Need opinions - Semi-hollow - just finish cracking or is the top coming off?

[chas.wahl]

I like the idea of giving it a humidity treatment with the sponges, that makes a lot of sense, and seems simple enough.

Here's what I do with my guitars (stored in hard cases):

Homemade humidifiers

I combine this with, for monitoring them, a Lacrosse weather station combo (including a remote sensor, which can fit within guitar case) and I bought an additional two such monitors. Then, their iPhone app, which allows me to check all 3 guitars without opening their cases. No other relation to this company, other than as a satisfied user.

 

[Sea Devil]

Neither hide glue nor fish glue can do its work without separating and cleaning the pieces. The guitar seems to be holding together nicely, so I'd suggest waiting another couple of weeks to be sure, and then doing repairs only for cosmetic purposes.

 

[Beebe]

Not a repair expert here, just offering some general ideas on reversible ways to fill chips for cosmetic purposes.

If the existing finish is not sensitive to alcohol, you can use shellac with pigment mixed in.

If you want to go water soluble, you can mix Gum Arabic with pigment and a drop of honey (watercolor paint ingredients). The honey is a plasticizer that helps keep it from cracking.

You can make a fine black pigment by burning a metal spoon over a candle and scraping off the black stuff.

 

[Cheap Trills]

As long as you don't remove the pickguard bracket, you should be fine. Remove that screw and it'll pop open like a jack-in-the-box! Also, that's some funny looking glue. =)

 

[effzee]

As long as you don't remove the pickguard bracket, you should be fine. Remove that screw and it'll pop open like a jack-in-the-box! Also, that's some funny looking glue. =)

Too late!

 

[Sea Devil]

It really is a handsome guitar. It seems to me that the structural problem was fixed long ago, but they just never got around to repairing the finish.

 

[Silverface]

Like this?

The second one. But if you didn't already know, use fish glue.

The Titebond liquid hide glue is OK for small repairs not under tension, but is not strong enough for major work.

Hot hide glue comes in granules that have to be dissolved in water; then heated to a specific temperature. It's used in traditional set-neck electric and most acoustic guitar construction because of its hard drying properties - but also because major repairs or adjustments like neck resets can be done by re-dissolving it using steam

I've seen too many failures with the liquid type, which also has a short shelf life. The fish glue is better for this type or application - almost as strong as hot hide glue, but easier to handle.

 

[Sea Devil]

Fish glue is great stuff and worked very well for me on a neck heel crack, but it does appear that the separation issues have already been addressed. It's always possible that the old repair will fail at some point, of course, and anyone with a similar issue that has not yet been addressed can benefit from the advice offered here.

 

[effzee]

Fish glue is great stuff and worked very well for me on a neck heel crack, but it does appear that the separation issues have already been addressed. It's always possible that the old repair will fail at some point, of course, and anyone with a similar issue that has not yet been addressed can benefit from the advice offered here.

I don't want to keep perpetuating my thread but I am actually wondering now if the top was removed just to swap out the electrics, because I did some testing and I don't think the pots will fit through the f-holes. In fact, I really doubt it. But maybe it was only lifted up a bit along the edge where the finish is all messed up? It's that even possible?

But really, it's all just academic now because the top is most definitely secured and stable and there's nothing at all wrong with the guitar (except I think the bridge pickup might be defective and that's why I'm wondering about the electrics now )

 

[Boreas]

I don't want to keep perpetuating my thread but I am actually wondering now if the top was removed just to swap out the electrics, because I did some testing and I don't think the pots will fit through the f-holes. In fact, I really doubt it. But maybe it was only lifted up a bit along the edge where the finish is all messed up? It's that even possible?

But really, it's all just academic now because the top is most definitely secured and stable and there's nothing at all wrong with the guitar (except I think the bridge pickup might be defective and that's why I'm wondering about the electrics now )

That was one of my early thoughts. I think it may have been pried up to swap the electronics - especially because your other pix showed the finish intact at other parts of the top.

