Dilemma - opinions? Sorry - pics before dilemma description

mattacjones

So way back in1978 I commissioned a guitar - and in those days tastes were a bit different. The guitar is pictured below, it has an ebony fretboard, boxwood edgings on body and fretboard, carved bookmatched flame maple top, a somewhat unusual neck join, and basically has lain unused for years. The guy who built it is a well known luthier and he's offered to tweak it for a good price as he's got some attachment to it (one of his earlier builds etc). It's fairly heavy. Proposed mods are reduce body thickness substantially, enlarge control cavities fairly significantly (which should make it both lighter and more resonant), fill in the 3 little holes  and refin, most likely in nitro tobacco sunburst.

But .. am I just wasting the money? Is it going to be more appealing - have to say for me, the jury's out. Anyway, thought i'd get a few other opinions!

Now follows several attempts with the old picture links:

Iamnobody

I’d guess you are the only one who can answer this conundrum. However if you ask yourself these type of questions it might help the decision process...

Why has it remained unused for so long?

Will the proposed mods address the reason for the above?

Do you want to spend the money?

Do you have any real attachment to the guitar?

Good luck!

DefaultM

I think it looks nice as it is so I wouldn't get it refinished. I've enquired about routing a guitar more to lower the weight before and was told it will make negligible difference. 

Sassafras

If it's just going to lay unused for even more years I wouldn't bother.
Those mods are unlikely to transform it into something much better.

ICBM

In my opinion, I would leave it alone. Thinning the body sufficiently will be difficult given the position of the jack socket, and both this and enlarging the control cavity could end up making it balance badly given the length of the neck. Out of the two I would go for increasing the size of the cavity, if you wanted to try it.

I wouldn't refinish it either, it looks nice enough as it is. I wouldn't try to re-write history, it is what it is. You could fill the holes fairly neatly with small pieces of maple if you just want to make them less visible. I certainly don't think I would spend a lot on it, as Sassafras says it's unlikely to totally transform it.

grungebob

I think it looks really nice. Why has it not been used for so long?

mattacjones

Why not used? tastes change I guess, have 3 nice fenders, prs and a 330, and basically prefer any of them! I think it's useful to be asked searching questions - would I play it after mods, probably end up open tuned and used for slide (like it is now). So prob not worth it - oh dear, bit of a waste!

TTony

Its worth little today.

With the mods, it would still be worth little tomorrow, but you'd have sunk more cash into it, and probably enough cash to buy something fairly decent that you'd have chosen and will probably play.

I quite like the look of it (but then I like DCs).  If you're really not going to play it, then hang* it on a wall as a piece of artwork to remind you of that era of your life.


"Hang" as in mounted like a picture rather than on a traditional guitar hanger!

mattacjones

Funny isn't it. I'm not keen on double cuts. Every time I look at it I think why didn't I go for a conventional lp!

equalsql

It looks like a crackin' guitar. I would go with what @ICBM has recommended. It's looks to be a very well made instrument.

mattacjones

It is superbly made. I remember him steaming the boxwood to fit round those curves, and it was top quality woods. But, if there was a whole range of them in Coda's, I'd be sniffing around the gibson semi's, fano's etc!

Garthy

I love that.

usedtobe

I like it too!

mattacjones

Thanks all for your comments

hobbio

That's so pretty! I'd leave it untouched, restring it, tune it to standard and play it like a guitar again. Maybe you'll use it more if it's not just playable for slide. I don't think I'd sink any more cash into modding it.

Schnozz

I would be keeping that - It costs a lot to get something of equal quality and you'll end up getting peanuts for it. If it's been made especially for you, then your tastes may change again.

I'd refinish it if it was me, but that's just because I'm not a fan of any 'natural' guitars. It's a nice Hamer-esque looker though and I'd be playing it along to Rocksmith or something if it's too heavy.

midlifecrisis

hope its not a dumb question, but what are the three little holes for?

blobb

That's a belter, keep it as is and bond with it.

mattacjones

Well, the holes were micro switches for coil traps and phase switching. It was made in 1978 and was a cross between a junior and les paul hence the carved maple top, spoilt by my desire for 24 frets - god knows why. I'd like to think it preceded hamer and prs santana, but who knows. The junior belonged to the guy who made it, chap called graham noden, and the contours were based on some templates he had for a certain les paul

sweepy

Nice to see the old tripod Leo Quan Badass bridge, lovely engineered bits of kit 

thegummy

I agree that the current finish looks really nice