El Degas GB-28 (Gibson J-200 Super Jumbo copy)

[Darrell]

I have El Degas Model GB-28 my dad left this guitar to me when he past away on july 23 2011 .. this is a sweet guitar i never played a gibson i have a few guitars one is a martin but my Gb-28 sounds better than my martin hands down for sounding nicer ..if a gibson model j200 sounds as good as that it would be sweet ..my El degas plays nice i just wish there was more info on the brand of el degas all I can tell you my Dad got this from a guitar store on the lake shore in ontario in 1975 he payed retail for it then..$450.00 that was a lot of money back then .. i still have a copy of the invoice . ...

[Darrell]

more pics

[charles]

I split your posts off into their own topic.

That's a great looking guitar - you don't see the red sunburst too often on the Super Jumbos.

[Darrell]

I know you do not see the red sunburst to much ... thank s I just like to fined more info on this model but I know this el degas i have is a copy so did my dad know it when he was living but he had a lot of guitars over the years from martin model to gibson but he always like this guitar for the sound the best to him

[charles]

I would put the quality of many of the mid 70s MIJ models up against pretty much any other brand of the time... the Japanese manufacturers were really trying to make their mark on guitar manufacturing and were doing some great work.

[Barry]

Beautiful guitar Darrell! As Charles says you don't see this finish very often, not even in Gibson.
Sorry for your loss, but your Dad had good taste!

[Darrell]

this seems to be true I know i live in nova scotia now i been to many pawn shops and used shops and guitar shops i seen lots of el degas models but nothing like the model GB-28
..by the way Barry thanks for your regards take care!

[LastChancers]

That's a super nice guitar you have. I have the same one but it's in tobacco sunburst and in not as nice a condition. For example, I notice the crown fret markers are yellowed. I tried to clean them a little but the yellow staining is still there. I figure the previous owner might have kept it in a smoke filled room or something. Not really sure.

[Darrell]

This is a nice guitar shore hope it sounds as good as it looks sure made to be played i love my El Degas GB-28

[charles]

That's a super nice guitar you have. I have the same one but it's in tobacco sunburst and in not as nice a condition. For example, I notice the crown fret markers are yellowed. I tried to clean them a little but the yellow staining is still there. I figure the previous owner might have kept it in a smoke filled room or something. Not really sure.

Pretty common occurrence, time usually contributes to the yellowing.
I have the same tobacco burst J200 copy... they are gorgeous, but I find my MT- model sounds even better than the Super Jumbo.

[LastChancers]

Thanks Darrell. Yeah, I love my El Dégas GB28 as well. I also have a El Dégas GL-36 which is a Guild copy. Those are the 2 acoustics I find I end up always going to. More than my other acoustics (I have some yamahas and takamines, etc).

@Charles, lol, it figures that you would have the same GB28 as well. LOL. It seems like you have had quite a few El Dégas over the years. You're a role model Charles. So what do you think? Is it possible to get that yellow out of the inlays. Or is that pretty much there for good.

[Barry]

Hey LastChancers, I would be extremely careful about doing anything with those beautiful inlays. Mother of Pearl/Abalone is a natural product (Calcium Carbonate) and can be damaged quite easily.

What ever you do, avoid using bleach or anything abrasive! If you must try cleaning, use a soft toothbrush with warm water, and just a tiny drop of liquid of soap. Rinse thoroughly and then dry immediately with a soft cotton cloth (remember, you'll also be wetting the rosewood fretboard). You likely will not remove any yellowing, but you may be able to brighten it up a little.

When everything is dry, apply a few drops of a good quality fretboard oil (one containing little or no solvent) to condition the wood. Better yet, skip the "lemon" oil, which is just scented mineral oil anyway, and try straight Almond oil, or even Walnut oil. Buff 'er up and enjoy!

[LastChancers]

Thanks Barry. I'll give it a whirl. SO far all I've done is try to clean it with water and then applying lemon oil. I'll try dropping a smidge of soap in there. As for almond or walnut oil, where to you get some of that. I bought the Lemon oil at Longs or Cosmo, I think. Do they also sell the other oils you mentioned?

[charles]

I'd stick to what Barry has suggested. The yellowing is a natural occurrence to the natural material and is part of the deepening character of the instrument as it ages.

All I ever do to my new acquisitions is removal of strings, tightening of loose parts, general cleanup, a good cleaning of the fretboard with lemon oil (I just use Dunlop formula 65; which is likely less than ideal, but convenient), new strings.

[Barry]

I use Dunlop lemon oil for most cleanups at the Guitars n Amps shop where I work part time as a repair tech/salesman. It does a good job on routine cleanups, and doesn't contain too much solvent. Like many of these similar products though, I find it doesn't last too long.

But for more serious restoration I'd try and avoid any solvents on the MOP inlay and try Almond oil on the entire fretboard, if you can find it. You may see it on the supermarket shelf if the store you're shopping in has a more "upscale" inventory. Otherwise, your local drugstore may carry it. In a pinch I've used Walnut oil which is easier to obtain. Both of these are quite a bit more viscous than lemon (mineral) oil and do not contain any solvent so they require much more drying time; overnight is recommended. You'll need to vigorously buff the fret board too, but be sure it's sufficiently dry or the surface will pick up lint. You will be rewarded with a beautifully deep luster and excellent protection from sweaty hands, which is the main cause of the discoloration in the first place.

(p.s.
Just to be clear, the Almond oil goes on after a thorough cleaning of the fretboard with soapy water as previously described. You don't use it to clean but to condition. It's purpose is to help seal the open pores of the wood and inlays)