 

[effzee]

That was one of my early thoughts. I think it may have been pried up to swap the electronics - especially because your other pix showed the finish intact at other parts of the top.

Yeah it was your comment that I was referring to . Is that even possible? Just prying up one corner of the top?

 

[dogmeat]

if they won't go through the F holes, you would put the pots through the pickup holes

 

[effzee]

if they won't go through the F holes, you would put the pots through the pickup holes

The F-hole worked out after all. It was a tight fit, but thankfully it was possible because there's no way to get the stuff through the pickup hole.

I wanted to check the connection from the bridge pickup, which seems solid enough. But then I discovered that the ground from the input jack was barely hanging on by a thread. It detached completely when I touched it. So I'll repair that now anyway.

Someone at sometime in the guitar's history basically ripped out all the cool original electronics and put in this standard stuff. They also hacked up the mounting holes for the pots and selector switch I'm going to figured out a way to better secure them, some kind of bushing I guess

 

[Boreas]

Yeah it was your comment that I was referring to . Is that even possible? Just prying up one corner of the top?

Well, certainly not without damage! I mean it sure looks to me like a tool was used to pry it up. Whether they were successful is doubtful. It could just be it cracked on its own and the owner tried to pry it up slightly to get glue into the crack. Or perhaps they were trying to remove a dropped pick!

 

[effzee]

Well, certainly not without damage! I mean it sure looks to me like a tool was used to pry it up. Whether they were successful is doubtful. It could just be it cracked on its own and the owner tried to pry it up slightly to get glue into the crack. Or perhaps they were trying to remove a dropped pick!

Well I got everything stuffed through the f-hole no problem. The bridge pickup seems to have fixed itself. All I did was replace the wires to the output jack

Next project, I'm probably going to buy some high quality pots and experiment a bit with various capacitors. But that'll be a different thread, haha

 

[SacDAve]

The F-hole worked out after all. It was a tight fit, but thankfully it was possible because there's no way to get the stuff through the pickup hole.

I wanted to check the connection from the bridge pickup, which seems solid enough. But then I discovered that the ground from the input jack was barely hanging on by a thread. It detached completely when I touched it. So I'll repair that now anyway.

View attachment 1055309

Someone at sometime in the guitar's history basically ripped out all the cool original electronics and put in this standard stuff. They also hacked up the mounting holes for the pots and selector switch I'm going to figured out a way to better secure them, some kind of bushing I guess

You might a piece of rubber tube around the treads of the switch

 

[effzee]

You might a piece of rubber tube around the treads of the switch

That sounds simple enough to work I was thinking brass or whatever.

The holes are a little wonky, too, not true round, so I might use a very fine hole saw to at least make them perfect circles

 

[dogmeat]

Hoffman sells these pot bushings. I have lots, if they would be any help I'll send you some....

You Have Already Checked Out

tube amplifier parts, tubes, guitar tube amps, vintage tube amp parts, tubes, guitar tube amplifier building supplies, tube amp information

hoffmanamps.com

Use these washer to center .31 inch diameter shaft Alpha pots in .375 inch chassis holes
.315" inner hole diameter - .371" outer diameter - .036 inches thick
Go to this page to see images of these washers in a couple different chassis

 

[effzee]

Hoffman sells these pot bushings. I have lots, if they would be any help I'll send you some....

You Have Already Checked Out

tube amplifier parts, tubes, guitar tube amps, vintage tube amp parts, tubes, guitar tube amplifier building supplies, tube amp information

hoffmanamps.com

Use these washer to center .31 inch diameter shaft Alpha pots in .375 inch chassis holes
.315" inner hole diameter - .371" outer diameter - .036 inches thick
Go to this page to see images of these washers in a couple different chassis

That's very generous, thank you!

The link opens a pretty extensive webpage, I'm not sure exactly which part I should be looking at.

Ok - I figured out the website, now I know what to look for

I live in Germany, so, please don't send anything my way, but I appreciate the heck out of the offer