Help Fixing an acoustic Guitar?!?!

Dracon

New member
Okay, I just banged my precious acoustic guitar (against some furniture) and made a perfectly square hole on the bottom of the guitar (clear through).

It's not the most expensive guitar in the world but for $600 it's the most expensive guitar I own. Any one know if there is a DIY on how to repair a guitar or has any of you had any similar experiences?
 
I have no idea how big the hole is or what other damage (to bracing, etc.) may have occurred, but you could check Dan Erlewine's repair book and see if there's anything in it that might apply.

It may turn out to be best to just leave it alone. Seriously.
 
bongolation said:
I have no idea how big the hole is or what other damage (to bracing, etc.) may have occurred, but you could check Dan Erlewine's repair book and see if there's anything in it that might apply.

It may turn out to be best to just leave it alone. Seriously.
It's like one inch square. Pretty bad.
I think I may just take it to a repair shop and find out what they'll charge for fixing it.
 
juststartingout said:
Bondo dude. If you use a lot of hardener, it comes out brown so you don't have to paint it.
I don't know anything about fixing guitars, but I do know that I do not want to use bondo. I hate using bondo, it's nasty, it's a pain, and I don't want that stuff on my acoustic guitar.

Here is a pic for reference if anyone has any ideas.
 

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There shouldn't be any structural damage at that point. Where's the missing piece? I would just glue it back in - you could support it from the inside by gluing a thin piece of veneer inside over the hole. Then fill the defects with plastic wood and sand.

No matter what you do, the problem is going to be matching the finish. I don't have any ideas there.
 
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You want that crack fixed. I have a similar crack on the upper treble bout of my D-35. Full bottle of beer off a table right onto the side of the instrument. Cracked claer through. Fix was a piece of cotton cloth glued onto the inside of the bout. Patch has held for 20 years.

If you don't get some glue in there you run the risk of the entire side splitting. You don't want that to happen.

I'd take it to a local repair guy.
 
c7sus said:
I'd take it to a local repair guy.

I'll second that advice.

But take it to someone with a great reputation for fixing guitars, even if it means driving an extra distance.
 
Dracon said:
I don't know anything about fixing guitars, but I do know that I do not want to use bondo. I hate using bondo, it's nasty, it's a pain, and I don't want that stuff on my acoustic guitar.

Ok, so we were drinking last night....

Actually, the only way is to get some similar wood, cut out a small piece, glue it in, sand it and restain it. It's not really something you want to do unless you have done it before. If you want it fixed, take it to someone who does woodwork, they can probably help you. If you don't want to fix it, make sure that you use a file and round out the sharp corners of the whole. If you don't, that is where a crack will start, then the guitar will be junk. If you round the corners, it shouldn't crack.
 
crazydoc said:
There shouldn't be any structural damage at that point. Where's the missing piece? I would just glue it back in - you could support it from the inside by gluing a thin piece of veneer inside over the hole. Then fill the defects with plastic wood and sand.

No matter what you do, the problem is going to be matching the finish. I don't have any ideas there.
The missing piece is still on the guitar. From this angle you cannot see the piece got pushed in. It's really like a inch long gash (the width of the corner) and the sides of the gash got crushed (in an accordion fashion) but stayed attached.

I know of guy who repairs violins and I was going to go and ask him if he could do it, or recommend someone who can fix it.
 
dragonworks said:
send it to me, I will fix it for free. :)
Oh! Sure, but shipping will cost me more than perhaps it would to get it fixed locally.

Besides

1. Why would you fix it for free?
2. How do I know if you can fix it?
3. Where are you located?
4. How much is shipping to your location?
5. Do you ship for free too?
6. I would send it to you if you could give me references on previous work, give me some contact information, give me a real estimate, and I can get the guitar back to me without further damage.
 
c7sus said:
You want that crack fixed. I have a similar crack on the upper treble bout of my D-35. Full bottle of beer off a table right onto the side of the instrument. Cracked claer through. Fix was a piece of cotton cloth glued onto the inside of the bout. Patch has held for 20 years.
This is good to know, because I was wondering if it was fixable (but I'm sure someone that fixes instruments could get it repaired properly- without bondo).
Could you post a picture of the fixed crack on your D-35?

c7sus said:
If you don't get some glue in there you run the risk of the entire side splitting. You don't want that to happen.
Thank you for let me know about this, I didn't know about the entire side splitting.

c7sus said:
I'd take it to a local repair guy.
I think I'll probably do that. Although I did find a forum where they repair instruments, and asked if I could fix this and how (with my limited tools & knowledge).
 
Using animal hide glue get some cleats in there to stop further cracking. Hide glue allows you to undo anything you've done without damage.

Might be a good time to add that onboard preamp you've been thinking about.
 
I would just leave it alone. Find the toher peice and glue it back on from the inside. You don't want to use Bondo in my opinion it is a pain in the rear!
 
Dracon said:
The missing piece is still on the guitar. From this angle you cannot see the piece got pushed in. It's really like a inch long gash (the width of the corner) and the sides of the gash got crushed (in an accordion fashion) but stayed attached.

I know of guy who repairs violins and I was going to go and ask him if he could do it, or recommend someone who can fix it.

Here's a repair and instrument maker's site - don't know if it's the same one you know of. If not, ask there in the forum - they're very helpful and knowledgeable.
http://www.mimf.com/

Can you reach in through the soundhole and feel the bashed in wood? If so, gently try to push it back out straight. Then you could glue it - as noted, hot hide glue would be best, as it is reversable - if you can find it.
 
crazydoc said:
Here's a repair and instrument maker's site - don't know if it's the same one you know of. If not, ask there in the forum - they're very helpful and knowledgeable.
http://www.mimf.com/

Yes that's the forum I found. In fact they said, find a professional to fix it don't try to fix it yourself. I'm likely to do more damage than good if I try to repair my guitar. They recommended talking to guitar teachers or the high end music store (we have one in town) because they'll know a reputable person who can repair guitars in our local area.

I thought I may want to do this, but I don't want to cause further damage. According to the mimf forum, it's a great deal harder to fix a guitar than it is to build a new one.
 
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