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1971 Gibson Dove Preservation
Today’s feature is a 1971 Gibson Dove acoustic guitar preservation project. After 55 years on the road, the player wanted to have some damage repaired in preparation for fifty more years of making music. The bridge was coming loose, and the neck needed to be reset, so that’s where we started, by removing the bridge and neck. The body then underwent rehydration therapy at the BFW spa, returning the box into balance with nature. This would also allow me to repair about 1000 millimeters of cracks in the soundboard, which was accomplished using the method pioneered by TJ Thompson. Once the cracks were repaired, I was able to address replacing…
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1969 Gibson J-50 Preservation Project
For your viewing pleasure, we have a fairly rare 1969 Gibson J-50 acoustic guitar. I found out about this guitar when one of my clients reached out after he saw it offered for sale at a music store in Baltimore County. It was in rough shape, and my client wondered how much it might cost to make playable again. I looked at a couple photos and made a non-binding guess that it would need around $1200.00 worth of repairs in order to once again be a dependable, great-sounding jumbo guitar. He thought it over, and decided to pass. I couldn’t blame him, but I also couldn’t help myself, as my…