Sould You Restore Your Vintage Guitar?

Restoring your vintage guitar will not only make it look much better, but it can also make it last much longer. By performing regular maintenance, you'll be able to keep the guitar in the best shape possible. Because vintage guitars are mostly made from wood, they'll become dry and crack over time. 

Ask for Help

If your goal is to restore your vintage guitar so that you may play it, contact an experienced vintage guitar technician who can help you get your guitar back in shape. When some of the old electronic components are replaced with new components, the guitar can produce very beautiful sounds. Small scratches and chips can easily be restored.

Decide Whether Restoration is Worth It

If you are more concerned about how much your vintage guitar is worth, you may choose not to restore it. Making restorations to a vintage guitar can sometimes reduce the value of the instrument. Instead, you should work with an experienced vintage guitar collection specialist who knows if a change will make your guitar more or less valuable.

Guitars are often changed because guitarists will often tinker with their guitars to improve them. For this reason, it can be difficult to find a guitar that has completely original parts. Even if a new guitar part leads to significant improvements, many guitar collectors feel that these changes make the guitar less valuable.

Another important consideration is whether the guitar has the original finish or if it is refinished. Refinishing a guitar will change its appearance, and repainting the guitar will cause it to seem less authentic to some collectors. Also, the quality of the refinishing plays a role in how much your guitar will be worth. But even with the best refinishing, the value of your guitar could be reduced by doing so.

Consider the Character of the Guitar

Guitars can sometimes become cracked, bowed or warped. This can affect the sound of the instrument. Repairing these issues may reduce the value of the guitar. However, if your main concern is not whether you have a guitar that looks and plays great, such as if you are using it primarily for decoration, removing these defects might be the right decision. Still, other collectors feel that these defects add to the character of the guitar. If the guitar has frets that are in poor condition or if the strings no longer have the right angle, it might not be worth restoring the guitar.