On violin family instruments, it's a fairly common thing to open up an instrument and make repairs to the insides, and/or replace the internal bracing (bassbar) or to change the thicknesses of the top, etc.
Do guitar luthiers do the same thing to finished guitars that for some reason have for example "belly" distortions or loose braces? If so, when is it worth doing, and how do you approach opening the box?
Repairing Guitars
-
martinedwards
- Wandoo
- Posts: 18
- Joined: Thu Oct 04, 2007 4:46 am
- Location: Jordanstown, Northern Ireland
route off the binding and then heat ope the glue holding the side to the top/back
but the fact that guitars have a big soundhole that you can get a hand/mirror/finger plane inside mean it's not usually necessary to open it up.
but the fact that guitars have a big soundhole that you can get a hand/mirror/finger plane inside mean it's not usually necessary to open it up.
Sorry I'm not from the Southern Hemisphere.....
I have an aunt in New Zealand and another in South Africa, can I still play?
I have an aunt in New Zealand and another in South Africa, can I still play?
-
Paul B
Guitars are not like violin family instruments Matt, in as far as pulling them apart to repair/make adjustments.
Taking off the top or back is major, major, surgery for a guitar. It would be pretty expensive to have someone do it for you. Most guys here could do it themselves, but when someone is paying you to do it, they better have a stack of cash, 'cause in some respects it'd be easier to make a new top than to try to refit one that had been removed. Very difficult to do it without leaving evidence that it had be done. I guess that's why you don't have binding on violin type instruments.
As an aside. I've read that bellying is not a bad thing in guitars. Some of the old pre war Martin guitars have evidence of bellying and they sound fantastic. The trick, as far as I'm concerned is to have a little bit of bellying without having the guitar fold up on you. So it's a matter of bracing lightly enough that you get a tiny little bit of bellying and a light weight responsive instrument, but not so much that the guitar folds in half. The guitar builder needs to find that equilibrium. Most guitars are over built, we seldom hear of guitars that fail 'cause they're too lightly built (perhaps people just didn't want to fess up online about failures, but you can learn more from failures than successes). That's just my opinion, I bet there's a few here who'll disagree.
Taking off the top or back is major, major, surgery for a guitar. It would be pretty expensive to have someone do it for you. Most guys here could do it themselves, but when someone is paying you to do it, they better have a stack of cash, 'cause in some respects it'd be easier to make a new top than to try to refit one that had been removed. Very difficult to do it without leaving evidence that it had be done. I guess that's why you don't have binding on violin type instruments.
As an aside. I've read that bellying is not a bad thing in guitars. Some of the old pre war Martin guitars have evidence of bellying and they sound fantastic. The trick, as far as I'm concerned is to have a little bit of bellying without having the guitar fold up on you. So it's a matter of bracing lightly enough that you get a tiny little bit of bellying and a light weight responsive instrument, but not so much that the guitar folds in half. The guitar builder needs to find that equilibrium. Most guitars are over built, we seldom hear of guitars that fail 'cause they're too lightly built (perhaps people just didn't want to fess up online about failures, but you can learn more from failures than successes). That's just my opinion, I bet there's a few here who'll disagree.
-
matthew
- Blackwood
- Posts: 1200
- Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2007 1:16 pm
- Location: Sydney, Inner West
- Contact:
Well i suppose I was thinking about "fine" instruments with a history, that might after many years, or through some mishap, require internal repair or replacement of bracing.
In the violin world, it is usually possible to do this and retain most of the original wood and decoration through careful repairs from inside.
Routing off the original binding seems a drastic thing to do, as then the original decoration - which is a major part of the look of the guitar, is irretrievably lost. But perhaps this is not as common with guitars.
Interesting, isn't it, how different classes of instrument have significantly different problems and approaches to working on them. Pretty obvious, but fascinating nonetheless.
In the violin world, it is usually possible to do this and retain most of the original wood and decoration through careful repairs from inside.
Routing off the original binding seems a drastic thing to do, as then the original decoration - which is a major part of the look of the guitar, is irretrievably lost. But perhaps this is not as common with guitars.
Interesting, isn't it, how different classes of instrument have significantly different problems and approaches to working on them. Pretty obvious, but fascinating nonetheless.
Ive got an old Ibanez OM copy in the shop for some modifications. The thing is a right hander and has been played for some time by a left handed musician aquaintance. The intonation is so far out the thing just wont tune up. I cant think for the life of me how this guy has gone for so many years without noticing. Ill be whacking off the bridge and refitting a new one with saddle compensated for a left hander.
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 120 guests