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Joined:
May 2009
Posts: 364
Location: Bellevue, Washington | Well after many months she has come home. And by god, as if we didn't already know that the factory does amazing work!
I picked up the 1987 Collector's on eBay back at the end of 2009 and the seller had told me it was in very sorry shape. He wasn't lying. The binding was cracked in tons of places, the purfling was falling out, the top has more finish cracks than my driveway and someone had tried to replace the bridge at one point without much care and finesse. It was a complete wreck but it sounded amazing and the price was right.
I had decided to try and play luthier and removed the severely worn epaulets, removed the bridge and sanded the top down. Needless to say I am not a luthier, and you could see reddish light passing through the top of the guitar when help up to the sun... a little too much off the top. She went to the factory. John and Kim had told me they don't have anymore of the original eppies for the 87 collector and sent me pictures of what they would be replaced with... no they weren't quite what I wanted, but I had other plans.
I liked BVince's suggestions in the original post regarding this guitar:
Anyone Here buy THIS?
The result is STUNNING! These pictures don't do it justice, but here is what came to me this afternoon.
New top and bowl, new black binding on the neck and body, new frets, and yes those eppies are for a 1988 collector :D The nut and saddle were changed to black and the bridge was replaced with a more correct version of what was meant to be. They also replaced the original label with an original 1987 Collector's label, though this label was used on the natural -4's not the black -5's. The neck and headstock also received fresh flat black paint.
I didn't opt for the new electronics and now wish that I had, but I don't play out at all anyway. I was extremely worried that the new top and bowl would destroy the sound of this guitar but she sounds better than ever! |
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January 2009
Posts: 4536
Location: Flahdaw | Love that black on black. |
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April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | That looks fantastic. Congrats! |
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March 2002
Posts: 15680
Location: SoCal | Very cool. Well done.... |
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Joined:
November 2006
Posts: 3969
| Way cool. Another one-of-a-kind 87C. We should form a club...
Seriously, nice work by the factory, and nice design choices by you. |
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September 2003
Posts: 815
Location: Colorado | Nice!! |
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May 2006
Posts: 4236
Location: Steeler Nation, Hudson Valley Contingent | Congrats Ryan! Well done! :D |
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March 2008
Posts: 354
Location: nashville | Ok, let me see if I understand this. All I have to do is send in a neck and head stock and some electronics and I can have a new one of kind very color 87 collector .
Anybody got a nect they would like to sell?? |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 387
Location: Whitecourt, Ab | Absolutely Lovely |
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June 2005
Posts: 1320
Location: Round Rock, TX | That is a very cool guitar. |
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July 2010
Posts: 187
Location: Nahant, MA | very nice....makes me really excited for my '96 CL rework! |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15680
Location: SoCal | Originally posted by G8r:
Way cool. Another one-of-a-kind 87C. We should form a club...
Seriously, nice work by the factory, and nice design choices by you. I'd be a member..... |
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January 2009
Posts: 4536
Location: Flahdaw | You ARE a member. |
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Joined:
September 2005
Posts: 3619
Location: GATLINBURG TENNESSEE :) | Great Job Ryan!Congratulations! You would never see another guitar company do the kind of things Kaman's guys do for us. My advice to anyone here that has ever wanted to have a great deal on a custom, on-of-a-kind guitar... You better get it done while you still can! That's why I'm still an Ovation Guitar Fan-adict.
I also followed up my mothership 87 Collector's makeover with a set of Templeton's MOP tuner buttons. |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 5567
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Congrats! The triple black is cool...with the abalone/pearl it looks stunning...I think for the amount of work and what they had to work with, it's the best that could be...and the OP24 electronics are very good sounding if you ever do play out...Enjoy! |
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1987 Collector's (Collectorstein) back from the spa!
