The guitar is the most popular musical instrument to date. The fact is that it is not difficult to study guitar chords, and the sound of the instrument is very pleasant. There are many types of guitars: from ukuleles with a high timbre to bass guitars of a low frequency range.
Unfortunately, all musical instruments have low strength, especially if they are constantly used and taken with you. Any chip or fraying over time can turn into a serious threat to the tool. Indeed, almost any musical instrument consists mainly of wood, which resonates better. This article is devoted to such a difficult matter as the restoration of the guitar.
Tool rating
Any defective tool must be evaluated before repair. Is it advisable at all to undertake the restoration of the guitar, if it is inexpensive? After all, a guitar can, for example, have a neck, and its restoration will be quite expensive. If the tool itself is educational 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 most correct decision.
The first thing to do is find out the cause of the malfunction. It can be a small local chip or scuff, or it can be a really serious problem, like a torn head of the neck or the “horn” of an electric guitar.
Cosmetic restoration
If you yourself decided to make a guitar or you already have an instrument that does not suit you with your appearance, then you need to conduct a cosmetic restoration of the guitar. This method affects only the layers of the upper layers of paint or the simplest accessories (if we are talking about an electric guitar). In order not to affect the “organs” of the guitar that are important for the game, it will be necessary to remove the strings and additional accessories. In the case of an electric guitar, pickups should be soldered before starting work if the restoration of the guitar touches the deck of the case.
Processing facilities
Musical instrument stores sell many types of polishes and varnishes for discreet cosmetic treatment of chips and scuffs. Non-standard forms of guitars often appear chipped at the sharpest ends. Repair and restoration of the guitar can be done at home, if you have a skin and the appropriate polish. If the guitar has a standard “wooden” body color, then you won’t need to polish it; instead, buy a varnish and carefully cover the scratches - the abrasion after processing will be almost impossible to notice.
If it comes to the neck, then redecorating it comes down to sanding the neck in full length and applying special oil. Basically, the neck material is polysander or ebony. When you play the instrument a lot, you leave sweat and particles of skin on the neck. The skin, coupled with oil, will clean the neck and bring it in perfect condition.
Medium level restoration
Simple and non-serious breakdowns relate to the restoration of the guitar with your own hands - they can also be carried out at home without much difficulty. Such problems include replacing electronics or changing sills and ring gear.
Electric guitars often change pickups. Contrary to the belief that this cannot be done at home, we will answer this way: if you can solder, you will change the set of pickups in less than an hour. In addition, usually when buying new sensors, installation instructions are attached to them in addition.
To change the ring mechanism, you will need to unscrew the old spikes (of course, removing the strings before that) and screw the new ones on the screws. Holes for pegs have a standard size, and if you have held a screwdriver in your hands at least once, then there should not be any difficulties.
Replacing the sills is done without any additional tools. It may seem that the old sills are glued to the bar, but this impression is created only at first glance. In fact, the sills are simply inserted into the bar. Having removed one nut, set a new one in its place and deepen it to the level of the previous one so that it does not ring when you pull the strings. Over time, the sills will cling tight to the bar - no adhesives can be used. For the restoration of acoustic guitars, softer sills are used than in electric guitars or basses, keep this in mind.
Serious restoration and complete repair
Failure of the neck, numerous deep chips or equipment failure - all this refers to 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 deep external damage cannot be corrected with paint or rubbed with sandpaper. The guitar resonates through the tree, and any deep damage to the body or neck may result in poor sound output. And it doesn’t matter if it’s acoustic or electric.
Accessories that fail, also adversely affect the overall condition of the tool, and you can’t change it qualitatively, like a real master. For example, the installation of a bridge is calculated with an accuracy of millimeters, because crooked saddles for strings will disable the guitar, and it will be impossible to play such an instrument.
If you have a vulture, then you will not be able to do anything at home either - the calculation and the accuracy of landing the bar in the opposite place is important. You cannot determine the length of the scale without special equipment.
In case of serious damage, the only right decision would be to take the guitar to the 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 correctly say: you need to look after a guitar as you look after a girl. If you follow all the recommendations and properly care for the instrument, you will not need to restore it. At auctions on the Internet they sell a lot of unrestored guitars of the 50-60s, many of the copies look perfect! And all because of proper care and careful use.
Good luck in your work!