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#1
07-10-2019, 07:22 PM
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Picked up a Beat and Broken 1955 Gibson J185. Now it’s Finished !!
Recently purchased this from the original owners son. His Dad played it for many years in bluegrass bands all over southern Missouri. It needs quite a bit of repair work and the son didn’t have the funds to make it happen. I love the thought of resurrecting such a cool guitar. That Blue pick guard looks to be a piece of old formica counter top !
I dropped it off last month at one of the top repair and restoration guys here in St Louis. Should have it back in September. https://imgur.com/gallery/EPnGY9Q https://imgur.com/gallery/eEDjCdU Last edited by Phil Munsterman; 10-16-2019 at 05:49 PM. 
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#2
07-10-2019, 07:36 PM
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Oh man, that is so cool. That is my birth year. I would have been all over that. The mojo is amazing. Do you have more pics? Was it playable at all? Please give a before and after when done. Giant congrats.
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#3
07-10-2019, 07:46 PM
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Great score and definitely worth bringing back to its former glory. I have resurrected so many guitars that my wife jokes that it is does not seem possible for me to snag anything that does not need to be sent off to the shop.. The list includes a 1942 Gibson J50, pre-War Regal jumbo 12 string (a trash bin find) and a 1942 Harmony H165 Stella. Looks like the J185 sported a Dearmond for much of its life. You might think about returning it.
First thing I thought of though is your guitar looks like it got the same treatment as my 1955/56 Epiphone FT-79 when I found it. 
__________________
"You start off playing guitars to get girls & end up talking with middle-aged men about your fingernails" - Ed Gerhard
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#4
07-10-2019, 09:11 PM
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Yep, those humongous custom pickguards used to be fashionable back in the 1950's, particularly in country and rockabilly music circles, but in my experience they're complete tonekillers when used on acoustic guitars.
 It's visually alluring and does double duty as a food preparation area! Phil, once that old countertop material is removed (and, please, PLEASE do have it removed,) there'll undoubtedly be a large and highly visible "tanline" area left on the area of the top that it formerly covered. Given the overall funky vibe of this guitar, I think it'll look pretty cool, myself. If you want or need a pickguard, you could go with the original pickguard design used on this model, shown here:  ˙˙˙ But I think my own inclination would be to go with the Gibson teardrop shape pickguard like the ones used on J-45's, either in regular tortoise:  ˙˙˙ or in my own personal pickguard material favorite for old Gibsons, the firestripe version:  ˙˙˙ I'll admit that I prefer the looks of the Gibson teardrop pickguard over their other shapes, but another part of their advantage is that they're smaller, and don't have as much potential to limit the top from fully vibrating. Just a thought. Anyway, as others have told you, nice score, man. I wouldn't describe myself as being DEEPLY jealous of your good fortune, but I will admit to being moderately jealous. Okay, well, maybe "moderately deeply jealous" is a more precise description... When you get it back from its restoration, please start another thread or revive this one and post lots and lots of pictures. Wade Hampton Miller Last edited by Wade Hampton; 07-11-2019 at 06:03 AM.
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#5
07-10-2019, 11:21 PM
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Are you planning to refinish the top?
__________________
"Vintage taste, reissue budget"
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#8
07-10-2019, 11:56 PM
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I look forward to the "after" pictures. Seems like a fun project and cool guitar.
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#10
07-11-2019, 01:26 AM
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Very cool score! Please do post the before and afters. Well worth preserving.
__________________
“The tapestry of life is more important than a single thread.” R. Daneel Olivaw in I. Asimov's Robots and Empire.
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#11
07-11-2019, 11:00 AM
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Very, very cool! I have a '76 Guild D55 that was resurrected like a Phoenix from the ashes. Still need to get a pickguard made for her though..
Something special about these kinds of survivors... Don't know why but they sound so dame good to me.
__________________
1966 Epiphone FT79N Texan 1970 Yamaha FG-180 1976 Guild D55 1986 Martin D16m 1996 Guild JF30-12 2009 Guild D40 Bluegrass Jubilee 2020 Epiphone FT79 Texan and a couple others...
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#12
07-11-2019, 11:15 AM
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Quote:
Personally if I was not concerned with reproducing what had originally been on the guitar and depending on what the wood underneath the scratchplate looks like, I have always fancied the 1930s J-35 style pickguard. Gibson went back to these on the 1955-1959 CF-100s. I never, however, cared for the new versions of the firestripe pickguards. This one is a 1930s Gibson-made mandolin but shows how they got their name. 
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"You start off playing guitars to get girls & end up talking with middle-aged men about your fingernails" - Ed Gerhard Last edited by zombywoof; 07-11-2019 at 11:26 AM.
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#13
07-12-2019, 12:30 PM
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Thanks for the comments and suggestions. I will definitely post some pics and maybe a video when I get it back. I had been looking for an old J185 for years and never found the right one till now. Phil
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