national restoration

[chip griffin]

new to the site. im restoring a 1931 national duolin. the neck socket separated many years ago. this failure destroyed the fingerboard.im going to replace it. my question is this... the original fingerboard is dyed maple, will going with ebony effect the value to a collector? or should i recreate the dyed maple? this is my first forum so forgive me if i left anything important out. im much more comfortable with hand tools than a computer.

[Kerry Krishna]

 Can you post some pictures Chip? It really gets folks into a helpful mood  around here. It also is possible that you might be able to salvage that board. There are some true miracle workers here on the Forum with some amazing advice... (I aint talking about myself either!)..

[Paul Verticchio]

Kerry gave you excellent advice Chip...& welcome to the forum. I'll leave the FB repair advice details to those experts.

I'll only comment on the "collector" aspect.

Repairing the FB will reduce the 'collector value' of the instrument much less than replacing the FB. However, to a "player" that wants the instrument as a working tool, the repair won't affect the value as much or at all. To players, the magic is in the body, not the neck.

Much of its value will be determined by its general overall condition, the condition of the finish & the level of ornamentation (if any) on it. The market is in the tank right now so it's nowhere near the value of any "published" estimates.  The used instrument market fluctuates like the stock market nowadays, with a general downward trend. It's a great buyers' market and probably the worst ever sellers' market.

Again, welcome & the very best of luck,

Paul

[chip griffin]

These are a few pictures of the National.  I have plenty more, but these show the condition of the fingerboard.  The break is directly where the body meets the neck.  This spot is crucial for the strength of the neck joint.  Also, the screw hole at the end of the fingerboard beyond the final fret is very dilapidated.  i would love to keep this neck on the guitar, so if there are ways to preserve the original without compromising the neck joint, I would like to do that.  

[Eric Steven Johansen]

Chip, as a repairman and vintage dealer I suggest saving the original board. A really strong and totally invisible repair can be achieved by removing the fretboard, reassembling the parts, and blind mortising an 1/8" thick piece of maple to the back that spans the break by an inch or so. This will also reinforce the crack running with the grain. Reinstall the fretboard and you and the rest of us on the board will be the only ones who'll know. Seriously this is the best way to retain the collector value.

BTW Nice guitar. Priceless mojo............