Refinishing my Carter?

Chris Morano · From: Rowe, Massachusetts, USA

I've got a four year old Carter D10 with a blue formica cab. I am a woodworker/cabinet maker so I often imagine redoing it with a more attractive veneer. I'm wondering if this would devalue the instrument, any thoughts?

Joey Ace · From: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Modifications (even improvements) to an instrument usually decrease it's value.

Do it if you plan to keep it.

John Fabian · From: Mesquite, Texas USA * R.I.P.

Removing the old laminate and replacing it with new pieces of high pressure laminate shouldn't reduce the value of your guitar if you do the job properly.

John Fabian

Dave Ristrim · From: Whites Creek, TN

NO, what you need to do is keep this Carter for practicing and buy another one to take out. They are so inexpensive, I gotta another one soon.
Dave Ristrim

Joey Ace · From: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

You never can perdict future values.

I base my comments on this experience:

Back in 1975 a expert Martin repair guy (still employed in Nazareth) advised me to refinish my ~1920 Gibson Mandolin, because the finish was heavily worn. He said he could make it look like new. Based on his reputation I'm sure he could have.

I told him I've heard that refins lower value. He disagreed. I only had him do a refret that was required to make it playable. No refin.

I think I made the right decission.
Current values support this belief.

Of course a Steel Guitar is not a Mandolin, and I don't have the sales experience of John Fabian. Just my two cents (Canadian).

Dave's suggestion works for me.
(I have two Carters)

John Fabian · From: Mesquite, Texas USA * R.I.P.

I really like Dave's idea.

John Fabian

Roger Rettig · From: Naples, FL

I have a theory that there's a padded cell somewhere with two occupants - the pilot of the 'Enola Gay' and the guy who cut a hole in Ricky Skaggs' 1942 Martin D28 and fitted Takamine electrics; both were only obeying orders, but.....

I may have to join them - I'm the genius who had his '58 Gibson Super 400 refinished!

I always feel there's a stigma attached to any refinished instrument - even a modern steel guitar. Call John and buy another.

------------------
Roger Rettig

Joey Ace · From: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Since this is a Steel Forum, I won't tell about how I did a bad refin on a 68 Sunburst Strat.

Heck, I was a just dumb kid, and it was a just a 5 year-old beat-up used guitar that I bought for $165. Besides, natural looks so much better than sunburst, and I had a power sander...

Steve Stallings · From: Houston/Cypress, Texas

Well... about five years ago I came upon a all original 62 strat with original case, hang tags..yada yada yada. It was owned by the pastor of a full gospel church in a nearby town. He had spraypainted it canary yellow "because the finish was getting worn down". Even with that, I offered a ton of money for it. He still has it and won't part with it... not because of it's collectable value but because it's his guitar and he likes it.

Tom Campbell · From: Houston, Texas, USA

I have a 1952 Gibson, Les Paul, gold top that I sent back to the Gibson factory in 1967 and had them refinish it in cherry red...and install a tun-o-matic bridge. At the time I was playing on the road and considered it a working guitar...never imagining what a vintage gold top would be worth someday. I still have it...and still hate the gold top color combination!

Bill Hatcher · From: Atlanta Ga. USA

The only time you will not devalue an instrument with a refin is when it is done at the factory. I have a Gibson (Kalamazoo)refinished guitar with receipts from Gibson appraised by George Gruhn to back this up.

I do not think that a Carter steel guitar will ever be worth as much as a 62 Strat or a 58 S400 because the vintage market demand is not there now or will it be there in the future. Go ahead and either do it yourself or take the guitar apart and strip off the plastic, clean off the old adhesive and send it back to Carter with your mica color you like and let them do it.

Bigsbys are collectible because there are only a few out there. Carters, MSA, etc.---thousands and thousands with not much collector demand at all.

Jon Light (deceased) · From: Saugerties, NY

question---do you really want to do this? The key to this discussion re: not hurting the value of the guitar is doing it right. This means total dismantling, stripping old laminate w/ heat gun or whatever, stripping ALL traces of old adhesive w/ sanding, scraping, solvents, whatever, and only then applying your cabinet making skills to lay on the new skin, then reassembly. I'd look into that second guitar that John is so generously agreeable to allow you to buy. Or a can of Krylon over your original mica. Now THAT'S classy.

