|
|
#1
03-20-2016, 04:15 PM
|
|||
|
|||
Sagging in Archtop
Hey everyone, first post here!
Just down the street from me is a luthier who builds acoustic and does repairs. I finally went into his small shop and amongst all of his acoustics was one archtop that instantly caught my eye, I played it and immediately fell in love! It was marked "used" so I questioned him about it. He told me he built it several years ago as a prototype and used it as his gigging electric (he's mostly an acoustic player), he is now working on a solidbody for himself. Upon further inspection of the instrument I noticed a slight sagging in the top of the guitar. Unlike many other archtops where the top under the bridge starts to sag this is sagging under the pressure of the tailpiece. I do have knowledge about guitar maintenance and repair so I was able to assess the situation, discover origin of the problem and developed a hypothesis: *consult the pictures* When he built the instrument he installed a vibrato tailpiece on it. The original construction of the tailpiece did not pull the strings across the bridge at a proper angle. He then modified the tailpiece to sit lower on the body by removing the platform the spring sits on (I could see where the tailpiece was modified). He succeeded to lower the tailpiece and it helped to pull the strings across the bridge at a sharper angle but now the spring needed a place to sit. He then designed a small 'dish' on the top for the spring to sit but this put all the tension of the vibrato onto the top. This led to the sagging in the top. I didn't want to be rude and point out imperfections in his work upon our first meeting so I thought I'd start here. What I'd like to know: 1. How major of an issue is it as it sits now? Is it bad enough where I should just stay clear of it? 2. Is it possible to restore the proper arch to the top or will it always stay sagged like this? If I purchased this guitar I would definetely remove the tailpiece and put on a Bigsby, I would need a vibrato. Good idea or not? Any input you include is very helpful, thanks! The sag is REALLY hard to capture through a camera but you can see how it's sunken in the pictures I took looking down the front of the guitar. Compare the difference in height on both sides of the F holes. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9-...ew?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9-...ew?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9-...ew?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9-...ew?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9-...ew?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9-...ew?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9-...ew?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9-...ew?usp=sharing 
|
|
#2
03-23-2016, 06:05 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
That's more than "slight sagging" - you've got some major issues here; based on your verbal description and the pictures the entire geometry was all wrong from the get-go, and I personally wouldn't touch it...
__________________
"Mistaking silence for weakness and contempt for fear is the final, fatal error of a fool" - Sicilian proverb (paraphrased)
|
|
#3
03-23-2016, 06:08 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
well, can't see it in the first picture, but, definitely in all the others.
play music!
__________________
2014 Martin 00015M 2009 Martin 0015M 2008 Martin HD28 2007 Martin 000-18GE 2006 Taylor 712 2006 Fender Parlor GDP100 1978 Fender F65 1968 Gibson B25-12N Various Electrics
|
