F20 repair/ refurb central Virginia

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Hey all,
I'm new around here. Most people like a story, so here's mine:
A few years ago, I was at a thrift store and saw a crappy looking chip board guitar case in the corner. It looked old and a little beat up, so I popped it open. Inside was what turned out to be a 1956 Guild F20. It had pretty degraded original binding, and some chips along the back from what looks like someone setting it down (quite)roughly. The strings were as dull as any I have ever seen, but it played and seemed structurally sound. Top was intact and not cracked. Though I didn't know how old it was at the time, I could tell by the general appearance that it was 60's at least. I figured it was worth picking up for the hundred bucks they were asking. When I got to the counter to pay for it, they said that it was half off day for stuff from the section the guitar was in, so I picked it up for $50. I took it home and played it a bit, and was surprised by how good it sounded, despite the ancient strings and the somewhat rough general condition. I didn't have much money in my life, as I was a grad student, so I simply kept the guitar as it was, playing it some, but being pretty careful with it, as the condition of the instrument seemed delicate. I assured myself that when I got to a place where I could afford to, I would have the guitar properly looked after, the bindings fixed, and the chipped wood repaired. It has been a few years, but the time has come to take care of this guitar. I enjoy playing it quite a bit and I would like to be able to use it without worrying about it coming apart.

So the question is this: is there anyone that you all can recommend in central Virginia that could be trusted to make the repairs to this guitar that it needs? I have never taken any of my guitars to a professional, as I usually do whatever is needed myself, but this guitar is outside of my comfort zone. It is a great old guitar and I want to take it to someone who knows what it is and will know what to do, and what not to do to make it a solid player. I am not going to ship it anywhere, so the shop would have to be somewhere within a short drive of where I live in Charlottesville VA. Any help you all could lend would be appreciated.

MG
 

Default

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Shoot, the standard answer is "send it to Fix it", Tom Jacobs in Merritt Island, FL. He's a wizard and worked in Westerly. But you don't want to ship it.
 

silverfox103

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Nice find and a great story! I'm sure Neal, with his stable of guitars and local to you, is steering you in the right direction. Make sure you take before and after pictures. Keep us posted.

Tom
 

Westerly Wood

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Welcome to the LTG forum. I would go with Neal's take here! Maybe you can go to the open mic in Charlottesville he is involved with and check out his salvaged old F20. :)
 

Neal

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MG, Bishop has done the following work on my Guilds in the past few years alone:

Removed a cracked bridge on a '71 D-25 and hand-carved a replacement. Perfect job.
Made a new bone nut and saddle for a D-140. Perfect.
Did a complete fretboard level, re-radius and refret on a '53 X-150. Perfect.
Did a fret level and crown job on a '54 X-200. Also perfect.
Installed a K&K pickup in several guitars. Perfect.
Fixed a 5" crack in the top of an '09 D-55. Made the crack nearly disappear.
Lots of set-ups, etc.

And what is more important is this: I trust him to do what is needed, and only what is needed to restore a guitar to playability. He has several times declined to do a neck reset because he did not think the guitar needed one bad enough to justify major surgery.

Ask anyone who plays guitar in the Charlottesville area, and they will tell you the same thing. Bishop is the man.

I have no affiliation. Bishop's number is (540)832-7837. Tell him that Neal Goodloe referred you.
 

twocorgis

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Welcome to LTG MG, and that's a great story you bring. Being that you're only into this one for $50 so far, you'll be fine even if you have to put some extensive work into the guitar. F20 of that vintage (and most others), is worth good money these days. Good luck with it, and post pictures!
 
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Thanks everyone for your replies and kind words. When I found the guitar, it was well disguised as a worthless piece of trash. There were grass and twigs someone had put in the sound hole. It took a little while to shake it clean. I thought "this could be the find of my lifetime". I think it probably was. You're right, jedzep, these opportunities are getting rare.

Neal, good to know there is someone nearby who can take proper care with the guitar. I appreciate you pointing me in Bishop's direction. I will contact him and see what he recommends. I lean toward doing the least that in necessary to insure the long term playability of the instrument, so hearing that Mr. Stern has refused to do unnecessary neck resets is a strong commendation. And yes, twocorgis, I am pretty sure I would come out just fine on the guitar financially after paying for the work, but whoever buys it will probably have to buy it from my kids when I'm dead, because this is probably about the last thing I would sell, if it ever came to selling things.

thanks again for taking the time to share some guidance and encouragement. I'll take some photos and let you see the before and after of the story.

MG
 
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