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 Post subject: Alvarez RD8C
PostPosted: Mon May 20, 2019 7:44 pm 
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Mahogany
Mahogany

Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2017 8:20 pm
Posts: 41
First name: Rick
Last Name: Tedder
City: Branson
State: Missouri
Zip/Postal Code: 65616
Country: United States
Focus: Repair
Status: Amateur
I got this guitar for practically nothing. I am continuing to try to learn. I know it's not a high dollar guitar but it will do to learn on. Am posting a picture so you can see what I am talking about. This is on the top. Would like to try to fix it just for the experience. Any suggestions would be great. Someone has sanded on this some.
I was thinking about using my Dremel with a router bit to take off the first layer of wood, to inlay a new piece of wood to cover this. Maybe contrasting wood. Let me know what you think please.Image

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 Post subject: Re: Alvarez RD8C
PostPosted: Tue May 21, 2019 4:55 am 
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Old Growth Brazilian Rosewood
Old Growth Brazilian Rosewood
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Joined: Fri Nov 02, 2007 9:49 am
Posts: 12971
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
First name: Hesh
Last Name: Breakstone
City: Ann Arbor
State: Michigan
Country: United States
Status: Professional
No. In the commercial world no one would ever attempt to fix cosmetically a plywood top nor would any sane client ever wish to pay for the repair.

If you want a "mule" (a learning instrument) that will have lots of opportunity to learn modern repair methods on an instrument intended from the get go to be "serviceable" seek out old Harmony Sovereigns on eBay or wherever. They have proper dovetail neck joints, solid spruce tops, solid wood back and sides, they used HHG in assembly and the construction methods are as Martins and others are today. Lots of real value in learning to do a plethora of repairs that will be commercially viable meaning requested, economically justifiable and in real demand.

There you just got some advice from the trenches of a very busy commercial repair shop.

I'll add that some folks will always wish to experiment and toil with things that will be one offs. More power to them but if you are asking about something that is a "learning" experience with the emphasis on you want to develop chops for something that you will likely be asked to do again instruments that we get for nothing may have similar value... unless they are and were built to be serviceable.

Good luck.

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These users thanked the author Hesh for the post (total 2): dpetrzelka (Tue May 21, 2019 9:06 am) • Clinchriver (Tue May 21, 2019 5:13 am)
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 Post subject: Re: Alvarez RD8C
PostPosted: Wed May 22, 2019 1:55 pm 
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Cocobolo
Cocobolo

Joined: Mon Jun 07, 2010 11:14 am
Posts: 109
First name: Jan-Alexis
Last Name: Tremblay
City: Montreal
Country: Canada
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
I think the best course of action is to let it be as is.

Other option if you really want to cover this scar is to get creative with a pair of cissors:

https://www.stewmac.com/Materials_and_S ... lanks.html


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 Post subject: Re: Alvarez RD8C
PostPosted: Wed May 22, 2019 4:44 pm 
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Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood

Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2010 1:46 pm
Posts: 2124
First name: Freeman
Last Name: Keller
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
How is everything else on the guitar? Neck angle, frets, action, anything loose or broken?


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 Post subject: Re: Alvarez RD8C
PostPosted: Fri May 24, 2019 9:58 am 
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Mahogany
Mahogany

Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2017 8:20 pm
Posts: 41
First name: Rick
Last Name: Tedder
City: Branson
State: Missouri
Zip/Postal Code: 65616
Country: United States
Focus: Repair
Status: Amateur
Everything else is very good

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 Post subject: Re: Alvarez RD8C
PostPosted: Fri May 24, 2019 10:27 am 
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Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood

Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2010 1:46 pm
Posts: 2124
First name: Freeman
Last Name: Keller
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
Ricklt wrote:
Everything else is very good

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Then play it and don't worry about it. Maybe someday it will be Trigger or Hansard's guitar


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 Post subject: Re: Alvarez RD8C
PostPosted: Fri May 24, 2019 10:56 am 
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Cocobolo
Cocobolo

Joined: Thu Oct 27, 2011 11:28 am
Posts: 183
First name: Leonard
Last Name: Duke
City: Kalamazoo
State: MI
Zip/Postal Code: 49001
Country: USA
Focus: Repair
Status: Amateur
The contrasting wood would sure stand out.
Cutting down with a dremel and then making a patch to fit that would be quite a hard job.
To get some experience, I would make a very thin spruce patch that tapers at the edges to fit into the pit. To shape that patch I would use double stick tape to tape it to a scrap board, then scrape or sand the spruce. With a sharp scraper you can make extremely thin pieces this way. This would be faster than fitting an inlaid patch.
After glueing it in I would level the patch then see how well I could disguise it by spraying a sunburst.
Just my two cents, but I think my way develops skills more likely to be used in the future.


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