The Hub

Well, it is what it is, I seem to have found myself “the guy” to bring basket case Gibsons too…..

I have the following 55’ J-45. The top has some serious belly, and has had not one, but two different directions of bridge on it at various points. I’m trying to flatten the top out with Thompson belly reducers. I first tried the standard plates used for the bridge plate n the guitar, and although it helped, I still found the top to have a major sink in front of the bridge, almost exactly where the x-bracelet intersects. I figured I needed to remove the bridge plate(spruce…who wudda thought, oh and it’s in a million splinters now…..and use the Thompson plates for when the bridge plate was removed. I just set it up for its first treatment, but I still fear that it will have a major sink in front of the bridge, leaving the bridge footprint tilted towards the sound hole and sunk in…..any thoughts on a repair like this?!? Photos included