Is this repairable?

Bidley · June 2014

Purely out of curiosity!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/martin-sigma-guitar-/331246719617?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item4d1fd7d281#ht_177wt_1047

ICBM · June 2014

Yes.

By making a new top.

Ideal project if you want to start to learn about major guitar repair and building, but not economical otherwise!

octatonic · June 2014

This is exactly what I need for my repair and restoration module in my final year of the degree. Yes repairable and yes I would make an new soundboard for it.

ToneControl · June 2014

for a non-luthier, replacing a soundboard is expensive, and AFAIK only practical in a G8 country if the guitar is worth £1k+ when repaired

Bidley · June 2014

That's what I thought, I just wondered why people would buy something so bolloxed! Surely it'd be easier to buy a guitar that hasn't been destroyed? Unless you wanted it for educational purposes, like @octatonic.

lustycourtier · June 2014

Someones pissed off his girlfriend.....

octatonic · June 2014

OK, I've bought it.

Will be picking it up sometime this week.

Look for a 'I have a thing to repair' thread sometime in September.

Bidley · June 2014

Awesome! I look forward to seeing how you get on. Do ask how it got in that state when you pick it up, then report back

octatonic · June 2014

Will do.

ICBM · July 2014

It does look suspiciously heel-of-shoe sized

.

Although I do know of one pro player who did that accidentally to his own Gibson, which he'd left lying at the side of the stage, so it doesn't necessarily prove malice/female input.

Good to hear it will have a useful purpose in being fixed.

octatonic · July 2014

Cheers ICBM.

I got it pretty cheap too.

ChrisMusic · July 2014

Nice little project,

Good to see it will be brought back to life, make a great photo story

gubble · July 2014

Sorry just reminded me of this

octatonic · July 2014

Still haven't managed to pick it up as the seller cancelled on me yesterday and then today didn't get back to confirm a time until it was too late.

I did speak to him on the phone and yes, someone kicked it- deliberately from what I gather.

Didn't say if it was his missus or not.

octatonic · July 2014

I've collected it and told him about this thread.

So the plan is to try to replicate the existing soundboard but with a higher quality wood (won't be hard, frankly).

The bridge is ruined because he didn't slacken off the strings enough and it is lifting up.

The damage is limited to the soundboard- the sides, back and neck are fine- I don't think I'll even need to replace the kerfed linings (although I might as they are a bit shit).

So- new solid mahogany top, spruce braces and maple patches.

X braced design as you would expect.

Going to do some nice binding- not sure what, maybe rosewood or pauferro and maybe a bit of herringbone purfling.

Bridge will be rosewood and probably going to do ebony bridge pins as I like them.

As to how the damage happened- I'm afraid @lustycourtier is right.

As I got it cheap I decided to offer it back to him for costs plus what I paid for it if he wants to.

Totally up to him, I'm not bothered if he doesn't- but he seemed amenable to this suggestion.

I'm going to create a new thread for the repair but here are some before pics:

https://scontent-b-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/t1.0-9/10447083_534937639969355_1272994338324370952_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfa1/t1.0-9/10457579_534937683302684_5710629374438225635_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xaf1/t1.0-9/10489896_534937726636013_3637407548930269000_n.jpg

https://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/t1.0-9/10426177_534937759969343_1103723539987803178_n.jpg

https://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/t31.0-8/10505148_534937786636007_7239944143620486324_o.jpg

ICBM · July 2014

Are you sure the bridge is ruined? Even if it's lifting, unless it's actually split it will be re-usable once the glue has been cleaned off it… unless you just fancy making a new one anyway.

To be honest I'd be inclined to 'upgrade' it by making a spruce soundboard too. I actually quite like the sound of these all-mahogany guitars, but it's harder to make a good thin mahogany soundboard without it being too fragile than it is with spruce, apparently.

octatonic · July 2014

Yes, you're right, I probably could salvage the bridge- but it doesn't take me long to make a new one.

I thought about doing a spruce soundboard- actually I can get an A grade board for £25 through my uni- maybe that is a better idea.

I thought about cedar too- but that will be more money.

ICBM · July 2014

octatonic said:
I thought about cedar too- but that will be more money.

Ah… but cedar might be a useful experiment, because Martin don't do a cedar-top guitar (as far as I know). Might be interesting to know what it sounds like! I didn't think of that until you mentioned it, although to be honest I don't like cedar tops usually. But is it the cedar, or the guitar design they're usually put on? Aha!

octatonic · July 2014

Cedar can be really nice- it doesn't have as much top end as spruce, usually.

Quite a bit softer too.

I'll probably go for spruce though.

Bidley · July 2014

Sad to hear how it got damaged, I'd be particularly gutted. I do look forward to seeing how you get on with it, this thread has turned out more educational than I thought!

Nice to know my eBay-trawling isn't always a complete waste of time.

ICBM · July 2014

octatonic said:

Cedar can be really nice- it doesn't have as much top end as spruce, usually.
Quite a bit softer too.

I find cedar too soft-sounding and lacking in definition/punch compared to spruce, but I'm not 100% certain it isn't the guitar design rather than the wood itself - it's rare to find exact equivalents made with both woods.

octatonic · July 2014

I may be able to help out.

One of my colleagues made his parlour guitar with a cedar top.

It isn't quite finished yet but when it is I'll do some comparing.

It is fairly similar- he used cherry back and sides & mahogany neck, the same as me.

The only real differences are the cedar vs spruce top and he used rosewood for the fingerboard and bridge, where I used ebony.

ICBM said:

octatonic said:

Cedar can be really nice- it doesn't have as much top end as spruce, usually.
Quite a bit softer too.

I find cedar too soft-sounding and lacking in definition/punch compared to spruce, but I'm not 100% certain it isn't the guitar design rather than the wood itself - it's rare to find exact equivalents made with both woods.

octatonic · July 2014

Bidley said:

Sad to hear how it got damaged, I'd be particularly gutted. I do look forward to seeing how you get on with it, this thread has turned out more educational than I thought!

Nice to know my eBay-trawling isn't always a complete waste of time.

Oh yes, seriously mate- thanks for the heads up.

I wasn't looking for the 3rd year repair project just yet but I did need to find something.

This is the perfect project, albeit a fairly big project.

I'm starting the prep for it now, before the school year starts, in order to give myself a bit more time.

Bidley · July 2014

No probs dude, hope it helps. Nice gesture, offering it back to the bloke who sold it to you. It'd make for a great story if he bought it back from you all repaired

octatonic · July 2014

That was kinda my idea- I do need a cheap guitar to practice on but once I've done the job I don't actually need the guitar so it made sense to offer to get it back to him if he wanted.

ICBM · July 2014

Bidley said:

Nice gesture, offering it back to the bloke who sold it to you. It'd make for a great story if he bought it back from you all repaired

Only a good idea if he's not still in a relationship with the same woman

.

Bidley · July 2014

ICBM said:

Bidley said:

Nice gesture, offering it back to the bloke who sold it to you. It'd make for a great story if he bought it back from you all repaired

Only a good idea if he's not still in a relationship with the same woman .

If he is then he deserves another battered guitar!

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Is this repairable?

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