Hurricane Katrina 1968 Fender Telecaster Restoration

These guitars were brought to me by a gentleman who lived in New Orleans and went through hurricane Katrina. He had to leave his house to avoid the hurricane and leave all his instruments behind. When he returned, he realized they were floating in the harsh waters inside the house! They were very, very difficult restorations, some of the hardest in my career! After seeing them for the first time I nearly refused to work on them because they were such a mess, but I could tell how much they were loved by their owner and how traumatized he was from the wrath of mother nature. Have a look at these incredible complete restorations.

1968 Fender Telecaster Guitar Restoration

The body of the Telecaster had completely delaminated. After investigating tell tale signs, we think that it was originally a 1968 Blue Flower that had been stripped of the wallpaper and paint. The four laminations on the body would be covered up by the wallpaper and paint in the Fender factory. We decided to paint it foam green because of what it had gone through with Katrina. And to a nod to mother nature, we decided to leave the neck and head stock as it was because the beauty of the imperfection it possessed. I sprayed a aged nitro lacquer over the neck to blend it together. This was an intense restoration - not easy and quite time-consuming but it was worth it all! We replace the pick ups and electronics, all new frets and installed a custom bone nut. Amazingly enough, the tuners and the bridge saddles were salvageable. They were restored and worked fine. This guitar sounds incredible. The owner was overwhelmingly happy when he saw these for the first time. No doubt, these were some of the most intense but rewarding guitar restorations I have ever done - together they took a few years to complete.

Disassembled wooden electric guitar parts on a light wood background.

Wooden pieces from a dismantled musical instrument, possibly a guitar neck and fingerboard, on a light surface.

Vintage Fender guitar headstock with missing strings and tuners on a wooden surface.

Disassembled wooden guitar parts on a wood surface, including neck, body pieces, and tuning pegs.

Close-up of a wooden object with blue markings and a metal screw head.

Unfinished guitar body hanging in a workshop.

A cluttered workshop table with paint cans, jars, a spray gun, tools, and paint supplies near a window and fan.

Turquoise electric guitar body on a workbench with a soldering iron, screwdriver, and wires, indicating ongoing guitar assembly or repair.

Turquoise electric guitar with black pickguard on gray background

A teal electric guitar showing the back and neck, set against a gradient gray background.

Back of a wooden guitar neck with six chrome tuning pegs

Close-up of a Fender Telecaster guitar headstock.

Turquoise electric guitar with maple neck and black pickguard.

Close-up of a turquoise electric guitar with a black pickguard and maple neck.

Hurricane Katrina 1958 Gretsch Duo Jet Guitar Restoration

1958 Gretsch Duo Jet Guitar Restoration

This was one of the most difficult restorations I have ever done. It seemed like it would never end. The neck had to be steamed off because it was at the wrong angle and someone had put a large screw from the side that was rusted/welded in the wood from the flood. It took at least two hours with two steamers! The headstock veneer was badly cracked and was a real mess. The fingerboard pealed off easily. The body was fairly intact but was delaminating. It is a hollow body guitar and was filled with water during the flood - OUCH! The bridge pickup didn't work but with some TLC I was able to bring it back to life. The pickups are original and now work great. The electronics were badly corroded and had to be replaced. Restoring the black nitro lacquer was quite a task. I yellowed all the white binding to make it period correct. This restoration was very time-consuming and intense. It was all worthwhile the minute David saw it then played it for the first time since the hurricane.

Vintage electric guitar with worn body and dual pickups on a wooden surface.

Back view of an unfinished electric guitar body with electronic components visible.

Vintage Gretsch guitar headstock without tuning pegs

Guitar repair setup with a vintage guitar body clamped beside a steaming pot connected by a tube on a hot plate, suggesting a neck removal process.

Guitar neck with steam bending setup; clamps and steam source visible

Broken electric guitar body and neck on a workbench, showing wear and damage.

Close-up of a tarnished metal screw protruding from a dark, wooden string instrument, possibly a violin, showing signs of wear and repair.

Workbench with guitar neck and body being repaired, surrounded by tools and an amplifier, in a woodworking shop.

Workbench with partially assembled guitar, tools, and a red drill

A luthier's workshop with an unfinished electric guitar body on a workbench surrounded by jars, brushes, tools, and a fan in the background.

A guitar workshop featuring an unfinished electric guitar body on a workbench, surrounded by tools such as screwdrivers, clamps, and files, with various equipment hanging on the wall in the background.

Unfinished electric guitar body and neck hanging, missing strings and hardware, with a blue neck tape, in a room with wood panel walls.

Black guitar body being refinished in a workshop with various tools on a workbench and walls.

Gretsch electric guitar with black body and white pickguard

Back view of a dark brown electric guitar with a single-cutaway design and visible tuning pegs on the headstock.

Black Gretsch electric guitar with white pickguard and silver hardware on a gray background.

Close-up of a black electric guitar with white pickguard, branded "Gretsch," featuring pickups and control knobs.

Gretsch guitar headstock with tuning pegs and strings.

Hurricane Katrina 1960 Rickenbacker 450 Guitar Restoration

1960 Rickenbacker 450 Guitar Restoration

This was the third Katrina restoration. My client decided not to restore this and actually gave it to me. It took 10 years for me to get around to restoring this Rickenbacker, in my Bearsville, NY shop. I was hesitant to even start this restoration because the wood was so warped and I had to do some creative things to make this work out. One of the headstock cheeks was completely missing, so I crafted one out of walnut. One of the pickups still worked, amazingly enough! I was able to rewind the other and keep the authenticity. All the other electronics had to be fully replaced, they were so badly corroded from the flood waters. I had to do some corrosive techniques on the tuners and the bridge to give them an aged look. I decided to keep all the original scars to preserve the history of this instrument. I ended up putting a thin clear coat of lacquer over the entire guitar. The fingerboard was so badly damaged but I was able to bring it back to life. I was so happy with the outcome of this restoration! It has such an incredible sound, and to keep the original patina and soul of this instrument, it has turned out to be one of my favorite guitars ever!

From Local Woodstock New York Musicians to Those Worldwide, Dave's Electric Guitar Repair is held in High Regard

From Telecasters and Strats, to vintage Guilds and Gibsons and other beloved electric guitars, an experienced luthier will make all the difference. Dave's years of electric guitar repairs, restorations and setups will prove significant to the end result. Trust the hands that have worked on instruments for some of the most noted musicians of the past few decades, as well as those local New York musicians who covet their guitars.