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Old 11-09-2017, 11:06 AM
ChrisN ChrisN is offline
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Default Clothespin Used for Repair??

I love my old Conn OM and want to keep it healthy, so I found a cheap one on ebay to keep for parts. Sold by an "estate" reseller, not an owner.

As expected, it was "well loved" (meaning, rode hard, put up wet) and needs a reset, tuners, bridge, etc., so I'll likely just keep it for parts. I know my own Conn was starting to belly and I was concerned about the slow-motion collapse breaking braces loose over time, so I used a bridge doctor on mine and all's well.

Interior inspection of my new Conn revealed two things - (1) a previous owner had attempted to cure the bellying by gluing a 1X1" wood block in front of the bridge to keep things propped up (yikes). The block was a little tall and this put excess pressure against the top and the back, and at least 1 brace will need to be reglued. I cut the block out immediately.

(2) A previous owner had glued both pieces of a wooden, spring-loaded (spring removed) clothespin on either side of the soundhole (interior) so that they form a "V" toward the bridge.

My questions:

* What was the PO trying to accomplish with the clothespin pieces? Based on your experience with similar "fixes," what condition was he trying to cure/prevent? Bellying? Other?

* If I ever decide to resurrect this guitar, and use a bridge doctor to handle bellying to transfer some stress to the tail/pin block, do you think I'd be able to remove the clothespin halves without risk of structural collapse?

* Do you think the clothespin halves are potentially impacting tone where they're glued? If not, I' migh leave them be.

Thanks for any input.
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Old 11-09-2017, 01:09 PM
John Arnold John Arnold is offline
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I think the clothespin pieces were installed to correct a sinking top. The force on the bridge from string tension tends to make the top sink in the soundhole area.
Since they are next to the X-braces (which are much stiffer), I doubt that they have a negative effect on the sound.
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Old 11-09-2017, 01:47 PM
ChrisN ChrisN is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by John Arnold View Post
I think the clothespin pieces were installed to correct a sinking top. The force on the bridge from string tension tends to make the top sink in the soundhole area.
Since they are next to the X-braces (which are much stiffer), I doubt that they have a negative effect on the sound.
Perfect. Thanks John.
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