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Well, this guitar I know isn't the greatest in the world but it has alot of meaning to me. It was my first guitar that sadly, got stepped on. I want to just replace the sound board and keep the same bridge if that possible. The only thing is, I don't know where to get the wood, or what kind to use. And I was also thinking about scalping the lower frets too. Any advice on this? I'll add pictures in here.

-Jake

Jake -

First of all welcome. You'll find a lot of helpful people around here.

You might get better advice if you give us some background about what type of tools you have access to and how handy you are.

First of all, It's possible to do, but will take work and patience to get it right, as well as maybe costing more than you have in mind. Assuming you stick with it, there's a pretty good chance you'd end up with a better instrument than you started with.

As for ordering parts, many of the sponsors at the top of this page would be happy to sell you a top and some wood for bracing. To do it right, you'd want to pull off the fretboard too (but would reuse it), and spend some time getting the neck angle right. It looks like you'll also need some kerfed lining. Once you've got the top on, I assume you'd need to rebind it.

Sounds like fun. Good luck.

Mike

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Mike Lindstrom

Firstly, thanks for welcoming me.
I don't have many tools; any actually, but Im very hand and I got the patience.
I just needed to know, the measurements and the different bracing styles and which would work best. Ive seen my dad build guitars before, but I don't remember everything. Also, which type of wood should I use?

-Jake

That top is Spruce, most likely Sitka, but you could get a AA Lutz top for not too much. Sitka is usually available in lower grades for pretty cheap too. Shane, High Mountain Tonewoods, a sponsor here, has Lutz and brace wood at very reasonable prices. Get a book and read up on guitar repair. Most will have a chapter on replacing a top.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Do any of you guys know a good bracing style for deep bass because I want to use light light gauge strings, like 8's because my fingers die whenever I use 10's+.

-Jake

And also, when I get the top, will I have to sand it down thinner or should I just put it in the thickness that it comes in?

-Jake

With no tools, this just got either harder or much more expensive. Read about the process start to finish. You are essentially building a guitar from scratch. You're just skipping the side bending and the bit about the necks.

The questions you are asking don't really have an answer except, "it depends," or "the way I do it..." Now you're getting into the voodoo of building.

Keep in mind here, that I have built some guitars, but I am not an expert.

As for a bracing pattern, you should get some books and read up. Search google for plans. Then you've got two choices. Either use plans that pretty much match the guitar you've got, or make up your own. If you want to go that way, start by figuring out where the bridge goes (don't forget to include compensation). That, combined with the soundhole will locate your x-brace with a little wiggle room.

Good luck trying to get specific instructions on a plan for more bass. There are too many variables. The shape and size of the guitar already control to some extent how it will turn out. Some people will lighten up the braces, some will thin the top around the edges to loosen the top. The size of the soundhole has an effect. I would guess most people here make a different guitar every time, based on the wood they have in hand and how it flexes, feels, sounds, weighs, rings, etc... Trying to explain their decisions is difficult, and trying to quantify it in a generalized theory is impossible.

And your top thickness. If you dig through the archives, you will find a range of top thicknesses people use, again based on the overall systemic way they build, the sound they want, and particulars of each piece of wood. A number that often pops up seems to be 0.110"-0.125". Every top I've ordered was WAY too thick to use as is. Some of the sponsors above will thickness the wood for you before they ship it. I think some will install the rosette for you too.

Your best bet to do this yourself is still to read some books and check out some of the luthiery youtubes.

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Mike Lindstrom

At least one of our suppliers, LMI, will sell you a "serviced" soundboard. Thickness sanded and rosette inlaid.
But it's not cheap. You might do better to look for one of the OLF members near where you live, and see if
they would be willing to help you replace the top in their shop. That way all the correct tools are available, which
makes the job much simpler.

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Gene

Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason- Mark Twain

Alright, I appreciate everything both of you guys posted.
Gene, do you know how I would get in contact with an OLF member in my area?
Is there a place on this site for that or..?

-Jake

Get a copy of Jonathan Kincead's book, which can give you a sense of the process, as well as the tools that you'll need.

Jake,

I'm a realist (generally, an optimistic realist ), and I think you might need some advice from that prospective. It appears you can buy a new replacement Mitchell guitar for about $300. By the time you buy a decent top, brace wood, bridge plate, linings, new bindings, purflings, rosette, glue, sandpaper, finish, minimal essential tooling (not cheap), a book or two to help guide you, pay to have those things shipped to you, etc., you probably could have bought a two or three new replacements, or one higher quality solid wood topped guitar. This doesn't even account for the value of the time you will spend learning, repairing, and re-repairing your repair. For instance, assume it will take you 50 hours to complete the repair, which is probably realistic for a person starting with no experience. Assume you could earn just $10 per hour doing some other task, such as mowing neighbors' lawns, painting a house, etc., you could earn $500 in the same 50 hours (not that any of those things would be more fun than fixing a guitar, but still a point to be considered).

If you have ambition to continue building or repairing guitars, you could make a bit stronger argument for trying to repair this guitar and gaining experience in the process. However, from your posts it doesn't seem like this is the case. Rather, it appears you just wish to fix this one guitar because it holds sentimental value. If that is the case, I would highly suggest you let go. You can always keep the guitar in its present condition to remand you of whatever it is/was about it that makes it special to you. But, as has been mentioned, what you essentially are wanting to do requires a great deal of learning on your part, time, patience, and IMO much more capital expense and potential for disaster than can be logically justified. Know that this advice comes from a good place and from the mouth (well fingers really) of a man that has, many times over and more so in youth, bitten off more than he can successfully chew.

Good luck no matter your decision.

Aaron

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Aaron Craig

Jake, on a flattop guitar 12's are light. 10's don't have enough mass to drive the top. You gotta be kidding on the 8's.... They'll sound thin no matter what kind of bracing you have.

And if 10's hurt your fingers... practice more and build up those calluses. Seriously.
Ever heard "no pain, no gain"? They were talking about guitarists.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince