Vintage Old

Can old vintage instruments be restored?

I have a very old hammered dulcimer and a banjo. Both sound like cats screeching rather than musical instruments. They’re very aged and I was wondering:

You don’t tell us how old “very old” is. 30-40 years isn’t “very old” – 100+ is. Just being old doesn’t give it value and in many cases detracts value until it’s an antique. Playing condition is what gives a musical instrument true value. Don’t let a furniture repairman or general woodworker “fix” your instruments. Vintage instruments are restored to playing condition all of the time. Some of the very best playing instruments are pretty old. A good quality instrument should last nearly forever with good care.

Hammered dulcimer – if there’s no damage to the wood and the pins are holding tension then just restring it. If the wood is damaged such as the joints separating or cracks in the soundboard or back then get the tension off the strings and have it looked at by a qualified luthier. This isn’t an instrument for your local music repair tech – it’s very specialized. It’s closer to a piano than anything else. Repairing serious damage to a hammered dulcimer can be incredibly costly, often more costly than making a new one. Just stringing one isn’t an inexpensive proposition. A really good set of strings will cost about $70 unless you buy string wire and cut your own – which will still run over $30. Hammered dulcimers from some makers can be surprisingly valuable instruments considering that most people don’t know what it is.

Banjo – there are a lot of adjustments in a banjo set-up that someone not a regular player wouldn’t know to make. A string change is always a good idea. You may need to change the head too but definitely at least check the tension all around. Most banjos have a floating bridge – make sure it’s in the right place. Replace it if it’s damaged at all. Most guitar techs in the local music store can do a decent banjo setup for you at a very reasonable price. He can also tell you if you have problems with the fingerboard or frets. Dressing those is also not too terribly expensive. Adjusting the neck requires someone that knows banjos. Aside from those problems and an occasional need to replace a tuner, there should be no major expenses to restoring a banjo to playing condition.

Unless there’s damage to the wood itself such as cracks, it’s usually best not to refinish the instrument. Some people even pay extra to have one weathered. A good instrument tech or luthier will be able to just look at it and tell you the best way to care for the finish. Some of the old hammered dulcimers need to be oiled from time-to-time to care for that wood but not all of them. Most banjos are fairly sturdy instruments requiring minimal maintenance.

A key to the process is to not change anything that you can’t undo except to save it from further damage.

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