Gibson 1942 Triumph Restore

[Robert Freemond]

I've been approached by a young lady with a Gibson 1942 Triumph (N) #16730 Archtop to Restore. She's not sure if she wants to completely refinish, or just put it back into playable condition.

In terms of being a collectable Guitar - How much of a Sin would it be to completely Refinish ?

[Barry Daniels]

That would be like the original sin. It is to be avoided at all costs.

I am not intending to be hard on you, but, if you ask a question like this, I am going to assume that you do not have much experience in repairs or restoration. If that is true, working on a vintage guitar of this value should probably be passed on to a more experienced luthier.

[Joshua Levin-Epstein]

Also, Gibson did not make a "Triumph". Epiphone (pre Gibson) made the Triumph.

[Robert Freemond]

You Guys are both right, I not a repairman, I've only built a few Guitars, & It's an Epiphone not a Gibson.
My question is based on that idea that several people I have encountered felt it was more important to have a nice player that looked good & were not so concerned with it's monetary value. (the new owner included)

I may turn this over to a friend who is an expert repair guy, or pay him to school me.

Thanks for your thought.

[Michael Lewis]

Condition is pretty much everything when regarding collectable instruments. If someone has already made an attempt to refinish then go ahead but if it has original finish try to conserve as much as possible. I recall working on an Epiphone Broadway from a couple years later than the one you refer to here. The finish was an oil varnish and had been compromised by many gigs and lack of TLC, with the finish flaking easily. You need specific knowledge of finishes if you are to deal with something like this. After all, when it is all done and ready to play it could look and play very nicely, or it could look like someone had tried things that didn't work quite so well.

Quite often when in the right hands a rough looking instrument can become a handsome and well functioning instrument. Proper repair techniques will help maintain the appearance and market value, otherwise the less it looks good the lower the value.

[Barry Daniels]

But this is not the type of instrument to learn on, even with a good teacher. Knowing your limits will help you to build a good reputation in this business.