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Found a beauty of an archtop that seems to just need a little TLC. Seller says it plays and no fret buzz. Tone control is not working. It is a 1959 Premier archtop. Looks like a dream to me.
Guy is willing to trade me for my 2003 Epiphone Flamekat (which is going up in value, but I never ever play it). What do you all think I should do? I think this guitar can be brought back fully....question is how much do I need to do, how much money do I need to sink into this project. Body binding is gone.
Pictures:
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02-18-2025 12:27 AM
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Cool looking but it'll cost an arm and a leg (more than the guitar is worth) to scrape out the old binding and replace it.
Hard pass for me......
p.s. too late now but this topic belongs in the guitars/amps or builders bench sub forum.
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Neck binding is newly replaced. Body binding may be gone, but hey, you can't play the binding, right? I feel like this is a worthy deal....get the electronics working perfectly again, and I've got a real player here. Yes, no? Thoughts? Got to know!
Originally Posted by wintermoon
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I could have sworn I posted my thoughts. Sometimes rotted binding leads to cracked/failed kerfing but If you've determined the binding presents no structural problems, such as the guitar falling apart in the future and you can live w it as is, fine. What exactly makes you think it's a worthy deal? Originally Posted by guitarvegas
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I don't know yet...I have not seen it in person Originally Posted by wintermoon
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I thought binding was more or less just a decorative finish, and had nothing to do with structure. Am I wrong? Originally Posted by wintermoon
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I just finished telling you that the crumbled binding can sometimes lead to cracked kerfing and seperations where the top, back and sides meet, which are structural. Originally Posted by guitarvegas
I can't answer any more questions if you're going to ignore the advice I post and my reasoning for giving that advice, I wasted too much time doing that w your performance clips.
Maybe someone else will chime in that doesn't mind dealing w that, good luck.
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Why you gotta be a dick, man? This is a big deal to me and I am looking for some conversation about this. You didn't need to be rude, as you definitely are. Why? Originally Posted by wintermoon
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I tried to give you advice twice in this thread already, both times you ignored it, just like you ignored all the advice I gave when you asked about your performance clips. Originally Posted by guitarvegas
So for the third time, crumbling binding can lead to cracked kerfing and separations where the top and back meet the sides. Kerfing is a lining that is glued in place inside where the top and back meet the sides. That lining in combination w the binding are a big part of what holds the body together.
I'm going to ignore the childish name calling.
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Okay, you helped me understand what you were describing. You threw some terms at me that I never heard of, like Kerfing. But I understand your concern. I guess close analysis would determine if this is even worth it. Originally Posted by wintermoon
And BTW, I am getting lessons, so I guess you got through to me. Pat yourself on the back and sleep well.
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Look man, all I've been trying to do between the performance advice and this is help. I don't pat myself on the back for helping people. Originally Posted by guitarvegas
Good luck w the lessons and guitar search, peace out.....
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I sensed you being rude, or brash, or whatever you want to call it...so I was a little annoyed by you. I know I have also been a pain in the butt, so I am really sorry for dragging everyone along when I didn't fully hear everyone. It is annoying, I agree. I would like to be friends, and also be kind to one another....okay with you? Originally Posted by wintermoon
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I would say a hard no on this being "a deal."
Have an objective look at it. The binding has rotted off, which means it will need to be tediously scraped, filed, sanded and then replaced. You're probably looking at hundreds of dollars for a luthier to do this. The tuners have obviously been replaced; however, the holes in the head stock are bigger than the tuner shafts so that needs to be corrected. You might find bushings that will work, but you might also have to drill out the tuner holes to fit the proper bushings in there. Without doing so, the thing won't tune worth a damn. The electronics are screwed by your description; you'll have to either fix them yourself or pay someone to fish them out, fix the wiring and put them back in (assuming the pots actually work and it's just a broken connector wire). The top appears to be cracked in several spots as well as the finish is failing. You have no idea whether it needs a neck reset, if the truss rod functions, etc. I think this is a structurally compromised guitar and I probably wouldn't take it if you tried to give it to me.
