DonCarlos Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Hello I had posted this on the Epi-side of the forum and got no bites, so I thought I would throw it over here. Guess the glue is going to be the same whether it's an epi or a gibson. I am going to repair a crack on the back of my dr500 masterbilt, and it runs behind the sound hole label. I really did not want to fiddle with the label and wanted to keep it in tact, but the repair will require a few cleats and the label will have to be removed in order to save it. I only saw one thing on the net about heating a dry towel in a microwave to reheat the glue and carefully remove it. It may work, but I am soliciting any other ideas before I start in on it. I want to preserve the label as much as possible to reattach it. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Morton Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Perhaps contact Epiphone to see if they can send a replacement label? That heat may not be good for the wood either. JM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Theoretically steam or a wet towel maybe even a hair dryer will loosen the adhesive enough so you can lift the label off with a blade. But I am betting it will end up being a bit of mess rather than a clean removal. I agree with the above post in that I would be edgy about heating the wood too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 . Be very careful with any heat source and with moist/wet rags/towels. Heating the wood up too much can cause some off gassing that can get trapped under the finish and raise some unsightly bumps. And sometimes moisture getting on the unfinished side of the wood can raise bumps in the finish too. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonCarlos Posted May 26, 2012 Author Share Posted May 26, 2012 Thanks for the suggestions. I did take a couple high resolution photos, and I have contacted Gibson for their recommendation. And too, I did add a photo of the label and asked if they could replace this one (although it isn't damaged yet I assume it will be), I will post an update in case someone else needs the information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonCarlos Posted May 30, 2012 Author Share Posted May 30, 2012 Just as a follow up. I exchanged some emails from Benton Cummings of Gibson and spoke by phone with our own frequent forum Gibson customer service rep. Vincent. The end result. They cannot provide a label replacement. And the advice from support was to carefully steam it off with the warning "that it could cause other structural problems so it is recommended to take it to a qualified luthier". I have made multiple high resolution photos for a replacement, so I may go ahead and proceed with a method of warming a folded dish cloth and systematically heat corners to see if iI can lift it off successfully. We will see in the end what the result is. This particular guitar, Epiphone Masterbuilt DR500, cost me $40 at a pawn store. I wasn't really in the market for a masterbilt, but it's incredible condition prompted me to try a bargain. So, I worked on the owner and convinced him of it's worthlessness and that I only wanted it for the Grover sta-tite tuners . He dropped the price from $178 to the $40 that I was generously offering. I told him that the guitar will probably fall to pieces in the next couple weeks, and he said he has had it there since February and no one wants a guitar with a crack. It is virtually unplayed, with the protective cover still on the pick guard, and zero scratches, and zero wear on the pristine neck, bridge is mint including the bridge plate (not a scratch from strings being replaced). Thank goodness for iPhone's and the great pictures you can take inside a guitar. All bracing is tight and solid, looks new inside of the thing. It is not stamped used or second and has the original label and serial. The original strings were still on it, as two broke just by the act of me "unwinding" them. Not sure of it's history or what cracked the back the entire length. The guitar just looks like it has been sitting somewhere a long long time. I have humidified it for the past two weeks (like the Taylor video) and the crack is almost fully closed, and I am getting a rising arch, so the next step is to titebond it and then cleat it. I have never owned a masterbilt but it looks like it has potential and I am excited about this project. My luthier said it would be worthwhile as a fix it yourself (he said his estimate to repair would be 450+ because he would replace the back and it was all a labor intensive job). Pawn stores usually have some knowledge of the value of things, but now always, so always talk and bargain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 . If you're going to use the warm moist rag method - I would suggest minimal heat. And before you start, setup an area where you can sit the guitar down and have a fan blow at the sound hole to aid in drying up the additional moisture (no heat-gun or hair dryer). Good luck with the project DC. And let us know how it turns out. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmonsh Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 dont need heat. i have removed lables using a ittle lighter fluid. dampen the label lightly and slowly peel it off. once it dried was good as new. u can use a blow dryer on low after and very lightly warm up. dont get hot at all. once it starts to lift they come off usually completely in tact. go to the martin forums and search. people do it all the time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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