Old Gretch guitar

[lonnie james barber]

Hi Fellows;while taking my wife to work I had to stop at the county dumpsters to toss out the trash.While waiting in line I noticed a couple tossing away a guitar.I could see the headstock was broken off and dangling by some old strings.My curiosity piqued, I walked over, the name on the guitar said Gretch.I asked if they were throwing it away.The lady said yes,so I asked if I could have it.She agreed and I thanked her and walked proudly back to my car.My wife looked at me like I was crazy and said what did I want with that piece of trash.I explained to her that it was a Gretch guitar and might be worth a good home.After getting it home I looked inside to read the label.It said THE FRED, GRETCH MFG.CO Brooklyn (11),N.Y. Upon closer inspection I noticed the top was cracked with a fairly wide (smile).To be honest it looks like the guitar may have been used as a canoe paddle sometime ago by maybe Hiawatha.The bridge is cracked all the way across where the bridge pins go,but still solidly glued to the what appears to be a white spruce top.The back looks like Mahogony as does the broken headstock.The truss rod seems secure in side it's little room (i.e.not tampered with).The finish is badly cracked all the way around.This guitar does not seem to have a whole lot going for it except it's name and manufacturer.The serial number is 62,035.The line for the model number is blank.At one time I feel like this little accoustic was a very fine guitar.The fingerboard is rosewood.The finish is what we refer to as sunburst.My questions fellows,does anyone out there have a clue about this guitar?I won't begin working on this ol fella untill cooler weather.

[lonnie james barber]

Hi guys;my new tuners came in,and I installed them.It's got all 6 strings on it now.Personally I think my 30 year old Yamaha sounds better but I prefer nylon strings.The guitar however is fairly easy to play for a steel string.My question is should I try to hide the fact that the headstock got busted off? By that I mean should I add some filler and try to match the finish.I really dont see me being able to cover it up. I took a Black Magic marker and darkened the area that was repaired just so your eye wouldn't be drawn to the repair. I kinda like it the way it is.Should I go further?