NGD 1958 Stella/Harmony Parlor Acoustic
Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2018 8:23 pm
I was yardsaling yesterday and spotted a generic hardshell electric case for $10...the same sale also had this gnarly looking unbranded acoustic with a $1 sticker on it. I asked if they would throw it in if I bought the case, so technically this was a free guitar.
It was missing tuning pegs and bridge. The neck looked straight and top looked flat enough. Neck joint seemed firmly attached.
There are no fret markers on this guitar so a previous owner painted the entire frets white. I took this off with a combination of acetone and alcohol, but it also removed some of the rosewood stain, I will probably address this with the next string change but I first wanted to make sure it was worth putting more work into.
I went to Parkway and bought some used 3+3 tuning pegs; $10 for the pair. Only problem was the holes in the pegs did not exactly clear the headstock thickness, so I had to drill out string holes further up the posts. I think I found a proper bridge on eBay but for now I am using a cheap plastic adjustable bridge I already had from a newer project parlor guitar (a Gremllin) I picked up from another yard sale last year.
So anyways, with a set of Martin Silk and Steel Marquis, I now have a whole $20 into this guitar. I love it so much, the action is a little high but nowhere near as bad as some of these Stellas I've seen, also with the light tension strings it is totally playable. Just wish I took a "before" picture...
It was missing tuning pegs and bridge. The neck looked straight and top looked flat enough. Neck joint seemed firmly attached.
There are no fret markers on this guitar so a previous owner painted the entire frets white. I took this off with a combination of acetone and alcohol, but it also removed some of the rosewood stain, I will probably address this with the next string change but I first wanted to make sure it was worth putting more work into.
I went to Parkway and bought some used 3+3 tuning pegs; $10 for the pair. Only problem was the holes in the pegs did not exactly clear the headstock thickness, so I had to drill out string holes further up the posts. I think I found a proper bridge on eBay but for now I am using a cheap plastic adjustable bridge I already had from a newer project parlor guitar (a Gremllin) I picked up from another yard sale last year.
So anyways, with a set of Martin Silk and Steel Marquis, I now have a whole $20 into this guitar. I love it so much, the action is a little high but nowhere near as bad as some of these Stellas I've seen, also with the light tension strings it is totally playable. Just wish I took a "before" picture...
