OBGD = Old Braai Guitar Day... 8)
Here's a oddity - Terada C308N nylon string acoustic. Date unknown, probably early 70's?
Terada are known for making some great steel strings back in the day - kinda like levin, they are known to those who know ::) Apparently they were the only company Martin ever contracted to make guitars outside of the U.S.
Extremely abused, came wearing a set of steel strings (steel reinforced neck...Note to self : does not mean put steel strings on!) and a immense bellying issue - caused by four broken pieces of bracing (Combo of wood drying out & too much tension from the steel strings). My mate at Traut Guitar Worx replaced the bracing - said the body too shallow to install a bridge doctor though.
I did replace the nut (it was cracked and superglue wasn't working). Also replaced the saddle, with less success. Initially, I used a fancy intonated nubone one and shaved it right down. Intonation was way out and it was too low (buzzing). So went back to a stock classical one and took just a little off - much better!
Action is higher than I'd like, but very playable. Size wise, it feels a bit smaller than a standard spanish classical - a lot more comfy. But it's the same length & width...with a few differences. Neck is a little narrower (2mm) and the profile is a bit flatter. Length and width are pretty much the same...but the beeeegg difference is the depth, there it's a lot shallower (5-6cm) and that seems to make a world of difference to comfort.
Tone-wise, it's very different - tough to describe, not a lot of bass (it is shallower), but the treble is somehow accentuated. It's a pleasing sound in isolation, and somehow in comparison it stands out - Not notable, just different.
Construction wise - it's probably the most interesting about this guitar. 99.999999% sure it's made from all laminated bits (except bracing), if it were solid, it would be cracked/termite food ;) The fingerboard is definitely a laminate (check the pic, it's classic), and you can see the wear marks through the layers - love that. Tuners are great too!
Why be bothered to rescue this guitar? The top & back resonant unlike anything I've played - very satisfying to play a guitar that feels lively like this. Also sounds great when pounding away in a percussive guitar style.
Say what you want about laminated guitars, this Terada proves something well built can entertain for decades.
