An old old guitar

[Hooligan]

My great grandfather Al Hougan (pronounced how-gun) came to the US in 1901 from Oslo Norway. For his high school sweet heart he made an acoustical guitar as a high school shop project. I hapen to have his guitar. It's in pretty bad shape really. The top has a huge split in t and is begining to cave a bit. The hand cut inlays are buckling some. The wood binding has a few small chunkx missing.

I'd like to have the guitar repaired cosmetically. I doubt it would ever be able to be played again. My plan is to ar some point make a glass display case for the guitar honoring my Great Grandfather for the courage it must have taken to come to America. I am thinking of an oak base with a glas/oak case on top. Seperating them would be a lazt susan turnstile. Mybe i can even wire in a few low voltage lights.

I'll save you the trouble......:wwp:

I'll get some pictures this weekend.

[stephen]

Hmmmmm?

Since your looking at "coasmetic, maybe its time for the Grandson to take up this challenge himself. Too my twisted way of thinking, no better way to honor Grandpa, than to put the asweat of your own brow into it.

Lotsa good info out there as to "How too", like Stew Mac, Dan Erlwine, etc......

Now I'm just thinking out loud: If your going to invest into getting that guitar "purtied-up", why not fix it so she can play again?

Just a thought...........

[Barry]

I can't speak for Hooligan, Stephen, but this sounds more like a family heirloom type of thing. Kinda like the old mandolin I inherited from my maternal grandmother. I'll never play it, but it's part of our family history.

[MusicChad]

I've got an "unplayable" guitar permanently on display in my office. It was purchased by my great grandfather for my grandfather who gave it to my dad who gave it to me... I plan on giving it to my son when he is a little older... I strung it with elixers at super low tension just so they wouldn't tarnish... That is the ONLY good application I have found for elixers so far... <grin> ...except on one CA guitar...

I like the idea of doing it yourself... Or just leaving it as is... Sometimes the wear and tear, warping, etc. makes them more interesting... If you fix it up, you may take away some of the character... Just a thought...

[stephen]

... Sometimes the wear and tear, warping, etc. makes them more interesting... If you fix it up, you may take away some of the character... Just a thought...

But you could turn it into a documented (digital photographed) project, showing what it was, and what you did.

Quite the story to pass along with the guitar..............

[Hooligan]

Intersting idea....... I'd be pretty afraid to screw this thing up. I doubt it could ever be played. Maybe some nylons on it would be ok to play but I'd be afraid to put steel strings on it.

I'd want to work with a luthier. I'm not sure how to loosen 100 year old glue. The top has a huge crack from top to bottom. The neck would need to come off and the top as well. The top would need to be completely broken in two and the two halves glued together.

[MusicChad]

If it is your desire to work with a luthier, once you figure out where a good one is, I'd just take it to him/her and have them take a look at it. The luthier I've worked with here in town LIVES to look at projects like this... He does the set-ups, swapping PUs for people, etc. to pay the bills, but his passion is reviving / restoring things and working on "treasures" like this one, even if it is only sentimental. I'd be willing to bet you could find a luthier that would LOVE to take a look, do a little research, and offer advice. They most likely would derive so much pleasure from seeing the instrument that I doubt they would charge anything just to look...