Advice on Gibson L7 repair

[oldninja]

Good morning,

I need some advice concerning repair work on my 1940 Gibson L7. It has a small separation between the back and side about 1" long. I normally do all of my own minor repairs but this is way beyond my abilities. I'm torn between letting Gibson do the repair or finding a luthier I trust. I'm not convinced that if I send it to Gibson it won't get stranded should their financial troubles worsen. I don't have much experience regarding luthiers in my area. If it was any other of my guitars I wouldn't be fretting so (no pun intended) but this was my fathers guitar and so the inevitable emotional attachment is making me extra cautious. Any recommendations would be very much appreciated. Thank you kindly.

[OddManOut]

I would recommend you research repair luthiers w/in driving distance of your location. I think a good repair luthier is the way to go.

Good luck! You'll find someone good.

[MC5C]

I wouldn't send it to gibson, I doubt they are on top of hot hide glue repairs these days, although they might be. For the same reason, picking a repair person might be a challenge if they don't build with hot hide glue. There is little you could do to it that would be irreversable, if it's truly just a small separation and all else is good - but why did it separate in the first place? Personally, I would either fix it myself (learning hot hide glue and all) or leave it alone and see what it does next. It might do absolutely nothing, and it might tell you what is really wrong.

[kayakman]

Take Odd Man Outs answer..

[EScottG]

I would clean out any dried glue and dust from the crack and glue it back up with either hot hide glue or liquid hide glue in the brown bottle. One clamp with snug pressure (not death-grip). A small separation like that (if it's what I am imagining...a 1" separation of the back from the kerfing on the sides) needs just a small amount of glue to join things back together. The above-mentioned glues also make it easy to clean up the squeeze-out once you get it clamped.

Good luck
Scott

[love the guitar]

Having watched and worked alongside violin repairmen in the past, I would
recommend learning about then trying the hide glue yourself because if it doesn't
work out for you, no harm done and you can still find a repairman.

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by kayakman

Take Odd Man Outs answer..

I third that!

[jazzer44]

Seam pops are common and about the simplest repair in world of lutherie.
Chances are the seam will re-stick itself with a bit of hot water + clamp.
Whether you use hot water or hot hide glue the repair takes only a minute or two.

One of the reasons hide glue has been used for centuries is for its ability to re-stick to itself (so usually old glue doesn't need to be removed).

[Howard Klepper]

I am always amazed by those who have the insight to recommend repair methods for a guitar without even seeing a photo. I'm not able do that.

Got photo? Competent repair can be found in Phoenix and Tucson. Gibson is the last place to go for this.