Hello from England

[suarez7]

Hello to all,
My name is Mark and I currently live in a small English coastal resort. I am completely new to vintage guitars and restoration and dont have a clue were to start hence joining this forum.

In 1979 at the age of 16 with a mixture of birthday money and odd job money I puchased a brand new Ibanez St 200. Which I happily abused for the next few years. After leaving home the guitar then became a family hand down and was likewise used and abused by many members of the family and I had stopped thinking of it as mine. Then two weeks ago my father said to me that it was about time I took my guitar down from the loft ! It is very battered and bruised but I am keen to resore it as much as possible.

My initial question is how far do you go when restoring a guitar, for instance the body finish is cracked and peeling, large chunks have Fallen off, do I leave as is and just tidy it up or remove it completely and re finish or does this effect value.

[VintAxe]

Hi suarez7

This studio series of 1979 Ibanez guitars came in three models, the 100, 200. and 300. While many late 70's Ibanez models have appreciated nicely in the vintage guitar market I'm afraid the studio series guitars have not. Here is a UK eBay auction where the guitar failed to sell at 250 pounds.



Depending on the instrument, a refinish can reduce value by 40%. Since the value of your guitar in good condition is not high, it makes no sense to refinish it. It's current condition is an honest testimony to it's life so I would sell it "as is" to someone that understands what 30 plus years of use/abuse of a guitar can do. You can spend the time required to sand it down and reapply clear coat but the time and cost will not greatly improve the value of the guitar.

Sorry I cannot offer better news,

sb

[suarez7]

Thanks for the info, and its not bad news to be honest. When I first got it down from my fathers loft my initial thoughts were along the lines of having a go at customising it. A slight body reshape to help lose some of its immense weight for a start ( it is a nice piece of timber but feels very heavy), putting in some new pick ups, harware etc. A chance to learn new skills ready for future projects

Am I still in the right place if I need advice on Luthier type questions?.

[VintAxe]

I think it would be a good basis for a project guitar although it will ultimately only be worth the price of the parts if you customize it. If you enjoy the work and the finished product then I say "go for it".

Your post will probably be read more if you start a new thread in the Japanese guitar section.

Good luck with your project and share pictures of your process if you have time