I bought mine in the '80s in a bag in two pieces. Finally found the time to fix it during the downturn in "08. It's my go to guitar. Plays like a dream, lovely funky tone, that actually cuts through in a jam. I'll put it down for weeks, come back and it's still in tune! I enjoy your videos. Cheers!
G'day Tom, This one is looking like an interesting repair. From what I understand, you're going to replace the braces, fill & repair the bad pickup holes, then make & fit new pickups. I'm wondering if it would be worth the effort of shaping extra deep braces, so that they follow the shape of the arched top, without needing to be kerffed. The braces would then be more like webs, with the depth giving extra support to the bit of top between the two pickup routes. And, I wouldn't blame your daughter too much for dropping the pick into the guitar - the 2nd thing I figured out when I was 9 or 10 was how to rattle out the pick from my guitar. The first thing I figured out was the intro to Smoke on the Water. You know that they're both essential skills for any guitarist. 🙂 Thanks for another great video, & letting me share my 2-cent thoughts. Andrew
Hey Andrew, on the first point all I’ll say is watch this space ;) On the second point, I’ve yet to master shaking a pick out of an F-hole though I’m sure as with all things there’s a technique! Thanks for watching. Cheers, Tom
You’ve got me excited about this project. You must know how Tiger Woods surgeons felt. You know you have a masterpiece under your fingers, but one slip and you have a weekend golfer on your hands.
Haha luckily this guitar is worth much less than Tiger Woods though it does look like it was in the back of that car he rented’n’dented! Thanks for watching - hope the series and final instrument don’t disappoint :)
I wonder if that binding is prone to shrink when it's off the guitar, like old celluloid pickguards. Hope not, but I'm sure you'll find an elegant way to cope if it does. Looking forward to the rest of this!
Luckily this binding is definitely not celluloid as it’s far too flexible. Pretty sure it’s just a regular old plastic of some description, and not brittle like old celluloid can be. Thanks for watching!
Aha, the classic belt and braces approach. Remove the braces and belt the scene of the crime before you're left with your trousers down and leaving us all in suspenders until the next episode. 😂
Everyone has their own recipe, and it’s arguably as much art as science. However, in this instance I’ll be replacing the braces like-for-like in terms of location and dimensions at least. They won’t be kerfed though.
@@BeardsworthGuitars thanks I bought a really cheap mandolin on eBay and when I brought it in tune, the sound board caved in. Each time I tried, it bent inside, so it’s never been tuned up. I’m assuming someone at the factory forgot to install the bracing or installed it and improperly and it fell out, so I have to take the back off and install some bracing to support the saddle and I was just wondering if there was a formula. Glad to find out it’s art. Too bad I’m not an artist😂
On acoustics, the top needs to be thin enough to resonate as a sound cavity but it also has to be strong enough to support its own weight and the weight and pull of whatever is mounted on it.
There has to be a special place in Hell for the person who did that to that beautiful guitar. What is the matter with people like that? Unbelievable. Good luck.
Exit the elephant in the room, enter the bull in a china shop. As you said it will always just be a player grade instrument but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. It all really depends upon how much you paid for it at the end of the day.
Hah yeah - I’m hoping the previous owner is the bull in your metaphor here! It does beggar belief what some people do to these things but I enjoy challenges like this. Paid AU$1800 so hopefully a little room for profit still.
@@BeardsworthGuitars Some people see musical instruments as tools which have to perform a specific job and modified in case it doesn't. Others see them as assets which need to be kept stock for the sake of a future monetary investment of a sale or similar.
I’m all for modification and tailoring an instrument to your personal needs and taste. My comment was more in reference to the approach taken during the modification.
Butchery is the word - encountered too many guitars “Got at” by sub amateur players who believe they have skills to turn instrument into their dream guitar - and fail miserably, I would put Dog kennel P90s on it but good luck interesting viewing
Hi it’s definitely an L-50 but I can understand why you would think otherwise because the model underwent some significant over the years. Some had flat backs, the width of the lower bout changed quite significantly, and the early ones even had a sound hole rather than F holes! Thanks for watching :)
![1953 Gibson L-50 Restoration [Part 2] - Repairing the top](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/0VzPpfBZuIM/mqdefault.jpg)
![1953 Gibson L-50 Restoration [Part 2] - Repairing the top](/img/tr.png)
![1953 Gibson L-50 Restoration [Part 3] - Replacing the braces](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/2gIv_zBJ900/mqdefault.jpg)
Great project! Looking forward to part 2!
Coming soon!
I bought mine in the '80s in a bag in two pieces. Finally found the time to fix it during the downturn in "08.
It's my go to guitar. Plays like a dream, lovely funky tone, that actually cuts through in a jam.
I'll put it down for weeks, come back and it's still in tune!
I enjoy your videos. Cheers!
That’s so cool! Yeah this one is really great to play. Thanks for supporting the channel 🙂
This is a ballsy project to take on! I’m sure it will turn out great
Only time will tell ;)
G'day Tom,
This one is looking like an interesting repair. From what I understand, you're going to replace the braces, fill & repair the bad pickup holes, then make & fit new pickups. I'm wondering if it would be worth the effort of shaping extra deep braces, so that they follow the shape of the arched top, without needing to be kerffed. The braces would then be more like webs, with the depth giving extra support to the bit of top between the two pickup routes.
