Can someone help me identify this old kingston guitar

[OneLostGuitarist]

I know I said that I hate acoustic guitars but I bought another one does anyone know the year or model# of this kingston? The neck is kind of bowed but it doesn't affect play I know that there is no truss rod but is there anyway that I can fix this? I think it sounds great and for now I am happy with it. Also the case is in need of repair there is no handle and they are some rips and tears I found a thread that had some ways to fix it but is there a cheaper option? I took a good look at the bridge this time the only that strikes me as odd is. The two little white dots on each end of the bridge does anyone know why they are there? Are they there just for decoration or what?

Thanks

[cheepaxes]

I have no idea what year that might have been made. I know that electric Kingstons were made by Teisco at some point. I don't know about acoustics. You might want to look at some Teisco catalogs to sse whether this guitar appears in one.

I don't know how to fix a bowed neck that has no truss rod. I would think it would cost more than it's worth with this guitar.

Based on other guitars I've seen, I suspect the white dots cover the tops of bolts that help hold the bridge on the guitar. Stick your hand in the guitar and feel what's inside it where the dots are.

I've replaced missing handles by stringing rope or nylon webbing through the parts that held the original handle on. That may not work in your case, since those holes are so tiny. Maybe put a thin bolt and nut through the little holes on each side and then put rope through. Or use coat hanger? Or pirtch the case and get a cheap gig bag?

-Scott

[Spud1950]

[sneakypete]

capo on the first or second fret and play.

[PickerAUS]

*** Do this at your own risk***
I have a who has fixed bent necks. It's a reverse pressure process and you can do it yourself:
1. Unstring it.
2. Site down the neck from both ends and work out where the bend is. If it's around the heel and if the heel is not loose then you use a counter weight.
3. Mark (crayon) where the bend is.
4. Build a simple clamping rig. You need 2 large carpenter's clamps (more is better), 2 straight hardwood planks (or 4 old floorboards) cut to size and time.
5. Straddle the bend on both sides with the clamps, using the planks as sacrificial pieces, one on top of the fingerboard and the other along the neck. I suggest you pad both planks with heavy cloth so it like a sandwich- plank-cloth-neck-fingerboard-cloth-plank.
6. Screw the clamps down medium to hard. Check the bend every 24 hrs for signs of improvement and don't overdo it!

If it's at the heel, then place the guitar on a table, fretboard up with the neck overhanging.
Clamp the heel/neckblock with cloth pads in place, weigh the rest of the body down with books, bricks etc and hang a weight off the 2nd fret. About 2-4kg (5-10 lbs) should do the trick. Check every 24 hrs.
Mind you, he uses guitar 'forms' and straps the body down. He also made a matching reverse that cups the back of the neck.
Re-string with light strings.

The proper fix involves taking off the fretboard, routing a channel and gluing 2 metal strips in the channel (on their edges, side by side), and replacing the fretboard or making a new one. The idea is that you don't overstraighten the neck.

He also used a small fan radiator to keep gentle heat on the spot if it's accessible. Steam can also be used, but too much will loosen glue joints as most older guitars are built with hide or fish glue and are prone to 'creep' in high humidity.

[johnnyb]

here is a picture of adding relief to a guitar. to fix a bowed neck reverse it and put the spacers on the ends and the clamp in the middle. place the clamp where the bow looks most severe. Its actually a very simple set-up. i use 1 clamp and a 2x4 and a spacer where needed. i have fixed a few this way and the all had great results. although, i usually do it in the summer and put the neck or guitar up in my attic where it gets up to 130 degrees. the heat helps, doing it without heat can take a while sitting clamped and doesn't always work. and the holes on the bridge are screws, you see it mostly on lower end acoustics or repaired guitars.

[PickerAUS]

lol Spot on and great pic! I was too lazy to look for a pic on the net. I do own a few 'How to build/repair guitars' books (unless I lost them in the last flood), with similar pics.
I have an absolutely gorgeous Eko 12 string with a busted brace and a bowed top. I wish there was an easy way of fixing that!
Your single clamp method is a bit different. Was there any damage to the back of the neck using one clamp?

[johnnyb]

when you fix a bow, the clamp has to be in the middle. i use clamps with rubber caps on them and also put some cotton fabric between it and the neck so it doesn't make any marks. i was surprised how little tension was needed to bend the neck straight, it didn't take much. as far as i know the only way to fix broken braces is to take the top off. i have an old ovation that had this happen and i tried to fix it with a complicated clamp setup. the problem was that it all had to be done by feel and the fix only lasted about 6 months. if they werent put together with epoxy i would have taken off the top, at this point its just a piece of junk. too bad, it was by far the loudest and best sounding acoustic ive ever played.(ex-girlfriend knocked it off its wall hanger, more than once) no easy fix for a bowed top that i know of.

[PickerAUS]

Come to think of it, the rig I saw was to flatten a 'green' neck and not to adjust a bow.

I don't know if it would be popular, but maybe a DIY section on basic guitar maintenance like checking and fixing intonation, simple repairs, replacing nuts and saddles etc? Any call for that sort of stuff? What do you think?

[johnnyb]

i dont think it would be a bad idea. First, a lot of guitars on this forum are under $500, not to mention old. and 9 times out of 10 grandpas old clunker from the attic needs a little help. and second, most of the time a repair shop wont touch some of these axes because the repairs outweigh the value of the guitar. so, diy is the only option if you want to save it. well see what vintaxe says.