Request for advice to repair popped body top of acoustic steel string

tom3 · August 2017

Hi,

I'm new here.

I have an old acoustic 6 string that has some sentimental value as it is the first guitar I got some almost three decades ago, but it is a bit worn out. I would like to see if it is possible to do a basic fix on it...
... the problem is that the top of the body has popped up from string tension pulling over time. The neck is ok after truss rod tweaking. With the strings off I can read side the guitar and feel a gap between the front wood and a strut underneath, This problem is under the bridge at the low E end of the bridge.
I took the guitar to a local shop who were very helpful. The guitar is not worth fixing properly by steaming and unglueing everything then rebuilding. I would, however, like to try to do some sort of fix and then see if it will play with light strings (for minimum tension/strain on guitar.

So my question is.... I am thinking of glueing this up by reahing inside the body with a strong glue like araldite... try to fill the gap and then put something on to hold in place while it dries.

Any comments - any thoughts... as I said I am new here and this may be a really stupid idea (and as I said i'm new here), but it is the only way I can see to keep playing the guitar,

thanks in advance for any suggestions,

best iwshes
Tom

tom3 · August 2017

sorry meant to say 'steel string' above, not 6 string....

ICBM · August 2017

You definitely don't need to take the guitar apart to fix that, and most certainly shouldn't! Reaching inside through the soundhole is the way to do it - but don't glue it with Araldite, you need Titebond or Resin W type woodworking glue.

There are two main difficulties, if you're not experienced at this sort of repair - getting the glue into the gap, and clamping it. Usually you can get the glue bottle in through the soundhole and use a combination of gravity and your fingers to make the glue run into the gap - don't worry too much about making a mess, making it strong is more important if you can't easily wipe up the excess glue. It's not easy to see what you're doing so a small mirror is very useful. Putting a fair bit of kitchen roll into the body to catch drips and spillage is a good idea.

The proper luthier's way of clamping is to use a specialist long-reach clamp via the soundhole, but if you don't have access to one you can cheat - if you can find something small and solid (like a piece of wood) which will jam between the brace and the back of the guitar, and use that to hold it in place and preferably press it up quite firmly. If necessary - if that makes the top rise into a 'hump' - you can then lie the guitar down flat and put something heavy on top (right over the 'support', obviously) to make sure it holds the top down flat as the glue dries, rather than setting the 'hump' in place permanently.

Hope that helps, even if it sounds too difficult - the alternative is to find a luthier who doesn't think you need to take the top off to fix it... which will be much cheaper.

tom3 · August 2017

ICBM said:

You definitely don't need to take the guitar apart to fix that, and most certainly shouldn't! Reaching inside through the soundhole is the way to do it - but don't glue it with Araldite, you need Titebond or Resin W type woodworking glue.

There are two main difficulties, if you're not experienced at this sort of repair - getting the glue into the gap, and clamping it. Usually you can get the glue bottle in through the soundhole and use a combination of gravity and your fingers to make the glue run into the gap - don't worry too much about making a mess, making it strong is more important if you can't easily wipe up the excess glue. It's not easy to see what you're doing so a small mirror is very useful. Putting a fair bit of kitchen roll into the body to catch drips and spillage is a good idea.

The proper luthier's way of clamping is to use a specialist long-reach clamp via the soundhole, but if you don't have access to one you can cheat - if you can find something small and solid (like a piece of wood) which will jam between the brace and the back of the guitar, and use that to hold it in place and preferably press it up quite firmly. If necessary - if that makes the top rise into a 'hump' - you can then lie the guitar down flat and put something heavy on top (right over the 'support', obviously) to make sure it holds the top down flat as the glue dries, rather than setting the 'hump' in place permanently.

Hope that helps, even if it sounds too difficult - the alternative is to find a luthier who doesn't think you need to take the top off to fix it... which will be much cheaper.

thanks so much for your useful reply. Good to know that it is not necessarily as bad as it seemed at first. I will follow this up, perhaps with a luthier, perhaps myself. I really appreciate the steps you suggest of what to do re:glue and clamping....

many thanks, best wishes, Tom

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Request for advice to repair popped body top of acoustic steel string

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