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  #1  
Old 05-03-2017, 03:47 PM
DavidE DavidE is offline
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Default Cost to Repair Top Belly

I have a Martin from the1990's that is starting to show some top belly. The bridge is tilted and the action is up. I'd like to address it before any other problems already. Bridge is not lifting. No loose braces from what I can tell.

Assuming no additional damage, thoughts on the cost of a repair? From what I read online, looks like remove the bridge, use a belly tool and heat and then when the top is flat, reinstall the bridge. Maybe give the bridge plate some attention is needed.

Just trying to get a ballpark with the understanding that is it needs more work, there will be more cost.

Thanks

Edit: I have no way to measure anything here. Pictures would only show the bridge tilting. One shop in New Orleans that shows how they do the repair quoted me $200. Looks like Dan Erlwine uses the same method with the Stew Mac tool. My local shop of choice says it's an expensive repair and the method used by Erlewine and the New Orleans shop don't address the issue and the problem will reappear.

And no, I'm not installing a bridge doctor.

Last edited by DavidE; 05-08-2017 at 06:36 AM.
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  #2  
Old 05-03-2017, 05:43 PM
Guest 1928
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If there are no loose braces and the bridge is not lifting, then trying to prevent normal bellying is a mistake. Reset the neck when the time comes and leave the top alone.
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  #3  
Old 05-04-2017, 06:18 AM
B. Howard B. Howard is offline
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Yep, time for a neck reset. You can have it pressed back with heat but the belly will reappear in short order most likely.
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  #4  
Old 05-04-2017, 02:43 PM
Howard Klepper Howard Klepper is offline
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I need photos and the make and model of the guitar (is "a main" a brand identification?) before I can give advice on this kind of question.
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Old 05-06-2017, 02:38 PM
Earl49 Earl49 is offline
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Presuming here, but I took "main" to be an autocorrect of Martin. I fall prey to "auto error" insertion all the time. Somehow I never see the issues until after hitting "send".

Without pictures and / or measurements, no one can really comment for sure.
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Old 05-06-2017, 03:52 PM
ChrisN ChrisN is offline
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At the risk of throwing gasoline onto a fire (caution: this solution is ill-favored on AGF), I will say that I eliminated the belly from an old Japanese lam guitar (so a Martin may not qualify) for the $24 it took to purchase a JLD Bridge Doctor. My purpose was to reorient the bridge to level and transfer the rotational forces from string tension to the lower block in order to reduce strain on the old braces. Worked great, sounded great. I'd do it again.

If you do this (unlikely), know that the belly reduction necessarily acts to rotate the front of the bridge upward and the back of the bridge downward, to make it level, increasing string height, assuming the same saddle is retained. In other words, if it needed a reset before, installing a Bridge Doctor will exacerbate, not fix, that situation.
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Old 05-07-2017, 06:12 PM
Ned Milburn Ned Milburn is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisN View Post
At the risk of throwing gasoline onto a fire (caution: this solution is ill-favored on AGF), I will say that I eliminated the belly from an old Japanese lam guitar (so a Martin may not qualify) for the $24 it took to purchase a JLD Bridge Doctor. My purpose was to reorient the bridge to level and transfer the rotational forces from string tension to the lower block in order to reduce strain on the old braces. Worked great, sounded great. I'd do it again.

If you do this (unlikely), know that the belly reduction necessarily acts to rotate the front of the bridge upward and the back of the bridge downward, to make it level, increasing string height, assuming the same saddle is retained. In other words, if it needed a reset before, installing a Bridge Doctor will exacerbate, not fix, that situation.
The bridge witch doctor prevents the guitar top from vibrating freely and is not even a serious consideration in my workshop.
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  #8  
Old 05-08-2017, 06:37 AM
DavidE DavidE is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Howard Klepper View Post
I need photos and the make and model of the guitar (is "a main" a brand identification?) before I can give advice on this kind of question.
Please see the revised op.
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  #9  
Old 05-08-2017, 06:38 AM
DavidE DavidE is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisN View Post
At the risk of throwing gasoline onto a fire (caution: this solution is ill-favored on AGF), I will say that I eliminated the belly from an old Japanese lam guitar (so a Martin may not qualify) for the $24 it took to purchase a JLD Bridge Doctor. My purpose was to reorient the bridge to level and transfer the rotational forces from string tension to the lower block in order to reduce strain on the old braces. Worked great, sounded great. I'd do it again.

If you do this (unlikely), know that the belly reduction necessarily acts to rotate the front of the bridge upward and the back of the bridge downward, to make it level, increasing string height, assuming the same saddle is retained. In other words, if it needed a reset before, installing a Bridge Doctor will exacerbate, not fix, that situation.
If only it wasn't necessary to drill holes in the bridge for the installation.
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  #10  
Old 05-08-2017, 07:55 AM
Truckjohn Truckjohn is offline
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After reading your edited OP - it sounds like there are really only a few choices...

Assuming your trussrod is properly adjusted...

Is your saddle really too low (no saddle left) or are you just worried about this progressing in the future?

If you still have saddle left - have it sanded down... You will likely reduce the load on the top which may reduce the belly/rotation...
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  #11  
Old 05-08-2017, 08:32 AM
Guest 1928
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DavidE View Post
Edit: I have no way to measure anything here. Pictures would only show the bridge tilting. One shop in New Orleans that shows how they do the repair quoted me $200. Looks like Dan Erlwine uses the same method with the Stew Mac tool. My local shop of choice says it's an expensive repair and the method used by Erlewine and the New Orleans shop don't address the issue and the problem will reappear.
Just based one what I'm reading here, I tend to agree with the bolded statement.

All Martin-style steel string guitars have some bellying, which does make the bridge tilt forward some. It's often most apparent on forward braced guitars, but not always. If the amount of bellying present in your guitar is within the range of normal, you should not be attempting to "correct" it. If the amount of bellying is excessive, then there is usually some structural failure that caused it. Another cause is high humidity. Regardless, if excessive, the cause needs to be addressed before any corrective action is undertaken. If not, then do nothing with the belly, and reset the neck when the time comes.

Without measurements or photos there's not much more to say. I guess my summary would be that far too often guitar owners tend to believe that "flattops" are supposed to be flat, but they aren't, and shouldn't be.
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  #12  
Old 05-09-2017, 01:16 PM
stormin1155 stormin1155 is offline
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I've made heating blocks, similar to the ones Stew-Mac sells to straighten bellying, and have had some success with that, but not sure how long-term the repairs will last. In general, I'm not terribly concerned with bellying in and of itself. I've seen lots of guitars with pretty severe bellying that play and sound just fine. My 1973 Yamaki has perhaps the worst bellying I've ever seen, but the action is just fine, it sounds better than ever, and it's never needed a neck reset.

When the bellying results in unacceptable action, the best remedy is almost always a neck reset.
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