Built around 1984, this Cimar 2105 had survived remarkably well considering its age. The instrument showed clear signs of having been regularly played throughout its life, but had spent a considerable period out of use before arriving at the workshop.

The original electronics configuration featured an output jack mounted directly to the pickguard. By the time the guitar arrived, the electronics were non-functional due to deteriorated solder joints and poor electrical connections that had developed over the years.

The owner wanted to give the Cimar a more traditional S-style layout, including a body-mounted output jack and a new 3-ply pickguard. The new pickguard also allowed the controls to be reconfigured to the familiar Volume–Tone–Tone arrangement.

To ensure a precise fit, the original pickguard was used as a template before the new one was carefully cut and finished.

A new bridge was also installed, featuring a heavy brass sustain block and a stainless steel base plate. The replacement bridge was selected with matching mounting-hole and string-spacing dimensions to preserve the instrument's original geometry while providing improved sustain and tuning stability.

Over years of playing, the fretboard had developed noticeable wear in the form of string divots, and the owner requested both a surface correction and a change to a more modern playing feel. The original 7.25" radius was therefore updated to a 9.5" profile.

Using traditional methods, the fretboard was levelled with a sanding beam, removing the wear and re-establishing the new radius.

The fretboard levelling process reduced the depth of the original position markers, leaving them visually inconsistent and no longer suitable for reuse. As part of the restoration, these were replaced to restore clear positional reference along the neck.

New mother of pearl dot inlays were installed, re-establishing clean and accurate fretboard definition following the resurfacing work.

With the fretboard preparation complete, the next stage was a full refret using Jescar stainless steel fretwire. Selected for its durability and long-term resistance to wear, it provides a significant increase in service life compared to traditional nickel-silver fretwire.

The refret was carried out using established fretwork procedures, including fret slot preparation, fret installation, levelling, crowning, fret-end dressing, and final polishing. 

To complete the hardware upgrade, a new set of locking tuners was installed. Where possible, the original mounting holes were reused, while the redundant holes were carefully plugged and sanded flush to maintain a clean appearance.

With the restoration work complete, the final stage was to fabricate a new nut from a Tusq XL blank and carry out a full setup.

Particular attention was paid to playability across the entire neck, especially during wide bends in the upper register. The final action was set to strike a balance between comfort, clean fretting, and unrestricted bending.

The bridge was configured as a floating tremolo and carefully balanced to provide stable tuning and smooth operation.

This project was about more than restoring a guitar. It was about unlocking the potential that had always been there.

Beneath the worn frets, tired electronics and ageing hardware was a well-built instrument that simply needed the right attention. Following a complete overhaul, the Cimar now plays, sounds and feels like a completely different guitar, while retaining the character and charm that made it worth restoring in the first place.

For me, that's what these projects are all about: giving a well-used instrument a second life and getting it back into the hands of someone who will enjoy playing it.