Concerns with an Instrument Exposed to Fire?

[Tone Seeker]

I might be able to get a good deal on a guitar that's been in a fire. The damage appears to be superficial, impacting the finish only. It apparently plays and sounds good.

Is this worth pursing, or should I steer clear?

Terry.

 

[madams17]

My son-in-law scored a 60s SG that was in a fire. He refinished it and it's a great instrument. I'd say grab it.

 

[bfcg]

What is it?

 

[voices]

yes, get it if it's cheap and worry about the rest later. post pix!

 

[Paragon]

Flame top?

 

[hagstromswede]

Flame top?

 

[guitarnut34]

man I got my peavey T-60 after it was found floating in a basement and it is coming back together so if I can do that then you will be fine!! trust me !

 

[dwagar]

search some of Mapleflames threads, he picked up a 50s LP that was really burnt up, IIRC he even had to replace the neck. It turned out great.

 

[alexn1018]

if its a good deal go for that thing

 

[maicolp]

pictures

 

[Tone Seeker]

Hey guys. My apologies for leaving everyone hanging.

I went for it! Thank you for all the advice!

The guitar is a Collings 290, a Les Paul Special style, mahogany slab guitar. Collings is knows or their high end acoustics so if you've not heard of their electrics, they are incredible. Collings excels at choosing great wood and pulling everything together with an outstanding fit and finish. They are low volume, high quality instruments that are lightweight (no chambers) and very resonant.

I already have a Collings 290, and it's the finest instrument I've ever played. 11's on it are more enjoyable to play than 10's on my other guitars. It has a nice beefy neck that feels great! It is loud acoustically, with a very rich and balanced tone. Put another way, it sounds like a quiet acoustic guitar. Plugged in, this guitar is rich, sweet, thick and bursting with harmonics.

The 290 is normally a dual P90 guitar (Lollars). There was another thread going about how great PAF's are really bright, more so than some might like. I've often thought that a highly resonant, warm, mahogany slab body would make an outstanding PAF platform. i believe that leaving off the maple cap lets the mahogany vibrate more, and increases the guitar's harmonic content. The best for me would be a 290 routed for humbuckers, as I enjoy playing the one I have so much.

However, a Collings 290 with humbuckers is rare. So, I went looking and couldn't believe it when I found this one in about 15 minutes, at a great price.

Below are some shots. The guitar was recovered from a music store fire. No, it's not a "flametop", but it is crimson, which somehow seems even more appropriate! It's been cleaned and checked out by a player. The images are poor, so I'm also including shots taken from the Colllings site (a crimson 290) and a couple of my own 290 (the tobacco burst).

A "Crimson" 290 from Collings website, the way my new guitar originally looked. . .

Here's my 290, such a sweet looking guitar in person. . .

Here's the link to Collings site if you're curious about the specs.

(: : : Collings Guitars : : :).

Now my challenge is to learn how to do the finish work. I had been thinking of doing a Tele partscaster, so I've done quite a bit of research already. Still, I'm going to need some help from everyone. I've never done this before.

I want to use nitro, just as Collings does. The finish on my existing guitar is so amazing to look at. I never would have thought that a non-maple top would look so great!

So, what do you think?

Terry.

 

[Paragon]

Strip the paint off the neck, put on some oil.. That is about all that I would do on it.

 

[jimi55lp]

Smokin'

 

[Iceman0124]

How much? if the price is right go for it. I'd smoth out the neck but leave the rest be, mebbe do some more relic treatment to it, looks pretty cool as is.

 

[Tone Seeker]

Strip the paint off the neck, put on some oil.. That is about all that I would do on it.

I'd smoth out the neck but leave the rest be, mebbe do some more relic treatment to it, looks pretty cool as is.

I have to admit, I never even considered leaving the guitar as-is. I'm one of those guys who is really careful with his instruments. They get played, but I like to keep them looking nice. However, I will seriously consider going for the relic vibe on this one. It will depend on how well the crimson and the grain show. It's really hard to assess this from the photos.

I agree about the neck. Maybe some tung oil, or nitro if I get brave.

How much?

I paid $1200. List is $3100. Street price is around $2800 with humbuckers. $2400 stock with P90's. Lots of room in the price to have a pro paint job done, if I wanted.

Terry.

 

[bfcg]

As it is and name it Bernie.

 

[Tone Seeker]

As it is and name it Bernie.

Terry.

 

[Tone Seeker]

Here's how "Bernie" came to be. . . .

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LEBANON, Mo. -- The owner of a music store destroyed by a fiery crash on Thursday night plans to rebuild at the same spot. In the meantime, Alvin Deskins, owner of Morgan Music, plans to open soon at a temporary location.

The fire started after a man in a van being chased by sheriff’s deputies lost control on a curve on Missouri 5 and crashed into the store, which is just north of Missouri 64 in Lebanon.

Tire marks in the grass show where the southbound van left the highway, which has a 35mph speed limit at that point, and drove straight into the front of the store about 9 p.m.

Deskins says a teacher was giving a music lesson in the south side of the store at the time. The student and teacher escaped safely.

The chase started while Camden County sheriff’s deputies were working a traffic crash about 10 miles north of Lebanon at Decaturville, about halfway between Lebanon and Camdenton. That investigation was causing a traffic backup.

Officers say that's when the man driving the van tried to get around the line of traffic. When the deputy tried to guide the driver back in, police say the man tried to run over the deputy.

Deputies chased the van south into Laclede County and Lebanon. They clocked him at speeds up to 94 mph. They lost it for a short while before finding it crashed into the music store and on fire. The driver died in the impact.

Investigators don’t know who the driver was. The van didn’t have a license plate and they haven’t found anything to positively identify the driver.

“We’re going to rebuild right here, right here on this location in very short order, but in the meantime, we’re going to have a building in town, we’re going to be in business,” said Deskins.

Morgan Music is celebrating its 30th anniversary in business.

Morgan Music - The Great American Acoustic Shop
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Terry.