Hey all, my wife's friend has a Washburn MG-34 that I could probably get for free, it's MSRP was $500 in the 90's. It needs new pick ups (2 humbuckers and a single coil) and a new bridge because they're rusted. My only concern is that the body is plywood and therefore might not even be worth it.
So my question is, is it possible to get this guitar performance ready while staying within a reasonable price range or should I not bother?
Hard to say if any repair is worth it.. But first I would look it over well and see if you really need to replace anything. Rust can be cleaned up to some extent. Does it play? Does the bridge still function, and adjust? Might just be a matter of clean up, and some lube on the bridge. Not sure if its a washburn only bridge or if it can be replaced with a aftermarket one. If the pickups don't work, I would look for bad connections first, but if your on a budget, and need/want different pickups a company called Guitar fetish has a lot of different pickups for a great price. frankly if its free, and you like it, I would just grab it, and try to clean it up, and if needed try to free up the bridge and just play it.
Paul B
Your call, but I'd personally get a newer guitar. Unless you have experience fixing up guitars or have the money to potentially waste on paying someone to fix it up, I'd get a new one I know will perform.
