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I inherited this 1940-ish fairly cheap wartime-patriot themed archtop. I don't know who made it, and I doubt it has much value, even to collectors of these types due to the damage on the top.

The neck has a serious bow and I don't see an adjustable truss rod so I assume it has a steel reinforcement bar instead, or perhaps nothing. Can this much bow be fixed?

pictures here: https://www.dropbox.com/sc/fi1y0oz7sxrdlpn/Mna8SvI1bk

I've never worked on an acoustic guitar before and this might be a great learning project. I'm pretty handy with wood, grew up in my father's woodwork shop. I've been reading a lot and watching lots of videos about acoustic repairs and I'd like to take a stab at it.

Your thoughts?

..Todd

Yes it can be fixed . My thoughts would be to remove the neck and take fret board off , using steam and a clamp slowly bring it back to flat . Then I would route a channel and install carbon fiber rod to help it stay flat . Reapply fret board and reset the neck ...


That having all been said ... I'M NOT A PRO . Someone else may chime in here with a much better approach

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Thanks WudWerkr.

I wonder what would be a suitable way to apply steam in that situation. Put the whole neck into a steam box? Or a more subtle application.

..Todd

Tai, I used to fix warped or even twisted necks with the judicious application of heat.
I've used heat lamps, or heating pads wrapped in a towel.


Don't get it so hot that the finish softens - go slow.
Good rule of thumb: if you can't touch it, it's too hot!
Get it warm slowly, and clamp it gently - let cool, and unclamp after 24 hours.
May take a couple times to get everything just so.

DO NOT walk off while heating the necks. I know a guy who turned a Les Paul neck into charcoal by leaving the shop while heat-soaking the wood.

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Thanks Chris. Heat is certainly a bit easier to provide and localize than steam (charcoal notwithstanding).

Another question... what bracing patterns are considered effective for archtops? I've seen lots of information on the internet about bracing flattop steel string guitars, not so much about archtops w/f-holes.

..Todd

Todd, it may be a shot in the dark, but check out the Kay Guitar Co. in Chicago, Ill.
It has many signs that I see on an old "Cowboy" themed flat-top guitar from that same time (1941) that I have in waiting, and waiting, and waiting...
For the restoration, that is.
Coe

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Thanks Cocephus,

I've only ever found two other examples of Victory guitars on the internet. One was identical, and one was a flat top with the same red, white and blue theme. Very rare. But I'm not really too hung up on identifying its maker or researching its lineage, since it's so cheaply built. I am most interested in making it play nicely as a repair project - even if just to keep it out of the landfill.

Not sure if refinishing it will destroy any mojo/value it may have otherwise retained, since the top has initials and peace signs scratched into it. This guitar has been in our family since the 50's at least, so I and my brothers will take full responsibility for ruining the soundboard in our misspent youth.

One oddity about this is that the guitar has been here in Canada with our family since it was very young, and a patriotic red, white and blue (American) theme is clearly not something you would normally have seen in Canada. Our wartime efforts, if I remember correctly, were primarily in cahoots with the British military, not so much the US military (but I could be wrong). It's origin is a bit of a puzzle.

I suppose some multinational retailer like Sears Roebuck might have imported it and sold here it, disregarding its foreign patriotic design theme.

..Todd

Silly me, I put my glasses on and realized the ripply maple back and sides are a just a painted-on faux ripple effect. Had me fooled, though I could never subconsciously reconcile the cheap overall construction with a ripply maple back and sides. It makes more sense now.

I also took a closer look at the neck tonight. The neck relief is not as bad as I thought (1/16th in). The extremely high action is happening because the neck heel has lifted away from the body slightly. So a full neck reset, fret board levelling and refret will be required to make this playable again.

This is looking more and more like a luthier practice piece rather than a quirky historical memento. I'm pretty sure it will never sound very good.

..Todd

I've dealt mostly with electric guitars until now so I have questions about this type of guitar...

What fret size (range) is typically used on archtop acoustics?

What string gauge (range) is typically used for archtop acoustics?

Are there any typical archtop bracing layouts kicking around the internet? I've seen a couple diagrams but I don't know if they are normal. I'm just a bit curious about that. I doubt I will reconfigure this guitar's bracing.

..Todd

Camping Guitar

_________________
The Shallower the depth of the stream , The Louder the Babble !
The Taking Of Offense Is the Life Course Of The Stupid One !
Wanna Leave a Better Planet for our Kids? How about Working on BETTER KIDS for our Planet !
Forgiveness is the ability to accept an apology that you will probably NEVER GET
The truth will set you free , But FIRST, it will probably Piss you Off !
Creativity is allowing yourself to make Mistakes, Art is knowing which ones to Keep !
The Saddest thing anyone can do , is push a Loyal Person to the point that they Dont Care Anymore
Never met a STRONG person who had an EASY past !
http://wiksnwudwerks.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/groups/GatewayA ... rAssembly/

Yo Tod,

ain't no such thing as typical or standard when it comes to strings and frets...is more like a personal persuasion kinda situation, you know, like pink underwear.

Bracing in arch builds is either parallel or " X " Thicker tops with " X " bracing tend to be softer or mellow in sound where as thin tops with parallel braces tent to project with a louder voice.

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.

kindling

..Todd

so the previous commenter who was trying to lead you to the maker of the instrument was trying to inform you as to sources of info such as internal bracing, fret size, etc. there is a 99% chance there are several other "brands" of guitars with the exact same construction, only a different label on the headstock. If you prefer get a small mirror and flashlight and have a look.