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Joined:
November 2011
Posts: 741
Location: Fort Worth, TX | Several days ago I posted pics of how I covered up the visible line left after I repaired a crack in the top of this 1768C Elite that occurred in transit. I used a blue pearl panel with white pinstriping on it that was generally well received here to my surprise. It was a hurried up project I undertook without much thought, I just knew it would be easy for me. I grew tired of it very quickly and decided to do something different. I sought the advice of the luthier currently finishing up an OM for me. I sanded the top down to bare wood with a progression of different grits of sandpaper, all the way to sandpaper so fine it was measured in microns. I didn't even know it existed. An additional problem the guitar had was the very thin wood of the epaulets was beginning to curl up from the edges, so I removed it, hoping the soundholes would be perfectly finished underneath them, as I found they were. I put a few coats of a polymerized oil on the top that is used by many luthiers as a final finish and proceeded to cut the gloss back to a satin finish with three grades of micron sandpaper. Then, I got out the sign painting brushes again and painted on the epaulets. I covered the visible crack and three smaller ones coming up from the bottom where the hit obviously took place with a version of matching epaulet-like shapes I thought would balance out the look. In the end, the new finish actually improved the already pleasing, warm sound of the cedar top when fingerpicked. Here is the final result. I'm finally happy with the result!
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Joined:
August 2011
Posts: 887
Location: Always beautiful canyon country of Utah | Incredible work! You are very dogged in yur pursuit of not stopping until you have yur desired result. And you now have a unique and beautiful guitar! I am amazed that the sound changed as a result of yur labors. How many hours do you think you invested in this quest?? |
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Joined:
November 2011
Posts: 741
Location: Fort Worth, TX | I have the better part of three days in this job. All I have is time on my hands though. Weather has been too nasty for my walks along the river everyday. Most of the time was spent sanding with the various grades of sandpaper. The luthier stressed this part of the job and he was right. The outcome is beautiful in person. The iPod pic doesn"t do it justice. Here is a slightly larger view of it though.
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Joined:
December 2006
Posts: 6996
Location: Jet City | Kell, you obviously have too much free time. Looks better for sure. |
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Joined:
November 2011
Posts: 741
Location: Fort Worth, TX | damon67 - 2013-02-28 2:32 PM
Kell, you obviously have too much free time. Looks better for sure.
Being declared totally disabled two years ago at the age of 58 was at once the best and worst thing that ever happened to me. It took me forever to overcome the interminable boredom of days on end with nothing to do. My wife has been a teacher for 33 years and can retire at any time, but wants to put in a few more years so we can afford to sell the house and buy a top of the line Class A motor home to live on the road full time. I can't wait for that day to come, unless gas prices make it an absolute impossibility by then. Until then, I fill my time by offering for free the things I made a self employed living from my entire life. Like logo design which I've done for a few bands in here already. I still sell pinstriping on motorcycles for cash. Best pursuit I've taken up is learning to play fingerstyle with all the time I have available. My older brain is resisting learning it however, but again, I have plenty of time to practice. I wonder if people who desire to retire early really have any idea what they're getting themselves into. I agree with you this looks better than the pinstriped version I did. There is a nearby music store that has an ancient GC model that has been in the store forever. It has a cracked top. I'm going to offer to take it off their hands for real cheap since they can't seem to sell it. Now that I know how to repair a crack and refinish a top I might have found a way to finally own another GC model. |
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Revised Cracked Cedar Top Elite...