Roger Rettig · From: Naples, FL

.....or you could find out where Jeff Newman buys that ghastly self-adhesive stuff; maybe you can get it in tasteful colours, too.

RR

Mark van Allen · From: Watkinsville, Ga. USA

Or even better, refinish it with some kind of hip carbon- fibre stuff and it'll be worth twice as much.

Jimmy Lewis · From: Harrisonburg, Louisiana, USA

The best way to improve your guitar is get rid of the Carter and get a real guitar an EMMONS.

John McGann · From: Boston, Massachusetts, USA * R.I.P.

man this anti-Carter crap is tiresome!

Jimmy Lewis · From: Harrisonburg, Louisiana, USA

I am sorry if you don't like this I am speaking from first hand experience. I owned a Carter aka toy guitar at one time. I talked to the people at Carter about some parts. I received the parts but they were the wrong ones. It was the companies mistake not mine. I requested new parts and was told these parts would be on the way. About an hour later I received a call saying if I wanted the parts I would have to pay shipping. Folks this wasn't my fault but the companies fault I refused to pay shipping and never got the parts. Also, I was sworn at on the phone and called some terrible names by a so called good citizen that works at Carter guitars. I have a right to be anti Carter, will always be anti Carter, and will always speak my mind about any subject I feel strongly about.

I am a musician with a visual disability and have had to deal with many issues over the years but I have never been treated as shabbily as this company treated me for no good reason.

[This message was edited by Jimmy Lewis on 05 November 2003 at 09:12 PM.]

Dyke Corson · From: Fairmount, IL USA

Well, I needed parts for my new Carter, got them no charge in two days from Bud personally. Like a bonehead, I dropped a screw trying to put the parts in, they sent me a couple new ones 2 days later no charge. That's how I was treated!

Eric West · From: Portland, Oregon, USA, R.I.P.

I'd redo it in a minute were I you. There are so many beautiful veeners, from Myrtle wood to Teak and Zebra not to mention all the inlays.

You're not going to hurt the resale a single bit. Not even 50 years from now. There are too many out there. I've got a National aluminum lap steel that still ain't worth 200 bucks 60 years after it was made. I am chopping it up and making a "cat can" Dobro simulator with it when I get the time.

Like Harleys, the only people that are going to be interested in resale of something you build for yourself is "your estate".

I figure "screw 'em".

EJL

Chris Morano · From: Rowe, Massachusetts, USA

Thanks for all the great input guys. Jimmy I'm sorry about your experience but you're breaking my heart (no sarcasm intended). I feel like I've just been told that the girl I've been in love with for the last four years is a whore. You think I should leave her and go back to my wife? Help, I'm so confused.

Speaking of my wife, she suggested she make a nice slip cover for it out of the material left over from the couch.

Iain · From: Edinburgh, Scotland

Ann was more than generous with help given to me when shipping my steel back to Scotland after a year in Chicago.
She got me a really cheap deal on shipping even though I'd bought my Carter 2nd hand.
And i got a couple of screws sent free, too, on another occasion!
Good company, good guitar...

Don Walters · From: Saskatchewan Canada

at risk of stating the obvious, a disagreement with a Carter staff member, for whatever reason, has nothing to do with the quality of Carter products. To call them "toys" is absurd!

------------------
Don Walters
Carter D-10 8p/6k BCT, Evans AE100, Hilton Pedal

Joey Ace · From: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

I've had only positive experiences dealing with Carter Guitars and staff. John Fabian's prompt reply to this question is another example of how helpful they are. Their web site serves the entire Steel community in a way no one else does.

Play what you like, but brand bashing only make you look bad.

Jimmy Lewis · From: Harrisonburg, Louisiana, USA

Don I beg your pardon but if I want to call a Carter a toy I will. I don't appreciate you saying I was absurd. I have my opinion about Carter guitars and the people that own the company. I might have known that you people would not take my story serious but it is true. So if you want to belittle someones views who has a disability go ahead if that makes you a BIGGER man. In my mind you are as low as that citizen at Carter who was very rude to me.

Joey Ace · From: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

So Chris...
Whatcha gonna do?

If you do it, I'd like to see before/after pix. It would also be interesting if you kept track of how much time was involved.

Sorry to hear about your girlfriend.

Maybe I should have told you.

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