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[littlebobby]

Two questions: is it possible to fix a bellied top by heating and flattening it out then resetting the neck? I want to avoid a bridge truss if possible and I’d be happy to pay the more pricey fee for the work on my 66 LG1.
And who can anybody recommend in the UK not too far from the West Midlands?

Thanks in advance.

[Talldad]

What is the problem with the bellying, has it made it unplayable or is it just unsightly? Structurally, is it still moving?

If you send photos through I can look at it, I live near LIchfield.

[littlebobby]

Originally Posted by Talldad

What is the problem with the bellying, has it made it unplayable or is it just unsightly? Structurally, is it still moving?

If you send photos through I can look at it, I live near LIchfield.

Thanks for the response. The action is a little high up the neck but my main concern is it being a progressive problem. I reluctantly put some 11’s on it and it’s tuned to open D minor most of the time and spends most of its life in open tunings. It really has the sweetest tone and I worry a bridge truss is going to do something to compromise it.

[Talldad]

Part of the difficulties is that the ladder bracing system doesn’t do a great job of resisting the pull of the strings, the 4 braces run perpendicular to the strings.

The tone is generated by a myriad of factors one of which is the shape and flexibility of the top. Anything you do to flatten out the top will change the tone slightly.

How far above the soundboard is the saddle between D and G strings. If you still have 11-13mm then your better option may be to lower the saddle to fix the height above 12th fret. This, in turn, will reduce the moment of turn on the bridge and consequently put less pull into bellying the top.

You may lose a tiny, tiny bit of ‘power’, but the tone should stay the same.

[nikpearson]

I think Dana Bourgeois has commented that some bellying is desirable for a good sound.

Anything you do to flatten out or reinforce the top is likely to change the sound of the instrument significantly.

As the previous post suggest there is an optimum height for the strings above the soundboard. If you detour too much from this the instrument’s sound I’d likely to be effected. How much saddle is protruding from the bridge? If there’s sufficient saddle height I’d agreed that lowering the saddle would be the best first step.

[littlebobby]

Originally Posted by nikpearson

I think Dana Bourgeois has commented that some bellying is desirable for a good sound.

Anything you do to flatten out or reinforce the top is likely to change the sound of the instrument significantly.

As the previous post suggest there is an optimum height for the strings above the soundboard. If you detour too much from this the instrument’s sound I’d likely to be effected. How much saddle is protruding from the bridge? If there’s sufficient saddle height I’d agreed that lowering the saddle would be the best first step.

There’s definitely some scope to get the saddle down because the one that’s in there doesn’t fill the slot lengthways anyway so it needs replacing. I think I will go with a thorough set up first and see where I’m at.
My Guild has a big old crack in it which is more urgent and expensive anyway so this will make sorting both a possibility.