Opinion needed

[Mandolincelli]

We are restoring a 1905-1908 Gibson H-1 Mandola. The luthier sends me this email:

"The original finish is in pretty bad shape, especially on the soundboard (top.) There is also a serious crack in the top from the sound hole to the upper edge of the plate. It has been repaired once, but not too well. I can splice new wood into the crack area and attempt to match the color. I'm still thinking about that one.

There is also a minor split on the back that I will repair. Unfortunately it shows up in the right light, but to really fix it would definately mean sanding that area and then restaining that area to match the rest of the back. That done, it is still very difficult to match 100- year-old varnish.

So how do you feel about refinishing the instrument? There is a huge premium placed on an original finish, but this one is in bad shape."

To all you luthiers out there in MandolinCafe land: What would you do? To refinish or not to refinish: That is the question!:confused:

[Tom C]

Leave the finish as is.

[Lefty Luthier]

Leave the finish alone or sand it all down to bare wood and restain and refinish from scratch. Any repair to very old finishes is always visible.

[Gail Hester]

I'd like to help but it really is impossible to give you an opinion without seeing the mandolin, or at least some good pictures.

[sunburst]

What Gail said. I'd have to see it, probably not just a picture but probably "in person".
Touching up the color and finish can be done, but it does take skill and experience (and luck).

[Charles E.]

I would not remove the original finish, once it's gone it is gone forever and you have greatly reduced the value and history of the instrument.
You might want to get a second opinoin about the restoration, a minor crack should not have to be sanded down to bare wood. Instruments that are this old will show some evidence of repair work, if it is done well it will hold its value but done poorly will hurt it.

[barney 59]

If you refinish it it looses collector value --If it really needed a refinish and didn't get one I think that there isn't that much collector value there anyway. A mandola isn't as common as an A model from that period so it does have probably more value starting out. I wouldn't hesitate myself with refinishing an older A or H model that had a really terrible finish or exposed bare wood. Then there is the issue of tone --a 100 year old finish vs a brand new finish -- --- Alot of my favorite players always had new shiny instruments --Jethro and Dave Apollon for example --they sounded alright.