How to Restore Vintage Guitars
Guitar collectors agree that some of the best-sounding guitars of today were made 50 years ago. This is due in part to the natural aging of the wood, giving the guitar a deep, rich tone that only comes with time. If you're lucky enough to find one of these guitars buried in an attic, a yard sale or by chance you inherit one, you might have a treasure. Even if the guitar is in horrible-looking condition, it could be very valuable. You can restore almost any vintage guitar by cleaning, oiling and replacing a few missing parts.
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Things You'll Need
- Phillips screwdriver
- Coffee cup
- Nut driver, 3/8-inch
- Contact cleaning solution
- Silicon spray
- Air compressor with air nozzle
- Soft cloth
- Furniture polish
- Soldering iron
- Lemon oil
- New set of strings
Instructions
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1
Lay out the guitar on a flat surface. Take off the strings and discard them. Turn the guitar upside down. Using the Phillips screwdriver, remove two screws from the back of each tuner. You should have 12 screws. Place them in a cup. If there are screws missing, take note of how many you need.
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2
Using the Phillips screwdriver, remove the screws holding the back control cavity cover to the guitar. Turn the guitar over, face up.
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3
Unscrew the retaining nuts on each of the tuner keys using the 3/8-inch nut driver. This is done by turning them counterclockwise until they come off the tuning key peg. Using the back of the Phillips screwdriver, tap on the tuning key pegs, driving them out of the headstock.
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4
Place all six of the tuning keys in the cup and liberally spray everything with cleaning fluid. Let the parts soak in the cleaning fluid for 15 minutes. Holding each tuner key individually, spray them with compressed air from an air compressor, blowing away old debris or dirt. Next, spray the key with silicon spray and wipe it clean with a soft cloth. Do all the keys and screws.
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5
Remove the pickguard and the plastic retaining rings around the pickups (if the guitar has them) using the Phillips screwdriver. Remove the volume and control knobs. Using the Phillips screwdriver, remove the two screws that hold the pickups to the guitar body. Gently lift the pickups out of the routed cavity as far as their wiring will allow. Let them hang there temporarily.
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6
Wipe down the pickguard and the pickup retainer rings with furniture polish. Place the control knobs and all the screws in a cup and douse them with cleaning fluid. Pick up each one individually and spray them with the air compressor nozzle. Spray them with silicon. Wipe them clean.
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7
Holding the guitar body upright, liberally spray compressed air into the exposed wiring beneath the pickups that are hanging by their wires. Spray into the back control cavity and any openings. When all the debris and dust have been blown away, lay down the guitar and inspect the soldered connections. If any of them have come loose, heat the soldering iron and re-solder the wire connection.
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8
Spray the contact cleaning solution into the volume, tone and pickup switch controls and pickup switches.
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9
Place a small amount of lemon oil on a soft cloth. Rub down the guitar's body, neck and headstock with the lemon oil. Let it set for 24 hours.
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10
Spray the guitar inside and out with the air compressor nozzle. Wipe the guitar clean with a soft cloth. Screw the pickups, pickup retainers and pickguard back on the guitar's body. Put the tuning key pegs back through their holes in the headstock. Screw the 3/8-inch retainers and the screws in back of the tuning keys back on. Put new strings on the guitar.
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Tips & Warnings
Contact cleaning solution and silicone spray can be found at any computer supply store or at an online guitar supply company like Stewart Macdonald. For missing screws and any parts that may be broken, visit your local guitar repair shop. The guitar repair techs there are eager to help and will find any replacement parts you need.
Do not sand your vintage guitar. Removing the original finish will diminish the value and sound of your guitar.
References
- Photo Credit detail of electric guitar image by Thor Jorgen Udvang from Fotolia.com
