The Hub

I recently had a guitar come in with a crack in the top. The top was an arch top so the top was thick and the crack uneven from side to side so I wanted to be able to supply more pressure then just using magnets to be able to even up the crack sides. But access was limited to a small sound hole and so no way to get jacks or a clamp to fit. I also wanted to use full length longer cleats instead of fiddling with the tedious fishing reel…

I watched the Guild F-20 video (https://dev2.loothgroup.com/groups/repair-and-restoration/forum/topic/cracker-x-braces-on-guild-f20/#post-60310) with great interest since I've been working on a Gibson L-3 with a similar problem. A little back story - The original repair request was to address a small pickguard crack on the sound hole side. After peeking inside, I saw 5 loose brace ends on the treble side. Still a pretty standard repair…

I would really appreciate some advice on this repair that I need to do. I've built a number of (classical) guitars so far, but this is my first repair job. I have already set the expectations with the customer that I can probably fix it structurally but the repair will be visible. The guitar is modestly priced and of no historical significance so it seems like an ideal project to take on as a first one. The guitar suffered a blow on the…

Im going to attach some photos of a 000-style guitar from Potomac(I believe an Eastman product) that has some top cracks and deformation around the neck block from what I assume to be a shift of the neck block. How do you all approach repairs like this. Im thinking that pulling the neck and somehow pushing the block back into place from the inside is about the right course of action, but if anyone has some advice, Id appreciate it! In th…

Hey! I have been working on repairing a d-18 that had a large hole in the side. I glued in a backer, cleaned up the edges and after a few attempts got a patch glued in and leveled. I have been testing finish on some scrap but am getting lost in the woods. In my tests I am doing most of the color in the grain fill. Does anyone have tips on how to start touching this up? Thanks!

It was only a matter of time before one of these arrived on my bench. The neck on this 71 SG Deluxe is caving through to the neck pickup cavity— In a similar fashion to what happens on old jr’s. Both sides of the cutaway have cracks that extend through to the pickup route and I can flex them easily. Problem is that the cracks are not straight and wander all over. I worry about being able to get enough glue in there because of this. Thin…

So, I've seen people having to deal with crappy binding glue on newer Martin's. I have a D35 at 50 (2015) and the purfling has separated from the guitar body all the way around both the top and bottom of the guitar due to heat. Not only that but the binding has separated from the purfling in spots. The glue is still tacky and it's almost like a thick stain as it has impregnated the top and sides, making it impossible to completely rem…

In the process of evaluating the repairs needed on this guitar I checked to see if the truss rod was working. There is hole in the transverse brace where you would normally insert a truss rod, but all I see is the end of a metal bar with a smallish hole in the center. I tried several allen wrenches that would fit in the hole, but nothing seems to grab. Did they really eliminate the adjustable truss rod on this vintage reproduction? Here'…

A customer brought a Martin D28 in for an assessment and below is the main issues with the guitar. It has two loose braces and two warped/broken "stringers" along the back of the guitar. In addition, the guitar is a candidate for a neck reset, although I think I can possibly kick that can down the road, and my main concern is the loose braces. I'm wondering what the best way to repair something like this is? I don't have much experience…