Train wreck F-20

bobouz

bobouz

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GuildyAsHell said:
I’m having him go with a stain on the back and sides. Probably mahogany. Thoughts on what might look best on the maple?
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My ‘74 Guild F-40 has a natural top, but the maple body was finished at the factory in what looks like a medium dark wine red. I really like the way it looks on the body, which is plain maple rather than figured.
Edit - Here’s a photo:
ACDB51A5-C0AF-4A8E-9B2F-3D420D2D4780.jpeg
 
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GuildyAsHell

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Steve will be starting the bracing today. I’ve let him know that my tone preference leans toward warm rather than bright, so given that this guitar has maple back and sides, he’s going to adjust the shape of the new braces to try to “warm up” the top a bit. Hopefully pics to follow in the next couple days.
 
GuildyAsHell

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Westerly Wood said:
that is much broader. Did the luthier say that would impact tone or projection/volume any? I guess as it is up top towards the fretboard, it should not really deaden the projection...
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We didn’t discuss that in detail, but I like his reasoning for making it larger. The new bracing is lighter than the original, so hopefully if there was any tone/projection loss, it will be made up there.
 
bobouz

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Westerly Wood said:
that is much broader. Did the luthier say that would impact tone or projection/volume any? I guess as it is up top towards the fretboard, it should not really deaden the projection...
Click to expand...

That area of the top is mostly a non-factor because of the fretboard extension + bracing. Imho, it makes very good sense to strengthen that region.

In examining my Westerly acoustics (‘73-‘94), they all have beefed up bracing that merges with the neckblock except for my ‘73 F-30R, which originally had the popsicle-stick type brace & an additional horizontal brace. Because the guitar could ill-afford any further neck angle shift without skirting towards the edge of neck reset territory, I fashioned additional bracing to mimic my other Westerlys. To my ears, those additional braces have not altered or impacted the instrument’s tone.
 
D30Man

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GuildyAsHell said:
We didn’t discuss that in detail, but I like his reasoning for making it larger. The new bracing is lighter than the original, so hopefully if there was any tone/projection loss, it will be made up there.
Click to expand...
Well and with a new top there is potentially a whole new tone to unlock over time.
 
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This is a reminder that anything can be fixed given the will to do so. The very best guitar I've ever played was a 39 J 35 that came into the shop in a cardboard box. Neck was in three pieces, and the top in five, many of which had cracks. The top was missing 20%, and the sides had a half dozen foot long cracks and a5"x5" piece missing from the upper bout. Two years to repair, mainly because the luthier insisted on sourcing vintage wood for the top and braces, there was a solid guitar whose tone haunts me to this day. I should have found the $7500. I have a lot of respect for the fixers of the world and those willing to pay them.
 
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