Need your expertise on Old Kay Guitar

[Lost_N_Austin]

I've been asked to put strings on an old family heirloom. The guitar belonged to my friends Mother and the owner does not care if it is in tune or set up to play, they are just going to have it as a wall hanger. I cleaned and polished it a bit, oiled the fretboard and polished up some rusty hardware and now I'm ready to put strings on it.

My question is What Kind of Strings? Should they be steel, bronze, Gut? What gauge? Coated? I want it to look good for the rest of its useful existence.



Thanks in advance

Lost_N_Austin

[oramac7891]

I would think a standard set of acoustic strings would work well. Just FYI, I have an old Harmony that I redid and strung with a set of electrics strings. It really brightened up the guitar, and look a little shinier (since you said it would be to look good on the wall!)

[Radspin]

Coated acoustic strings would look "new" longer.

It might be playable as well, once you string it up. Sometimes old guitars need neck resets and have badly warped necks--and sometimes they're fine.

I wonder if that guitar is missing its tuner bushings--or if it never had them in the first place.

[TEAM LANDRETH]

Take some steel wool to those frets if you haven't already. They sure look tarnished. Don't put anything heavier than 12's on that baby if it hasn't been played in a while. Any flavour of acoustic string will do, but try the coated elixers. They have a slight dip in the mids, and those old arch tops can be bright and middy, so elixers tend to smooth things out.

imho...

[Enaitz]

I would check the neck to see if it's warped, if so I would use just 0'10 gauge.

What a pitty this is gonna be a wallhanger.

[hekawi]

the same strings have been on mine for over 30 years (the guitar belonged to my grandfather). still playable. they are probably cheap Black Diamonds, can't bring myself to change 'em

[SMan]

I recently cleaned up and restrung a similar guitar, 1934 Recording King, a few months ago for my 83 year old neighbor. It was her Dad's and hasn't been played since the 50's. It was totally covered in grunge. I put Phosphor bronze strings on it and it sounds great. It had nickel strings on it as they work nicely with the aftermarket Kent pickups but this guitar will mostly be used acoustically.

[aunchaki]

+1 to what everybody above said. If it's going to hang on a wall looking pretty, some coated strings may look better for longer (the unwound strings will not be coated and will stop being shiny after a while).

I'd go for something very light in gauge (10s or something) so the tension will not be too great. After all, you have to tune it to pitch before hanging it, just in case someone dares to strum it. Even a set of coated electric strings would be fine.

Clean the frets and oil the fingerboard, also.

[Bill Ashton]

If you know its going to be a wall hanger, why take the chance that it will fold itself in half, then you look like the bad guy when you really aren't...

I had an old Gibson ES100 about fifteen years ago that was my only acoustic guitar, took it to lessons and everything...just didn't dare put anything heavier than 10's on it and she was fine.

Also, the extra-light strings will sit deep in the nut and look right.

I agree with those above that said to go with coated strings. I think the D'Addario EXP's now have coated plain strings, so that may be better for its purpose...however beware that the D'addarios are one of the highest in tension, so make sure you use something really light.

Good luck!