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Concave soundboard http://luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=37279	Page 1 of 1

Author:	Tai Fu [ Mon Jul 30, 2012 5:14 am ]
Post subject:	Concave soundboard
I have a 1970's Martin that have suffered heat damage. The bridge lifted and moved a bit, and the finish on the top is seriously cracked, so I decided to refinish the top. The pickguard has shrank, and when it did that it tore the soundboard with it, cracking the wood all around the perimeter and causing the entire area where the pickguard sit to go concave (while the rest of the soundboard is relatively flat). For some reason there is no finish of any kind under the soundboard so the soundboard seem to have shrank with the pickguard... Is there anything I can do about this?

Author:	Tom West [ Mon Jul 30, 2012 5:32 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Concave soundboard
Tai: For years Martin applied the pick guard under the finish directly to the bare wood. The guards shrunk and of course caused the problems your seeing.In later years they have changed and are applying them over the finish. Tom

Author:	Tai Fu [ Mon Jul 30, 2012 5:37 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Concave soundboard
I felt under the crack, and it appears the pickguard actually pulled a finger brace loose... so now I need to quote the customer for a brace reglue...

Author:	Arnt Rian [ Mon Jul 30, 2012 6:17 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Concave soundboard
Yes, I've seen some repair people refer to those pickguard cracks as "Marinitis", it is a quite common condition. I am more concerned about the refinish... You say the finish was "...seriously cracked". These days, refinishing is not really "comme il faut", almost regardless of how chewed up the original finish is. For one thing it will almost certainly bring down the instrument's market value, and it is not an easy thing to do well. So how bad was the finish, really?

Author:	Tai Fu [ Mon Jul 30, 2012 6:31 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Concave soundboard
heat (I think) related checks, only on the top but not anywhere else in the finish. The owner just doesn't like it and it just looks weird. Plus its not a hard refinish and I can do it so that anyone would have trouble telling that it has been refinished in the future.

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