Awesome looking guitar! I've just uploaded a short video of my Gibson MK-35. It has some really weird bindings on the guitar, never seen it before! It looks like it is original because it is exactly the same material as the binding on the fretboard...
Sorry for being a pest but I HOPE you still have your Loar guitar for sale I am kicking myself for not buying at the guitar show . Will purchase cash . Left a message on facebook . Great restoration video you certainly are skilled .
This is an outstanding job you have done! I'm gonna say this guitar is c.1951; the dot on the "i" of the Gibson logo is connected to the G, which went out some time that year; the peghead is NOT heavily tapered front to back, but is close to a constant depth; the vertical side braces, which Gibson used c.1948-51. I suspect someone replaced the pickguard with the later batwing style, maybe to cover scars from overly-aggressive strumming. Other details that would point to pre-1954 construction are missing - I'm betting the original fingerboard was a 19-fret and not a 20, and that the original top braces were scalloped and not the later tapered style. This one turned out better than the '50 J-45 I had restored even though yours started out worse! Mine had been lovingly, professionally refinished, and then probably got hot - the neck block had popped free from the side, and the tension resulted in 24-count-'em-24 cracks in the top and back. Required a neck set, too. Probably why I got it pretty much for free, and I paid $500 in 1994 dollars to have it put to rights. Over the years I've had luthiers bring back other basket case guitars with very good results, including a 1940s Gibson L-7 that was stripped to a bare unfinished body; a '70s Guild F-212 missing big chunks of its treble side; and an early '30s roundhole Gibson L-4 archtop, also missing a chunk of the side, with a gaping hole cut into the top and smaller holes where volume and tone pots had been fitted. All of them, but most especially the L-4, were AMAZING guitars when they were finished. Besides, there's something very satisfying about restoring or having restored a guitar that was left for dead. And I swear, it's like they KNOW it, and are grateful.
My God! The contrast between what you started with and what you ended with is magnificent as is the contrast between your old world top notch craftsmanship and 99.9999% of today's craftsmanship.
Nice work Gary. Working through the sound hole Re glueing all braces is challenging no doubt. --35 years ago I had a early 1950s Martin 0018G mahogany classical that was a friends-was fairly rough project. It had a hole about 3”x3” on lower side bout Butt area. I decided to turn the old Guitar into a Steel string. -I did the work through the sound hole and the Side damage hole. I Removed the fan braces and X-braced it. Turned out amazing. My friend was blown away. I thought about offering to buy it from him-but I could tell he wasn’t gonna let it go
Wow. I might of put a new top on that mid-late 50s J-50. But I’ve repaired few that were in pieces like that-keeping it as original as possible . Great job on that 50’s Gibson period Sunburst!!!! Most folks have no clue the time/Dedication to Restore Acoustic guitars the proper way!!! Nice work
Very nice. Viewed one of these A&H guitars today but it was beyond my skill set to repair. Still kind of want to pick it up but seems like it would be too pricey to have repaired. Bowed neck & crack in side of body. Beautiful guitars.
Fine work and excellent video...I have a mid-fifties LG, with the hourglass shape. I have two cracks to repair, and tuning knobs to replace. Then I will see about the neck angle once restrung. Thanks!
