It’s not often I get to work on a guitar of this age. I love Silvertones, they were made as cheap catalogue guitars from very cheap materials (the body is basically MDF!) and yet here we have a guitar that’s lasted six decades and still work better that some younger guitars that I’ve worked on.
The owner wanted a low action and to sort the strap button that had broken off. Practicality was the most important thing so I went for a metal “indiscrete” part that is functional.
The neck doesn’t have a truss rod but two metal bars running through it so straightening it wasn’t an option. It had a slight bow, but nothing that made the guitar unplayable. There were quite a few high frets that had lifted which I managed to tap back in and added some glue to stop them popping out in the future. I ended up polishing the frets twice as the first time I’d not given enough attention to the fact that the frets had sprouted a little and felt sharp.
The bridge needed attention to make sure it sat on the two screws at the front, putting strings on this thing is a bit like tapping your head while rubbing your stomach.
