Gibson L-5 Repair

[jbbancroft]

I have a serious back crack on a Gibson L-5. Any repair ideas.
Hopefully I can add photos.
Thanks
Jim

[Paul Breen]

That crack will never close with humidity or dowsing with water or any other potion. The beautiful back is crafted from squirrely grained Maple, maybe even crotch wood. It may continue along it's cracked course or it may be mostly done, no one can say. Splinting could turn out rather ugly but here is an idea to consider. The Chinese came up with a clever way to mend broken pottery. The ceramic vessel would be glued back together and then the cracks and missing bits would be filled and then gilded. The gilding forgives the visible damage and even enhances and beautifies it.

Looks like you're in for a re-finish anyway, why not patch and stabilize it from the inside and then fill the gap with tinted epoxy? Level it and re-finish. Again, no guarantee that the crack won't keep moving but short of carving a new back, you're options are limited. Good luck, I would be interested to see what you come up with.

[Frank Ford]

That's a good deal more than a crack - there's some serious reshaping to do.  One standard sort of repair is to make a plaster cast of the back as it is, correct the shape of the plaster, and mold the back in place using the corrected negative plaster mold.  Heat, pressure, interior laminations, etc., can do wonders there.

If you're in the mood, follow this link to an extensive blog-style article about a similar arched instrument reconstruction, where you might get some ideas of interest:

MANDOCELLO COLLAPSED TOP

[jbbancroft]

Thanks Paul and Frank.
This is what I came up with, which seems pretty simple if it works. I've glued a block in the spot where end block is located to hold the gap together. Next I'll taper the gap with a file, working from the back to the front.
Now I'll cut a bunch of small curly maple wedges to dip in hide glue and push into the crack, one after another, also realigning the gap as I drive the wedges in. Working along until the gap is filled. Let the glue dry well. Now take a chisel and cut off the excess wedge material inside and outside. Next some sanding and smoothing and finally finish touch to the gap.
I think it may be a good simple fix.
Jim

[jbbancroft]

I'm not going to refinish this instrument, as I want it to tell its history.
Here is the front of a Martin 00-21 restoration I did a few years ago, it was probably destined for the dumpster, until I got it.
Jim

[Paul Breen]

Jim, please post some pictures of you're repairs to the L 5 back. I'm really interested to see what you come up with.

Looks like that old Martin was dragged around like a Raggedy Ann doll. I get a certain satisfaction from resuscitating what others would toss, just a sucker for a hard luck case I guess.

[Kerry Krishna]

Jim, if I am not mistaken, this is a flood guitar? 

[jbbancroft]

Could have been a flood Guitar, not sure, I don't know any of it's history. I purchased this from another local repair person, he'd had it about 20 years and never got around to doing much with it.
Jim

[jbbancroft]

I’m finally getting this L5 back together.

[Joshua Levin-Epstein]

Wow. Simply, wow.

[Mike Kolb]

That looks astounding.  Beautiful show of both thought and patience...  fantastic.

[jbbancroft]

Thanks for the encouraging responses.

another situation I’m trying to make look more presentable is the top. Someone, at sometime must have glued a rectangle bridge to the top, so that area is rough and chewed up. I didn’t want to remove wood to smooth it out and most of the wood is still there. 

I just smoothed it slightly with sand paper then added stain with a q-tip applicator, then wipe with alcohol to try and blend in. Maybe it would have been better to pad a stained shellac solution instead, don’t know which would have been best?

whatever I do it’s not going to turn out pretty. My goal is to make the guitar solid and playable, but not refinish it.

So here are pictures before and after of the top, maybe I’ll do more improvement if I can.

Jim

[jbbancroft]

Another outside picture. Not sure I’m happy with the staining.