Basically, you might have to put another $500-$1000 into this instrument to make it usable. And even then, it still may not sound very good. On top of it, it is an offbrand that was not worth much when it was brand new.
If you want an archtop guitar, buy one of the inexpensive Ibanez ones. Sell your Epiphone to finance it.
Sorry if this isn't what you want to hear.
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It was never my intention to be rude, but when I keep posting answers to questions that you pose it gets annoying when those answers get ignored and makes me question why I even bother to offer advice. If you didn't know what guitar kerfing was you should have asked, I would've been happy to explain, or you could Google it. Originally Posted by guitarvegas
Think of my answers as something like this but on a much smaller scale
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Thanks, guys. I'm gonna pass on this one. Just too much risk.
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Kerfing USA. This was great theatre, if nothing else.
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This guitar reminds me of guitars I'd see hanging in windows of midtown Manhattan during my youth. I didn't know anything about guitars back then and there were many instruments like this in the pawn shops of Times Square. From afar, or in a shop window, they paint a picture of old jazz clubs and really cool sounds of smoky jazz. But the reality of such an instrument is that it's a VERY niche piece, and you have to really be in love with it to bring it to, and keep it in a condition where you can not only play it, but get the sounds you want out of it and keep playing.
That guitar may still have charm, but don't buy it because it's a "deal", or even a "steal", cuz the signs of age it shows are what's left of a guitar that's seen its day. It's not a collectors' piece; not by any metric. It's not a player's piece; not without a lot of work. It's not an instrument that you can keep reliably without risk of "yet another thing that needs attention today". Vintage guitars are a thing unto themselves. Playing guitars are something else and it's really better if you have something that can give you many years of a musical partnership.
I'd dare say just keeping up with the electronics alone will be a challenge and of dubious satisfaction. But I don't have the guitar in my hands and I don't see what you see, I only see something cool in a pawn shop window that looks really cool... until I want something I'll truly play the hell out of myself, and become a better player with.
A lot of guitars you can actually play on without taking on a resurrection in the process.
But your decision.
Hope you find the one that rewards all your efforts guitarvegas!
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It's missing 1/6th of the top fret!
Best thing to do is to see (and play) it in person. That will tell you a lot more than some not-so-great photos. It looks to me that it needs a ton of work.
Assuming your Epiphone Flamecat is playable, you would be trading a guitar that plays now for a guitar that is months away from being playable.
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+1 Originally Posted by supersoul
Guitaries, often do not know how it costs to repair musical instruments.
The repair often exceeds the value of the instrument .... you need to be very careful.
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The initial hype over this wore off, partly due to all of your nice responses. Thank you. Looks cool, but gonna keep it in a window view and move on. Plus I have an excellent working and beautiful archtop already in my possession. It's a Loar LH-309 and is wonderful. It may not have a cutaway, but who cares? Why are we guitarists "always looking"? Is it a disease?
Seriously...it's right here....wonderful instrument. Bought it brand new like 9 years ago for $400
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This is true-musicians playing guitars suffer from a guitar disease.
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That's the least of it -- the last couple of frets/fingerboard-extension were chopped off. This guitar is truly beat to sh*t. Here's the thing with this: Premier stuff (guitars, amps, reverb units) in general actually has collector value, and this guitar in good condition might be worth something north of $500 (after $1000 worth of repairs). But despite having collector value, Premier stuff is also lousy and not worth the price at any price if your intent is to play it. So if you saw this guitar in good condition for $150 and intended to flip it, sure. But if you want to play it? Nope. I wouldn't take that guitar if you gave it to me for free. Originally Posted by supersoul
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I am running far away from it....thanks. Originally Posted by John A.
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the disease is G.A.S= Guitar Acquisition Syndrome
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I like USA Premiers, just got another one today in fact, but I would have passed on this too.
Some are good players if you like big necks but they are quirky and always need maintenance. Some are dogs.
Yes those are plastic knobs.
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