And, I wouldn't blame your daughter too much for dropping the pick into the guitar - the 2nd thing I figured out when I was 9 or 10 was how to rattle out the pick from my guitar. The first thing I figured out was the intro to Smoke on the Water. You know that they're both essential skills for any guitarist. 🙂
Thanks for another great video, & letting me share my 2-cent thoughts.
Andrew
Hey Andrew, on the first point all I’ll say is watch this space ;)
On the second point, I’ve yet to master shaking a pick out of an F-hole though I’m sure as with all things there’s a technique!
Thanks for watching.
Cheers, Tom
"Ouch Top"
That's hilarious!
Hah my Dad jokes occasionally find their way into my content!
You’ve got me excited about this project. You must know how Tiger Woods surgeons felt. You know you have a masterpiece under your fingers, but one slip and you have a weekend golfer on your hands.
Haha luckily this guitar is worth much less than Tiger Woods though it does look like it was in the back of that car he rented’n’dented!
Thanks for watching - hope the series and final instrument don’t disappoint :)
Hi. You could put the jack through the tail block, rather than the side which is a real weak point when picking the guitar up and down.
Yeah I did consider this. Cheers for watching!
I wonder if that binding is prone to shrink when it's off the guitar, like old celluloid pickguards. Hope not, but I'm sure you'll find an elegant way to cope if it does. Looking forward to the rest of this!
Luckily this binding is definitely not celluloid as it’s far too flexible. Pretty sure it’s just a regular old plastic of some description, and not brittle like old celluloid can be. Thanks for watching!
I really don't understand, why and how someone could butcher a beautiful instrument like that. I truly hope you can do a good restoration.
I’ll certainly try my best, and it would be hard to do worse frankly! I guess some people have misplaced belief in their abilities….
Aha, the classic belt and braces approach. Remove the braces and belt the scene of the crime before you're left with your trousers down and leaving us all in suspenders until the next episode. 😂
I promise you won’t be left standing in a compromising position for long!
"Their pet Beaver" I used that tool when I first started:)
Hah yeah I think we all did! Though not necessarily on a 70 year old guitar…
How do luthiers determine size, shape and location of braces needed?
Everyone has their own recipe, and it’s arguably as much art as science. However, in this instance I’ll be replacing the braces like-for-like in terms of location and dimensions at least. They won’t be kerfed though.
@@BeardsworthGuitars thanks
I bought a really cheap mandolin on eBay and when I brought it in tune, the sound board caved in. Each time I tried, it bent inside, so it’s never been tuned up. I’m assuming someone at the factory forgot to install the bracing or installed it and improperly and it fell out, so I have to take the back off and install some bracing to support the saddle and I was just wondering if there was a formula. Glad to find out it’s art. Too bad I’m not an artist😂
On acoustics, the top needs to be thin enough to resonate as a sound cavity but it also has to be strong enough to support its own weight and the weight and pull of whatever is mounted on it.
I dont know what are your plans to tackle the job, but I hope wood glue is not used unless absolutely necessary.
Stay tuned to find out!
I think you have nice Gibson that you can bring back to a good guitar BRW FINGER BOARD IS WORTH THE PRICE YOU PAID FORGUITAR YOU WILL COME TO LOVE IT!
Yeah I think so too. It has good bones and feels nice to play even as it is. Cheers for watching!
There has to be a special place in Hell for the person who did that to that beautiful guitar. What is the matter with people like that? Unbelievable. Good luck.
A heat gun would loosen that binding up and make it allot easier to get it off..
I just couldn't risk using heat because of the age of the binding and the finish.
So I have an old L 50, do I need a beaver to install a pickup? 😂
A beaver or a chainsaw will allow you to fit pickups of any size and style!
I’m thinking a pickguard mounted floating pickup might be easier 🤙
FISH GLUE!!!!!!!
Going with a different animal on this one ;)
Why not use a wood binding instead of the nasty plastic?
I did exactly that on all my acoustic builds, but the aim is to keep this guitar as original as possible, pickups and electronics aside.
Exit the elephant in the room, enter the bull in a china shop. As you said it will always just be a player grade instrument but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. It all really depends upon how much you paid for it at the end of the day.
Hah yeah - I’m hoping the previous owner is the bull in your metaphor here! It does beggar belief what some people do to these things but I enjoy challenges like this. Paid AU$1800 so hopefully a little room for profit still.
@@BeardsworthGuitars Some people see musical instruments as tools which have to perform a specific job and modified in case it doesn't. Others see them as assets which need to be kept stock for the sake of a future monetary investment of a sale or similar.
I’m all for modification and tailoring an instrument to your personal needs and taste. My comment was more in reference to the approach taken during the modification.
Butchery is the word - encountered too many guitars “Got at” by sub amateur players who believe they have skills to turn instrument into their dream guitar - and fail miserably, I would put Dog kennel P90s on it but good luck interesting viewing
Yeah I actually looked at dog ear P-90s but there’s not enough height in the neck position unfortunately. Thanks for your support!
I don't believe that is an L-50. I have a circa 1933 L-50. I think they all had flat backs.
That is probably an L-48.
I should have waited to comment. That back is flat isn't it?
Hi it’s definitely an L-50 but I can understand why you would think otherwise because the model underwent some significant over the years. Some had flat backs, the width of the lower bout changed quite significantly, and the early ones even had a sound hole rather than F holes! Thanks for watching :)
To hear u talk the only thing u can do is jam humbukers back in call it done & move on.
Hah alas it’s not possible due to the position of the braces.