Gold top guitar!!!

[Deleted]

Hey all, I just got this gold top Gretsch guitar. It is a builder. I traded some EPI pickups for it. I ordered an inexpensive set of P90's for it. I hope they will fit OK. I will need to do some work in the pickup cavity. Someone did a hack job to this guitar. It had no switch or pots. So I had that on hand.
The guitar use to have a B7 Bigsby on it. I might later on get one for it. But for now all I have money for are the pickups. So that is where I'll start with this rebuild.
I had an add on CL looking to trade for a Gold top EPI LP. Got no one that responded, but the guy that had this. I like it because if super lite. It is hallow.
Looks like it a maple top with a mahogany back and set neck.
She has been banged up a little but that's OK. I just could not let this one die. going to try really hard to bring her back to life.
EB

[hoz]

That looks like a good builder. Going Filtertrons or humbuckers?

[GuitarAttack Forum]

Very cool..like the inlays.

John

[Deleted]

Well I may now get to build this for someone else. Turns out there are more then just me who wants it. I have a guy that made me a really good offer on it and wants me to do the work. I told him he needs to come by and see the guitar before I say yes to the deal.
EB

[Deleted]

Well, Looks like I'm not going to get to restore this guitar. the guy that wants it, wants to restore it him self.

I have been dealing with a guy that has this amp I want. He asked me if I had any Gretsch guitars. I told him about this one. He says he wants it. So I will know fore sure this Sunday. Oh well easy come easy go.
EB

[Deleted]

You Know I come from the old way of thinking. When you tell some you have a deal you do the deal. No mater what. unless you die.

Well anyway because this guy was so sure he wanted this guitar I went ahead and spent the money to put the original pickups back in this guitars. It took me a week and a half to find them. I wound up getting them from 2 venders on eBay.

This kind of thing really makes me mad. What the heck is wrong with people? This is the second bail out in the past week. At least the second one didn't cost me anything, but some time in emails.

So lesson learned is no more doing anything for people without getting some money up front.

so now I have two ways I can go with this build. One is to go with the P90's (cuse I had already ordered them and should be here soon) or put the original pickups back in it.

Also I am still torn in putting a Bigsby back on it. I am thinking of buying the gold paint (from reranch.com) that they use on the Gibson LP gold top. Or do I leave it so it looks like a relic. this guitar has been abused...

guess I'll wait until the pickups get here. then I'll decide what to do. I mean all I have in the body and neck is a set of EPI pickups that didn't cost me anything.
And it's still cheaper than a kit guitar....HA!

EB

[dnic]

I think stock is kind of cool. Build something special for the P90s like a LP Junior.

[hoz]

I'm like Dane. I vote: Stay Gretschie.

Though I understand that you already bought p90s. Sometimes it about budget! You don't need to throw a bunch of money at something that is going to get traded off or sold.

[antares]

Hey Eddie, stay stock. I made that mistake with what I perceived as my pretty much unloved '73 Strat. First I had the sunburst overlaid with what turned out in retrospect to be a red plastic skin... Then I had this really well known luthier machine down the maple neck and graft on an ebony board. As I said, it didn't seem to matter all those years ago, but it's unretrievable now.
Leave it be and go stock I say.
Can't you just hear those P90s crying out for a slab hog LPJR!
Steve.

e&oe

[Deleted]

well so for O got one of the Gretsch pickups in. Still waiting on the other one. The P90's I ordered a day before I ordered the other ones. I ordered the P90's from China. in less than 7 days I had them in my hands. I just got the one pickup yesterday and still waiting on the other one. I had to order them through 2 different venders.The odd thing is the bridge pick was sent out before the P90's from China, the neck pickup was send out on the same day that the pickups from china were shipped. I would like to know why does it take so long for stuff bought here in the USA to get to me?

Well, I don't get it. They have until the 16th to get it here. It better be here.

So any way. I looked at the P90's I bought, and after looking at how they would look in the guitar I decided to wait and put the pickups back in ti that came out of the guitar. They just look better.

I still have some work to do to the guitar to put the real pickups back in. The person that had this guitar really hacked it up. So now I have to go back and un do all that. I
I'll get better pictures of this guitar when I get started on it.

You know guitars to me are are like Cars, and computers... some people don't need to have them... This guitar is a case in point. the person that thought he could take a guitar and make it better wound up making it into bad Messed up guitar.

If people like this want something done,they need to learn to take it to someone that can do the work. OH well that's another story.

EB

[hoz]

Mar 11, 2015 20:33:12 GMT -6 @eagleblues said:

If people like this want something done,they need to learn to take it to someone that can do the work. OH well that's another story.

EB

I've always listed hole routing on my business cards. People still choose to use a flat head screw driver and a hammer instead of shelling out $10 or $20. Then I end up with the whole mess later in some trade or whatever! One advantage to strats and teles: their big ol pickguards!

[antares]

I had the back of a Strat routed to flush off the vibrato springs cover by a well known "luthier" here in the UK. He quoted me £15 (or about $22) When I rocked up to collect it after a good 10 weeks wait, he charged me £75 (or about $110). I had to cough up to get my guitar body back. I guess that's just another example of "rip-off Britain" then.

e&oe

[dnic]

I never charge more than my quote, that's just wrong. Everything I've ever done the rules are the same.

[Deleted]

I don't go over my quotes or I try and not too. But If I do I always run it by the customer. There are times for me, that if I need to go over quote, it's because the problem was beyond what I could see at first glance.
But even at that I don't try and char too much over.
I have a guitar right now I am restoring for a customer. I had to wind up making a new nut for it. I could not use one of my pre made bone nuts. So I have to custom make one for the guitar. So I have to charge him a little more than what I told him. The reason is that the guitar has a thick fret board and a stock nut is way too low. He did not want me to put anything under the nut to raise it up. So I have no choice but to custom make one.
But there are them times I don’t charge for extras, like cleaning the guitar or making little adjustments. Even the guitar I am restoring, I'll be doing some things to it that I should charge for but won't. Why? because the work that is needed to get this guitar back up and going for this guy would be more then the guitar is worth.

So why do the rebuild at all you may ask... Well, this is the second guitar now that I have worked on, that some friend owned it and passed away and left them the guitar. So I figure why not help keep the memory of that person alive and keep the guitar playing for another life time. To be passed on someday..

EB
Oh second one in the last 3 weeks.

[dnic]

Going over the quote with pre approval is totally legit. However for example I just finished up the Guild bass rehab I started years ago. I told my guy it would not go over 1k for labor no matter how many hours I put into it. Well time went way over but I'm still charging 1k. It's a hobby I can let some things slide, plus it was to cool a job to let go over money.