Official Luthiers Forum!

So I finally brought my camera home from work to take pictures of the guitar I described in this thread:
http://luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=18722

So I've been pondering this for a while... My question is not whether it's worth a repair or not because I know it's not. My question here is, "Is this salvageable?"... If so, then how would one go about salvaging this guitar?







Any and all ideas would be appreciated. ^^;; And yes, the strings are still on, but they've been loosened so that they are not causing any strain or tension.

You might benefit greatly from Hideo Kamimoto's book 'Complete Guitar Repair'. He shows a step by step process of a very similar repair job in the chapter: Repairing Cracks and Missing Sections.

_________________
Tom Krebs

Just about anything is fixable, but perhaps not financially feasible.

It could be a great learning experience as long as you don't expect a perfect repair or more than about 25 cents an hour for your time. This one would be especially challenging with its laminated wood, though. Much tougher to repair and impossible to make invisible without painting it.

I second the suggestion about Hideo Kamimoto's book. I resurrected a bunch of old beaters with it at my side.

Or for fun, just cut the body off the neck and build a new body.

Pat

_________________
formerly known around here as burbank
_________________

http://www.patfosterguitars.com

It's certainly possible to cut the shattered section of rim out and replace it with a new section of sapele (that's what it looks like). IMO that would be easier than trying to piece the jigsaw puzzle of broken pieces together, and it would look much better.

Once the side section is replaced, the back could be patched if you don't have the missing chunk.

When I first started doing repair work, back in the late 60's (I guess that dates me!) I did a couple of these types of repairs more for the experience than anything, and I enjoyed the challenges of making the instrument into an acceptable player, not to mention the knowledge I gained from doing them.

As was mentioned in a couple of earlier posts, Hideo Kamimoto's book is a good one although I had never heard of the book when I started out. Also mentioned, was the fact that you will make no money on this repair but if the owner is willing to pay you for the parts and the materials and you are looking to gain repair experience, this is a good way to start.

Finishing will be the toughest part as that guitar looks to be some sort of poly type finish that may be difficult for a small shop to match. but if the owner is reasonable and I'm sure he would be, if you take this on, you may be able to seal it up with shellac or nitro and have it look acceptable, all things considered.

Good Luck if you decide to to it!

Cal

_________________
Remember, there are no stupid questions, only stupid answers!

Damage this extensive can be repaired but it isn't easy. I see this is a laminated side. I have repaired some solid wood guitars like this. If the wood is structurally sound and can be puzzled back together you can use a backer from inside the guitar and glue onto that. In this case with the lam you may be able to work it back into shape with a probe and wick it with super glue. If you need to remove the damaged wood use the backer and bend a new piece or better yet , bend a side and replace it
john

_________________
John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

I've repaired quite a few guitars with completely blown out sides like this.

Don't use super glue and try to piece this back together. Horrible suggestion and it will be a huge mangled mess in the end on this guitar. When you get something like this you have much bigger problems than just the side. There is more structural damaged than just the sides so puzzling something together and wicking superglue isn't a good idea not to mention it will be messy as heck.

The back of your guitar has severe damage, the kerfing is blown out in multiple places, the top has a couple cracks, but it looks vastly better than the other parts. If you want to make it look the best possible you would be better served replacing a section of the sides/kerfing, patching the missing section of the back, fixing damaged braces,removing the neck to facilitate re-binding, and then re-finishing the guitar. Not a small task, and for sure not worth it on a $200 guitar, at least $$ wise. Experience wise it would be a interesting task.

_________________
John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

the advice wasn't to apply superglue and work it into place. The suggestion was to get it into position then wick it with super glue there is a big difference . There isn't a luthier that hasn't used that trick but with this guitar is really is not an economic but an experience issue. You have to first stabilize the structural integrity of the guitar. With out a true hands on inspection of this guitar are we not all just guessing?
There is more than one technique that may work. You have to look at what you are repairing. A repair on a prewar martin is something different than a 3 year old sigma. The route of a repair can be based on economy , rarity , practicality.
john hall
blues creek guitars
authorized martin repair center

_________________
John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

I didn't catch what kind of guitar it was, but it would make a great campfire guitar (duckin' and runnin')

Serious amount of work for a cheap guitar. Bigger fish to fry elsewhere. I'd let it go. It'll liberate you. If you decide to repair it, that ribbon sapele will be reasonably easy to match grain wise, & maybe even color wise. You'll probably learn a lot, but you may find you're in way over your head. How adventurous, patient & skilled are you? Are you good at planning? If you are an amateur, this will tax you for sure. Be forewarned. Think it through from start to finish. (then take it to that campfire!)

I understood what you were saying, but never the less it's still seems like a bad choice if you want a decent looking repair. I know it would work, but it would be terribly messy looking (with all the darkened joints and such), and still doesn't address the other issues, and might even make fixing the other issues more troublesome.



As you say it's not an economic, but an experience situation, so I suggest doing it right if it is taken on (which I would for sure write this one off...It looks like a cheaper yamaha). And yes you are right about a hands on inspection.

_________________
John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

There is some good advice.

_________________
John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

Here's a thought. If you decide not to fix it, decide to dissassamble it with a hot knife. Get to know how that feels. Try to remove part of the binding with a hot knife. Without wrecking it. Then try routing the remainder off. Take a stab at steam removing the neck. Funky attachment? Saw it off. Take the top and back off. Pop the braces. Or just leave the top fully braced on the wall to serve as a reminder why we sometimes don't fix plywood guitars!

And don't forget there's always campfire season! LOL! Don't worry, if you're going to stick with this luthier stuff, you'll eventually become a magnet for lotsa stuff, and you can get your chops on more reasonable repairs.

I bought a buncho stew mac videos & books when I got into repair. Best investment I made. Then, one day a friend gave me a 1943 Martin ooo to fix. Some unqualified person 'bout destroyed it trying to fix it. I had to remove the top and replace it. Martin braced up the top for me (I wasn't prepared to do that, especially for how cheap it was for Martin to do it)

One day he took it to Martin and it received high praises on the repair/refinish job. Whoa! Cool. BUT, I assessed what I could and couldn't do. I saved the top though. It still hangs around my shop wall. Always will.

Let us know what you do! Enjoy!