beyond economical repair?

[old_picker]

a washburn 125th anni was bought into my workshop on friday by an enthusiastc young guy who has fallen for the look of this guitar that he just purchased for $200 - a reputable luthier has already quoted a retop [$600 est] which is what it really needs - having regard for the fact that it can be replaced for $800 it is not worth the effort - besides which he wants the top to stay looking the same - all dinged up - the split in the sound board is where the bridge plate has tipped forward and ripped the top open

i have looked at the braces and everything seems tight underneath and i am wondering if using the dreaded JLD bridge doctor together with a veneer patch under the crack might be stabilize things - it plays ok as is but not for too long i fear

[Kim]

The veneer and Bridge Dr is a possible option 'but'......I would not be too keen to take it on because the guy approached the first repairer and heard what he did not want to hear, he just moved on and found you. I suspect his expectations are a bit high and if they are not met, i.e. "the guitar does not sound as good as it did when I first bought it to you", then he's probably going to bag you for fucking it up rather than accepting the fact that 'he' rolled the dice to save a buck and it did not work out the way he had hoped. Too much risk for you for too little gain IMHO.

Cheers

Kim

[Bruce McC]

This guitar looks just like the one referred to in a previous post......

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=5570

the price must have dropped a bit!!!

[Taffy Evans]

I had the same style top [with the guitar] come in last week, same colour and cracked in the same place. In this case I thought the top had bowed up and being ply has split the outside lamination. I did not take on the job but referred the customer to the supplier, I heard they were going to replace it.

[simso]

Ive done them before, there actually not to bad of a repair, yes ideally a new top, but we remove the existing bridge plate put a 3mm laminate in all the way back to the tone bars which extends quite a way back on that model and then refit the bridge plate, appears to work none of them have come back for a follow up repair.

[DarwinStrings]

Does look like the same one Bruce, I guess that buyer saved Nick 20 bucks.

Jim

[old_picker]

Does look like the same one Bruce, I guess that buyer saved Nick 20 bucks.
Jim

yep same guitar - feel for the kid who bought it
anyway i will give it some thought having regard for the differing opinions put forward

thanks for the discussion much appreciated

[kiwigeo]

$200 for that???

[nnickusa]

Yeah, same one Bruce. My idea behind the $20 bid was to LEARN to do a re-top.....

Still looking for an old POS that is going cheap, tho I haven't had any luck at garage sales, or the markets, unlike some......

It's amazing what some think an old broken, in need of extensive repair, guitar is worth.....

[charangohabsburg]

Hey Nick, now instead of paying 20$ for learning to re-top a guitar you can charge a bit less than 600$ for it if the owner is on a budget and accepts to have it re-topped by a first-re-topper.

[old_picker]

Yeah, same one Bruce. My idea behind the $20 bid was to LEARN to do a re-top.....
Still looking for an old POS that is going cheap, tho I haven't had any luck at garage sales, or the markets, unlike some......
It's amazing what some think an old broken, in need of extensive repair, guitar is worth.....

getting that fretboard up with all that pearl would be a challenge
i am thinking the patch job suggestion is pretty much the only way forward

heres a pic of the whole guitar [not the one in question]