I am new to these parts, sort of fell into it by accident you might say when my sister brought an old resonator guitar out to me a couple of years ago. I knew it had been passed around in the family at least back to the 1960's when I frist saw it. The poor old thing had been refinished blond (poorly) back then and has been ignored and abused for decades, so badly that the case was even mildewed.
I had a look at it when she brought it out and didn't know what to do with it. The neck needed to be reset, it needed refinishing, the brass and nickel was scratched and corroded, and the rosewood fingerboard had numerous cracks as well as small checks in body from years of damp/dry cycles.
I had trouble running down the model thinking it was made in the 1950's but eventually identified it as a National Trojan built in 1934. Hum, it is even older than I am so maybe it deserves some TLC.
Having built or restored various instruments over the years, I decided to save the old Trojan. The resonator cover is off for silver plating and the tuning machines for gold plating. Meanwhile I removed the neck, stripped all the old finish, re-set the neck (my first time and it came out great
) coloured with aniline dyes, and coated with nitrocellulose lacquer.Rather than give it a like-new finish, I chose to try to keep "the vintage look" - what do ya'll think? Does that look okay or should I re-do it to like-new? (Factory photo on the left, refinished middle and right.)
Thanks for your thoughts!
it actually decreases the value.
NOW I know who you are (and will ignore you appropriately LOL!)