"It's a steal (but it needs a little work...)"

[Tate Ferguson]

Ever buy an instrument that's way cheap, then wind up spending money on it to the point that you wish you hadn't bought it in the first place?

I have done this all my misguided life. Right now I'm tempted by an extremely used Gibson mando I've located on the internet - a very low price - it just needs a little work, ha ha ha...

[allenhopkins]

Finest example in my past was my Regal Octofone, which had a repaired headstock when I bought it from Bernunzio for maybe $250, as I remember. In its first year of my ownership, it got a re-repaired headstock, the fretboard pulled to accommodate a carbon fiber reinforcing rod (neck warpage), the pulled fingerboard replaced with a new ebony one (the old one made of dyed "mystery wood") -- and then the headstock re-re-repaired due to shipping damage sending it back from the truss-rod-and-fingerboard guy.

So: somewhat more than $500 in repairs (and I got them cheap through a personal connection) into a $250 instrument. Good news is that it now plays really nicely and I like it. Worth the $750 total? IHMO, yes, but barely...

If you can't do the work yourself, tread carefully when the mandolin "needs a little work." A little work = a lot of money, sometimes.

[William Smith]

Well what Gibson mando is it? and what kind of work is needed. Info like that can help us Gibson nuts, well help you. It may only be something minor?
I just bought a 1937 Gibson wide sunburst bodied A-50 that has 3 cracks that need fixed, no big deal if you know this type of mandolin most of these have the treble and bass F-hole cracks? Has to be some sort of design flaw. I've owned close to 10 of these over the years and only one was perfect with not a crack! But I bought this 37 real cheap and it has beautiful wood, great F-7 fingerboard inlays, awesome sunburst on the whole thing. This has the wood pedigree for something nasty pre-war sounding type conversion I'll be doing I hope this winter? And for well under a G well worth it to me. I'll make her better for sure.
So let us in on your Gibson potential buy, lets hear what she needs and some things are easy fix while some are expensive, you may find the same type in great shape cheaper depending on what it is? Just my 2 to 5 cents. Will

[Br1ck]

This is only a problem if you view everything through a filter of dollars and cents. Say you buy that old Gibson for $500 and then find out you need to spend another $1200 to restore it. The same mandolin in good shape is worth $1200. Have you wasted $500, or have you bought an instrument worthy of repair, one that will bring you a lifetime of enjoyment, and one worth preserving its fine heritage.

Twenty years ago, I bought a 1970 Guild D 35, a guitar I imagine you could buy in decent playable shape for around $800. I paid $200 and put it in a closet. A couple of years ago, I decided I needed to finely get it working. Neck reset, new frets, bridge nut and saddle, and a neck respray later, I was $1200 poorer. So, many, even most would say I squandered a few bucks. But there is one more old guitar in the world, one that isn't in a closet but being enjoyed every day, at a very nominal cost if you prorate it over time.

So I say the world needs more old playable instruments.

[Jeff Mando]

This is only a problem if you view everything through a filter of dollars and cents........ there is one more old guitar in the world, one that isn't in a closet but being enjoyed every day.......

Agreed. Plus, certain models do not show up everyday in any condition, where you would have a choice of buying a nicer one or a fixer upper -- sometimes you only get to buy it in "as found" condition and go from there.....

[Timbofood]

Brick and Jeff see it pretty much the way I find myself looking at it.
If it's something really "unusual" or fascinating, I might bite, I've done it before on a few things. If you found something that really trips your trigger, it's only money! You can't take it with you might as well take something which needs some help and do the restoration. Then remember:" A thing of beauty, is a joy forever!"
The beauty may be as much your enjoyment as appearance!

[GTison]

Don't do it.

[nmiller]

Agreed. Plus, certain models do not show up everyday in any condition, where you would have a choice of buying a nicer one or a fixer upper -- sometimes you only get to buy it in "as found" condition and go from there.....

My thoughts exactly. It may not be worth the time and expense to restore a post-War A-50, but if you're a Gibson collector and you come across an F-3 for $200, it's easy to justify a neck reset and refret.

[Louise NM]

Better to do this with mandolins than with houses or sports cars.

[UsuallyPickin]

Yup .... but only once. A guitar that never lived up yo it's potential. < Sigh .... R/

[Tate Ferguson]

Somebody bought it, saving me from this problem. Clearly the longtime possession of an uncontrolled picker with a heavy right hand. The deeply incised top looked like a beaver had been chewing on it. Thanks for the replies.

