Tilton longitudinal interior bar

[drew allgoewer]

hello all,

An old Tilton guitar landed in my shop recently in need of a neck reset and some cleats. These guitars, as seen in the Frets gallery, have a long bar running from block to block. Any idea if there is a way to pull that bar out temporarily to get my hand in, or am I looking at pulling off the top / back to gain access to the inside?

thanks

drew

[Eric Steven Johansen]

Drew, I restored one a few years back that was lattice braced and had a Joseph Bohman maker stamp on the underside of the top just below the headblock. On this guitar the long bar was held in place by small wooden blocks and was easily removed by taking out the blocks at the headblock. The problem with Tiltons is that they were made by several luthiers and each one had their own ideas on the bar (as well as the bracing) so no one answer will guarantee success. Removal of the back is your best bet and can facilitate complete repairs. Post some pics if you get a chance.

[drew allgoewer]

Sorry for the delay... couldn't find the charger cable.... well I've probed around inside with a mirror and camera and didn't see any sign of a block above the the bar, I do see what looks like the tip of a screw, but see no sign of it in the neck joint pocket.

I was hoping to avoid total disassembly, My initial plan had been to approach it like the Spanish heel on the frets site   but if there is no way to get a hand in to tighten those bolts should they loosen up I'd be a bit nervous about it. I've stewed over the idea of using the same idea from the outside and hiding the bolt either in a strap pin or other easily replicated decorative element like a pearl dot.

[Ron Frazier]

That looks like mine. I think the brace is set into a hole.  With the back off makes a easy fix.  one side is badly shattered so I took the back off. That is not the original bridge .  It is a plastic one with the pat. date and name on it.  Mine is broken where the strings hook on so I have made a black metal for a backer .  I have the same case.