Retopping my college beater

Even if it ain't broke you can still fix it.
phavriluk
Posts: 554
Joined: Mon Jul 09, 2012 9:49 pm

Re: Retopping my college beater

Post by phavriluk »

Neil, that makes perfect sense to me. As for tearout, I'd have a hard time figuring which direction I ought to plane so as to plane 'downslope', so to speak. That I'll have to work on. I have no direct experience with hand-planning tops, but I have seen what happens when I try to plane into runout instead of planning out of runout, so the wood fibers aren't rising into the plane blade.
peter havriluk
nkwak
Posts: 650
Joined: Sat Nov 13, 2010 9:55 pm
Location: Pittsburgh PA suburbs

Re: Retopping my college beater

Post by nkwak »

nkwak wrote:Thanks. I've been tempted by the student grade Sitka tops at RC Tonewoods but wasn't looking forward to thickness sanding or planing. The GMC (and Martin as a whole) were closed all last week so I couldn't call the main number and was curious what a similarly graded top already later cut and sander to thickness would run. From taking the tour I'm guessing that the rosettes are alsonlaser etched out at the same point.

TBH this little project is on the back burner (while I pick up on my build and a few household projects) but perhaps by the fall this and my first build will be a pair of closed boxes.
I'm bumping this to the top because it's the first day of fall and I've done nothing on this or my build. The more I think about it, the more I'd like to just get a rejected top from GMC. Does anybody know what the ball park price is for a rejected spruce soundboard with just the registry pin hole for the soundhole (as opposed to the full soundhole cut out/"
~ Neil
phavriluk
Posts: 554
Joined: Mon Jul 09, 2012 9:49 pm

Re: Retopping my college beater

Post by phavriluk »

I think that's a question best asked of GMC...I think what they have varies. It's not a retail store as such, it's a surplus and salvage yard. And please mention you want a Dreadnought top. I think it's worth asking if any available top has the soundhole cut out and the rosette installed. Saves a bunch of work. A bridge plate is also going to be needed. You mentioned you bought bracing for a OO project. Whether that is appropriate for a Dreadnought ought to be asked of the GMC folks. I don't know whether Martin sells only one size of bracing or such are matched to body shape and size. I don't know whether the 'x' brace angles are all the same, for example.
peter havriluk
tippie53
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Re: Retopping my college beater

Post by tippie53 »

braces are pretty much one size fits all at Martin
they sell 000 and dreds
the usually have the holes pre cut you can call GMC but seldom do they have raw tops
John Hall
Blues Creek Guitars Inc
Authorized CF Martin Repair Center
president of Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans
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Danl8
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Location: Chadds Ford, PA

Re: Retopping my college beater

Post by Danl8 »

Rejected tops are often available at GMC. The range of wood specie and price varies. They can be around $100 or less. The reasons for rejection can be visual or structural, such as pin knots, windbreaks and the like. If it is just visual, you can get nice quality stuff. Pearl and red spruce can bump the price. I'll post a pic or two of some that I have so you can get an idea of what might be available.

Edit:
Each of these has a defect unacceptable to Martin (perfect or nothing is their standard). One is VTE sitka, next two are carpathian and Ady, then hog and spruce.
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nkwak
Posts: 650
Joined: Sat Nov 13, 2010 9:55 pm
Location: Pittsburgh PA suburbs

Re: Retopping my college beater

Post by nkwak »

Much as I'd like to do a full kit-type refurb I decided to just buy one of those student grade tops and use this as an opportunity to practice on voicing tops. I'm still going to use that Martin 00 bracing.

Once I close the box on #2 I'm setting up my shooting board and sharpening up my bench plane. I also need to pull the frets on the severed neck and procure a serviced fretboard. I'm pretty sure it's 35.34" scale, even if the neck is going to be about 1/16" shorter and will be a butt joint with threaded inserts.

I need to read up on deflection testing while my elbow mends. That's a whole 'nother story but suffice it to say that I was stupid but lucky enough to not do serious damage. I should be back at it in 2 weeks.
~ Neil
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