Hutch's Guitar

[stoo23]

My good friend as well as Hutch's Mark, delivered this to me last week, (along with the machine he was using as a local server).

Hutch Loved this instrument and was actually getting pretty good as a player, considering he was self taught,... until he seriously damaged the fingers on his left hand, which mean't he could no longer play it 

From it's current condition, it seems he simply had not touched it in years.

I'll be doing some restoration work, before it heads to Queensland and my good friend and awesome guitarist Steve Reinthal, (who Steve also knew and,... approved of,.. lol), so it's going to the Right Home, with Ian's approval.

I think Hutch would be happy it's heading to Steve's place,.. it will at least get played again regularly 

You cannot view this attachment.  You cannot view this attachment.

[NoCforMe]

Hmm, looks like a standard (Torres) classical guitar, primitive pegs instead of tuning machines. Spruce & mahogany? How does it sound?

[stoo23]

Yeah sort of.
The instrument is actually quite old.
(Still not 100% sure but sometime between 1942 and 1947 it would seem) and cost 65.80 pasetas in 1942
Hutch found it at a local Record store and rescued it  ... typically,.. 

Hmm, looks like a standard (Torres) classical guitar, primitive pegs instead of tuning machines.

Yeah, although, like Hutch there are quite a lot of Flamenco players that still seem to prefer the more Hardcore use of Pegs,.. go figure ?? 

Spruce & mahogany?

No according to the caltalogue; Cypress wood, curved top, with fillets at the mouth, Cedar handle (Model Corriente)

How does it sound?

It sounds, perhaps surprisingly rather good.
Appropriate Bright tone for Flamenco style (with the right strings) had a good low action etc.
As I have discovered and translated from the Spanish, it is Listed in their 1940's catalogues as a #29 (also it is also as marked on the Soundhole label)

You cannot view this attachment.

It is SO dirty and dry atm,.. the Neck is basically OK but the Frets need checking / dressing (possibly replacing) and polishing etc.
I have since cleaned it Twice with Shellite and it is still filthy !!   

Hutch took all the finish off,.. (or so I initially thought).
I guess he was intending to do work on it but probably lost interest after he chopped the tops of his fingers off.

So I'll have to see how it 'brushes-up' after a good clean and decide on type and style of finish, to get it to both Look and Sound nice 

[zedd151]

I was just giving this a casual read without any intention of replying, but when you 'matter of factly' said:

... after he chopped the tops of his fingers off.

I just have to ask: "How the hell did THAT happen?"
ouch!!! How long ago was that?

[NoCforMe]

So I'll have to see how it 'brushes-up' after a good clean and decide on type and style of finish

You could try French polish (shellac, applied with a cloth pad). Not as durable as lacquer but maybe actually easier to apply, and beautiful if done properly: no sanding or polishing needed afterwards, comes out absolutely flat and glossy. Many coats. Probably sound better too.

[stoo23]

I was just giving this a casual read without any intention of replying, but when you 'matter of factly' said:

... after he chopped the tops of his fingers off.

I just have to ask: "How the hell did THAT happen?"
ouch!!! How long ago was that?

Yeah, it was some time ago and I am having difficulty remembering exactly How he did it but he was eagerly performing some extensive modifications and reparations to the rear downstairs section of the house and I 'think' .... as Mark just called, it was actually at the factory of old friend of his, who made Speaker cabinets and other items and had just bought a new Table Saw and Hutch obviously somewhat casually, just grabbed a lump of timber and ran it through the machine but it grabbed the timber and pulled his hand through with it and he managed to RIZZ the tops of his first 3 x fingers off with a Table Saw !!!
Rather surprising really, when one considers how many years Hutch had worked around such machines and in fact even Made Tools for such things when younger. ... Lesson there is to ALWAYS be very careful ... Young Grasshopper !!

I mean you can almost Hear ... and ... Feel that !! 
It certainly looked awful and took quite some time to heal and really changed a lot of what he could do, for some time.
I know he was a bit distressed about not being able to play, as he was just at that point where he was starting to feel more comfortable with his playing and even after they healed, he simply wasn't happy, as it really changed How he could play, so really did put the Ky-bosh on it and is probably why the instrument was buried and in such a poor shape.

[stoo23]

You could try French polish (shellac, applied with a cloth pad)

Yes, possibly. Has been Some time since I have used Shellac or done Any French Polishing, on anything.

and beautiful if done properly: no sanding or polishing needed afterwards, comes out absolutely flat and glossy

Yes

Many coats

YES very possibly   

Probably sound better too

Perhaps, I think that can depend on both the specific wood used and where it is used.
Not so great for light, bright Spruce tops, especially if you are wanting to avoid the slight yellowing that would occur.

Not as durable as lacquer but maybe actually easier to apply

Yeah, have never done any Lacquer work myself.

I have done a lot of work (on Solid Bodied instruments), using natural and Sanded/Polished Danish Oil finishes as it can be had in various combinations and can provide a beautiful hard long wearing (and non toxic) finish, without soaking in to the wood and effecting it's sound quality, (like many other less ideal oil finishes) and is in fact a great finish for the Neck and possibly Back and Sides.



Doing some reading and following a build by an Australian builder: Spruce & Blackwood Flamenco guitar with one of his Flamenco instruments.



He has used a relatively new product, called Osmo, with one of their extremely simple products, specifically designed for Light coloured timbers, like Spruce, being: Osmo Polyx-Oil Raw

As suggested, I will have to see how it cleans up and looks, before deciding on the final style and method of finish 

[NoCforMe]

Mmmm, don't think so about that oil finish.

I used to do guitar repair, apprenticed under a guy in the 19-ought-70s. Can't say I became an expert, but I did learn a lot about finishes, including shooting lacquer. (I even did a pretty good sunburst finish on a Gibson electric.)

I wouldn't use any kind of oil finish (meaning a penetrating oil like Danish or teak oil) on anything guitar-shaped except maybe that Strat you showed, where the body has really nothing to do with the sound. Definitely never on any acoustic instruments!

Basically, you've got your choice of 3 types of finish:

• Lacquer
• Shellac (French polish)
• Varnish (oil or spirit)

Lacquer really can only be applied by spraying. If you try to brush it on you'll spend forever flattening the finish with sandpaper afterwards, then having to polish it. Pain in the ass. (You'll probably have to do some sanding in any case, to get rid of any orange peel, runs, sags, etc., unless you're some kind of a genius with a spray gun.)

French polish, as you know, is beautiful, is actually one of the best-sounding finishes (either for guitars or violins), but isn't anywhere near as durable as lacquer.

Varnish is good, can be applied with a brush, sounds good. I'd use oil varnish rather than spirit, as spirit varnish, like shellac, can easily be dissolved by alcohol (think: spilled drinks). Remember, that's oil varnish, not a penetrating oil finish; two different things.

There's also the new water-based varnishes. However, I'm old-school, and the water varnishes I used, probably 20 years ago, were pure shit. Milky-white, not clear. I understand they've improved since then, but I've not used any. Maybe they're OK.

BTW, speaking of yellowing, I'm someone who actually likes the mellowing effect of certain finishes over time. After all, who wants an instrument that looks bleached-white forever, like it just came out of the factory? Spruce naturally yellows with time into a gorgeous golden color anyhow. Ever see, for instance, a pre-war Martin D-28? The color is to die for. A little more yellow in the finish is just icing on the cake to me (and to a lot of other people).