jmendoza Posted December 28, 2021 Share Posted December 28, 2021 I was doing a replacement of the tuners, nut, and strings on my 1954 L-50 and while putting on and tightening the bass e-string, I saw the top collapsing near the f-hole on the bass side. I let off the string tension and put my finger inside to feel the bass bar...it was completely loose from the top from the end block to about the small end of the f-hole. I have no idea how to glue it back in place without removing the back or top, which I do not want to do. There must be someone who has done this repair without taking the guitar apart and I'm open to suggestions. The guitar is otherwise in wonderful condition and actually played and sounded great before I notice the loose bass bar. Apparently this has been a problem for some time and I never noticed it as normally, I only change one string at a time. TIA Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedzep Posted December 28, 2021 Share Posted December 28, 2021 (edited) Back removal is all you can do, especially because of the need to clean the old glue from the parts to get functional adhesion.https://www.chicagofretworks.com/2008/08/05/vintage-gibson-l47-brace-repair/ Edited December 28, 2021 by jedzep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmendoza Posted December 30, 2021 Author Share Posted December 30, 2021 Unbelievable, but I got a call today from The Guitar Shoppe and they managed to re-glue the brace and clamp it in place successfully. They were able to clean the area of old glue and get a good bond using magnets to clamp it, which is novel but effective, who woulda though that was possible? From talking with them, this is a type of repair they specialize in because they cater to jazz players with old archtops from the pre-war era. This shop has a reputation for taking on really difficult repairs and having excellent success. If fact, many customers have said they have done repairs others would not attempt. To my sheer delight, they were very reasonable and I was surprised at how quickly they were able to do the repair, and more surprised by how inexpensive they are. Best of all, the guitar sounds the best it ever has. I think the brace has been loose since I bought the guitar back in the mid-1980s. I have never taken a repair to them because I was under the mistaken impression that they charge top dollar, but that is anything but true; they are very experienced and so it takes them less time due to that and they charge a fair rate that is affordable. One of the very last real old fashion Guitar shops around with a full staff of experienced luthiers. I give them 5 stars and a big thumbs up! They saved my "baby" Thanks to Kirk and crew! 🙂 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedzep Posted December 30, 2021 Share Posted December 30, 2021 Amazing, J. Good job tracking them down. Where and who is this shop. Link us up if you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted December 30, 2021 Share Posted December 30, 2021 https://www.theguitarshoppe.com/about-us.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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