Hi everyone, yes I'm a new member and so glad I found your fantastic site. You've guessed it, I desperately need some advice on my first vibes. About two months ago, having looked for a vibraphone for a long time, I found an old instrument (I love old) that was 'spares or repair'.
Now, I am quite musical and for the last thirty years have been a mechanical and electronics engineer - I have worked with woods a little also. You will understand that I thought restoring such a thing would be easy.
Even Premier seem to have no information - bit of a shame as it came from Leicester, down the road from where it was made.
I think it is a 1930's blue frame jazz model - it is covered in many layers of paint, which I am currently carefully removing. I can find no photos anywhere of this vibraphone.
The original frame was chrome plated, the wooden parts are beech - I think - and the sustain pedal resembles a bass drum type rather than a bar.
The main problem is the finish of the wood. It is all black at present and has had many black coats - as well as other colours. The first coat of paint seems to be gold though - could this be right?
I would really apreciate any help with this - maybe someone even has photos - it started, as it always does, with a basic refurb and now I'd quite like it to be as original as possible.
Hope you can help, many thanks.
Blisterdigit
28 June 2014