Do you instrument rescue?

This is slightly off subject, but I am just irritated with my sister right now. I have been trying to get her to let me rescue a vintage Rickenbacker (I think it is a mid 1960s 360). A friend left it to her about 15 years ago when he passed. I seen it once when she had it in her house. But recently learned that she has had it in a hot humid in the summer freezing and dry in the winter attic of her home. It may have been there for 3 or 4 years. I been trying to get her to let me send someone up there and get it out, because I would love to rescue it, but she just don't care anything about it, or just too lazy to care I have no idea which. Even after I told her it may be worth over 2k$, maybe close or over 3k$, but the longer it is up there, and gets any more damage, wont be worth a box of toothpicks. All I know is it is a 1950s, to late 1960s Ric. From what I remember of it when I seen it, it may have been a 360, or similar.

ARRRGGgg.. I hate seeing and hearing of classic instruments not only not being playsed as they should, but not cared for at all, and left to the elliments..

-breath, breath.. - ok... Im done now..

thanks..

Not exactly a 'classic' , but I picked up a relatively 'rare' Northern uke a while ago, that I consider as being in the middle of a rescue

The pics in the link below, I took on the way home from picking it up. They do not show the 'flaws'.
It had been in storage for 30 years!! It was advertised on the local craigslist and I couldn't resist driving out to see it. Well it looks great......but, there are a few issues with it. Being in storage for so long did take some 'toll'.
Almost all the frets had lifted quite a ways from the fretboard, one tuner would not stay tight ( the whole tuner, nut and all, just rotated in the headstock ).
The binding was coming away ever so slightly where the body and neck meet and the finger board had lifted a little leaving a tiny gap at the body. Phew!!!
So I bought it......hahahhahh.

I considered it to be wholly worthy of finally having a life as a played and cared for Uke.....lol.
It is currently being completely 'mended' at a local Luthier ( who is fantastic BTW http://www.nicolealosinacluthiery.com/index.html ).

I get it back next Fri. I cant wait to play it, I 'm sure it will love 'being played' after 30 years in the solitary confinement of its case.

Mahalo ........eh! :shaka:

http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?35651-Northern-Ukulele-Model-JCD-4

Hey Aloha Tudorp,
I can understand your rant.....as a music lover that you are, it would be nice that it would be used again and enjoyed!!! bringing back that distinctive Rickenbacker sound.....
I wonder if she know what she really has or cares....maybe she's just thinking to preserve it...untouched??? send you daughter to do the job with her amp...and get your
sister to let her play it..if that doesn't work, nothing will.......he he ....Stan..

I would kill for a Rick...even more for a classic Rick.

BTW........YES!!! Your sis should totally let you rescue that Rick!! :music:

Calebcat said:

I would kill for a Rick...even more for a classic Rick.

Click to expand...

Tudorp, this looks like a potential solution to your problem (-:

I hope you can get your hands on it. 360s are sweet, and always worth rescuing.

Used/abused instruments are a nice challenge for me. I don't have any valid experience with building/fixing instruments, but it's fun to make something playable (as long as it was made with the intention to be playable to begin with! Some toy instruments are not worth the effort ). So far I've fixed up a $12 balalaika from a thrift store, a mangled 50s Harmony soprano, a no-name banjo, and a few inexpensive guitars.

Might your sister have an emotional reason for not allowing the uke to be retrieved from the attic? Harping on about the monetary value and the instrument's desirability may not be arguments that will have any sway with her. Maybe suggesting that the donor's wishes may be better realised by the instruments being used may be better. After all the donor attached some value, not necesarally money, to the uke and that is why he left it to her (she obviously didnt covet it). At the end of the day if it is going to bring her grief that she does not wish to address, it is only some bits of wood with some slack strings.

Hope all goes well, and I am rooting for you to resurrect this fine instrument.


(can I use rooting here without causing embarassment??)

Well, she doesn't know exactly what it is, nor really cares. She doesn't play, and never has. Her friend that passed it on to her was a close friend of hers that did play. I have really no idea why he gave it to her with her not even playing other than just wanting her to have something from him. She thought it was cool, and kept it on a guitar stand behind the couch for several years. I asked her to sell it to me, but she wouldn't, so I never gave it much thought again. I can't remember what model it was even. I never really examined it that close back then, other than thinking I would love to have any vintage Ric to go with my vintage Ric bass. Well, over the years, she never gave it much thought either, and moved into her current place about 4 years ago. I asked her about the old Ric, because I hadn't seen it for quite some time. She said she didn't have any room for it, and it went up to the attic when she moved into her current place. My mouth DROPPED as I gasp. I told her she was NUTS, because that attic was not climate controlled. Crazy hot and humid in the summer, and below freezing and dry in the winter (we live in Michigan). That was a HORRIBLE enviornment for any instrument, and it would crack, warp and ruin up there. She does know it has value, because I told her then and now of it's potencial value. She just doesn't care. It's not because she doesn't need money, she struggles like the rest of us. As much as I love my sis, she is just lazy and one of those "I'll have to do that someday" types. She won't let anyone go up in the attic because it is a mess up there with tons of crap, and there would have to be allot of shuffling trying to find it, and dig it out. In the meantime, it sits up there somewhere potenicaly ruining. I'm not trying to take it from her, I just want it out of that attic and in a more stable enviornment. If I can have it repaired, and valued, I would consider buying it from her for my daughter even, but, she just doesn't care enough to let anyone rescue it. Kinda ticks me off some... But, oh well.. It is a shame tho because it was a beutiful guitar.

Oh well there's only one thing for it

:deadhorse:

Well, I really don't want to hit my sister with a stick, lol.. She's 63 years old, hahhah.. I'm gonna try and sic my daughter on her though, because she loves my daughter as tho she was her own... <grin>. That's gonna be my stick to hit her with I think, lol