[Eric Platt]

Yup. Done it many a time. Worst might have been the Gretsch Anniversary guitar that had a strat jack in the top. But yeah, been there, regretted that.

Am trying to be better now, but there are still times when I need to step back and decide whether it's really something needed, or just buying because it's "such a deal." Was even flipping back and forth about that on the Breedlove Cascade before deciding it was really needed. Glad I did in that case.

[stevedenver]

While i get, "the journey" and sometimes the satisfaction of restoration, and learning along the way,
I have experienced polishing a "&$'n, and, am done with it. Uniqueness aside.

I want a musical instrument ( car, bicycle, etc.) , one that i can determine its feel, sound, intonation, etc., in advance.

I guess i have experienced too much frustration and unwarranted cost, which inevitably feeds on itself the deeper one gets into these projects.

The filter of money....makes commonsense sound like a bad thing.

Frankly, theres a world of fine used instruments. And, mandatory work bench time.......like ice cream, for me, is most loved in smaller servings. Id rather be playing, hiking, etc.

Not saying its a bad thing at all, if that is the true purpose of the decision, ie to tinker.

[Nevin]

Not from a $$'s point of view. I was given a Pfretzschner, aluminum upright bass in bad shape and have been restoring it on and off for several years (It doesn't live where I do). If I put the value of my time at minimum wage I am probably financially behind. I do it as a hobby and learning experiance that I enjoy. When it is done I will enjoy playing it more knowing that it was an instrument rescued from a dumpster.

[Br1ck]

I want to add that there is a category of instruments that is ripe for a DYI owner, that which would not be catastrophic if you botched the job. I'm thinking of maybe a Strad o lin or an older Higher end Kentucky.

I have a friend who has a 65 Epiphone Caballero, an all mahogany OO sized guitar, whose value on a very good day would be around $600. This guitar was a wreck with heavy finish checking, river valleys really, fret divots the size of potholes and a top neck block crack down the fretboard to the sound hole. He was willing to spend $400 on it, due to sentimentality, and fool enough to entrust it to me.

After jacking the neck back into the correct position, the neck angle looked ok, so I glued and cleated the top crack, reglued the brace, and low and behold, it didn't fold back up. Just for fun, I leveled the frets at a slope, high on the bass side as the wear wasn't too bad there, low on the treble side. It played good enough, after a new saddle, that the owner didn't want a fret job.

So owner got a playable instrument back for $200 and was happy. I'd buy an instrument like that any day just for experience.

[SincereCorgi]

I see this all the time at work, people bringing in student woodwinds from the '60s-'80s that need full repads since the larvae got into them. You put in $300 and when you're done you have a flute worth $300. It seems wasteful to chuck them, but some tools have just reached the end of their useful life and we shouldn't be too sentimental about it.

[George Henry]

I once bought a Gibson A-1 for $400 but it had a plethora of issues. I addressed each issue over a period of time until I had a pretty good looking mandolin. My first gig with the Gibson was a restaurant/bar situation. A customer at the gig came up and admired the Gibson. Said it looked just like his old dear dead Daddy's and that he'd buy it on the spot, cash money. I told him it was just new to me and I wanted to enjoy it a little bit. Every couple of songs he'd come back and offer me $100 dollars more. Finally the price reached a point I couldn't refuse. I only got to play that Gibson once.

[Timbofood]

I used to work with a watchmaker who had NO use for American pocket watches, he repeatedly told peopl they should just "Throw it away!" I'm not talking about westclox Scotty's here, I'm talking Illinois "Bunn Specials" or Hamilton 992B high grade pocket watches. The owner had several "talks with him about his attitude, all I could do was be the nice guy with the customers. My point is really, to some it's just old "Stuff" to others, these things are just in need of some care and attention. Sometimes it's not about the Benjamin's.

[Eric Platt]

I used to work with a watchmaker who had NO use for American pocket watches, he repeatedly told peopl they should just "Throw it away!" I'm not talking about westclox Scotty's here, I'm talking Illinois "Bunn Specials" or Hamilton 992B high grade pocket watches. The owner had several "talks with him about his attitude, all I could do was be the nice guy with the customers. My point is really, to some it's just old "Stuff" to others, these things are just in need of some care and attention. Sometimes it's not about the Benjamin's.

Wow! And I know how much those used to run on the used market. Can understand the thought, though. I used to hear the same argument with old Gibson Kalamazoo acoustics & mandos. Pre war. The guitars used to not be worth the cost of the neck reset.