I have been asked to revive a 1968 Gretsch Tennessean. (6119) I have summoned the help of a pro as I have never taken on such a project. I am going to update my progress here. I invite any help or comments as this is the biggest project I have ever undertaken. I will add process pics though out this task.
Restoring a 1968 gretsch Tennessean (6119)
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Jun 13, 2008 6:08 p.m. tadut:
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Jun 13, 2008 6:13 p.m. tadut:
OK. First thing is, I don't know how to add pics. I could use some help.
Thank you,
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Jun 13, 2008 6:33 p.m. tadut:
Ok, I got imaging to work. Here is the subject.
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Jun 13, 2008 7:16 p.m. Rocketman:
At the moment the uploading of pix is temporarily disabled. Upload them to http://imageshack.us/ or something and then you can place the pic here.
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Jun 15, 2008 10:18 a.m. tadut:
Here is the worst piece of rotted binding.
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Jun 15, 2008 10:42 a.m. tadut:
Well the binding around the neck pretty much fell off which made things sort of easy. While inspecting the frets, the first fret I touched fell out of the board. The rest of them unfortunately did not. I am currently waiting for radius gauges ordered from Stew Mac.
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Jun 15, 2008 10:45 a.m. tadut:
The Headstock has some discoloration and I'm not sure what to do about it yet.
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Jun 17, 2008 7:51 a.m. tadut:
Well I got an email from the pro yesterday. He said If I want to ensure minimal damage to the body when removing the binding, get a new Exacto blade and score the binding edges.
Well, here I am after the last new Exacto blade purchase...
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Jun 17, 2008 9:58 a.m. JackDaniels:
Ouch! I bet the pro didn't know you wore shirts like that either! I guess power tools are out of the question then. Just kidding.
Keep us updated on this. Binding replacement is a labor of love. I would also like to add, search for the right size binding in advance if you can. I am not sure when Gretsch standardized on the binding size, but the one I just did was taller than the standard .250 size. The width is easy, as you can just keep adding layers, but the hight has to be right. You may want to look for 0.375 tall bindings that you can scrape down to the top.
JD
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Jun 17, 2008 3:04 p.m. Shuggie101:
Hi tadut
I had to replace the bass side binding on my Tennessean and it turned out just fine. I even got to drill the marker dots dead centre rather than the random way Gretsch did it
You may want to take your opportunity to clean out those fret slots before you put the binding on. It's much easier that way.
Thanks for sharing.
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Jun 17, 2008 3:36 p.m. tadut:
I bought a caliper gauge on the way into work this morning. I'm gonna measure it as soon as I get home.
Yea,, That's some shirt ain't it..
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Jun 17, 2008 5:09 p.m. Rocketman:
I salute all guitar restorers, especially the binding restorers.
I am so glad my '67 Tenny doesn't seem to have any binding issues. Only some small cracks on the binding at the neck joint.
Is there a way to postpone further rotting I wonder. Not that it's rotting right before my eyes, but still.
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Jun 20, 2008 10:55 p.m. tadut:
Ok,
Binding is off. Thanks for the tips "Pro"
As soon as I figure out what type/size binding to purchase, I'll need to ask the Pro how to heat and bend..
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Jun 21, 2008 9:53 a.m. FrequentFlyer909:
Hey, Tadut,
Many of us will be watching this discussion thread quite attentively, though we may not post very often. We appreciate you sharing the process and adventure.
If you get stuck on one restoration issue or another, I hope you'll feel free to post your quandaries and questions here. All the Gretschpertise in the world hangs out here.
Carry on!
Paul/FF909
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Jun 21, 2008 8:13 p.m. tadut:
After talking with J.D. and watching as Andy's 57 gets restored by him. I felt confident enough to take on the task and lean to this board if I get in a bind. Wait, The bind is how i got into this mess. :)
FF909 Thank you and I hope to have project completed successfully with the help of this board.
Tadut
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Jun 21, 2008 8:34 p.m. tadut:
If you didn't notice, most of the work being done was at the kitchen table.
Well, The boss wants her kitchen back,, so we took $20 bucks and a quick trip down to Home Depot to whip up a new kitchen table.
Now to claim a new room.
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Jun 21, 2008 8:58 p.m. Boyko:
Wow,thats going to look really cool! Good luck!
Personally I'd leave the headstock. I like the coloration it has, but if you want to make it like new then I guess you wouldn't want it that way. Makes it looks vintage though!
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Jun 21, 2008 9:35 p.m. gretschiam:
Fantastic. I'll watch this to see it come alive. Thanks for sharing.
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Jun 23, 2008 10:03 a.m. JC:
I love these restoring threads!
Thanks again Tadut
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Jun 27, 2008 10:12 a.m. tadut:
Sorry for not updating for a few days. I got sidetracked with this bench. One little thing led to another little thing so I figured, Let me get this bench the way I want it before I continue. Anyway, The Radius gauges came and I checked out the neck. As JD said, it looks to be 12 and either the radius's are pretty close or I'm getting old and can't see any more. (probably the later)
So the next purchase is fretwire and binding. The owner is not real picky and just wants to play his Gretsch again. I saw in another thread about using newer ABS plastic rather than the older celluloid which is a bit expensive(Shipping).
Does anyone have a comment on binding preference.
Thanks everyone,
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Jun 27, 2008 10:12 a.m. tadut:
Bench is ready an has found it's new home. It also has instant access to the Gretsch Pages for all the input I will be requesting.
Now if my StewMac order ever gets here we can get to the good stuff.
Thanks,
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Jul 2, 2008 1:52 p.m. tadut:
OK,
First big question.
Duco cement is not readily available locally. I can probably order it on line. My question is, is there an equivalent available that I might find at a Home Depot or hobby store.
Thanks,
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Jul 2, 2008 2:07 p.m. TAG4:
Wasn't "Duco" what they used to call "airplane glue" that the kids got into trouble "sniffing?" Maybe had ether in it? If so, you wouldn't want that stuff near a guitar finish! A long time ago it was "DuPont" Duco
TAG4
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Jul 2, 2008 2:14 p.m. TAG4:
A better hobby blade than x-Acto is the Testors disposable type. Has a black plastic handle and a VERY sharp blade in the shape of the common x-acto. A surgeon once told me they were sharper than the scalpels he used. About 98 cents at Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby or model airplane/train shops.
TAG4
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Jul 2, 2008 3:47 p.m. Bear:
tadut said: Duco cement is not readily available locally.
I got a bottle of it a Lowe's here in Louisville.
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