I was digging through the garage gear closet and pulled out a Fender gig bag with this battered Duo-Sonic in it. My son gave it to me about a year ago when I visited him and told me that his boys had gotten a little (a little?) rough with it. He told me to take it home and see if it was worth fixing. I stuck it in the closet and forget about it until yesterday. When I pulled it out of the gig bag today, I almost gagged. This poor little Fender did not deserve the abuse that has been heaped on it. Hence my question: Is this guitar worth restoring? And now, the dreadful photos...



The nut has been slid over and broken off. What I think used to say "Made In Mexico" on the headstock has been scraped off, for whatever reason.





Apparently someone stepped (or stomped) on the knobs - hard enough to almost push the Volume shaft right through the knob itself. No, even though it still had three rusty strings on it when I got it out, I did NOT bother to plug it in.



I am pretty sure that this was the original pick guard on the guitar when my son bought it in the 90s (with his own money). He imitated me at the time and laminated a solid wood veneer on top of the original pick guard - still flimsy, obviously.



Lots of cracks through the finish, not to mention several dents on the top of the guitar. I don't see any hope but for a strip and refinish and it gets worse...



This crack, which goes right through the routing for the knob assembly is, I think, most of the way through the guitar. The heavy finish and a little bit of wood may be the only things holding it all together. I am sure I will have to break the guitar apart here and re-glue it. Nice.

I hate the idea of any Fender guitar ending up in the dumpster and I have no interest in throwing this guitar on eBay as a "project" guitar. I know this would be a lot of work, certainly no thought of any economic gains for the effort. But... it's a Fender and it's a family guitar and no, those little grandsons of mine will NOT get this guitar back in my lifetime, what little remains thereof.

But still, the question remains, is it worth the effort at all? It's not like I don't already have a few "projects" around the house. Should I just stick it back in the bag and forget it? I honestly can't decide. Your opinions?

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Dennis in CR
Rockin' since 1963

if the body is to bad then try to rescue the neck at the very least.

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63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

That really isn't so bad.......just reglue the nut and buy a new pickguard for it. Just forget any attempt to refinish the guitar unless you have extra cash to throw around, or the patience to do the job right. Otherwise, clean it up the best you can and play the thing!

Looks like a good project for someone that has nothing to do, Like Me. I could use a find like that I think I will start looking for something locally. cool
----------Danny,

I figure I can justify the refinish time if I use it for a serious practice, or better yet, do two guitars at the same time - have to do something with that bad body split, though. And I will have to replace the nut, the low E string groove is where it broke off. I guess I can back-burner it for a while, maybe until winter... I've just about got the shop set up so I can spray again. If I can make this thing look pristine once more, I can probably do about anything. Thinking...

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Dennis in CR
Rockin' since 1963

You need a pickguard and what?

That's a great guitar! The body needs nothing.

Those finish cracks give it mojo and let it breathe...I've played guitars that made that DuoSonic look slightly relic'd.

I'd get it intonated and go for it step by step.

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

I suppose I could just run a couple of sheet rock screws in through the side of the guitar to pull the biggest crack together and keep the side of the guitar from falling off.

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Dennis in CR
Rockin' since 1963

I've been looking for a guitar to work on.I wish I knew where you lived.

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I LIKE PIE!!!!!

IF I DO SOMETHING STUPID,DON'T SAY A WORD...

Hint: In a place...

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Dennis in CR
Rockin' since 1963

WOW MEEEE TOOOO!!!WE HAVE SO MUCH IN COMMON!!!!

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I LIKE PIE!!!!!

IF I DO SOMETHING STUPID,DON'T SAY A WORD...

Wood glue , bar clamps , pickguard. run it....

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It is not the job of musicians or artists to provide any sort of role models. Looking to musicians for guidance in living skills is like looking to a French chef for guidance in building armored personnel carriers.

......Plus a pisspot full of motivation!



Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

a roll of duct tape and you should be good to go.

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63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

Why did I know this was coming?



Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY