to get some guitars for my nephews. I bought these for £15 each from amazon.

    image
    Yeah........complete cack. Second hand bargain methinks, charity shop/carboot sale this weekend! :D
    I would love to change my username, but I fully understand the T&C's (it was an old band nickname). So please feel free to call me Dave.
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